“Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere. Ralph Waldo Emerson

South Twin (4902)

Trail: North Twin Mountain tr. & South Twin Spur.
Date: Sunday 09/29/00
Attending: Gabe, Simone and John
Miles: 11.2 Time: 8 hours round trip
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site:
Weather: Clear, high 60’s at the base, 50’s on the summit

 

(((( . . . WE did it! . . . ))))

Exactly 363 days ago we tried to complete this hike and FAILED! (Does that mean we’re getting better at this as we get older?)

How many times can I say, “Another spectacular hike in the Whites.”? This was #46 for us. With good weather and God’s good blessings, we’ll bag the last 2 (Cabot and Waumbek) on a 2 day hike this Columbus Day, just 14 days from now. (All 48 in 4 years.)

The last time we attempted this hike I just didn’t have it in me to continue on to South Twin. I was beat, my asthma was acting up, and I just didn’t have it in me to pull any more elevation. Now that I’ve completed the hike, I know I would have been a suffering fool had I forced myself to finish the hike that day as we had planned. I’m not sure what the difference was on this trip, but our memory of the hike was that getting to North Twin was a very hard hike, and making it to South Twin would require everything we could give it. This time, we all loved the hike and all thought that bagging North Twin wasn’t bad at all (still hard but not a real killer) and adding the South Twin loop just made this a long but do-able trip; definitely one we might do again. When we got back to the car we all were tried, but not as bone tired as we’ve been on many other hikes.

Some of the following paragraph is a repeat from the North Twin page:

The Trailhead starts at the end of fire road # 304 off Rt. 302. The first 2 miles meander along the Twin River, crossing it 3 times. (The second crossing can be easily avoided by following a well beaten bush-whacked trail to the third crossing). (I’m going to add a personal observation here; If for some reason you were able to make it across the first river crossing, but absolutely couldn’t/wouldn’t/shouldn’t make it over the second river crossing, then don’t count on the third river crossing being any easier.) I can see why all the trail descriptions warn about dangerous high water crossings. What was little more than a nice brook for us to bound from rock to rock over, could easily be a serious rushing river to contend with. During these 2 miles, the elevation gain is only 500 ft. After the 3’rd river crossing the trail begins its serious assent. (We filtered our last fill up at the last river crossing on the Twin River.) For the next mile or so, the trail crosses 3 small tributary brooks that look as though they are reliable enough to filter from. The trail climbs steadily and on the steep side of moderate for most of these last 2 miles. At times the trail does hit a few stretches that are steep, almost rock scrambling steep.

The trail itself is nothing out of the ordinary. Other than 1 view spot just a few moments from the major view spots near the summit, there is not much to look at. The top 2 miles of this trail has lots of small stones. Little ankle twisters ranging in size from golf ball to baseball size.

The South Twin Spur looks more difficult than it is.

(Looking at it from North Twin). It loops quite a bit onto the left shoulder of the peak so you don’t really have any very steep sections to climb. Starting down off North Twin has two large rocks to scramble off of, but they aren’t too difficult. After that, all of the hiking in the col over to South Twin is pretty moderate hiking. (That said, it is 2.6 miles there and back so it will consume time and energy.)

We didn’t have Shawn with us on this trip, but not to worry, I think we’ll definitely get him up here on some other nice cool fall day. We did however meet a nice man from Connecticut that joined us on the hike. We met him trying to figure out how to cross the third river crossing. The water was up just a bit from heavy rains the previous few days, but it wasn’t a real difficult crossing. Once we all managed to get across, we just tended to stick together for the rest of the day. The 8 hour hike time includes at least 1 hour of hanging around the various peaks and lookouts. We really had a great day for this. We hit the trailhead at 9:00AM. We bagged North Twin in just over 3 hours and spent 10 minutes lingering on the first knob on North Twin. We were on South Twin by 1:00 and we spent at least 30-minutes on South Twin peak. We stopped again another 15 minutes on North Twin’s west side lookout. We got to the car by 5:00PM and were all feeling pretty good about ourselves.

Three times we’ve tried to bag you, and three times we’ve failed; But NOT TODAY my friend!

