We're three days away from the start of winter and Mother Nature (or should I say Ullr) has dropped over a foot of snow on New England already. Winter is definitely making its mark early. To celebrate, we took a quick trip up to Wachusett and enjoyed the fresh, albeit groomed, snow. It was a nice reminder of what moving uphill is like.
Looking forward to a great winter, stay tuned...
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Easter Pilgrimage
It's spring in New England, but the snow is still holding on up north. We decided this would be a good weekend to head up to Mt. Washington given the forecast of balmy 40 degree weather and stable snowpack. While both Huff and Cotton have made the trek up to Tuck's previously, this was my first time in the ravine despite more than two decades of skiing in New England. Needless to say I was excited to finally make it to what can only be described as a mecca of East Coast skiing. I say this because every year thousands of folks make the trip up to Tuckerman Ravine, most lugging their equipment on their backs, to enjoy what the area has to offer.
This weekend was no exception. We got an early morning start, meeting well before sunrise to make the three hours drive up to the base of the TR trail. By the time we arrived, the parking lots were already over flowing onto Rt 16. Masses of people were readying their gear to hike, climb, and ski the ravine. I had read previously that Tuck's is somewhat of an anomaly when it comes to the backcountry experience - it's not exactly solitude, but then again this is part of the allure.
Arriving at a packed Hojo's, we scoped the avy assessment for the day. Generally, the theme was stay left - Hillman's Highway, the Left Gully and the Left Chute were all preferable risk-wise. After some discussion, we decided to head into the bowl and check out the Gully. Back on our skins, we sat in a traffic jam of a dozen kids hiking in with their father trying to get up the slope into the basin. Luckily they were polite enough to let us sneak through. Did I mention it was packed?
When we finally reached the floor of the ravine, we were greeted by a seasoned rescue volunteer. He did a quick hand test on the snowpack below us, then joked to himself how it was meaningless given our location. The highlight of our conversation came when he literally applauded our idea of hiking Left Gully with his mittens. Despite his old-man humor, was nice to get confirmation of our route. We hurried to beat a large group of people who were likely headed a similar direction and headed uphill.
The bootpack up was a bit of a slog. The snow was actually fresh, which was a great sign for the way down, but made the climb up a workout. We were also working in a line of folks all headed in the same direction which was both slowing us down and speeding us up, depending on their pace. As we were making the ascent, I kept noticing spots of brown liquid on the ground below me. Huff and I eventually realized that his beer had burst open in his pack and he was leaking stout all down his backside. Fortunately, this was the only mishap of the day, unfortunately, it meant I was going to have to share my beer come lunchtime. At the top, the weather shifted from pleasant 35 degree warmth to wind and cold, so we made quick work of getting our skis together and heading back down.
One group, about 30 minutes ahead of us, ended up getting the first tracks, but there was plenty to go around. The snow for most of the run down was pleasant powder, allowing us to carve some nice turns along the way. As if to remind us that this is New England, though, every once in a while we'd hit some slick hardpack and have to quickly find our edges again. I tried to snap a couple action shots of the group with my less than adequate point and shoot.
We took a break for lunch, enjoying some salami and stout (is there a better ski meal?). We ate to the backdrop of crowds on the ravine floor cheering on the folks sledding down the headwall. Obviously everyone was having a good time. After lunch, the wind picked up a bit, and we decided to get moving and hit the southern Chute variation before heading back down to the car. We hiked about two-thirds the way up to a reasonable spot to switch our gear around, then enjoyed one more run in the powder before taking the Sherburne run-out.
We were blessed with spring corn the rest of the way down, with a few bumps to remind us of the day's climb. By the time we reached the car, we were in 50 degree t-shirt weather again. All in all, a fantastic trip. Good snow, good weather, and a fun crowd. Likely our best day out this season, but hopefully not the last.
