Thoughts on The Great Traverse (See previous post)

(Note: This blog started getting spammed by a company called nzsearchengine.com, so I had to turn off allowing 'anonymous' commenting. You have to have a Blogger account to post a comment now.)

And for your viewing pleasure, the photo at right: "Morning in Danville: Views From My Driveway In My 3-Stooges Pajamas, Part 1".

From tMail:
Going into this I knew it would be very long day. Getting up at 4am driving up to Gorham from Boston hiking 18+ miles then driving home.

Right out of the gate Wildcat bites you in the ass...tough climb you just bite your teeth and push up. What I remember next is looking down to Carter Hut and making the descent slow...and then reaching the hut for a little break. The Hut curse hit me again...I didn't come out of the hut feet blazing...the Carter Dome climb was tough for me it took me a while to get going again, similiar to the first time I went up South Twin out of Garfield hut. After Carter Dome I got my second wind and felt good for the rest of the hike. I was looking forward to the night hiking and we did alot of it. I really enjoyed it, it is what I remember most about the hike. The climb up to Moriah seemed endless as well as the descent down into Gorham. I think at this time of year almost mid October with good weather big hikes like this can be done, but something like a frost over the night can really slow things down and change times significantly. The Mountains are a cool place every hike has it's own story...this is one of those hikes when you kind of say "Shit" that was a big day...

From mutha:
The view from Mt. Hight was tremendous. The ice on the trees shone in the sun like diamonds and the blazing foliage in the valley stretched out like a colorful blanket across the mountains. We had to deal with ice on the trail for anything above, say, 3,000ft - and ice in the trees that melted and fell from above when we grabbed out for support on the steep descents (which was much of the time). The ice was small, like sleet, not dangerous.

There were a few really profound visual memories with me as well.

• We took a side trip to the Imp Shelter so I could say 'hi' to a student of mine who was camping with a school group. Evening twilight was coming on (less than an hour before we needed headlamps) and the dim, damp, mossy forest was dark green and grey and the air was getting very cold.
• The ascent up Moriah did take a long time - 1.3 miles from the Imp trail junction, but we got disoriented in the crazy world of headlamp hiking and because it was starting to rain (and transitioning to snowing) and felt that we were up to 2mi without seeing the summit. We had to cross open rock faces with trail turns and false cairns which also lead to an odd sense of the high probability of getting off course.
• The 4.5 mile descent from Moriah in the dark involved what seemed like endless butt-sliding down icy, wet, and just plain slippery open slabs of rock. It was really the 2 miles to Mt. Surprise that was the hardest. It was a weird ongoing pattern of trying to walk, having our feet slip out, and trying to sit fast and control the slipping. In the morning I found that my shell-pants, gloves and pack were covered in mud.
• The 2.5 miles from Mt. Surprise was pretty fast, but with the headlamps we had the weird experience of staring unblinking into a patch of light that illuminated the fresh fallen leaf-litter - a highly technicolor patchwork of yellows, reds and browns that streamed by like watching M&Ms or something on a conveyor belt. It became both hypnotic, tiring and just plain difficult because the thick bed of leaves hid roots and stones and we were moving fast.
• Lastly, Sue and I have an agreement that she is to wait 3 hours after the time I say we'll be down, and then call the local/state police and ask them to cruise by the trailhead to see if the car is still there. This was the first time she had to do it, and she did it. I had told her 5-6pm. At 9pm she made the call. We drove into Gorham so I could phone her (and so she could call Dao) and the local cops pulled in just after we hung up. The cop was pretty nice about it, mostly because there was no issue and also because it was clear we had a 'protocol' and were just being safe. It's amazing how relieved law-enforcement folks are when they don't have to deal with rednecks with guns and booze.

13 hours. What a day. To quote tMail: "epic!".

The Great 2007 Carter Traverse Trip Report

It's 1:30am on Sunday, 10/14. I just got out of the shower and am going to bed. tMail is on his way to Boston and will, hopefully, stop at a motel if things get tough. We'll post pics and highlights in the next day or two.

Preview: Photo at right: looking down on the lights of Gorham from the ascent up Moriah as evening and the rain and snow approach and the brilliant foliage fades to deep shades of ashes and wine and seven miles to go. (Click image to zoom.)

