Silverfox
New member
Such a fun time of the year to hike and this past week has been no exception..It turned out to be a week of "W" peaks..now that's a list I am not quite ready to suggest...just funny how it turned out that way..
Grumpygran wanted Waumbek on sunday so we put togther a group for that..Ever the kindly one she offered a car spot to the Fish Hatchery so a few of us could exit through the Weeks.. Thank you Mary!!
Starr King Trail started off in fall and was pleasant easy going for awhile..Once at around the 3000 foot level the occaisional snowpatches became solid and the surface was packed and slick so we opted for micro spikes at that point.. This made for very smooth sailing to the phantom view on Starr King where we snacked for a second.. The skies were overcast, a chance of precip but so far a good day in the woods. The jaunt over to Waumbek very nice..many of the old blowdowns along this stretch have been removed which will make for an easier go of it this winter. We met a group of 3 ADKr women on the summit and chatted a bit..
Mary and Sandy were descending from here and had their lunch, Ginette, Jeremy, and I said our goodbyes and headed off for York Pond..WE stopped for few moments at the excellent Waumbek overlook..clouds were at about 5k by the looks of it. The Kilkenny Ridge trail was untracked and had 3 or 4 inches of loose snow which made for pretty easy going. What a beautiful stretch of trail this is with old forests, nice footbed, picturesque undergrowth..very nice..I will need to do this trail when the moss and ferns are in their full green splendor.
The York Pond Trail a terrific path..we made the transition from early winter to late fall and soon took off the very useful microspikes.. Brilliant foliage along this route with also some of the deepest mud I have ever fallen victem to..never mind boot sucking..I feared for my leg....Jeremy took us around a useless double crossing and we were soon on the last level stretch back to the trucks at the hatchery..Nice day out..nice traverse
Monday..10/19..The plan had been to hang out at home ..do a few chores..maybe sleep in a little then get an afternoon hike in..well..I was kicking myself on this day..Clear and gorgeous..as soon as i got myself organized i headed north to Crawford Depot.. With evening plans my time was limited..Tom proved a good choice time wise and activity wise.
Microspikes went on just after the Avalon A/Z junction and made quick work to the climb to the col..some ice along here..mostly packed snow..the temps were cold which made for an excellent hiking day.. Quite a bit of ice on the Tom Spur..use caution around the ledgey areas for sure but the rewards were stunning with fantastic views to the West from the summit and to the Presis from the East side outlook..excellent..should have planned this better and hiked all day but..at least i got something in..
Tuseday 10/20 OTHH day.. Claude finishes his 5th round, three first timers on the hike as well.. Most had microspikes though a few with Walmart stabilicers so decision was made to use the ski trails up and down and avoid the stretch to carter Notch with the sometimes tricky slide area.
There was still some lingering foliage..the trails were pretty much snowcovered in the morning and there was evidence of some skier traffic. The footing great on Polecat ..trail all mowed and firm which made for an easy ascent..made longer by frequent stops to admire the incredible views here.. The scramble to the summit was quick and we soon reached the closed observation deck.. 47 for Claude
I advised traction from here and this proved a wise call as the descent past the eastern outlook was icy and slick.. The Wildcat Ridge Trail has several ups and downs along this stretch..Claude got peak fever a couple of times thinking that perhaps B was the goal but back down along the ridge we went.. a bit brushy in spots along this section with some tricky little ledge areas but everyone did fine..Traction devices helped immensley, even on the bare rock areas..We applauded as Claude reached the ledge on A and ducked into the woods there to tap the small cairn..way to go Claude!!
After lunch on the sunny ledge we retraced our steps back to D over now softening slushy snow..It seemed much easier on the backtrack here and we made great time..Much of the snow had melted from the lower ski trails and an easy descent was made with frequent view stops.. we toasted Claude in the parking lot and offered hearty congratulations for his accomplishment.. 5 rounds in 7 years hiking only april to october..did I mention that he is 70 years old..oh.. and that he remains the fastest in the group on the downhills...great guy
Sabrina and terra were looking to hike wednsday and I was quick to join up..Let's try Washington Munroe and eisenhower she says in that ever exuberant way..Okay I say..temps look more moderate than last weeks wintery blast...
we dropped a car at the Edmunds Path and headed for ther Cog..we saw several hikers cars there but no one in site. The Jewell Trail starts off moderately and stays that way..Gradually snow and soft ice become more dominant and we put on microspikes as we emerged from treeline. Sadly in the clouds here but the forcast called for clearing..the temps were fine..onward we went. The middle part of Jewell crosses back and forth over a slaggy talus field that made for slow going but once past that we made quick time to the Gulfside JCT where we were rewarded with a shot of blue sky and sunshine ..gorgeous!!