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| Beautiful day |
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| Crowded ascent |
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| Safety was out in full force at the Hojo's |
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| Left Gully |
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| Pretending my legs aren't on fire |
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| At the top |
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| Huff carving up the fresh |
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| Cotton |
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| Sun setting on a great day. |
| Distance: | 7.89 miles | |
| Elapsed Time: | 5:59:03 | |
| Avg Speed: | 1.3 mph | |
| Max Speed: | 22.5 mph | |
| Avg Pace: | 45' 30" per mile | |
| Min Altitude: | 1,995 ft | |
| Max Altitude: | 5,214 ft | |
Monday, February 25, 2013
Windblown on Mt. Cardigan
As our own personal celebration of President's Day, Huff and I, along with new party member Cotton, decided to run a day trip to Mt. Cardigan. New England had just experienced a coastal storm which dropped a few inches in Massachusetts as well as along the more eastern mountains in upper NE. I was hopeful that Mt. Cardigan, which sits between Alexandria and Canaan, NH, reaped the benefits of this storm.
Cardigan is a reasonably easy day trip, under two and a half hours from Boston, and the tour itself looked doable given we hadn't skinned in over a month. Our plan was to ascend Firescrew via the Duke Trail on the northern side of the mountain and traverse the ridgeline to the true summit of Mt. Cardigan. From there we would ski down the Alexandria ski trail, putting us back at our starting point. Total trip would be about 5.5 miles and ~1750 vertical.
When I awoke the morning of the trip, the howling wind gave me some reservations about the ridgeline tour. I hadn't done a whole lot of satellite scouting of the trip, but based on what I had read and a few images, the top of Firescrew and the subsequent trail to Cardigan seemed a bit exposed. Wind, combined with single digit temps had me a bit nervous about our current plan. After convening at our usual rendezvous to consolidate vehicles, we agreed that a single trip up and down Alexandria (the better of the two downhills) would be a bit more inviting.
The base of Mt. Cardigan is home to a fairly substantial AMC lodge, which hosts folks using the mountain year round. This made for a nice place to get situated, strap on our gear and warm up before hitting the trailhead. The temperature upon departure was a balmy 16 degrees Farenheit, meaning that even with the work of skinning a few extra layers might be necessary.
The trail begins with the pretty flat Holt Trail, which was packed down presumably from heavy use. My hopes of fresh powder started to wane as we moved along the hardpack toward the uphill trails. After crossing Bailey Brook, the path leads to a major trailhead. On a powder day, so I read, it's nice to ascend via the cutoff, leaving fresh tracks for Alexandria on the way down. Looking at the stuff beneath our feet, we knew this wasn't a problem and decided to skin up and scout the way we'd be coming down.
The ascent up Alexandria was relatively straightforward given the conditions. Just after Grand Junction, the trail begins its ascent up the east side of Mt. Cardigan. Along the way there were a few spots of runoff ice which we duly noted for the trip back down. The trees thankfully sheltered us from the gusts of wind that blew every few minutes. Two thirds of the way up Alexandria the trail comes to a scenic vista known as PJ Ledge. From here you can get a nice view of Firescrew, which seems to have some skiable terrain on it's southern exposure. This is something I'd like to investigate more on a return trip.
After PJ ledge the trail narrows a bit until just before the summit cone of Cardigan. Here there is an old Fire Cabin presumably to accompany the tower that sits atop the mountain. We decided this was a good place to layer up and sip some hot chocolate before hitting the exposed ridge.
As we expected, it was quite windy at the top. I'd wager the gusts were anywhere between 40-60mph with a prevailing wind of around 30, making it difficult to stand at times. We realized we'd made the right decision coming up the way we did given the wind and the rocky summit. After two or three minutes relishing the views, we stripped skin and got out of dodge, but not before I almost lost one of my mittens to the blustery weather. Fortunately I was able to chase it down before the wilderness claimed it for good.
While the snow near the peak appeared to be powder with a layer of breakable crust, it was simply frozen hardpack. Our skis scraped along the frozen ground as we made the best of the conditions. The area above the fire house has a lot of open space, which would make for a good couple laps on a powder day.