Here are a few tidbits while I'm still conscious:

Route: Wildcat Ridge North to Carter Moriah Trail, ending in Gorham.
4k summits: Wildcat D, WildCat, Carter Dome, Middle Carter, Moriah ... only five?
Miles: Approx 18.
Time: Approx 13 hours.
Team Members: tMail, mutha (alas, the PM was not able to make it - nor was Spungie, Maddog, g-$$$ or any of the other team irregulars).

Highlights: freezing rain from friday night made going a challenge above 3,000ft. Weather was clear blue skies under a dry October high pressure system. Temperatures were below freezing above 4,000ft.

By the time we put on headlamps (north of Imp Shelter on the ascent to Moriah), it began to rain - and then as we hit the higher elevations, snow lightly. We hit the summit in total darkness and hurried on. The snow was brief (accumulating about 1/8" on raised undergrowth). We ended at about 9:30pm after more than 3hours of headlamp hiking, failed MSR pump, a few other snafu's, but generally a perfect hike. This one is going in the books as one of the best.

Most commonly heard exclamation: woah - holy shit - wow - damn - etc. (on looking out onto valley views). Visibility was greater than 75 miles until the front of the low pressure system came in at sunset.

Oh yeh, and dig the "time profile" on the right (click to zoom). When I plotted this I realized that Bangor road is 1,000ft below the Wildcat Ridge Trail trailhead on 16. No kidding. Check The Book.

[Update 10/14, 7:04pm]
tMail's pics are available online on his Picasa site [Link]
mutha's pics are available online on his gallery site, including his favorites of tmail's [Link]

The 30sec video seen here is a 270° view from Mt. Hight. Peak foliage, high summits and clear blue skies!

The Great 2007 Carter Traverse

tMail the Tornado is going after the Carters. The PM and I will tag along (apparently), with details to follow as they develop. I have only one request: let's tag Mt. Hight.

tMail writes:
The plan for Saturday is to do the Moriah / Carter Range. Looking at the map and doing some reading today the distance from Bangor Road to Mt Hight is 11.8 miles (page 362 in WM Guide book). Now from Mt. Hight to Wildcat Ridge Trail parking lot is 6.8 miles. We are looking at 18.6 miles, big fucking day but can be done. We all have the fitness to do this but some factors:

Logistics
Time
Weather

Logistics: I think the best thing to do would be to go from North to Southwest, MPM and I will be in one car. I was thinking we can meet MZ at Wildcat and continue to Bangor Road for the start of this adventure MZ what time did you hit the trail on Sunday you stated 20 miles in 9:32. I was looking at the pictures didn't notice you with a headlamp but I am not sure when your last picture was from when you actually finished.

From MZ: I hiked from 7:30 to 5pm. No Headlamp.

Time: What do you guys think, we average for speed on this adventure? Do you think we can get this done in under 12 hours? I would assume we are going to be in headlamps, except MPM. I am not looking for land speed records, I would like to move along I would imagine Hut to Hut pace maybe a little faster?

From MZ: Hitting Crawford Notch late in the hike takes its toll. South->North might be less punishing.

Weather: I don't care unless there is a total downpour.

Gear: I will be using a new pack as long as it arrives this week, food will be powerbars, sandwiches and miscellaneous. I will be in my Vasques. For my legs I am thinking shorts with leg warmers or long underwear under shorts depending on temps. For my top I will be in long sleeve Patagona shirt which I just got is high quality. Poles, med kit, 2 headlamps, bivy emergency bag....depending on weather forecasts rain gear. I will have a hat and liner gloves as well and changes for tops and stuff to keep me warm.

There does not appear to be many streams on the map I would imagine 3+L of water until we get to the Hut?

I have 33 peaks in the bag this trip will put me at 39 my goal before India was 35, I would be really pumped if we could can do this and appreciate you guys coming on this trip with me.

I am excited about this hike as I am all of them but this could be one of my last hikes before India although there is the potential to get up and blast Hale maybe Carrigan as well.

I am open to some feedback regarding the Moriah / Carter Traverse.

I also extended an invite to Spungie he told me to keep him in the loop when we have big hikes.

October 6/7 Mixed Bag

We're splitting up the weekend to attack different parts of the Whites and make them pay dearly for giving us two freak shows at Galehead Hut. tMail and the PM are hitting Hale and the Willey Range on Saturday. I'm undecided but may check out Mt. Wolf via the Gordon Pond trail outside of Lincoln.

