Mt. Liberty Speed Hike

Date:  2/25/2012
Route:  Whitehouse to Liberty Springs, up and down.
Conditions:  Perfectly packed out.  Wore crampons the whole day - got a little soft near the top.
Hikers:  me and Dogman
Dogs:  Trudy & Spanky The Wonder Dog
Comments:  Speed hike to the summit (1:50).  Full battle gear needed in the high winds and blowing ice and snow.  Full packs on the ascent but stripped down to thin base layer w/ sleeves rolled up.  Almost died in the explosive winds/ice/snow... well, not really.  But it was damned cold.

Mt. Lafayette Speed Hike

Date:  2/18/2012
Route:  Up and down the Old Bridle Path
Conditions:  White carpet - crampons needed above treeline.  Drifts were only knee deep and the trail below treeline was perfectly packed out.  Barebooted descent.
Hikers:  me and Dogman
Dogs:  brought Trudy & Spanky The Wonder Dog
Comments:  Speed hike to the summit (2:05).

Mt. Washington

Route:  Lion's Head Trail up and down

Date:  Saturday, February 4th, 2012

Group:  Hiked directly with tMail & Dogman, and more generally all the other guys of the annual Bad Boy event.  (The Puppet Master was unable to attend this year, and it was Old Skool's 2nd year in a row.)

Weather:  0° with winds gusting up into the 60's or so.  Actually, the winds were kind of out of the NW and the summit caused some weird wind shifts that basically protected us most of the day.  I doubt I experienced anything stronger than a steady 30mph for a short time.

Trail Conditions:  Very little snow, no snowshoes needed anywhere, crampons all day.  The trail is well packed out and somebody had placed bamboo poles w/ pink tape on the trail on the eastern snow fields.  The rocky sections of both the crossing from Lion's Head along the Alpine Garden and the ascent of the summit cone were well filled in and for one of the only times in a dozen-ish ascents, didn't feel like I was just banging on rocks.  Even the summit itself has almost no visible rocks although obviously you can tell by the shapes of the ice/snow/crust/rime that it's rocky.

Some hikers used microspikes, but were a bit unstable in the snowfields.

Lafayette, Lincoln & The Spungie Day Loop

Route:  Franconia Ridge Loop (clockwise) via the Old Bridle Path and Falling Waters

Date:  1/21/2012

Team:  Spungie, tMail, Wildman, g-$$$, Mutha
 
Conditions:  No snowshoes needed.  Snow depth below treeline on the packed trail was deep enough for crampons all day except bare-booting the descent.  All trails well-packed out, some drifting on the ridge.  Traction is necessary on the Lafayette ascent but Wildman and g-$$$ were in microspikes all day and never changed into their crampons.

Pictures:  Here

Mutha's Trip Report:  As part of our annual 'Spungie Day' celebration we took a more-or-less standard route for this event, although in part we were motivated by a forecast of low visibility in blowing snow and fog.  Conditions turned out to be quite easy, although the flat, grey light made photography challenging.

One of the more startling facts:  the snow on top was soft, dry powder everywhere, even in drifts.  It was as if none of it had been subjected to high winds or other consolidating/transforming effects.

Wildman showed off his shoulder-mounted, water-proof video/still camera and Spungie brought an expedition pack filled with gear for a few nights (see pic above).

Unexpectedly caught up with a huge group of 20 (more or less) Koreans from Virginia.  This was their second, annual, adventure up Lafayette.  Their skill levels were mixed so they were spread out all over the mountain.  One young woman seemed to have the motivation to break some record to the summit.  Weird times ahead.

Great day, great conditions, great group.

g-$$$'s Trip Report:  Upon further reflection, discussion with Lisa and EZ-E, and the sheer realization that I descend like shit (or is it my shit descends) and I have been displaced by Dumi Sok Mi as the token Asian. I am hereby hanging up my crampons and going to embark on a new business initiative, Kitchen Remodeling...as it appears that is the only skill I have competence in at the moment.  I will be bringing my gear to the Bad Boy and auctioning off my slightly used/almost brand new stuff to anybody with cash, paypal account, and/or coffee rolls.

Thanks for your years of support, friendship, and trailside camaraderie...

With that note I thank all who participated in Spungie Day 2012.