“In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high.”
Henry David Thoreau

Mt. Lafayette (5266)

Trail: Falling Waters, to Franconia Ridge trail (Part of the Appalachian Trail) to The Old Bridle path.
Date: Monday, September 25 1998
Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine
Miles: 8.9-mile loop
Time: 9 hours , Little Haystack (4700), Lincoln (5089)
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: Greenleaf hut
Weather: Sunny, 70 to 75,

This is our first trip over the Lafayette Ridge. We parked at the Old Bridle Path trailhead on the north side of the Franconia Notch Parkway Rt93. We started up the Old Bridle path and veered off to the right up the Falling Waters trail to the top of Little Haystack (about 3 hrs). The lower part of the trail has lots of nice water falls and long switchbacks to make the hiking enjoyable. We enjoyed hiking this loop up Falling Waters; most people take the loop in the other direction but that way the falls are to your back. From Haystack we walked the Franconia Ridge trail to Mt Lincoln (not a spectacular summit, it’s nothing more than a peak on the ridge trail on the way to Lafayette, we didn’t even stop there to take pictures of us at the summit.) Mt. Lafayette on the other hand is quite a peak. It towers above all the rest and commands an audience. There is an old foundation on it’s summit from another age when there used to be a hotel there. Unbelievable! Our decent looped over to the Greenleaf hut via the Old Bridle path. The hut is about 1/4 of the way down, but it sits in a perfect location for views of the Franconia range. Gabe purchased a patch for his collection of hut patches. The hut was booked-up for the night, offering 80 people 2 meals and a bunk for $55 a night. The hike could be done in less than 8 hrs, but an hour for viewing and resting is just barely enough.

I don’t want to imply this hike isn’t a tough pull. 9 miles anywhere in the Whites requires a serious effort and with Lafayette being the 6’th highest peak of the 4K’s it takes it’s toll. A warning to the wise, plan on being above tree line for close to 2hrs. and the weather can change on Lafayette in no time at all. Weather fronts from the west hit this high peak first and a nice sunny summer day can get wet and windy quick. This peak tends get socked in with fog a lot and if you’re doing this one in the winter, plan for potential worst case situations. Hardly a winter passes without several hikers getting into unexpected serious difficulties.

May God Bless and be safe!

Read about trip 2

Read about trip 3

“Laws change; people die;
the land remains.”. . . Abraham Lincoln

North Twin (4761)

Trail: North Twin Mountain tr.

Date: Sunday 10/1/00

Attending: Shawn, Gabe, Simone and John

Miles: 9 Time: 7.25 hours round trip

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site:

Weather: Clear, high 60’s at the base, 50’s on the summit

 

Happy Birthday Noah!, Sorry we were up north today, but you know we love you.

How many times can I say, “Another spectacular hike in the Whites.” #39. Hopefully Every time!,,,

We had planed to make this #39 & 40, but I just didn’t have it in me. South Twin looked so far away and I was totally beat. Sure I could have done the dead and pushed on to bag them both but it would have made the trip just another peak bagging day with no joy in mudville. Instead, the rest of the group willingly opted to lay about on the sunny open outlooks of North Twin and enjoy the extra hour on the top. The views were fine, the sun was pleasant and the gentle breeze didn’t even make a sound. It was so very peaceful. We knew it had to end, but none of us were in any hurry to leave the top.

The Trailhead starts at the end of fire road # 304 off Rt. 302. The first 2 miles meander along the Twin River crossing it 3 times. I can see why all the trail descriptions warn about dangerous high water crossings. What was little more than a nice brook for us to bound from rock to rock over, could easily be a serious rushing river to contend with. During these 2 miles the elevation gain is only 500 ft. After the 3’rd river crossing the trail begins its serious assent. For the next mile or so the trail crosses a small tributary brook that looks as though it is reliable enough to filter from. (We filtered our last fill up at the last river crossing on the Twin River.) The trail climbs steadily and on the steep side of moderate for most of these last 2 miles. At times the trail does hit a few stretches that are just plain steep, but not rock scrambling steep, just: “This is tiring me out kind of steep”. Both Simone and I experienced more pain in our legs in the days following the hike, then we can remember since we’ve been hiking regularly.

The trail it self is nothing out of the ordinary. Other than 1 view spot just a few moments from the major view spots near the summit, there is not much to look at. There is one thing worth mentioning that although is not unique, it did seem a little excessive on this trail. The top 2 miles of this trail has lots of small stones. Little ankle twisters ranging in size from golf ball to baseball size. Simone and I were a bit concerned about this anomaly, especially with Simone hiking in sandals.