[Update 10/7, 5am] Apparently St. Francis has arisen and is pounding out the miles on the Willey Range (pic at right, courtesy of the PM). It looks like the bird in question is a Whiskey Jack. I got close to one on Waumbek as well. See tMail's Picasa Slideshow for more details.

tMail's Trip Report: Great Day up in NH...all walks of life were seen today. We had leafpeppers, elderly, young, dogs and the walking cluless. Puppetmaster and I decide to have a nice easy day and hit TFW we threw out Hale for another day. I will send the pics... The count is 15 left...Puppetmaster mentioned he would be up for a Carter Range Traverse next Saturday....

[Update 10/7, 7pm] Ooh rah! I extended my hike from rte 112 (Kinsman Notch), all along the AT (Kinsman Ridge Trail) to tag South Kinsman and returned the same way (20 miles, 9:32). Now I've been on the entire trail from Kinsman Notch to the tram parking lot. The book refers to this section of the AT as rather rugged. No shit. It's got a section like Falling Water (but prettier); a section like Garfield Ridge (slow, rugged, ups and downs); a section like Tom Wiggin (stone, not loose); a section like nothing I've ever seen going up to the summit of South Kinsman - it's like the section between Willey and the AT - or going up the summit of Madison - this has lots of exposure. It's so steep and there's so much of it that a group of through-hikers stopped about 100 ft (vertically) short of the 'top' to have lunch - they were wiped. There are marshes, brooks, birds, cascades, pools, etc. The day started out in cold, windy rain. It evolved into cold breezy fog with dripping trees and finally ended in bright sun and blue sky. How fun is that! I'm trashed - am heading into the hot tub in a bit. Pics posted some other time.

And for the record: I had a 7:26 start, with only one other car in the lot. I only met two groups on the trail - it was basically 9.5 hours of solo peak foliage hiking (lots of leaf litter on the ground). Finished at 4:59.)

MZ's Bad Moves:

• hiking alone
• not bringing a cell phone
  
• starting in the cold rain
• got to summit, took pics, had a snack, looked around, noticed that it didn't look familiar (been there twice), determined I was on southern false summit. found real summit 3 minutes up the trail.
• decided that after my 3rd liter of water that it wasn't worth stopping to pump any more. i get trail hypnosis and make dumb decisions like that. i rationed my last liter but there was no need - there are plenty of water sources if you have a filter.
  

MZ's Good Moves:

• wore my mid-weight leathers
• brought my MSR pump filter - worth it's weight in gold. thanks tyler
  
• used poles for 2/3 of hike - packed them for the big ascent/descent of Kinsman
• gear du jour: gaiters. first gaiter hike of the 07/08 season.
• wore northface light shell pants and ultra light capilene longsleeve patagonia top. never changed. i took my windbreaker off after the rain stopped and the capilene stayed kind of dry and i stayed warm enough. i love that top.
  

PM's Good Moves:

• Hiking in the leaves with TMail and Big Boy
• Getting an early start prior to the rain
• Packing the spam sandwich
• Giving the EMS Ridgeline pack a chance to live
• Opting for leaving Hale out of the mix
• Wearing Vasques over the GoLites

PM's Bad Moves:

• Opting for Nalgene Bottles versus the camelback - I found myself swigging on occassion versus sipping constantly
• Thinking that a pair of REI windblock briefs would create chafing equivalent to being in a knife fight with a midget
• Hanging out with TMail (aka the "Panther Magnet")
• Seeing the mass of humanity on the descent of the hike into Crawford Noth and then the Kanc... what a mess!

Galehead & The Twins

tMail the Tornado is at it again, smacking down one after another. Holy crap. His tentative plan for Sunday is to take the Gale River Trail up and the North Twin Trail down. I plan on bagging the Hot Pepper (Leaf Peeper Half Marathon) in favor of this trek, which I'm pretty sure will do less damage. This 12.x mile banger will knock 3 more of his list.

tMtT: name the start time and we'll work backwards for a meeting time and place. We'll drop a car off at the end of Haystack Road (where the North Twin Trail trailhead is) and save about 2.5 miles instead of backtracking from North Twin back to the River Loop Road.... unless you want to do a down-and-back.