After PM's scolding about how he didn't want to be bothered by a message while in Chicago that 6 dudes got lost in NH....and for the record it would have been ONLY 5.....we opted to stay off the Castles and hit the standard fallback, Franconia Ridge Trail....FRT is never boring in the winter.
Notable points of the day:
The two fittest guys carrying the smallest packs......
F'in Koreans only have one speed..just fast enough to slow me down and piss me off....
Spungie knows his weather...for at least a couple of hours
Two newest pieces of gear....my GPS and Wildman's GoPro camera....neither of know how to use them....
Dumi Sok Mi is one beast of a climber
Proposed nickname for K4/Brian...Northern Belle
By summertime we are all buying Harleys and will have license plates to match SPNGY and BRO
The Spungie/Wildman renenactment of famous historical proposals was deeply touching and it certainly was not the wind strewn snow crystals pelting my face that were causing me to tear up
I descend like shit, ascend like shit, and eat like shit ergo i am full of shit.
K4 or Winter Presi Traverse....it's all good!
Chicago Basin...book it.
Woodstock Inn....great eats before the Loon crowds arrive
Highlight of the trip...not spending a cent in Lincoln!
Happy Spungie Day!  Good times.

tMail's Trip Report (pics here):I believe this was the 4th Spungie Day off of which have been held on Franconia Ridge, weather usually dictates as does snow conditions.  What we thought would be a little bit of a beat down with wind and visibility turned out to be a calm day.

We did the climb in the counterclockwise conditions was the wind was coming out of the Northwest, if you can call it wind, but enough to warrant a facemask and goggles for some.  The trail conditions are in good shape there is a good base and I would imagine where there is a good base on other trails and lots of traffic the conditions are the same.  There is not a lot of snow, but what is there will pack and freeze nicely in the coming weeks.

We had a great run in with the Korean team and there desire to latch on to whoever is around to keep up and route find.  DOO MI BOO TE was hot on Spungie’s heals for the ascent to Lafayette.  She was determine to summit with our team.  Once arriving on the summit she laid down on the ground, it was impressive.


The hike along the ridge had visibility of .5 – 1 mile at times.  The snow on the ridge does not appear to be windblown as there are clear billows of low density snow in pockets which is unusual.  This matches the Avalanche forecast comments of powder like snow, that is just sitting on steep stuff waiting for a heavy load or rain to make natural avalanches occur.

Be interesting to see the video that Wildman recorded.  Picture from Mutha, Spungie and myself are pretty sweet.

Awesome day overall stuck together as a group and no child was left behind, separated on the descent off of Falling Water as the boot skiing, running was awesome.  Mutha and I waited down near the water cascades and we all hiked out together from there.


Looking forward to low key weekend next week and a big Saturday shake down at The Louie Chinese New Years Party and then BAD BOY weekend!!!!!

Cannon Mtn And North Kinsman

Date:  January 14, 2012
Route:  Cannon via Hi-Cannon, Kinsman Ridge and Cannon Balls to North Kinsman, Fishin' Jimmy to Lonesome Lake.
Team:  tMail, DogMan and me.
Conditions:  Hi Cannon and Kinsman Ridge were unbroken, but with a base of only at most a foot, travel was easy in crampons the entire day.  Temperatures never got over -5°F so the snow stayed soft and manageable.  Snowshoes were unnecessary unless it was only for traction.
Pictures:  Here

DogMan's Trip Report:  Two curious couple sightings.

First the "grumpies" heading into Cannon Balls. The more I reflect on that, could not have been a good end result.

"All your losing is a little mascara!"

And then the "fashionistas". WTF was that????

Great day. I am tired and stiff. But then I have more body fat than TMail or Mutha, and not as good of equipment (although TMail does his best providing my hand me downs). But my hands still froze into useless pain generating nubs at the car. That was freaky.

Thanks guys! Missing everyone else.

tMail's Trip Report:
My trail runners worked great.
My jeans worked better.
My boots with fur sticking out have great traction.
My rope I was carrying "just for the look" was awesome.
Great day!!!

Mutha's Trip Report:  Yeah! Wish you all could have been there. It never got above -5° all day, though we were sheltered for the most part and only got hit with a cold breeze a few times.

We all had great success with clothing/gear - no changes the entire day (9am to 4pm). We stayed surprisingly uninsulated and surprisingly dry (I'm still in my hiking clothes as I type this). Given our vertical assault up Hi-Cannon to the summit and the ass-dragging over the Cannon Balls and the bitter cold wind, it was quite surprising.

Crampons all day. Perfect gear.