Gulfside a delightful well though out path.. we were in and out of the clouds now..sometimes in bright sun and blue sky..other times in dark cloud..getting windy as well.. Going along the Great Gulf some fine views opened to madison and Adams...fantastic. Windier it got and by the time we reached Trinity Connector it was gusting pretty good..30-40 mph by my little guage which proved accurate today. After taking the summit shots in a brief sunny window we headed down out of the wind for a bit. Sadly Terra had to stay outside..we took turns with bio breaks and enjoyed hot cocoa then headed out for more.. No other hikers on the summit today..
Coming around to the Crawford path the wind in your face and my eyes were watering pretty good. Turning back to look at the summit..it popped out of the clouds and the ground and towers glowed brilliant white against the deep blue sky..Surreal...
Gradually we dropped and the wind speed did as well staying mostly in the comfortable 12-16 mph range.. Along the Crawford we started to run into some deeper drifts ..mostly where the trail is depressed..some 2-3 foot deep patches for sure which in places you could avoid on rock..other times we just plowed through uncertain of the depth.. We ran into a couple of hikers along this group and we chatted a moment as Munroe cleared for a second. Dressed in Carhartt pants and light wind protection three guys asked our route..they had never heard of Jewel or Edmunds Trails..hmm..they were young and strong and we wished them luck..
The wind tunnel near Lakes blowing pretty good..we sheltered there for a moment then took the brief climb to Munroe which had some deep snow in one place but mostly packed and smooth.. Windows of views opened here in different directions..Great shot of isolation..the snowy shoulder of Boott Spur caught some sunlight..range after range of mountains to the south wher it looked sunny..A darker cloud now over Washington and we moved on.
Crawford Path was excellent and mostly snow free with some occaisional 2-3 foot drifts.. We gave our feet a break and took off the micros for this section..Terra and Sabrina got involved in some snow play here..fun to watch and Terra does love to hike so..bounding around rolling and snapping at snow and imaginary foes.....
Beautiful landscapes with frequent view vistas as we moved down the ridge..Eisenhower in and out of the clouds..Always a windy place I wondered how it would be today. In the clouds we ascended the mostly packed out trail..windy but not bad here..no views so we did not linger long and we dropped out of the clouds quickly on the Edmunds Path.
Quite a long stretch of hard ice here.. we put the spikes back on and gingerly made our way..sadly some had tried to bareboot this narrow section of trail and were demolishing the gorgeous moss there
Once at the 3000 foot level the ice and snow essentially disappeared and we made good time on nice soft trail bed and transitioned back into fall as the beach trees are still in various stages of leaf change and the red and orange maples litter the forest floor..
Great day out with Sabrina and terra which wrapped up a good hikng spurt this week..nice to be able to knock a few "W"s off ..well..there is always next week
pics to be found at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silverfox777/sets/72157622639381618/
Grumpygran wanted Waumbek on sunday so we put togther a group for that..Ever the kindly one she offered a car spot to the Fish Hatchery so a few of us could exit through the Weeks.. Thank you Mary!!
Starr King Trail started off in fall and was pleasant easy going for awhile..Once at around the 3000 foot level the occaisional snowpatches became solid and the surface was packed and slick so we opted for micro spikes at that point.. This made for very smooth sailing to the phantom view on Starr King where we snacked for a second.. The skies were overcast, a chance of precip but so far a good day in the woods. The jaunt over to Waumbek very nice..many of the old blowdowns along this stretch have been removed which will make for an easier go of it this winter. We met a group of 3 ADKr women on the summit and chatted a bit..
Mary and Sandy were descending from here and had their lunch, Ginette, Jeremy, and I said our goodbyes and headed off for York Pond..WE stopped for few moments at the excellent Waumbek overlook..clouds were at about 5k by the looks of it. The Kilkenny Ridge trail was untracked and had 3 or 4 inches of loose snow which made for pretty easy going. What a beautiful stretch of trail this is with old forests, nice footbed, picturesque undergrowth..very nice..I will need to do this trail when the moss and ferns are in their full green splendor.
The York Pond Trail a terrific path..we made the transition from early winter to late fall and soon took off the very useful microspikes.. Brilliant foliage along this route with also some of the deepest mud I have ever fallen victem to..never mind boot sucking..I feared for my leg....Jeremy took us around a useless double crossing and we were soon on the last level stretch back to the trucks at the hatchery..Nice day out..nice traverse
Monday..10/19..The plan had been to hang out at home ..do a few chores..maybe sleep in a little then get an afternoon hike in..well..I was kicking myself on this day..Clear and gorgeous..as soon as i got myself organized i headed north to Crawford Depot.. With evening plans my time was limited..Tom proved a good choice time wise and activity wise.
Microspikes went on just after the Avalon A/Z junction and made quick work to the climb to the col..some ice along here..mostly packed snow..the temps were cold which made for an excellent hiking day.. Quite a bit of ice on the Tom Spur..use caution around the ledgey areas for sure but the rewards were stunning with fantastic views to the West from the summit and to the Presis from the East side outlook..excellent..should have planned this better and hiked all day but..at least i got something in..