After traversing the narrow Clark trail to PJ Ledge, we enjoyed some nice turns along the Alexandria trail. Alexandria is rather fun, even in poor conditions; it's wide enough to string several turns together, and steep enough to make for good skiing. It's definitely on the list for a return trip when there's more snow.
Cardigan is a reasonably easy day trip, under two and a half hours from Boston, and the tour itself looked doable given we hadn't skinned in over a month. Our plan was to ascend Firescrew via the Duke Trail on the northern side of the mountain and traverse the ridgeline to the true summit of Mt. Cardigan. From there we would ski down the Alexandria ski trail, putting us back at our starting point. Total trip would be about 5.5 miles and ~1750 vertical.
When I awoke the morning of the trip, the howling wind gave me some reservations about the ridgeline tour. I hadn't done a whole lot of satellite scouting of the trip, but based on what I had read and a few images, the top of Firescrew and the subsequent trail to Cardigan seemed a bit exposed. Wind, combined with single digit temps had me a bit nervous about our current plan. After convening at our usual rendezvous to consolidate vehicles, we agreed that a single trip up and down Alexandria (the better of the two downhills) would be a bit more inviting.
The base of Mt. Cardigan is home to a fairly substantial AMC lodge, which hosts folks using the mountain year round. This made for a nice place to get situated, strap on our gear and warm up before hitting the trailhead. The temperature upon departure was a balmy 16 degrees Farenheit, meaning that even with the work of skinning a few extra layers might be necessary.
The trail begins with the pretty flat Holt Trail, which was packed down presumably from heavy use. My hopes of fresh powder started to wane as we moved along the hardpack toward the uphill trails. After crossing Bailey Brook, the path leads to a major trailhead. On a powder day, so I read, it's nice to ascend via the cutoff, leaving fresh tracks for Alexandria on the way down. Looking at the stuff beneath our feet, we knew this wasn't a problem and decided to skin up and scout the way we'd be coming down.
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| Grand Junction |
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| Huff and I assessing the "powder" |
The ascent up Alexandria was relatively straightforward given the conditions. Just after Grand Junction, the trail begins its ascent up the east side of Mt. Cardigan. Along the way there were a few spots of runoff ice which we duly noted for the trip back down. The trees thankfully sheltered us from the gusts of wind that blew every few minutes. Two thirds of the way up Alexandria the trail comes to a scenic vista known as PJ Ledge. From here you can get a nice view of Firescrew, which seems to have some skiable terrain on it's southern exposure. This is something I'd like to investigate more on a return trip.
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| Cotton and Huff with Firescrew in the background |
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| Anyone home? |
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| Firetower atop a rocky summit |
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| View from the "top" |
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| Cotton and Huff taking on the snowfields |
After traversing the narrow Clark trail to PJ Ledge, we enjoyed some nice turns along the Alexandria trail. Alexandria is rather fun, even in poor conditions; it's wide enough to string several turns together, and steep enough to make for good skiing. It's definitely on the list for a return trip when there's more snow.
After finishing out the cat track (the one reason to be thankful for hardpack - the final quarter mile would be quite the slog in deep stuff), we enjoyed lunch and a victory beer in the comforts of the AMC lodge, where the friendly staff offered us some brownies left over from the holiday weekend. Thanks guys!
| Distance: | 4.26 miles | |
| Elapsed Time: | 2:55:13 | |
| Avg Speed: | 1.5 mph | |
| Max Speed: | 17.2 mph | |
| Avg Pace: | 41' 08" per mile | |
| Min Altitude: | 1,352 ft | |
| Max Altitude: | 3,030 ft | |
Friday, February 8, 2013
Quick Jaunt up Mt. Monadnock
Given the hot and cold winter we've been having (and I mean this both figuratively and literally), there hasn't been much opportunity in the past few weeks for touring. Having had enough of the pent up city life, Huff and I opted to do a winter hike to the top of Mt. Monadnock in Jaffrey, NH. Monadnock is just over 3000', making it a reasonably large mountain for it's southern location. The added incentive is that it's only an hour and change from Massachusetts, making it an easy day trip.