One quick anecdote: on arriving back at the cars at the Lafayette Place Campground Parking Lot, we started to go through the simple gestures of pulling down jackets out, removing boots, etc., and each of us, like synchronized swimmers, got hit with a massive wave of bitter cold, bone-chilling finger loss. We nearly died there in the parking lot. In under three minutes, at 2°F with a very light breeze, we all lost the use of our fingers in one of the most painful episodes I can remember.

For me, I had just removed my pack, set it on the ground, lifted the top pocket and dug in for my down jacket. In the span of time it took me to pull it out of the pack & unzip the storage pocket I nearly lost the complete use of my fingers. I had great difficulty unfurling the jacket and almost couldn't get it on me. Unbeknownst to me, DogMan and tMail were getting hit with the same thing.

I've never experienced anything like it. It reminded me of the tsunami videos where it just comes on in an unstoppable assault. It was like the gates of hell opened and released the demons and sucked us into the vortex of cold hatred to die there just outside the parking lot. It was like being doused with gas and having a match thrown on us, only with cold, not heat. It was an explosion of numbing extremity-loss.

It took a while to recover.

The Hancocks

Date:  1/8/2012
Route:  Standard route from the Kanc on the Hancock Loop Trail (North then South)
Conditions:  The fastest conditions on this trail ever.  Packed snow w/ ice underneath, some icy spots.  In microspikes we could go as fast as we were physically able, not slowed down by trail conditions.  Water crossings were easy (mostly frozen over).
Dogs:  had two experienced winter climbing dogs - plenty of water down low.  No problems for the dogs.
Specs:  9.8-ish miles, 2,650-ish feet of gain.

Mutha's Trip report:  tMail, Dogman, Trudy, Spanky and I ran the loop.  tMail disappeared, returning around 2:20 or so but credited for the waiting around he did for me and Dogman, he pulled off a sub-two-hr run.  What an animal!  Dogman, the dogs and I hit the cars at exactly 2:40.  I doubt we'll ever have conditions this fast in there.  We spent so little time out there that I didn't eat or drink anything.  Got back to the car with a full liter of water.

Afterwards, hit the Cascade Cafe in Woodstock for portabella wraps, grilled ham sandwiches, cookies and lattes.

Fastest.  Conditions.  Ever.

If you're thinking of doing this loop in the next few days, now's the time.

Pictures here.

tMail's Trip Report:  This was a fascinating trip on a couple of fronts.

The trail conditions have been ideal for these "speed" hikes.  Its a weird concept "winter hiking" with running gear.  I actually took a pack this trip that had two jackets a Patagonia Nano Puff, MH Effusion Hood Jacket, Brooks Fleece Mittens and HH Hat.

I had a 26oz of water and two gels.  The conditions are fast and with spikes you get excellent traction, thanks also to Mutha who sharpened mine.  Even on hard ice I got purchase to push off.  The day was fast all day, we pushed hard.

DogMan was cursing in the parking lot, Mutha and I poisoned him, pulling stuff out of his bag, "am I allowed to bring this?" was uttered at one point, answer was "No".  The rule in all of this is you have to keep moving there is NO stopping, but if that is what you want to do that day, then that is acceptable.

I think we all enjoyed it and fought our own discomforts all day, mine was going up Hancock, brutal and the last 1.5 miles out cramp city and the ice was hard on the feet with micro-spikes.

After all was said and done we were all laughing at the parking lot about the battle, the dogs were still barking and jumping up and down.  We didn't talk much during the day BUT we had an awesome lunch at DogMan's Cafe find that serves excellent food, link here.

We caught up on the week, talked about card games, I am learning Mah Jong, business in the Northeast Kingdom, the pros and cons, upcoming trips, 2012 presidential election.  It was actually awesome, it was casual in a way after the track meet we had on the Hancocks, something we rarely get to do.

DogMan wanted to be home before dinner, that was his request.  If we didn't go to lunch he could have been home for lunch.

Great Day, missed the rest of you guys!!!! 