[Update 9/29] tMail the Tornado has called it: 8:30 at the Haystack Road parking area where we'll leave a car and shuttle to the starting point on the Gale River Loop Road. It may be pretty chilly in the morning, so Yours Truly will be sporting a big pack with lots of insulation - possibly even a few rolls of R19 pink fiberglass insulation and a can of urethane foam.... oh yeh, and mittens. tMail has also made it official: this is to be a hike, not a run. I'm wearing my leathers to protect my first metatarsal.

[Update 9/30] What a terrific day. Newbie Westie joined tMail and me on the trek and a good time was had by all. Westie's apparent addiction to baseball was overrated - he's not addicted, he just lives it with every breath. The remaining parties to this adventure (The PM, Treadmill, Steph and the Winnipeg Jet) came and went like the fluffy little clouds in the bright blue sky. We met up with them at Galehead and again at the hut, but on South Twin I asked tMail where they were and he said "Mutha, I don't think they're coming." Bummer. We didn't even get a chance to say "goodbye" and we had assumed that the summit of South Twin was where we'd meet The Jet.

On another note, Galehead Hut strikes again, winning another point in its bid for Weirdo Magnet extraordinaire. Recall that on the Hut234 we encounted a pair of lunatic hut panthers. Not to be outdone, another hut freak showed up. This time in the form of a bearded serial killer, but one that suffered the same affliction: An inexperienced hiker who has no clue, but yet has a deeply planted opinion on everything. This time it was on poles ("My dad and his buddies use them - I don't get the point"), fashion ("Do you have the poles because they match your pack?") and footwear ("You shouldn't hike in sneakers"). As Westie pointed out, the problem wasn't that he was new, it was that he wasn't nice about it - how fucking weird is that? (Amber Alert: In the pic above, it's the guy on the left w/ the sunglasses).

tMail has posted his pics [Link] and I've posted mine and a selection of his as well [Link].

[Update 10/1] I created a time profile of the route (Elevation vs. Time). Summits were bagged at 120, 170 & 210 minutes into hike. We made the summit of South Twin only 30 minutes after leaving the hut.

Wonalancet, Hibbard, Passaconaway, Whiteface

Wow, what a beautiful blue sky. It was a terrific day to log a dozen miles or so in the Whites... or more if you don't see trail junctions. Wonalancet was nice - a lovely trail through the woods - and the switchbacks up Hibbard gave us a little variety and a reason to savor the cool, dry breezes above 2,500 ft.

Coming down from Passaconaway, tMail and I burned up the trail at a run and completely missed the junction to Whiteface. While the PM and Treadmill took the easy (ahem, "correct") route to Whiteface, tMail and I dropped almost 2,000 ft of elevation on the Dicey Mill trail and had to crank up the Tom Wiggin trail ("loose, steep and 'not recommended'"). This rarely used trail is also known as "The Fire Escape" due to it's rising over 1,450ft in 1.1 miles. Then we had to hump back to Whiteface up and over the ledges until we met up w/ the PM and TM on their way down. tMail and I tagged Whiteface and turned around asap. Jeezus that was some trail.

Photos coming soon.

Heard it on the mountain:
[On encountering the PM and TM on their way down from Whiteface - they think we went up and over Whiteface and are coming back to meet them]
MZ: We have to tag Whiteface
PM: Huh?
tM: We came up Tom Wiggin.
PM: No way!
MZ: We dropped down Dicey Mill - didn't see the trail junction so we came up Tom Wiggin.
PM: You're shitting me!
tM: No, we're not.
PM: You guys are idiots!

Passaconaway/Whiteface

Tmail The Tornado is now cranked up to smack down what's left of his 48. Jeepers. The plan is to hit these two bad boys this coming weekend. What route? What day? What time? So many questions, so few answers. Stay tuned on this channel as the plans are fleshed out.

Interesting trivia note: The PM, g-$$$, Riley and I tagged them for g-$$$'s 48 on 9/9 one year ago - the weekend the 9/11 flags were going up. That same weekend, g-$$$ asked me for the first time how many of my 48 I had left. I admitted I'd never counted or considered tagging them. He asked me again a week later on the Willey Range hike and then finally on November 19th on our way to Mt. Cabot I told him I finally counted (I think it was 36) and I was bitten by the 'bug' and decided to hamma out the last of them - and having to repeat Jefferson & Adams (w/ the PM!) so I could do my 'all in one calendar year' thing.

To this day I blame g-$$$ for infecting me with that dreaded 48 summit virus. Luckily he wasn't urging me to jump off a high bridge w/ a bungee cord wrapped around me cobblers.