Given the recent thaw(s) here in New England, most of the snow surrounding the mountain had melted. There was still a bit of ice, especially frozen runoff on a few of the trails, but we were able to ascend a route that didn't require cramp-ons or spikes
The hike took about ~3 hours round trip, including our stop below tree-line for lunch and obligatory hot chocolate. We were fortunate that we got to the summit when we did; during our descent the clouds, and worse, wind rolled ruining the beautiful 24 degree day we had to start. Nonetheless, I was able to snap a few pics of the views.
As if to prove I wasn't kidding about this winter, we're currently in the midst of a blizzard expected to drop over two feet of snow on Southern New England. Hopefully this makes for some good touring this weekend and beyond.
Given the recent thaw(s) here in New England, most of the snow surrounding the mountain had melted. There was still a bit of ice, especially frozen runoff on a few of the trails, but we were able to ascend a route that didn't require cramp-ons or spikes
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| Icy trail after the recent melt |
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| View looking back from around halfway |
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| From the summit looking NNW |
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| Happy we're not at work. |
| Distance: | 3.60 miles | |
| Elapsed Time: | 2:55:41 | |
| Avg Speed: | 1.2 mph | |
| Max Speed: | 7.4 mph | |
| Avg Pace: | 48' 49" per mile | |
| Min Altitude: | 1,388 ft | |
| Max Altitude: | 3,141 ft | |
As if to prove I wasn't kidding about this winter, we're currently in the midst of a blizzard expected to drop over two feet of snow on Southern New England. Hopefully this makes for some good touring this weekend and beyond.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Early Powder on Mt. Mansfield
With last weeks success on our minds, Huff and I decided to head up to the Mt. Mansfield area for another tour. The Stowe area has a lot of cross country / backcountry trails, some of which are accessible by lift, others which require a bit of leg work. After some discussion, we decided on a plan to head up Friday night and skin up Stowe Mountain Resort in the early AM Saturday. Unfortunately, Stowe has a new policy in place that forbids uphill skiing during operational hours, meaning we had to reach the summit by the 7:30AM, which also meant an early start to the morning.
We hit the trail with Huff's brother Matt around 6:15, Huff and I working on ~4 hours of sleep due to our late arrival the night before. We took solace in the fact that the storm which delayed our Friday night travels had also dropped a few inches of fresh snow on Mansfield. The trip up was slow going from the outset. The lack of sleep and conditioning kept Huff and I well behind Matt as he headed up the trail. By the time we reached the top of the double, ski patrol was making their first rounds. Several of them stopped to remind us of the new policy. Matt reached the top of the resort about 10 minutes before the first chair, and I was stuck boot packing the final 30 or so feet due to the resort opening. Unfortunately Huff was a bit behind us and had to bushwhack his way to the top lest he be turned around by patrol.
The group rendezvoused at Stowe's Ocatagon hut and we discussed our plan for the day - head out for Teardrop Trail on the backside of the mountain, then climb back up and ski back down to the town. After our brief stoppage, we resumed our trip up the Toll Road to the Nose. The road had a nice covering of new snow, promising a nice descent down Teardrop. As we neared the peak of the nose, the wind picked up a bit, giving us a good chill on the skintrack.
Teardrop trail is accessible from the west side of Mt. Mansfield after a brief segment of the Long Trail. I had read that Long Trail in other sections of Vermont is not well maintained from a ski perspective, and it seems this is true throughout the trail. The upper section was littered with low lying branches and other obstacles to avoid. The good news was, it appeared we were the first to hit the trail.
