The Bad Boy II: Hillman's Horror... or ...

Well, another weekend lost to fun in the snow. The Hancocks on Saturday (see previous post) and Sunday spent the day w/ my friend Brian at Craftsbury Nordic Center for a sunny day on groomed trails. But that's just a prelude to next weekend - the dreaded March 3/4 excursion up Washington. As tMail might say, "I hear it calling my name...". Indeed, from Danville the eastern horizon consists of the Presidentials, The Twins, Garfield, Lafayette and Franconia Ridge, Cannon and Moosilauke. On a clear day like today, all the details are visible and they seem to form little faces, mouthing the words "climb me....climb me...".

So what stands in our way? Nothing but logistics. We have some weather coming through over the next 4 days, enough to define what the weekend plans might be, so we'll leave our options open.

UPDATE 2/26/07: [.... taunting...]

UPDATE 3/1/07: I took out the old pics and replaced them w/ this more relevant one, to remind us what snow looks like. Chances are we'll see some of this white stuff this weekend.

UPDATE 4/3/07: tMail popped his cherry!

Saturday's Mystery Date

Oh where, oh where will we end up on Saturday? Oh where oh where indeed! What are the choices? Why, all the choices in the world. What's been offered so far?

1. The Hancocks, because of the descent from South Hancock
2. Sandwich Dome (up Drake's Brook, out to Black Mtn, back via Sandwich Mtn Trail... or was it the other way around?)
3. What about an x-c trek through Zealand Notch out to Thoreau Falls and back? tMail, I know you have experience=zero with the x-c thing, but with your arm strength you'd have it figured out in no time. The trail is almost completely flat. It's gentle uphill on the way in - a great way to get the hang of the skis. You'll do FINE! It's all about endurance - the technique will come along naturally. Check it out on the map. Start on Rte 302 in Twin Mountain. At the next right turn we park at the Zealand Campground and ski up the Zealand Rd (not plowed) to the Zealand Trail, to the Ethan Pond Trail. The falls are about 2 miles along the Ethan Pond Tr. at the junction w/ the Thoreau Falls Tr. I've never been to the falls. If we stay to the valley we could do it in light gear.
   
4. Do we really need a 4th option?

UPDATE 2/22: The choice has been made: It's the Hancocks!
Meeting Place: The parking area on the ultra-sharp curve of the Kanc on the south side of the road.
Meeting Time: 8am? Still waiting for feedback from hikers.

UPDATE 2/24: See comments for MZ's partial trip report.

UPDATE 3/2: I finally posted my and Tim's pics to the website

Sunday, Feb 11: North Slide Dammit

It looks like the next trip is on the calendar and it's still 3 days away. This is more advanced planning than we normally experience. More on the specifics later, but the plan is clearly to go up the North Slide of North Tripyramid.

Gear of the Day will be crampons or mountaineering snowshoes and an axe.

Trail conditions from Views From The Top describe solid stream crossing, packed snow and crampon conditions on the slide. More on the route conditions as things progress.

[Update: 2/11/07 5:32pm]
The slides were mostly filled in w/ snow. We actually had to work to stay out of the drifts and on top of the rocks/ice/crust as much as possible. We stayed left, crossed right, got into the scrub, back left, and all was golden.

It was a bright sunny day. I'm sure it wasn't above 0F on the slides and the summit - maybe 5F - but we didn't have to put on any shells or masks (no wind) and I was actually bare-handed once we got down off the south slide. We didn't use poles anywhere. We took the ice axes out and packed them at the top of the South Slide.

No big incidents other than being threatened by a bull moose, chased by bears and Timmy had to lower me into a ravine to retrieve his JetBoil after the earthquake subsided.

g-$: I don't know why I sometimes shrug off your advice. You've never steered me wrong. But I guess it seemed too much of a pain to get tMail a pair of skis - or maybe it was because I didn't realize that the trail to the Tri-Loop IS FUCKING GROOMED AND TRACKED!!!!! Jeezus H. F0cking Krist on a popsicle stick! I can't believe we had to walk TWO MILES on GROOMED AND TRACKED TRAIL!

Holy crap. I told Timmy that he's getting fucking skis or he can wear my size 11 boots next time.

Once tMail sends me his pics I'll post 'em on the web.

