I wanted to get out this weekend, but the crowds did not appeal to me, I had to work Monday, the weather (Sunday) was not great, and my son had soccer on Saturday. I was, for a change, all caught up at work for Tuesday, however, and the forecast predicted a perfect hiking day - no clouds, light wind, and warmer than the weekend. And at least this time, NOAA was spot on. Whitney ("Tip Toe"), fresh off her PCT completion, has Tuesdays off and was willing to join me and Gryffin for a traverse of the Twins, Galehead and Garfield, from Haystack Road to Gale River Road. Per Strava, this was a 15.1 mile trip of 5,325' completed in moving time of 6:45 (elapsed 8:45). I opted to go south so the last 5 miles were the gentle and easy-on-the-paws decent off Garfield.
The foliage is at, or maybe just past, peak. Leaves are beginning to cover up the ground down low, but there was still an abundance of color - probably as much or slightly more than last weekend north of Route 2 (Cabot). We started in long pants and long sleeves but once the grade got steep, the legs got zipped off and the short sleeves went on. Even on the summits, the wind was light, the sun was strong and the day was warm. Of course the stream crossings at both ends were trivial as expected. For the first time, I actually crossed the Little River all three times.
Snack break one took place where we cleared the trees on North Twin. In addition to the view of the Presidential Range behind Hale, we could actually see the Atlantic Ocean shimmering on the horizon. Looking behind us and to the west, the Sugarloaves rose out of the valley of colors.
View from North Twin ledge east towards the Atlantic
Hale in front of the Presidential Range
Sugarloaves rising out of the valley of color
Continuing on to the "summit" of North Twin, and then following the view spur uphill
we came to the western viewpoint, which extended well into VT and thence to the ADKs. Some of the hemlocks still had heavy rime ice as they lay in the shade at this point in the morning. From here, we can see the remainder of our planned trip, including the famous PUDs on Garfield Ridge Trail. This would turn into an embracing of those PUDS in the form of two quick side trips to the NHHH peaks on Garfield Ridge. Gryffin and I had been in August 2014 and the log book on East went all the way back to 2007.
North Twin viewpoint to Galehead, Garfield Ridge, Garfield and Franconia Ridge
Over at South Twin, there were a bunch of people, including kids, and likely overnight guests at Galehead Hut. We helped them identify surrounding peaks before descending to the hut which remains open for one more week. Took another quick snack break here and filled up on water before zipping up Galehead. What can be said about Galehead? I'm thinking there is a slightly higher bump just behind the cairn. There. Maybe that will start a discussion about Galehead.
Panorama from the Galehead outlook
Gryffin and I had been to the Garfield Ridge Peaks in August 2014. With a minimal amount of coaxing, we convinced Whitney to visit them.
Most readers will have been on the Garfield Ridge Trail between Galehead and Garfield. Most will recall that it can be wet. It was about as dry as it could be while still have a trickle running through the water supply at the shelter. A few spots were icy but easily skipped. After cranking out the elevation, we came to the Garfield Trail jct. Only .2 miles left to go. We sat on the summit of Garfield in the sun and ate and relaxed while searching in vain in all directions for and sign of a cloud. Perfect day to take off from work and spend in the mountains!
Panorama of the Pemi from Garfield
Westerly view of the foliage below
Before we put down roots, it was time to get going. After a quick visit to the old outhouse, we descended the Garfield Trail and back to a spotted car. Oh, the crossings here were very low as well. But if you've been out at all this summer, you already knew that.
Tim
The foliage is at, or maybe just past, peak. Leaves are beginning to cover up the ground down low, but there was still an abundance of color - probably as much or slightly more than last weekend north of Route 2 (Cabot). We started in long pants and long sleeves but once the grade got steep, the legs got zipped off and the short sleeves went on. Even on the summits, the wind was light, the sun was strong and the day was warm. Of course the stream crossings at both ends were trivial as expected. For the first time, I actually crossed the Little River all three times.
Snack break one took place where we cleared the trees on North Twin. In addition to the view of the Presidential Range behind Hale, we could actually see the Atlantic Ocean shimmering on the horizon. Looking behind us and to the west, the Sugarloaves rose out of the valley of colors.
View from North Twin ledge east towards the Atlantic
Hale in front of the Presidential Range
Sugarloaves rising out of the valley of color
Continuing on to the "summit" of North Twin, and then following the view spur uphill
we came to the western viewpoint, which extended well into VT and thence to the ADKs. Some of the hemlocks still had heavy rime ice as they lay in the shade at this point in the morning. From here, we can see the remainder of our planned trip, including the famous PUDs on Garfield Ridge Trail. This would turn into an embracing of those PUDS in the form of two quick side trips to the NHHH peaks on Garfield Ridge. Gryffin and I had been in August 2014 and the log book on East went all the way back to 2007.
North Twin viewpoint to Galehead, Garfield Ridge, Garfield and Franconia Ridge
Over at South Twin, there were a bunch of people, including kids, and likely overnight guests at Galehead Hut. We helped them identify surrounding peaks before descending to the hut which remains open for one more week. Took another quick snack break here and filled up on water before zipping up Galehead. What can be said about Galehead? I'm thinking there is a slightly higher bump just behind the cairn. There. Maybe that will start a discussion about Galehead.
Panorama from the Galehead outlook
Gryffin and I had been to the Garfield Ridge Peaks in August 2014. With a minimal amount of coaxing, we convinced Whitney to visit them.
Most readers will have been on the Garfield Ridge Trail between Galehead and Garfield. Most will recall that it can be wet. It was about as dry as it could be while still have a trickle running through the water supply at the shelter. A few spots were icy but easily skipped. After cranking out the elevation, we came to the Garfield Trail jct. Only .2 miles left to go. We sat on the summit of Garfield in the sun and ate and relaxed while searching in vain in all directions for and sign of a cloud. Perfect day to take off from work and spend in the mountains!
Panorama of the Pemi from Garfield
Westerly view of the foliage below
Before we put down roots, it was time to get going. After a quick visit to the old outhouse, we descended the Garfield Trail and back to a spotted car. Oh, the crossings here were very low as well. But if you've been out at all this summer, you already knew that.
Tim