Cannon And Liberty Double Header

Date:  Jan 1, 2012
Route:  Cannon via Hi-Cannon (speed hike up and down), drive to Liberty trailhead, hike Liberty Springs up and down.
Hikers:  tMail, Mutha
Conditions:  The lonesome lake trail was packed ice. Hi-Cannon was in the best shape of any trail:  ice with a thin bonded layer of snow (an inch or two).  Snow softening in the warming weather.
Gear of the Day:  trail-runners w/ micro-spikes.

tmail and Liberty Summit

Mutha's trip report (pics here):  unbelievable conditions.  the liberty spring trail is a douche and was kind of slog down, but overall it was a great day indeed.  in this warm 'spring' weather, the trails (especially Hi Cannon) were nearly perfect.  i had been planning on using the excuse of shitty/icy trails to explain why it was hard to haul my lard-ass to the top, but even i had to admit that there's little that could've been done to improve on the conditions.

we spent much of the day in running tights and t-shirts.  seriously.  on Liberty summit we had to layer up to hang out, but there was only a light breeze.  the summit was enshrouded in clouds so we didn't have warming sunshine but this was a May hike for sure.

liberty spring trail was kind of crappy - the trail was basically all ice, so the ascent was fine but the descent was annoying.

note to future self:  if everyone bails and i'm stuck w/ tmail, don't go... or pretend i have the flu or something.  it's unbelievable how that guy just dis-a-fucking-ppears going uphill.  it's like chasing an F4 on a tricycle.  buh-bye.

dogman, remember on our hike w/ the dogs around Thanksgiving when we ran into the couple on Mt. Tom?  she was belching really loud and he looked like he had no idea why he was with her.  we ran into them on the Hi-Cannon trail.  we passed them on the way up, and at the summit tmail pointed out that they were one and the same.  i actually recognized the guy, but didn't place him.  i muttered 'have a great hike' as i passed and she said 'you too, darling'.  that weird phrasing put me on the edge of figuring it out.  tmail nailed it at the summit and we chatted when we passed them on our way down.  they remembered the dogs, one young guy and two old guys.

great.

wish you all could've been there to share the pain.

tmail's trip report (pics here):  Mutha and I had an awesome day peaking bagging, griding, assaulting call it what you want.

Cannon was every man for himself blitz assault via Hi Cannon trail AND conditions are epic for trail running with spikes.

Liberty was our 2nd assault we actually carried packs for this albeit ultra-lite had a "leisurely" pace talked and had a great time.
Conditions are spring like. Mutha is going ultra lite for 2012, watch out!

Wished you guys all made it.

Wonalancet, Passaconaway And Whiteface

Route:  Wonalancet Ridge to Wonalancet, Hibbard, Passaconaway.  Return via Blueberry Ridge.
Date:  December 11, 2011
Conditions:  No snow down low, mix of snow and ice at higher elevations.  Microspikes were the gear of the day.
Start/End Time:  9:40am/6:10pm
Team:  Dogman, tMail, Mutha, Spanky, Trudy
Dogs:  There are numerous places on this route that are not dog-friendly, however both Spanky and Trudy are practiced in steep terrain and working with us for assisted ascents/descents.  We had a number of bushwacks, especially on the descent off Whiteface but in general the descent involved careful climbing down cracks, ice and steep surfaces off-trail.  I don't recommend the Whiteface descent for dogs at any time of the year unless the dog is trained in:  ascending/descending steep terrain, voice commands in strenuous situations, being handled by a team.

Mutha's Trip Report (pics here):
The picture album has no pictures of the work we did with the dogs for ascending icy spots or more exciting, the descent off Whiteface.  These dogs really showed their true colors in their ability to work with the team.  Just incredible.  Other highlights:

• The ice did not require crampons, and we didn't even traction-up until the descent of Passaconaway.
• The air was unbelievably clear (see photos)
• tMail's 'awakening' is flooding across the landscape at full steam.  Hopefully I can get some of his cast-off gear so I can have more crap than the collection of crap I have now.
• Jerry Sandusky's name came up.
• Peggy O'Brien's did not.
• The commune is still in the planning stages, but we agreed that we'd rotate 'vacation' as members fill in for the absentees.  Questions about currency and food supply remain.
• Trudy & Spanky are great dogs on the trail.  But man, when Trudy grabs a big stick and runs, it's like being truncheoned at an Occupy The Whites gathering.
• Note to future self:  the drive from Rte 93 to Wonalancet, NH takes a long time.  Don't underestimate how boring it is.
• Menu for Spanky:  On The Trail: Three salmon sandwiches, 1/4lb of cheese (failed Gouda), a peanut butter and jelly burrito, trail mix, part of a pecan-pie bar.   In the car:  crusts from three slices of pizza, 4 chicken fingers, three mozzarella sticks, two Dunkin Munchkins.
• Menu for Mutha:  On the Trail:  Two PB&J burritos, trail mix, a bottle of Boost, part of a pecan-pie bar.  In the car:  three small slices of pizza (mushroom, pepper and anchovy), nibbles off food given to dogs, four dunkin munchkins, a bottle of chocolate milk, a decaf coffee, water.
• Question for future self:  can you still taste the grease from the Ashland House of Pizza?  How about those Dunkin Munchkins?  Were you ever able to get the lard out of your mouth?

tMail's Trip Report (pics here):  What a great trip! Some highlights of the trip / drive.