Tuseday 10/20 OTHH day.. Claude finishes his 5th round, three first timers on the hike as well.. Most had microspikes though a few with Walmart stabilicers so decision was made to use the ski trails up and down and avoid the stretch to carter Notch with the sometimes tricky slide area.
There was still some lingering foliage..the trails were pretty much snowcovered in the morning and there was evidence of some skier traffic. The footing great on Polecat ..trail all mowed and firm which made for an easy ascent..made longer by frequent stops to admire the incredible views here.. The scramble to the summit was quick and we soon reached the closed observation deck.. 47 for Claude
I advised traction from here and this proved a wise call as the descent past the eastern outlook was icy and slick.. The Wildcat Ridge Trail has several ups and downs along this stretch..Claude got peak fever a couple of times thinking that perhaps B was the goal but back down along the ridge we went.. a bit brushy in spots along this section with some tricky little ledge areas but everyone did fine..Traction devices helped immensley, even on the bare rock areas..We applauded as Claude reached the ledge on A and ducked into the woods there to tap the small cairn..way to go Claude!!
After lunch on the sunny ledge we retraced our steps back to D over now softening slushy snow..It seemed much easier on the backtrack here and we made great time..Much of the snow had melted from the lower ski trails and an easy descent was made with frequent view stops.. we toasted Claude in the parking lot and offered hearty congratulations for his accomplishment.. 5 rounds in 7 years hiking only april to october..did I mention that he is 70 years old..oh.. and that he remains the fastest in the group on the downhills...great guy
Sabrina and terra were looking to hike wednsday and I was quick to join up..Let's try Washington Munroe and eisenhower she says in that ever exuberant way..Okay I say..temps look more moderate than last weeks wintery blast...
we dropped a car at the Edmunds Path and headed for ther Cog..we saw several hikers cars there but no one in site. The Jewell Trail starts off moderately and stays that way..Gradually snow and soft ice become more dominant and we put on microspikes as we emerged from treeline. Sadly in the clouds here but the forcast called for clearing..the temps were fine..onward we went. The middle part of Jewell crosses back and forth over a slaggy talus field that made for slow going but once past that we made quick time to the Gulfside JCT where we were rewarded with a shot of blue sky and sunshine ..gorgeous!!
Gulfside a delightful well though out path.. we were in and out of the clouds now..sometimes in bright sun and blue sky..other times in dark cloud..getting windy as well.. Going along the Great Gulf some fine views opened to madison and Adams...fantastic. Windier it got and by the time we reached Trinity Connector it was gusting pretty good..30-40 mph by my little guage which proved accurate today. After taking the summit shots in a brief sunny window we headed down out of the wind for a bit. Sadly Terra had to stay outside..we took turns with bio breaks and enjoyed hot cocoa then headed out for more.. No other hikers on the summit today..
Coming around to the Crawford path the wind in your face and my eyes were watering pretty good. Turning back to look at the summit..it popped out of the clouds and the ground and towers glowed brilliant white against the deep blue sky..Surreal...
Gradually we dropped and the wind speed did as well staying mostly in the comfortable 12-16 mph range.. Along the Crawford we started to run into some deeper drifts ..mostly where the trail is depressed..some 2-3 foot deep patches for sure which in places you could avoid on rock..other times we just plowed through uncertain of the depth.. We ran into a couple of hikers along this group and we chatted a moment as Munroe cleared for a second. Dressed in Carhartt pants and light wind protection three guys asked our route..they had never heard of Jewel or Edmunds Trails..hmm..they were young and strong and we wished them luck..
The wind tunnel near Lakes blowing pretty good..we sheltered there for a moment then took the brief climb to Munroe which had some deep snow in one place but mostly packed and smooth.. Windows of views opened here in different directions..Great shot of isolation..the snowy shoulder of Boott Spur caught some sunlight..range after range of mountains to the south wher it looked sunny..A darker cloud now over Washington and we moved on.
Crawford Path was excellent and mostly snow free with some occaisional 2-3 foot drifts.. We gave our feet a break and took off the micros for this section..Terra and Sabrina got involved in some snow play here..fun to watch and Terra does love to hike so..bounding around rolling and snapping at snow and imaginary foes.....
Beautiful landscapes with frequent view vistas as we moved down the ridge..Eisenhower in and out of the clouds..Always a windy place I wondered how it would be today. In the clouds we ascended the mostly packed out trail..windy but not bad here..no views so we did not linger long and we dropped out of the clouds quickly on the Edmunds Path.
Quite a long stretch of hard ice here.. we put the spikes back on and gingerly made our way..sadly some had tried to bareboot this narrow section of trail and were demolishing the gorgeous moss there
Once at the 3000 foot level the ice and snow essentially disappeared and we made good time on nice soft trail bed and transitioned back into fall as the beach trees are still in various stages of leaf change and the red and orange maples litter the forest floor..
Great day out with Sabrina and terra which wrapped up a good hikng spurt this week..nice to be able to knock a few "W"s off ..well..there is always next week
pics to be found at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silverfox777/sets/72157622639381618/
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