[Update 9/22] tMail the Tornado has selected the route, and it's a beauty: Counter-clockwise loop from the Ferncroft parking area, up Wonalancet and back via Blueberry Ledge. We're waiting for the final word from tT on meeting times. I'm shoveling gravel all day (3/4" granite) so I won't be doing any route planning/measuring - and soaking in a hot bath this evening.

And They Said It Couldn't Be Done!

We did it. Chart at right shows elevation as a function of time measured from 5:30am - our official start time at Lafayette Place Campground.

19.5 hours to Crawford Notch. We changed our route due to forecasted cold rain, unbearable pain & elevation gain. Pictures are online now [Link].

Highlights From Mad Dog:

1. rethinking and doing your pack strategy 4mins before the train leaves the station.
2. at the start, scratching our heads as to the trailhead from the campground.
3. cannon sucks
4. dont trust tmail around pancakes
5. got a bad knee, take henry's advice.
6. spearing food containers of canadian tourist, is not a crime against humanity.
7. tmail revealed a previously held pet name, "booger man"
8. do not engage in conversation with hut panthers
9. south twin sucks
10. AT chicks "don't need no stinkn maps"
11. mutha is a narco spy
12. cog
13. grundels are not well worn jet engine parts
14. the g-$$$ war whoop should be remixed into a dance track
15. hut crews rock
16. before traveling with this minstrel crew, always cut the meniscus and leave it behind....OOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!
17. (from here forward - the list was lost to the aftermath of snake cairn at basecamp)

Highlights From tMail:

1. MadDog is my hero
2. MadPirate.......RRRRRRRRR.......RRRRRRRR.......RRRRRR
3. Puppetmaster packed more food than I weigh
4. Puppetmaster has built in night vision
5. MZ knows every single turn, rock, root, stump in the Whites
6. MZ works for the CIA, FBI and KGB
7. Puppetmaster, MadDog, MZ and G-$$$ there is nobody better in the Whites!
8. I saw the Old Man in the Mountain on Lafayette and Zealand Parking Lot
9. Fuck my knees I can always get new ones
10. Galehead Hut can suck my ass, I think that place was a mental institution
11. Cannon can suck my ass, Garfield can suck my ass, South Twin can suck my ass, Zealand can suck my ass, and Guyot wherever that fucking thing is can....suck my ass
12. We will be remembered by many in Zealand Hut

Highlights From The Puppet Master:

1. Bringing so much gear and food that realistically I could have endured a good 30 day adventure, never mind 1.5 days!
2. Almost having to bust out the North/South finder 2mins into the trek!
3. The light on top of Cannon is equivalent to the Cog in my mind - fucking stupid.
4. The hut queens, panthers, cotton swabs, yoga fags, and pancake thieves.
5. BRAVO TWO ZERO... what the fuck would Andy do?
6. Zucker and a woman in a cat suit, Tmail fending off the dog, and MadDog in a room of nakedness
7. 81yrs old and still climbing AND the fact that Amy thought the pic was me in a mask!
8. The Gimp (aka MadDog) showing us all what pain management is all about. You animal.
9. G$ and his "lucky 7's", post-bike crash!
10. Grundel burn - EMS boxer briefs are not meant to ever get damp... great design you a-rods.
11. The trail allowing for the creative stringing of swear words such as "this trail is a goat fucking whore of a penis fold."
12. Missing all the flags waving on the summits and being asked if we were "with Mats."
13. The facial expressions after telling people our planned route!
14. Zucker trying to comprehend the WMNF map at 12:30am... like asking him to translate Swahili but in Spanish.
15. The "whimpers." Nightmares or grundel pain? We'll never know but what do you expect after hikng 28 miles?!

What I would have changed...

1. G$ in attendance
2. A pack with a backbone - that fucking droopy shit lump gave me back pain but was light!
3. Light boots vs sneakers
4. More carrots for everyone, no head lamps!
5. A different set up for my shorts/briefs. Perhaps I'll just toughen things up by rubbing a cheese grater all over my nether-region prior to the next adventure.
6. A larger appetite for the Red Fox - that place rocks!
7. Pack design is in our future
   

I'm definitely feeling the post-adventure hangover. Work sucks balls and I can't help but think of the great adventures to come... Onwards and upwards you "MIMERS" (mountain, integrity, mind, endurance... courtesy of MuthaZ it was there all the time.)