On a related note, I stopped at Wal~Mart in Littleton on the way back to pick up tissues and colored markers and bought goggles. They had ski goggles with a double lens (polycarbonate front lens), SP400 UV protection and amazing ventilation. The bottom edge of the mask has an open plastic grill under each eye running the length of the lens. Totally open. Along the top, there is also a grill, but there is a very thin foam 'filter' to keep snow out. When I say 'thin', I mean 'thin'. I can read a newspaper through it. It's just sturdy enough to keep out snow and ice but that's it. I got an XL to maximize the surface area (the frame is almost completely out of my peripheral visual field). They cost $19.83. I know it may be wishful thinking, but I have high hopes for these. The worst case scenario is that I now have a third set for backup.

[Update 2/11/07: Pics Are Posted Here]

The Bad Boy, 2007

We're still a few days away, but Friday is the ice climbing workshop and Saturday comes The Bad Boy!

Here's my guess for the weather: 2F, winds around 50mph, gusting to 65. In the clouds from 5000', blowing frozen fog w/ visibility about 100'.

I'm still on the lookout for the right conditions to skip the summit and go for something else, like up Hillman's and down Lion Head.

There is still a moderate level of instability in the snowback on steep terrain and the summer Lion Head route is still open so we may have limited options there.


[Update 2/4/07: Fried logic board is making my life hell. I'm working on getting the images posted from both the ice climbing and the bad boy treks. Updates will be posted here.]

[Update 2/6/07: Okay, got a spare computer, pics are posted HERE]

Hell Brook Again (Mt. Mansfield, VT)

Maddog and I did it again: the steep badass Hell Brook trail. 2,200' in 1.4 miles from rte 108 to The Adams Apple of Mt. Mansfield. As we ascended, the snow got deeper and our postholes got crotch deep, then the powder just got plain deep. The biting cold (maybe -15F at the start) wasn't so bad because there was no wind, but wading through the cold, soft, deep snow was punishing.

On the final push up The Adams Apple, we had short alpine fir trees covered in rime and snow, with some bent double under the powder making deep traps. At times, they were so close together we had to punch the ice off the trees to make enough room to push through.

Heard It On The Mountain: "I keep asking myself, am I doing something wrong?" - Maddog, after spending quite a bit of energy without making much forward progress (see pic)

The pictures don't really do the setting justice. The trail starts rising steeply immediately and never stops. It's hard to follow and relentlessly challenging. Showshoes would've helped, but only mountaineering snowshoes. MSR's would've been hard to maneuver (I think) - not enough 'crampon'.

Franconia Ridge II: All Hell Breaks Loose

Rumor has it that tMail, the PM and some guy with a death wish are thinking about hitting the high notes tomorrow (sat, 1/20) during 100mph winds and zero visibility. More on this as things progress.

[Update 1/20/07: It looks like nobody risked life and limb. Good move. Anybody around on Sunday 1/21?]

Franconia Ridge

We gathered in the parking lot in cold rain, but by the time we were back at the spa, the sun was out and the jacuzzi was filled w/ champagne.

Or not.

Well, Spungie made it, so did g-$$$. (What?!?! g-$$$? wasn't he due in Florida this weekend? Uhhhh, apparently not.) Becca and Andrew made it, Mad Dog, tMail and me. Oh yeh, baby. But wait, where was the PM and his pink binkie? Where was treadmill, who destroyed Moosilauke and made the mountain feel like her little bitch? Where was Riree!?!?!? ... they were at home, in the bathtub, rinsing their ****** w/ a golden spray bottle. Even MadDog, who ate all my ibuprofen and had bad sinus problems showed up. He gets the opposite of the golden spray bottle.. he gets the - uh - iron sand blaster?.

...

more in a sec. the pork tenderloin is almost up to 140 deg.
...

okay, back - mmmm, just like I told you MadDog, a 3-olive martini stuffed w/ jalapenos. Pork tenderloin w/ pad thai, grilled brussel sprouts. Dinner is just about ready... anybody?

Today was the most beautiful day on the mountain. The frosty mist and blowing rime pubes were charming, lovely, stylish and delightful. More on this later ... along w/ the pics.