The weather cooperated for the trip back up, and we made our way back up the hill. A fellow bc'er who had passed on the way down returned to do the same on the way up, reminding me that I still have a ways to go with my uphill pace. The view from Teardrop is worth stopping for, with a good view of Vermont to the west of Mt. Mansfield.
As before, the top of the trail was cold and windy. Needless to say we didn't spend any extra time to get our skins off and head back down the Toll Road. Once back at the resort, we took a lunch break in the Octagon and warmed up with some hot chocolate - bc skiing at a resort offering the best of both worlds. Shaking off the post-lunch chills, we opted to hit Bruce Trail for the way down. Bruce takes off from Toll Road trail just downhill from where the quad drops off. It's a winding trail through the woods, with areas of decent pitch intermixed with a few flat portions. The beginning looked a bit ominous, but we were happily rewarded with reasonably good coverage and some fun bump skiing to finish out the day. By the end of it our (or maybe just my) legs were feeling it. The trail kicks out into the Stowe Cross Country Center, requiring a decent amount of skating to get to the road. We hopped on the shuttle and got a ride back to our car at the now full Stowe parking lot.
We hit the trail with Huff's brother Matt around 6:15, Huff and I working on ~4 hours of sleep due to our late arrival the night before. We took solace in the fact that the storm which delayed our Friday night travels had also dropped a few inches of fresh snow on Mansfield. The trip up was slow going from the outset. The lack of sleep and conditioning kept Huff and I well behind Matt as he headed up the trail. By the time we reached the top of the double, ski patrol was making their first rounds. Several of them stopped to remind us of the new policy. Matt reached the top of the resort about 10 minutes before the first chair, and I was stuck boot packing the final 30 or so feet due to the resort opening. Unfortunately Huff was a bit behind us and had to bushwhack his way to the top lest he be turned around by patrol.
The group rendezvoused at Stowe's Ocatagon hut and we discussed our plan for the day - head out for Teardrop Trail on the backside of the mountain, then climb back up and ski back down to the town. After our brief stoppage, we resumed our trip up the Toll Road to the Nose. The road had a nice covering of new snow, promising a nice descent down Teardrop. As we neared the peak of the nose, the wind picked up a bit, giving us a good chill on the skintrack.
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| The Brothers Huffman ascending Toll Road |
Teardrop trail is accessible from the west side of Mt. Mansfield after a brief segment of the Long Trail. I had read that Long Trail in other sections of Vermont is not well maintained from a ski perspective, and it seems this is true throughout the trail. The upper section was littered with low lying branches and other obstacles to avoid. The good news was, it appeared we were the first to hit the trail.
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| Snow-covered entrance to Long Trail |
Reaching the opening of Teardrop, we ran into several people skinning up from the Underhill side. Fortunately we had a few minutes lead on them and were able to enjoy some of the untouched powder. Teardrop is a great bc trail - it's just wide enough to string turns together and has reasonably consistent pitch making the trip down worth the hike. We took turns enjoying the fresh down to the CCC road, a reasonable stopping point at the bottom of the initial vertical. Unfortunately I didn't catch any action shots, but we got a few of the trail from the bottom and on the way back up.
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| Looking back from the CCC road |
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| Midway on Teardrop |
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| View to the west from Teardrop |
| Distance: | 9.65 miles | |
| Elapsed Time: | 7:01:35 | |
| Avg Speed: | 1.4 mph | |
| Max Speed: | 22.1 mph | |
| Avg Pace: | 43' 40" per mile | |
| Min Altitude: | 947 ft | |
| Max Altitude: | 3,899 ft | |
| Start Time: | 2013-01-05T11:20:29Z | |
| Elevation (ft): | ||
| Total Ascent: | 4,233 | |
| Total Descent: | 4,831 | |
| Gradient: | ||
| Max Pos.: | 36.6% | |
| Max Neg.: | 34.6% | |
A great early season trip with some unexpected powder. Special thanks to Matt and Robin for letting us crash at their house in Stowe. Hopefully we'll be lucky enough to visit with them again.
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