Trip Advice: Daks, Santanonis, Sewards, 4 Days

[blacklab2020]

I have a trip coming together for the second week in march, 4 days:

This is the tentative itenerary and I am open to suggestions.
Day 1: Drag pulks to shelter near bradley pond and Climb Santanonis with light packs (returning to camp)
Day 2: Move camp to mountain pond near the sewards
Day 3: Climb Seward Range, Is it possible to include Seymour in this as well? We are a fairly strong group... What would be the best route linking the two together. If anyone has a topo image that would be awesome.
Day 4: Drag sleds out to upper works.

Or in reverse order with Santanonis being on day 3.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be helpful. Especially things to watch out for on herd paths or crossing the lakes this time of year... I havent done much hiking on lakes. I think they have been iced over for a month or two...I have seen the videos on extracting ones self from the icy water, but am also willing to carry ropes and check ice depth.

 

[John H Swanson]

If I were you, I would dayhike the Santanonis staying at Newcomb on day 1.
Then drive to Coreys road and pull sleds into Ward brook leanto and Day 2. If you have energy get Seymour on Day 2.
Then do the Sewards on Day 3. Then do Seymour on Day 4 (if you did not get it on Day 2) and sled out.
Alternately, you could camp at Caulkins Brook and more camp to get Seymour. Caulkins brook is move popular but it makes it more difficult to get Seymour on the same trip.

I never did see the benefit of dragging all that overnight gear into Bradley pond to save a few miles each way. The 2 hours saved is easily lost on dealing with all that gear. Outdoor logistics are much more time consuming than indoor hike prep.

 

[blacklab2020]

If I were you, I would dayhike the Santanonis staying at Newcomb on day 1.
Then drive to Coreys road and pull sleds into Ward brook leanto and Day 2. If you have energy get Seymour on Day 2.
Then do the Sewards on Day 3. Then do Seymour on Day 4 (if you did not get it on Day 2) and sled out.
Alternately, you could camp at Caulkins Brook and more camp to get Seymour. Caulkins brook is move popular but it makes it more difficult to get Seymour on the same trip.

I never did see the benefit of dragging all that overnight gear into Bradley pond to save a few miles each way. The 2 hours saved is easily lost on dealing with all that gear. Outdoor logistics are much more time consuming than indoor hike prep.

IMO, I think this setup would take the remote backcountry feeling out of the trip. It may be easier to do, but you have to return to the car midtrip versus spending 4 days out in the wild.

About the outdoor logistics...Yes everything takes twice as long to do in the winter, However the day we did santanonis there wouldnt be that much organization taking place... daypacks would be ready to go as separate entities on the sled or on our backs. That we we could simply ditch the pulk and head up, return and set up camp.

 

[peak_bgr]

If you have the option of two cars you could do this.

Day one hike into Bradley pond, drop packs and do the Santanonis. Get a very early start and plan at least 8 hour from camp back to camp.

Day two hike it up to Seward Leanto via Duck Hole (trail probobly not broken, unless skiers have used it) and get Seymour if you have it left in you.

Day three The three Sewards. Remember when you get to Emmons you have to reclimb Donaldson and Emmons. Chance are the trail up Seard won't be broken.

Day four do Seymour if not on day 2 and hike out to parking lot at Coreys.

IMO-You should have done this before the storm. Do you ski? Do you own a sled? You will want a sled, a long one that has excellent floatation. You will encounter very little use on some of these trails.

I would use Johns suggestion, even though you are loosing some of that wilderness feel.

 

[blacklab2020]

Yeah, we were planning on breaking trail for most of that section... That trip seems to work well also. I agree that John's is the most efficient.

The other trip idea was to come up calamity brook cross flowed lands and camp near colden, attack iriqois and algonquin over shepards tooth and descend the trail back to colden (I am assuming there will be some nice huge drifts like last time I was up there in March) and day three either ice climb in avy pass if avy conditions are right or head over to some of the peaks further south.

They are two very different trips.

With the sewards has anyone bushwacked directly from seymour to seward?... it looks pretty steep in spots, might be like the bushwhack from nippletop down into hunters pass this time of year.

We have paris sleds rigged for climbing harnesses, MSR denali ascent snowshoes with eight inch tails and cross country skis.

 

[bachand]

It would be a VERY long day to get all three Sewards and Seymour done in the same day. The Sewards are a very rugged range and their setup requires you to climb at least 4 peaks, counting back tracking, when you hike along the ridge. If it were me I would get the three done first then hike Seymour the last day.