While we were on the summit we were buzzed by one of the local Glider Plane tours. He was so close that you could hear him swoosh through the wind as he flew by. We also met a man that had just come from South Twin. He had a small collie dog with him that seemed to be in her glory. He told us that she was only 1 year old, but this was the 16’Th 4K she had shared with him. He almost had us convinced that we should try to bag South Twin while we were this close but my body just wasn’t buying it.

People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” Sir Edmund Hillary

Wildcat A, thru Wildcat E

(A=4422, B=4330, C=4298, D=4062, E=4046)

Trail: 19 Mile Brook – Carter Notch Hut, Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat Mt. Ski trail
Date: 5/26&27 2000
Participants: John and Simone, Gabriel Chicoine
Miles: Day 1, 3.8-miles to Carter Notch hut. Time: 2.5 hrs
Miles: Day 2, 6-miles from Hut to Rt. 16 @ Wildcat Ski LodgeTime: 5.5hrs
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: Carter Notch Hut
Weather: 5/26&27 Cloudy, drizzle, rain.

These were # 33 & 34 of the 4K quest. We were ducking the clouds and dodging the rain drops all the way. This “peak bagging” is a complicated game. You don’t want to hike in extreme heat and you don’t want to hike in peak bug season. You don’t want to hike in extreme cold and you don’t want to get caught in a snow storm. You don’t want to get caught in driving rain; you do have to keep your job and you do need to HIKE! Lining up all these things is a losing proposition at best. Hopefully the loss is only one that cost’s you a little discomfort. I’m a fair weather hiker and proud of it! Unfortunately the White Mountains don’t know this about me. We watched the weather, prayed some and thought we found a two day window where all the elements lined up well enough. On Tuesday morning we reserved 3 beds at Carter Notch Hut for Thursday night. The only problem… rain was predicted for Thursday morning with a forecast for a spectacular Friday and more rain returning Saturday. No problem. We couldn’t get to the trailhead until 12:00’ish on Thursday (rain would be over 😉 and we would be out of there by 3:00 p.m. Friday. SURE!!! The week long rain stalled the moment we reserved the hut. Revised forecast,,, “Rain, Rain, & then, a little Rain.”

Day 1: The drive north rained so hard that cars that didn’t pull to the side of the road hydroplaned off the road. It rained like this most of the way up. At Pinkham Notch we waited as the rain slowed to a light rain. We put on our rain gear and drove the three miles to the 19 Mile Brook trailhead. The rain stopped… We hiked for a few moments in the rain gear watching storm clouds overhead. We stuffed the gear in the packs and hiked really quickly. Just as we reached the lakes at the hut the rain started up again. We made it! Damp but not soaked. It did clear up enough to scramble out over the Ramparts, (a rock pile that slid from the side of Carter Dome into the notch between Wildcat A and Carter Dome forming the lakes at the hut. What a nice location. The hut is caretaker only year round for $20 a night. Nice 4 and 6 person private sleeping rooms in two bunkhouses that can accommodate a total of 40 people. The hut has hot and cold running water, a large 6 burner gas stove and oven, pots and pans, and gas lights. You need to provide your own light in your own sleeping room. The bunks have mats and pillows. I spent most of the night listening to the wind and rain. From my estimation a steady 40’ish with stronger gusts often mixed with rain. I went over tomorrow’s hike options all night… I could only imagine what it might be like on the ridge. I knew the ridge was totally in the trees but driving wind, mixed with rain, for three hours, and then the open ski trails???

