7.23.2009

Saturday 7/25

The Pemi has been postponed for drier days (August 22nd) but the Wind Wild River Basin called and MadDog picked up the phone. The route hasn't been planned, but MD is bringing his knee brace and stump (sounds like MD's an amputee) and according to MD, we'll do something behind the Carters.

Bike? Hike? Run? MadDog, it's your call.

[Update 7/25, 6:30pm] Hillman's Highway. You got that right. A bushwack up that bad boy, even though it was though nearly impossible. It took 2.5 hours from Hermit Lake to the ridge. Trip report coming soon.

Finally: The Trip Reports (pics are here):

MadDog's Report:

A couple of observations:

  • Mark this date, and don't go near Pinkham Notch! I have never seen so many people at the facility, parked up and down 16, and on the mountain.
  • The bushwhack was a total scramble, and was awesome. Travel was wet, slow and full of uncertainty.
  • The payback for #2 was the views - just great.
  • I enjoyed being perched up on the Dodge's lunch rock, and hear Mutha with the play-by-play. Amazing just how close the guys were from a great hike, vs a helluva ride.
  • Mutha's a mountain rock star...on the way across Boott Spur we bumped into a guy who knew the story of the avi.
  • I need some practice still on setting the knee bra. It will come.

Mutha's Trip Report:
  • The demons were exorcised. We retrieved the axes (one of mine, one of tMail's) from Anthony - one of the caretakers - and I climbed July ice.
  • Following MadDog fresh off the Death Race is impossible. I carefully worked my way up boulders as slippery as greased glass. MadDog ate them, shit them out, and climbed the gravel pile.
  • For anyone heading up that way: navigating is more about, say, following the brooks. You can't see out of the brush. We had to make a few important route decisions - be prepared for that. Also, don't do this if you are claustrophobic or uncomfortable with steep, rugged terrain. MadDog, you're not claustrophobic, are you?
  • Our decision to do Hillman's instead of Dodge's was more about a concern about the 'cliffs' and unstable rock at the top. Still a concern, although I'm still tempted to try it having now succeeded on Hillman's.
  • Discussed the "Pinkham Decision". We considered the scenario where we get pounded by lightening and one of us dies or one or both are injured. Which was the bad decision and had that decision already been made? It had. It was made at Pinkham Notch. (Translation: if you don't go up, you can't get hurt up there.). A more proper translation is: there's no single bad decision, only a chain of them leading to an accident.

12 comments:

  1. Saturday 7/25 I am going test myself in the Blue Hills...based on how I do and how it feels after...I will plan on making a trip up to the North Country for a hike August 1st...it might be best to do Lafayette...thought is get to the Greenleaf that is goal number one...rest a little...then summit goal number 2....let me know your thoughts and I am open to other suggestions...

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  2. sounds aggressive. did you run that by your pt? i'd come along but i'll by in NYC for the weekend. now the FOLLOWING weekend i'll be around if you're still tackling the hard stuff.

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  3. They gave me the green light I asked about time out on the leg he said you should be fine with no restrictions...I do more unstable exercises in PT than terrain I would experience hiking.

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  4. excellent.

    maddog, did you want to go long and low? bike? run? what's the PLAN! I've got the map in front of me and that's a HUGE territory to cover.

    we could start at the cold river campground and hit Carter Dome via Perkins Notch and the Rainbow Trail, then come down the Black Angel. it'd be 20-25 miles.

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  5. Mutha, I'm torn...between a hike and the bike. Tomorrow I pickup the new knee bra (I think) so I need to try it out and get at least 1 hike being the Pemi pummeling. On the other hand I know I need to get on the bike and would like to do the loop around wild river - from Kezar lake to Conway, then up 16 to Gorham and over Evans notch. It will be a big day ~85 miles + two big climbs...and logistically I'm going from VT tonight to Maine and then right to work on Monday AM. Hiking may be less complex gear and driving-wise - otherwise I have a bike in tow for a week. You have strong feelings? Tmail...I'm fairly confident we can get the two debutant braces together. -MD

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  6. MadDog - no strong feelings either way. I doubt I'll be doing 6 gaps this year - haven't been on the road bike since the double-gap. I may get a hike in tomorrow morning. We can decide Friday night if you'd like.

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  7. Forget what I just said. Current forecast for tomorrow is for rain, heavy at times. Crap. More rain on the trails. I'm not going hiking tomorrow. May get a bike ride going in the afternoon.

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  8. bike ride would be less wet, although we might get rained on. i don't mind, although 85 miles with wet shorts can be rough - literally.

    come to think of it, wet feet are easier to manage.

    ha. i'm up for anything. i wear Darn Tough socks, dammit. i'll run through fire with those f**kers on.

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  9. it's settled: 8am wild river run, probably hitting carter dome and back. maybe 18 miles? if anyone is interested email me for details.

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  10. Change of plans: meeting maddog at Pinkham at 8am for an axe hunt.

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  11. Mutha, nice day out - thanks for sharing. A couple of observations:

    1. Mark this date, and don't go near Pinkham Notch! I have never seen so many people at the facility, parked up and down 16, and on the mountain.

    2. The bushwhack was a total scramble, and was awesome. Travel was wet, slow and full of uncertainty.

    3. The payback for #2 was the views - just great.

    4. I enjoyed being perched up on the Dodge's lunch rock, and hear Mutha with the play-by-play. Amazing just how close the guys were from a great hike, vs a helluva ride.

    5. Mutha's a mountain rock star...on the way across Boott Spur we bumped into a guy who knew the story of the avi.

    6. I need some practice still on setting the knee bra. It will come.

    Let's try and get back to sharing the ride home. That's always a fun closing.

    -MD

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  12. A couple of reminders and real concerns for all future explorations in that area...Dodges is considered to be a "no fall" zone. So helmets for sure. More??? And strategies for not triggering rock slides. On the way home, I recalled the tragedy over by Falling Waters, and the guy at Primal Quest two or three years ago.

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