 

[blacklab2020]

I wont say I didnt heed your advice =)

I am not sure what we are doing at this point, but an alpine start may be in order for that day. You think I would learn at somepoint... gotta love snow though

 

[Tom Rankin]

With the sewards has anyone bushwacked directly from seymour to seward?...

I've been told that it is very nasty in there, unless you can walk over the trees in a very heavy snow year. YMMV...

 

[blacklab2020]

YMMV??

I will have to play it by ear and see what the snow conditions are like out there. I am not even sure we are doing that trip at the moment, but something like that is up in the air.

Having deep snow to bypass the trees is nice, It has eased several bushwhacks for me, however down lower it looks steeper and probably wont have the snow. Spruce traps are always a nice though ... not really.

 

[peak_bgr]

There's one thing worse than spruce traps, that's blowdown traps. Unseen and covered in snow, much more dangerous.

 

[Tom Rankin]

YMMV??

Your Mileage May Vary. Literally!

 

[Doc McPeak]

By mid March you could have any range of conditions, so any advice today is variable dependent.

Are you peakbagging?
46? W46? Beasty peaks? Ice? Anything?
Or up for a nice pulk tour with some good climbing thrown in?

If you are not shackled to a list, you could throw together some awesome excursion posibilities. If that were the case I would do something like ...

Day 1:
Start from Santanoni trailhead.
Ski pulk up to the Henderson Lake outlet. Ditch the trail.
Cruise stream up to the Lake, across it and thru Preston Pass over the Divide.
Set-up camp at bottom of MacNaughton Brook.

Day 2:
Climb MacNaughton.
Ski the Preston Ponds and Duck Hole to the Lean-tos.
Drink wine and grill steaks. (Or tuna and swordfish for me)

Day 3:
Cruise up to Bradley Pond area. Maybe the lean-to? (Very Nice)
If time, you could hike the 700-800 up to Henderson ... or relax.
(You'll know from MacNaughty how the snow is)

Day 4:
Hike Santanoni and Panther.
If you're shackled and need it you should probably go for Couchy if the trail is broken.
I certainly wouldn't. (... Already W46 ... probably wouldn't anyway)
Hike back to the lot where your car is.
Revel in the moment because you've done a dream loop.

It all depends if you're hell bent to check some ticks off a list, or just wanting to get out and explore with no spreadsheets wagging their tails back at home. (I am both en-listed and de-listed at this point...)

Follow the conditions and they will help steer you in the right direction.
Obviously, I think you should go off the beaten track ...
(And www.topozone.com will give you your topos)

 

[blacklab2020]

"a nice pulk tour with some good climbing thrown in?

If you are not shackled to a list, you could throw together some awesome excursion posibilities. If that were the case I would do something like ..."

This pretty much nails it... going backcountry for a few days with the pulks... cross a few lakes set up basecamp and get some good day climbs out of it (technical is fine, beasty is fine, busting through waist deep snow on a bushwhack is fine, its all good)...but damn do steaks and wine sound good... I still have yet to plan this fine menu!

One other trip that came to mind was to head up on to newcomb lake over towards ermine brook, and climb the slide on santanoni.

By the way, if you havent seen the new NASA worldwind it now has USGS topo maps built in with 3D renderinng...pretty sweet.

 

[peak_bgr]

MacNaughty and Henderson are fine hikes, highly recommended.

Doc, nice trip idea. I've got to learn to ski!

 

[bubba]

Doc, nice trip idea. I've got to learn to ski!

Advise: Get them, put them on. You're skiing.

First, concentrate on learning the experience and sensation of gliding your feet rather than picking up your feet (your natural instinct). Move, fall, get up, ski. Repeat. Then as you are more comfortable, attempt to steal a "glide" on one or the other ski as you push off with the other. Now you're an advanced skier. Learn to enjoy the glide. It's your friend.

If you come to a place that has a gentle slope (of course at this point you are on fairly moderate terrain because you are a beginner...) lower your center of gravity by bending your knees (and widening your stance if possible).

To slow, brush the heals of your skis out to widen them but keep the tips together (basic snowplow) and attempt to put some pressure on the close (inside) edge. In this same position, you can attempt a turn -- put pressure on the ski that is pointing toward the way you want to turn (right ski pointing left; left ski pointing to the right).

There are the basics. Go out and strap 'em on OR wait for me to take you out so I can LOTSnowLMAO

More advise: look at your calendar, scratch in a day to do this within the next 10 days.

Learn more on the net if you think you have to. Like here

It all depends if you're hell bent to check some ticks off a list, or just wanting to get out and explore with no spreadsheets wagging their tails back at home.

Free at last! Free at last! Oh sweet Lord, free at last!!

Justin, hope you don't mind the short departure in your thread. Spence needs a kick in the butt to get out and ski