Day 2: 6AM, high winds, no rain, but lots of dark clouds. We waited in the hut till 7AM; moderate winds, off and on rain and a few moments of sun… 8AM time to get up and prepare for the hike. In the hut I checked the new forecast… “Showers likely”. What happened to spectacular? Partly cloudy? No rain? 60’s to 70 degrees (that got moved to Saturday). Our caretakers, Jacob and Kevi were leaving the hut at 9AM; their last days as AMC hut caretakers; Jacob off to China (Peace Corps) for two years, and Kevi off to start life after college graduation. We put on our cold gear, and our rain gear. The wind was gone. We were going for it. 8/10ths of a mile, 1000 feet elevation, how hard could that be? One hour later on the summit of Wildcat A we would all tell you it was hard. With dark clouds overhead we only stopped on Wildcat A’s lookout spot long enough to catch our breath. We forged on, the trail has lots of ups and downs over 5 peaks; the sags between B and C, and C and D are quite formidable. Peaks B and C are totally uneventful; just trials to face on the way to Peak E. Peak D has a lookout platform just 100 feet from the Wildcat summit tram lodge. Peak E is the other peak that counts, but watch carefully the summit is a small boulder with an 6 inch E painted on it just 3 yards off the trail.

We heeded the warnings not to descend Wildcat Ridge Tr. down from Peak E to Rt.16, and hiked the ski trails down. This option cut off several miles of road hike back to the car at the 19 Mile Brook trailhead. We never got any rain to speak of. It was cold, 40’ish and damp with a steady 15 to 20 Mph wind. We did keep the cold gear on but we stayed dry. We decided to zig-zag down the ski trails picking sections as we judged their difficulty and by how bad our toes felt. At one point 1/2 way down we stopped at a babbling brook in the trail for a breather, a drink, and Motrin. This is where my last recollection of having my glasses was. I never noticed I didn’t have my glasses with me until just 100 yards from the lodge at the bottom. Simone pointed up the mountain and noticed other hikers on the trails; I couldn’t see them… instant bummer! My glasses? Gone! Lost on the ski trails. I had to try to find them. I sent Simone on down the road and get the car while Gabe and I went back. We were beat, really beat. We left the packs on the trail, strapped on a water bottle and tried to retrace our path up the mountain. Now The sun comes out. Now the black flies come out. Now the steamy heat comes out as the sun warmed up the ski trails. We dug our poles into the side of the slopes and tried to drag ourselves back up the mountain. 20 minutes went by and we were less than 1/3 of the way back to where we though they might be. We couldn’t do it. We couldn’t take another step… Leave em! Probably laying in the open field, (the grass was sparse and only 2″ tall,) and visible from 20 feet away …just leave em. We got down to Rt.16 just long enough to sit for a few moments before Simone pulled up with the car. The ride home wasn’t an easy one,,,, We were really glad that we had several more peaks off the list, but the cost for this one was going to be $140 pair of new glasses. I knew right where they were but I just couldn’t make myself get there.

“God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone,
but also on trees,
and in the flowers and clouds and stars.”
Martin Luther

Mt. Osceola (4340)

Trail: Osceola Tr.
Date: April 9 1999
Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine
Miles: 7 Round tripTime: 3hrs up, 5hrs. Total
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: none
Weather: Partly, mid 50’s at base, 40’ish on summit no wind, hot sun

A Mothers Day present to Simone. We hiked the Osceola Trail from Tripoli Road, (open from May 1’st to November 1’st). We risked a potentially rainy day, and were blessed with a beautiful partly cloudy day! What a wonderful day for a hike. We saw lots of spring wild flowers and a trail troll chicken bird that yielded us passage to the summit only after rudely strutting down the trail towards us, (forcing us to step off the trail and let him pass) and inspecting our worthy-ness to continue.

The trail had 6″ of snow on the last 1/4 mile, and a lot of springs running over the trail, in sections. Just before the summit there is a large clearing just off the trail side that has obviously been used for lots of overnighters, but I question the legality of the site. The summit of Osceola is mostly wooded with a fantastic set of cliffs facing the Tripiramids. The views are great; the hike is easy to moderate. On the way down the trail, our trail troll visited us again, with a challenging display of his tail feathers that he kept puffing up at us in a quick audible flash. It was as though he was taunting Gabe to “have it out with him”. We later found out that the bird is a Spruce Grouse. I wonder how he did with the rest of the visitors we met on the way down. Many of them had dogs and none of the dogs were leashed. Temps were in the high 60’s. We met one couple just leaving the summit as we were approaching it, that warned us away from trying to hike to East Osceola. The sun had not melted much of the snow on this section jet, and at some places it was soft for postholling, and 4 ft deep. We had almost thought that these were going to be the only people we would run into, but we were quite wrong. On our way down we counted a steady stream of people heading up, some very ill-prepared for hiking; one young couple looked as though they had just gotten up from Mothers Day dinner, and decided to go for a walk in their new jogging sneakers. We noticed their shoes, because the girl commented about our hiking boots. This was big fun! It’s easy, has a great top, and it’s one of the closest mountains to home. We will do this one again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read about Osceolo trip2

Read about Osceolo trip3

Mt. Osceola (4340)

Trail: Osceola Tr.

