BIGEarl
Well-known member
February 22, 2014: Waumbek
Trails: Starr King Trail
Summits: Waumbek
Hikers: Jessica Davis, Leah Hapke, and me
The forecasts from the professionals leading up to hike day were in great disagreement. Once I started comparing short range forecasts to the actual conditions that were experienced it was clear the National Weather Service was doing a much better job than The Weather Channel (Weather.com) or Weather Underground (Wunderground.com) on the current weather systems moving through the area. Weather Underground actually has a button where you can select their forecast or have the one from the National Weather Service be displayed. Their version of the NWS forecast wasn’t at all close to the actual NWS forecast. Perhaps their website needs more work. The decision was to trust the National Weather Service predictions, which turned out to be accurate for the day. There was a line-up of hikes on our list and Waumbek was Plan D; too much wind for Plan A – Plan C.
The morning started a little rough. While loading my gear into the truck I decided to let it run to warm-up and melt the overnight ice from the windshield. I noticed a headlight was out. I went to my spare lights and there wasn’t a replacement. Oh well; I made a mental note to pick one up. On the way to the Park & Ride to meet Jessica and Leah I attempted a few times to clear the windshield of road salt, etc. but the washer wasn’t working. Maybe I was out of fluid; I made a mental note to pick some up. There is a place near the Park & Ride where I was able to purchase a gallon of windshield washer fluid, but after I filled the reservoir the system still didn’t do the job. Evidently, the lines were frozen. The sun would be up in a while.
We all met as planned, loaded everything into the truck, and headed north. Along the way we made a stop at the Tilton Walmart for a new headlight bulb; it only took a minute for the repair. I was a little concerned we might be passing through Twin Mountain later in the day and need headlights. From past experience I know the local law enforcement really watches for vehicles with defective lights. That might be their biggest enforcement problem. I’ve talked with them before on the topic of inoperable lights; they’re nice, but it’s a waste of time. Maybe they’re just looking for someone to talk to.
On our way through Twin Mountain we were approaching a turn in the road where we would be headed directly into the low, morning sun. With a salt-covered windshield it was going to be impossible to see. Just before being forced to the side of the road I tried the washer again and suddenly everything was again working; the ice-jam melted. As I said, it was a rough start to the day.
Oh well, off to Waumbek.
We arrived to the winter trailhead lot a little later than planned, grabbed our things, and headed for the summer trailhead and our hike. While we were taking care of final hike prep another pair of hikers started out – we’ll see them again (in and out on the same trail). We reached the end of the plowed section leading to the summer trailhead we stopped to put on our snowshoes. They stayed on from end-to-end on this hike.
We met a number of others in the course of the day and only three were bare booting the hike. One woman with a small dog had snowshoes on her pack but she was light enough to hike along and cause no damage to the trail, so I said nothing. The other couple was more substantial and both causing a significant amount of damage to the trail with their postholing. They also had snowshoes on their packs and MICROSpikes on their feet. There was nothing about the Starr King Trail that required MICROSpikes. As we met I made the loud and clear comment it was a great day for snowshoes and I’m sure they got the message. They continued to tear up the beautiful snowshoe track. Prior to this couple there were no postholes at all.
We started up Starr King Trail under almost completely clear sky, calm wind conditions, a warm temperature, and no jackets. What a day! According to the NWS, the upper elevations would have a significant amount of wind. We’ll worry about the wind when we find it. The lower part of our hike was through a large section of open hardwoods with outstanding scenery to enjoy. This is one of my favorite places to enjoy; the scenery is great at any time of the year and there is a great deal of wildlife in the area. Watch close to see deer – I’ve enjoyed that sight a number of times. As we climbed through the hardwoods the wind noise slowly became apparent. Just before heading into the conifers we started climbing into the wind. It worked out perfectly; just as we were climbing into less comfortable wind conditions we entered the sheltered section of the hike.
We made our way through the thick conifers to the summit of Starr King. As we gained additional elevation the trees became more loaded with snow and we were treated to a different kind of outstanding winter scenery, and lots of wind. Along the way we stopped to add a layer, hats, etc. We cleared the summit of Starr King and wandered to the old cabin site with the fireplace. The view to the Northern Presidentials was great! While we were there it became clear we made a good choice to go with Plan D for the day; long exposure in these conditions would have become very unpleasant.
After getting a few area pictures we were on the short final walk to Waumbek. Still cruising on a beautiful snowshoe track we made our way to our primary target. Mid-way between Starr King and Waumbek we met the other pair of hikers that had left the trailhead just ahead of us. I had previously met one of the hikers, Stacie Tate, on a Twins and Galehead winter hike a couple years ago. Stacie and her hiking partner seemed to be really enjoying the day, just like us. We stopped for a brief visit but were soon on our way.
We reached the summit of Waumbek, got the usual summit pictures, and continued on to the viewpoint a short distance past the summit. More pictures, some refreshment, and some wind; it was time to go. We made the u-turn and started our exit hike. On our way to Starr King we met the postholing pair. There is so much I’d like to say but they’re breaking no laws. Sad.
The cruise back out was easy. From Starr King to the trailhead is downhill all the way with virtually no ice at all (one small patch). We passed through the summer trailhead, retired the snowshoes at the start of the plowed section, and wandered to the winter lot. It didn’t take long to pack and go. Well ahead of plan we were on the highway south.