It was good to see Spungie again - haven't seen him since the Bad Boy '06. Oddly, he stored his banana peel in his hat (see pics at site).

Becca and Andrew are waiting for their trail names (Oh where, oh were is our Puppet Master of Ceremonies). Andrew is faster on his feet than he was willing to let on at first. He's a chatty son-of-a-bitch and wouldn't stop yapping about politics, neurolinguistic programming and tinfoil hats - then he left Becca in the dust and ran down the mountain like a billy-goat on fire. I was like "???" and he was like "!!!" and MadDog was like "??!?" and he was like "!". Holy crap. Somebody get that guy a lethargy pill.

tMail's goggles got all fogged/iced up. What the fuck, tMail - stop eating the Hammer Gel - it's causing you to overheat. Try tofu.

Our poles were covered in rime ice by the time we got down - but only the west side of them. Too bad I didn't get a shot of that.

Visibility dropped to about 100' but it was so beautiful up there.

[Update 1/13 7:33pm: Pics are posted here or click on title of this post - waiting for Becca's pics]

tMail's Choice #2: Franconia Ridge

Here we go again! So far, the forecast for the weekend is rain, sleet, snow, freezing rain and a plague of locusts. We'll find out from the pros on Mt. Washington for sure as the day approaches. I believe tMail's route of choice (correct if i'm wrong) is the classic Falling Water to Haystack, Franconia Ridge North to Lafayette and Greenleaf/Bridal Path back. Indeed, a classic, especially if we can't see more than 10 feet. In the summer I'd say to give it 4.5 hours. But with unstable weather moving through for the next week and wind gusts following the steep gradients in pressure we could be in for a hellish traverse. Let's see what the forecast for Saturday is by Friday.

Image of the day (to the right =>) from Lafayette on a good day, lenticular clouds over the Pemi (and southern Presi's w/ Mt. Washington lower left in the back).

As far as meeting time, I'll let the southern contingent decide. Meeting place is obvious: the trailhead parking lot on the east side of 93 opposite the Lafayette Campground, in the north lot.

[Update on 1/11/07: 8:30 at the traihead has been confirmed. No guess on the weather until tomorrow's higher summits forecast is issued]

[Update on 1/12/07: The mountain spirit has extended a warm hand and invited us to join the mountains in enjoying low temperatures, low winds, low snow-levels and low visibility, but otherwise not said a damn thing about dashing our brains out on the rocks or killing us by sapping our internal heat and strength. I believe we should accept the invitation. As of this writing, the trip is a "go". See you all at 8:30! (Click on image to see closeup of route)]

La Flume

Well, it didn't happen on 1/6/07 due to rain (see prev post). But it did happen on 1/7/07, although w/out the PM, treadmill and riree.... but we added Andrew, Rebecca & Luna (did I get your names right? Damn, that was way too much mescaline).

The route was up&down the Osseo, including that goddamn railbed. We had a cloud layer seemingly just over our heads (see pic at right of tMail, thinking about the contrast between the image of man and the idea of man compared with the meaning of the image of man).

So the final cast was g-$$$, tMail, andrew, rebecca, luna and myself (trailnames to come for the nuo duo).

And the weather? Heh, heh. What do you think boys and girls? Would calling it a mid-April hike give the right idea? Let's say yes.

And on a more personal note, I'd like to say that the shiny, unscratched, but motion-blurred back of tMail's new Koflachs are now all too familiar.

And the final word on Luna vs. Riree? Sorry, we won't go there.

And if you haven't figured it out, click on the title of this post (or HERE) to see the pics.

The UpAndComing: Floozie & Lafayette

Well, tMail is driving this one and it looks like a date with the Death Star: "Red Leader, I'm going in!!"

Okay ladies, what'll it be:

1/6/2007: Up the Flume via the Osseo Trail? Say, doesn't that require that we trek about 1.5 miles along that railroad bed? I swore after my solo Pemi I'd never do that again. Then after the Prance I swore I would never do it again. Then after Owl's Head I swore I'd never do that again. What, are you trying to make me out to be a liar?

1/13/2007: Lafayette. Let me guess: Falling Water to Haystack, north on the Ridge and down to Greenleaf. OUTTASIGHTASTIC!! Count me in.

[Update 1/7/07: See next post (above) for Flume trip report]