• On the drive in the debate of Mormons, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney’s underwear, Newt, The Church of Latter Day Saints.
• The ascent up to Passaconaway, healthcare reform, healthcare robbery, Deb’s new boyfriend, Jerry Sandusky
• The Herman Cocaine Train
• Cleansing of one self of all excess
• China, Chinese Currency, Chinese Inflation, Chinese Children
• Inflation
• Housing bubbles
• Capitalism
• Children
• DogMan is in for VT 100 2012 edition
• Meeting the jeans people
• Tom Wiggins Trail
• The rays of sunshine on Passaconaway
• Earth’s sustainability
• Trudy putting on the front breaks
• Trudy cleaning the inside of my bag
• Accidentally urinating on Trudy
• Spanky licking my face while being air lifted in rock crack
• On the drive out, Christianity, Rosary beads, eating communion, drinking blood, the Bible
• At the Ashland House of Pizza the Best / Worst pizza on earth, all sports talk.
• In the span of 10 minutes from the Ashland House of Pizza to DD in Ashland it was the worst I have ate in 2011

Willey Range: Tom, Field, Willey, Field, Avalon

Group:  Dogman, tMail, Spanky, Trudy & me.
Route:  A-Z to Ridge, out and back, Avalon trail via Mt. Avalon on return leg.
Trail Conditions:  several inches of snow with consistent coverage up top, patches of exposed ground down low.  In the warm temperatures of the day the entire mess below the ridge was slush/snow mixture.  The snow was sticky and heavy on the poles.
Gear Notes:  We all had microspikes but I was the only one who wore them.  Microspikes or bare-boot - either one was fine.  The weather was warm enough so we stripped down to t-shirts/base layers.

Pictures: here

Dogman's Trip Report:  Nice day.
Beautiful views.
Franky, eh.... Spanky the wonder dog.
Random trail attack on Trudy, but DogMan took it easy.
The gridder girls, way to go! I love that.
The ultimate burping trail bunny, that was pretty nice too.
3 more. I might actually have to start counting. F*!

Mutha's Trip report:  Our October marathons and the big Carter-Moriah traverse last weekend have brought me back from the land of the dead and I feel like I can hike again.  Good for us.  Today's route was picked to get the dogs out so it was a nice pace, nice day, 6-1/2-ish hrs on the trail with plenty of time and breath to chat about everything from belching to the Marathon de Sable to the Tour de France (yes, "sand" is "sable" in french).

tMail's Trip Report: Another grid attack in the books.
We had a moderately warm day in which you could have been in shorts and t shirt. Conversation ranged from RD development to Winnie the Poo.
The greatest trail slam pig was discovered on Mount Tom. How to describe one, she saw us and burped out loud in our faces eating an apple and said "o yeah". She had some southern twang to here she was attractive I give her that.

We also saw Frankie and the merry bunch of [... sorry tmail, edited out to keep G rating ...] I mean peak baggers. Good for them they are out and getting after it. Go Frankie!
DogMan wants to do Rim to Rim to Rim.

Carter-Moriah Traverse

November 18, 2011 Wildcats to Moriah - (Pictures Here)

Route:  up the Wildcat Ski slopes to Wildcat Ridge, Wildcat A, B, C, D, E, ... Z???, Carter Notch, Carter Dome, South Carter Middle Carter, North Carter, Imp, Moriah, Surprise, Gorham.

Trail Conditions:  Microspikes the entire day.  In general the mud was a mixture of frozen and liquid with up to an inch or two of light snow and ice everywhere.  Particularly noteworthy was the descent off North Carter, which was a pick-your-way-in-headlamps descent down icy and snowy bare rock for an hour or so.  Real tree-to-tree stuff, even having to moving into the woods to get around the toughest icy sections.

Curiously, sections of the trail between North Carter and Moriah in those tight notches with bog bridges showed extensive erosion and many bridges out of place - at least one even shoved sideways.

Wildlife:  we disturbed a moose who turned north and stayed ahead of us for about 1/2 hr.  We had fresh bear tracks, bobcat, hare and small rodent tracks.

Total distance:  a little over 18 miles
Total time:  a little over 13 hours
Elevation gain:  over 8000.