Thanks to Jessica and Leah for a really good day in the mountains. I hope we can go again soon.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Starr King Trail
Summits: Waumbek
Hikers: Jessica Davis, Leah Hapke, and me
The forecasts from the professionals leading up to hike day were in great disagreement. Once I started comparing short range forecasts to the actual conditions that were experienced it was clear the National Weather Service was doing a much better job than The Weather Channel (Weather.com) or Weather Underground (Wunderground.com) on the current weather systems moving through the area. Weather Underground actually has a button where you can select their forecast or have the one from the National Weather Service be displayed. Their version of the NWS forecast wasn’t at all close to the actual NWS forecast. Perhaps their website needs more work. The decision was to trust the National Weather Service predictions, which turned out to be accurate for the day. There was a line-up of hikes on our list and Waumbek was Plan D; too much wind for Plan A – Plan C.
The morning started a little rough. While loading my gear into the truck I decided to let it run to warm-up and melt the overnight ice from the windshield. I noticed a headlight was out. I went to my spare lights and there wasn’t a replacement. Oh well; I made a mental note to pick one up. On the way to the Park & Ride to meet Jessica and Leah I attempted a few times to clear the windshield of road salt, etc. but the washer wasn’t working. Maybe I was out of fluid; I made a mental note to pick some up. There is a place near the Park & Ride where I was able to purchase a gallon of windshield washer fluid, but after I filled the reservoir the system still didn’t do the job. Evidently, the lines were frozen. The sun would be up in a while.
We all met as planned, loaded everything into the truck, and headed north. Along the way we made a stop at the Tilton Walmart for a new headlight bulb; it only took a minute for the repair. I was a little concerned we might be passing through Twin Mountain later in the day and need headlights. From past experience I know the local law enforcement really watches for vehicles with defective lights. That might be their biggest enforcement problem. I’ve talked with them before on the topic of inoperable lights; they’re nice, but it’s a waste of time. Maybe they’re just looking for someone to talk to.
On our way through Twin Mountain we were approaching a turn in the road where we would be headed directly into the low, morning sun. With a salt-covered windshield it was going to be impossible to see. Just before being forced to the side of the road I tried the washer again and suddenly everything was again working; the ice-jam melted. As I said, it was a rough start to the day.
Oh well, off to Waumbek.
We arrived to the winter trailhead lot a little later than planned, grabbed our things, and headed for the summer trailhead and our hike. While we were taking care of final hike prep another pair of hikers started out – we’ll see them again (in and out on the same trail). We reached the end of the plowed section leading to the summer trailhead we stopped to put on our snowshoes. They stayed on from end-to-end on this hike.
We met a number of others in the course of the day and only three were bare booting the hike. One woman with a small dog had snowshoes on her pack but she was light enough to hike along and cause no damage to the trail, so I said nothing. The other couple was more substantial and both causing a significant amount of damage to the trail with their postholing. They also had snowshoes on their packs and MICROSpikes on their feet. There was nothing about the Starr King Trail that required MICROSpikes. As we met I made the loud and clear comment it was a great day for snowshoes and I’m sure they got the message. They continued to tear up the beautiful snowshoe track. Prior to this couple there were no postholes at all.
We started up Starr King Trail under almost completely clear sky, calm wind conditions, a warm temperature, and no jackets. What a day! According to the NWS, the upper elevations would have a significant amount of wind. We’ll worry about the wind when we find it. The lower part of our hike was through a large section of open hardwoods with outstanding scenery to enjoy. This is one of my favorite places to enjoy; the scenery is great at any time of the year and there is a great deal of wildlife in the area. Watch close to see deer – I’ve enjoyed that sight a number of times. As we climbed through the hardwoods the wind noise slowly became apparent. Just before heading into the conifers we started climbing into the wind. It worked out perfectly; just as we were climbing into less comfortable wind conditions we entered the sheltered section of the hike.
We made our way through the thick conifers to the summit of Starr King. As we gained additional elevation the trees became more loaded with snow and we were treated to a different kind of outstanding winter scenery, and lots of wind. Along the way we stopped to add a layer, hats, etc. We cleared the summit of Starr King and wandered to the old cabin site with the fireplace. The view to the Northern Presidentials was great! While we were there it became clear we made a good choice to go with Plan D for the day; long exposure in these conditions would have become very unpleasant.
After getting a few area pictures we were on the short final walk to Waumbek. Still cruising on a beautiful snowshoe track we made our way to our primary target. Mid-way between Starr King and Waumbek we met the other pair of hikers that had left the trailhead just ahead of us. I had previously met one of the hikers, Stacie Tate, on a Twins and Galehead winter hike a couple years ago. Stacie and her hiking partner seemed to be really enjoying the day, just like us. We stopped for a brief visit but were soon on our way.
We reached the summit of Waumbek, got the usual summit pictures, and continued on to the viewpoint a short distance past the summit. More pictures, some refreshment, and some wind; it was time to go. We made the u-turn and started our exit hike. On our way to Starr King we met the postholing pair. There is so much I’d like to say but they’re breaking no laws. Sad.
The cruise back out was easy. From Starr King to the trailhead is downhill all the way with virtually no ice at all (one small patch). We passed through the summer trailhead, retired the snowshoes at the start of the plowed section, and wandered to the winter lot. It didn’t take long to pack and go. Well ahead of plan we were on the highway south.
Thanks to Jessica and Leah for a really good day in the mountains. I hope we can go again soon.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