Date: Sep. 29 2003

Attending: Simone, Gabe, Noah & me

Miles: 7 Round tripTime: 2.5hrs up, 5hrs. Total

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: none

Weather: Partly cloudy, 70’ish at base, 60’ish on the summit, some of the higher summits were in the clouds much of the time

It was nice to have Noah on a 4K hike. We took our time and enjoyed the walk. We were glad the sun wasn’t too prominant today, the temps were fine for hiking.

As always, Osceola made for a nice peak to bag for a couple of out of shape hikers. Other than few local hikes, and a wonderful trip up Mt. Monadnock (Dublin trail) we haven’t been out on the trails for a while, and “in the Whites” for a few months. Seeing that this was Noah’s first peak in years, Osceola always comes up as a fine trail to get the legs in shape for the fall hiking season. It seams that we all have so many things pulling us away from the trails these days. It’s harder and harder to find a crew to share the experience with. As the boys grow up, jobs, friends, and just going off and finding a life for them makes for difficult scheduling.

Want warning Being a Born-Again Christian I might be compelled to use the phrase “A family that prays together, stays together.” and it would be true enough. But, I might add that a twist on that phrase that I believe is just as important. “A family that plays together stays together.” You see I am convinced that as my children grow, if I only prayed with them, (went to church with them) then after a while (as they venture off to peruse the things that they want in their lives) they would eventually loose touch with us. But, in keeping active in the activities that they have interests in, (or,,, getting them involved in activities that interest all of us) I find that we are continually making time and plans to participate in those activities together. Instead of them going off to “have fun” with their friends, they are usually inviting their friends to come along with us.

I believe the lesson here has to do with having a healthy balance in one’s family life.

Mt. Osceola (4340)

Trail: Osceola Tr.

Date: June 10 2000

Attending: Nick & Dan Kushta & John Chicoine

Miles: 7 Round tripTime: 2.5hrs up, 5hrs. Total

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: none

Weather: Partly cloudy, 70’ish at base, 60’ish on the summit, in the clouds much of the time

This was Nick and Dan’s first 4K and I was glad to be able to be part of it. It was a good pick for a first hike. This trail is typical New Hampshire 4K, (Boulders, slabs, springs, switchbacks, and mud.) I gave Nick the AMC guide and maps so he could “plan the hike” as he would for other trips but he’d been working so much lately, he never got the chance. I was hoping the two springs on the trail would be gushing from the excessive rains we’ve been having on the mountains lately, but they were hardly flowing.

The parking lot was full by 8:40; we took the last spot in the lot. I told Nick about the need to buy a parking pass and how to use the pay tubes. By day’s end, the road had another 10 cars parked on it for the trail. The day was definitely warm enough and damp enough to bring out the black flies and a few mosquitoes. There were enough pests that Dan used the bug net for the hike up, he was not the only one we saw using one that day. The trail was very active; I estimate that we saw at least 45+ people throughout the day. Popular trail!. Dan and Nick seemed to really enjoy the experience. Dan couldn’t wait to get to the top. (This was not necessarily a good thing for me) Dan would race up ahead and wait for us to catch up, and then bolt up the trail again. This just set too fast a pace for a long haired, over fed, sleeping gnome like me. I suspect Nick was being nice keeping pace with me but he could have easily kept pace with Dan.

Maybe it’s me, or maybe it’s just the way some of us are made, but having someone up front moving at a fast pace, drives me/ sets the pace for the trip. I try to tell myself to go at my own pace, but I can’t. I tried to help Dan understand that I’m old (35 years older than him.) and slow, and that he got lots of breaks every time he stopped and waited for us to catch up, but I didn’t get any breaks. He said “he figured I was going slowly enough that it was like I was on break all the way.” Kids!