Highlights From Mutha:

1. The trail was steep and hot; sweat was dripping from our chins; steam rising from our bodies as we labored up the bent and broken trail. Such tortures as Danté envisioned for the punishment of souls of the damned, we endured. Such agony, as only Goya painted to reflect the victimization of the oppressed and the horrors of war, we endured. What was this place? How did we get here? Damn you, g-$$$ for casting us into this pit of despair. On the other hand, it was a really sweet hike.
2. tMail will eat anything. Heard it on the mountain:
   . MD: tmail, you've got a big booger.
   . [tMail reaches up and picks it out]
   . PM: now *eat* it!
   . [tMail obliges]
   ALL: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!
3. MD really is a fucking pirate. He goes 'Arrrgh! alot" If we ever needed to lower a guy into a snake pit to retrieve a pot of gold, while jets of flaming lava are spewing around, and eunuchs with sharp swords are guarding the booty: send in BRAVO MD NINER!
4. The Puppet Master has a diesel engine with no "stop" setting and it doesn't lose torque on the ascents - even after 23 miles of pounding.
5. tMail has been muged by four more of the 48: Garfield, South Twin, Guyot & Zealand. His response: "Is that all you got?"
6. In terms of footing, elevation gain and the feeling at the end, the route we took was harder than the Presi Traverse.
7. In good weather, the extra 20 miles wouldn't have been out of the question - although i've got afflictions galore that i didn't anticipate - including fucked up rashes on my shoulders where the straps rubbed my sweaty shirt into my skin.
8. Leather boots have their purpose - and I think a good mid-weight boot would've been really appropriate.
9. We know a lot about what we want out of backpacks.
10. The Red Fox 'Jazz Breakfast Buffet' on sundays is worth the $8. Do it. Do it now.
11. The ascent up South Twin is a good test both to see if you still remember how to breathe and if your heart still works. Failing either of those tests means you don't get to tag Guyot.
12. It's fucking WILLEY, not WILEY for god's sake. WILEY was a fucking coyote.
13. There are a lot of old guys, geared up, with determination and the spirit of fun doing solo stuff all over the trails. We ran into Mr. Titanium-Knee on Lafayette in the blowing fog (age 81) not 4 minutes after my anecdote about meeting Mr. Speedy Ascent (age 82) on the same trail. We met numerous guys aged 60-80, alone, w/ packs, on the Garfield Ridge trail, looking like they weren't stopping any time soon. I am inspired.
14. What's up with chicks at the huts? It's like something in the water turns them into extreme forms of human life - in all different ways - some less tolerable than others. And this isn't just sexist claptrap. It was like the Huts spin a big pointer and it always ends up at: strange bird
    
15. It's been a long time since I laughed so hard that I:
    * doubled over
    * nearly puked while gagging
    * had tears streaming out of my eyes

Hut-2-3-4: Timing & Water

I was mulling over the problem of water stops and timing in general and decided to create another post about it. I'm pretty confident that the huts themselves will give us an adequate water supply for hiking with 2L between huts. I think the last jaunt between Lake of the Clouds and Carter Notch will be the hardest because there's probably no water on Wildcat Ridge. But when we cross 16 after Glen Boulder we also cross the Ellis River, so we can fill with pumps there, although I don't know how hard it is to get down to the water.

Timing-wise, I think we should anticipate hitting Zealand Hut by nightfall (approx mile 23). If we can get there earlier, great. But if not that means we have to climb the 2.7 mile A-Z trail in the dark. The footing is a bitch (roots, big rocks, etc.). If tMail wants to hit Tom, it'll be in the dark but it's such a short side trip (1.2 mi round-trip) that it'll be worth getting it off the list and it's followed by the descent down the rugged Avalon Trail to the car in Crawford Notch.

Or we can save it for a Willey Range run later in the year or next year.

Lastly, because of the likely overcast/fog on Eisenhower/Monroe, we should anticipate slow-going once we get above treeline. The Crawford Path is pretty easy to follow, but not in dense fog. If the visibility is poor it will also mean a late onset of twilight due to cloud cover - although sunrise from the bare ridges around Boott Spur would be cool.

Hut-2-3-4: Logistics

I've created this blog entry for just the logistics (food, gear, etc.). I've pasted MadDog's first list below, along with some additions of mine. Post any additional suggestions in the comments section and I'll add to the list here as we go.