We spent quite a long time on the top waiting for the few breaks in the clouds, so I could point out a few hazy peaks as things thinned out. At one time we could even see the silhouette of Mt. Gailhead. I was packing 2 liters of Gatorade for me and was glad for it, but Dan and Nick don’t drink! Nick didn’t drink 1 cup for the whole round trip. I was 1/2 way through the second liter and finished it on the drive home. This could come in handy for them on some of the longer hikes, but I’m not sure it’s an overall good philosophy for life. The hike down was a whirl-wind trip. The sun had burned off most of the clouds and the bugs were getting thicker, so I used that as justification to keep up the pace. Thank God this trail is as short and easy as it is and it never got oppressively hot. Dan seemed in a bigger hurry to get to the car than he was to get to the summit. He wanted to hike another mountain! At one time we actually entertained hiking over to East Osceola, but in the end, I’m glad we didn’t.

I stopped at the river on Tripoli Rd. and introduced them to the ritual foot washing. Dan loved it! He hit the water like a Golden Retriever, splashing up and down the river. They were surprised to hear that it isn’t safe to drink much of the water in the Whites, even from such a nice stream as this. I’m not sure Nick saw the need. I needed a complete cool down/wash up. I took a few moments to drive by the Mt. Techumseh and Welch-Dickey trailheads. All in all, I think Nick and Dan had a really great time and learned a lot. I have no doubt that they will shortly be putting this experience to good use as Royal Ranger leaders and for personal hiking. We got back to Nicks house in Winchendon by 5:30; 11 hours door to door.
………. Closing Note! As you can see from the attendance list Simone and Gabe weren’t with me this time. I missed them very much. I’m learning that I don’t like hiking without my partners. I know sooner or later we’ll be hiking regularly without Gabe, but I don’t particularly care for that thought. As for Simone, seeing how much she loves it; that’s why I hike. See ya at the top!

Read about Osceola Trip 3  

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
Frank Lloyd Wright

 

Mt. Tom, Field & Willey (4047, 4300, 4302)

Trail: Avalon Tr., Willey Ridge, A-Z Tr.
Date: October 26, 1998
Attending: Gabe, Simone, Noah, & John Chicoine
Miles: 8-9-mile Time: 8 Hrs.
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: None
Weather: Overcast (very high ceiling) Summits in and out of clouds, 40’ish,       

Arrived at Crawford Notch RR station @ 9:15, the Avalon Trail starts right behind the station. Avalon is a nice trail with only a few steep sections nothing very steep. We turned onto the Willey Ridge trail and soon summated Mt Field. Field is a wooded summit with about a 30Ft. diameter clearing with obstructed views but we were there after the leaves had long since fallen so we did have a few glimpse’s of the surrounding mountains. Noah and Gabe found a small patch of snow left over from recent flurries. We had hoped for better views today but that didn’t happen, Mt. Willey was way too foggy to see anything, we could hardly see down the trail. We were visited by 2 mountain pigeons (Grey Jay’s) that provided some entertainment while they ate figs out of our hands as we took pictures of them. We even had a Fools Grouse along the trail.

We continued along the Willey Ridge trail down the side of Field and Willey and back up to the summit of Willey. The wind was blowing quite briskly and it got real cold on the ridge at the summit so we hunkered down behind some trees on the trail and had lunch. We headed back over to Mt. Field on our way to Mt Tom, and branched off of the summit of Field over to the A-Z trail. We met a family out for a day hike that had taken a wrong turn (their map was in the car) and was headed towards Willey Cliffs thinking they were heading down the Mt. Avalon spur to the Crawford RR Station. Way off! From the A-Z trail we met up with the 1/2-mile spur to Mt. Tom. Noah decided since he’s not into peak bagging not to bother to bag Mt. Tom with us so he found himself a mossy spot to curl up and catch a few Z’s and sing some songs. We on the other hand were on a mission. Mt .Tom is another wooded summit hardly worth bothering to hike which would never get any attention if it were not on the 4K list. The only saving grace of Mt. Tom was that the sun was shinning when we got there so we were able to snap a few shots of Field and Willey. We got back to the car at 4:45 and hit Echo Lake across the street for quick foot washing. The people passing by us in cars seemed not to understand seeing people wading in Echo lake knee deep as if it were summer, with the temps now hardly in the 30’s. Our hot dogs didn’t seem to mind the cooling down a bit. This was a long day of putting miles under feet.

“I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines”. Henry David Thoreau

 

Mt. Tecumseh (4003)

Trail: Tecumseh Trail

Date: October 22 1998

Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine
+ Ralph and his daughter Alexis Chicoine

Miles: 4.8-miles Round trip Time: 5.5Hrs

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: None

Weather: Sunny, 40’ish at base 20’ish,

This is # 13 of the 4K hikes in 60 days since we started Aug 20’Th. WOW! You’d think we’re on some kind of mission. (Not really, we just happen to like it a lot.) This is a very nice and VERY easy trail. The trail is only 2.4-miles and is easier than hiking Mount Monadnock. We started out on this trail at the WatterVille Valley Ski area, just to the right side of the first row of the parking lot. You can follow along the left side of the river for a few hundred yards, then cross the river for a long useless meander through the forest, (we never take this leg). We bushwhack to the left alongside the river until we get to the ski trail and hike up the trail to a section on the top right hand section of this trail that connects to the Tecumseh trail. It is an obvious link once you get there, because the trail has a sign on it to point hikers from the trail to the ski trail as a lookout spot. You can also connect up to the trail further up the slope to the right of the ski lift.

On this day, we has just received a dusting of snow at the base, and 7+ inches of powder by the summit last night, so we missed the river crossing blazes and learned the ski trail path by necessity. The only views on the summit were through the trees (and that was primarily because the snow was several feet deep helping us look over the tops of the tree tops.) and at two small lookout spots along the trail, but this being our first snow hike who cared! We were having fun! This a wicked cool adventure!

(It didn’t hurt to think that if we somehow got into real trouble we could get to the Ski rescue in minutes!)

The day was so crisp and clear that even views through/over the treetops were spectacular. We hiked in shorts. It was wild for us to be standing on the ski slopes cooling off and sunning ourselves in shorts, while the skiers were all bundled up in their ski suits. (It really freaked them out to see us washing our feet in the snowy stream at the base of the slope, while they ran to the ski lodge to warm up.) We saw at least 20 more hikers that day, many of which mentioned following the tracks of some crazy hikers that missed the trail cutoff and hiked up the ski slopes. One of the hikers we met was celebrating his 48’th after not having hiked for the last 25 years.

Read about other Tecumseh trips:

Mt. Tecumseh (4003)

Trail: Tecumseh Trail

Date: March 20’ish 1999

Attending: Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine

Miles: 4.8-miles Round trip Time: 6Hrs

AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: None

Weather: Sunny, 30’ish at base, teens on summit

This is our first full snowshoe 4K hike. (We tried them out on MT. Wachussett already.) The snow was fresh powder 6 to 10 inches deep. Without crampons or snowshoes this hike might not have been do-able. The snow base under the new powder snow was a few feet deep and packed solid. What a workout this snowshoe hiking is. Almost too much for us to handle, any other mountain in these conditions would be out of the question. Gabe and I could hardly push ourselves to take each next step, and we were only about 2/3 of the way up at that time. We were doing some serious bitchen about just how much effort this was, (especially on my 32″ long Tubbs; Even though these are designed for mountain trails, these are just way too long and heavy). Simone loved every moment of it, she’s the one that got us to go on up to the top. I have no idea why or how we continued on to the summit, BUT WE DID! We were hot, it was cold, and we didn’t stay at the summit for too long. My Polar Fleece Vest was toasty warm inside, but my steat frost covered the outside like I was wearing a snow vest. This is the first time our Gateraid turned to slush before the hike was over. Once we stopped moving it didn’t take us long to start to chill down, and we had a long way to go before we could sit down in the car. As usual we hiked our diversion off the official trail and up and down the side of the Ski trail which is known as the Bone Yard; Huge jumps for snow-boarders and brave skiers. Today was exhausting. But! Once it was done, all in all it was a great hike and we were proud of ourselves for having stuck with it to the top. My snowshoes are just too long and heavy, but that’s the price one pays for being 50lbs over weight. (they make your snow shoes out of the hoods of 1964 Lincoln Continentals.)

Addendum!!! After just two more serious hikes with those 32Inch Tubbs I sold them and purchased the plastic deck MSR’s; I love them to no end!. When I die, stick them in the bottom of my coffin just in case there’s snow in Heaven!