UPDATE: New additions to this post are going to be highlighted in colors for a day.

Weather:

• MD: rain cancels. wah wah wah, no need to fuss with battling cold temps and hypotherm conditions. the mountains aren't going anywhere.
• MZ: the current forecast is for this extraordinarily great period of weather to persist until the end of the week, followed by stormy weather for our hike. I'll be the first to bail out.
  

Food:

• MD: i'm guesstimating 10,000 cals burned, divide by for cals i can ingest and then divide by 2 for what i carry and then stash the other half at crawford. Bring money - some for hut goodies (i regret this big time when we did the pemi). pb and crackers, prosciutto, cubed cliff bars, gel shot, dried cocoa packets, dried soup, some expensive chocolate.
• MZ: ditto on stashing tons of stuff at Crawford Notch. I over-packed food on the pemi, but didn't really regret it. food weighed a lot though. We'll have lots of water sources on the trail at the huts. I'm bringing water pump and 2L camelbak and nalgene for pump and just having extra thing to carry. i'm big on snacking frequently and having sandwich from time to time to break up monotony of snack food. I plan on having large cooler w/ ice at Crawford w/ chocolate milks, sandwiches, etc.
• PM: Hammer flasks (2), snickers, food to stash at Crawford and at end (powdered donuts).
• TM: Hammer flasks (2), PBJ, dark chocolate, Powerbars, Gatorade Endurance, eCaps, no HEED.
  

Clothing:

• MD: bottom is g-$$$ rei pants, helly hansen long legs, top will be helly base layer, 200weight something for mid layer, extra light rain shell, beenie, gloves, change of socks, montrail ridge runner.
• MZ: light wind-breaker pants or shorts, techwick top. in pack: long-sleeve techwick, tights, fleece cap, beanie, cap w/ visor, light gloves, light precip shell, fleece vest, mid-layer, 2 changes of socks & liners. at crawford: second pair of shoes, extra and redundant base layers, more socks.
• TM: Vasques at Crawford, Injinjis (4 pr), Marmot Precip, NO WINTER SHELL.

Personal Gear:

• MD: compass, map, batteries, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss (doubles as suture mat'l), tp, shades, crotch lube, lightweight pack, knife, nalgene, poles, 2-gallon drums of ibruprofen, skate pad for the bum axle. Bring money - some for hut goodies (i regret this big time when we did the pemi).
• MZ: also, headlamp, backup headlamp, mini-flashlight, closed-cell foam pad, water pump, bandaid/blister/ducttape kit, 55gal contractor trash bag, several 13gal trash bags for wet/sweaty clothes, tp. am shrinking pack considerably for traveling lighter - not using winter pack after all.
  
• PM: MSI water filter stick, 3L camelbak
• TM: Also 3L Camelbak, Nalgenes

Team Gear:

• MD: stove (pm has it), sleeping bag (MD, unless someone has a light one) to stablize an injured hutter, pad, rope/slings??, sense of humor other stuff?
• MZ: MSR pump filter, 10m climbing rope, antacid.
  
• PM: Jetboil + fuel, sporks, bivvy/light bag, MSI water filter stick/pen, 2 slings w/ biner.
• TM: Extra set of poles
  

Other Notes:

• MZ: We'll need large vehicle at end to get back to other cars. Need to spot MD's (or my) car at Crawford w/ stash in case he needs to head to hospital or something. I intend to do a fast change at Crawford (unless we have injuries) in order to minimize the chances I opt to just take a nap in the car and bag the rest of the hike.
• MZ: Our current plan for cars is for the PM to pick up TM at the 9-mile Brook Trailhead on 16 (leaving TM's truck), then pick up MZ or MD at Crawford Notch (leaving a car), then on to the motel. On the way back after hike, we can pick up the Crawford Notch car.
• MZ: Start Time: How about 4:30am Saturday at the trailhead? Sunrise is 6:15 (as seen from Cannon summit)? That would give us 1:45 to get to the summit for sunrise.
• MZ: Getting to The Greenleaf Trail from the Kinsman Ridge Trail (From The Guide): "From the [Cannon Mtn Tramway] parking lot, the trail follows a sidewalk through the parkway underpass, turns left and follows the northbound ramp for 25 yd., then turns right across a ditch into the woods (sign)." I'm not bringing The Guide, so somebody remember this.