A Mountain Too Far.

Saturday January 7 2012


Once again, I found myself driving the two hours to Franconia Notch to hike. Chris and I decided to wait and see what the weather was at the trail head parking lot to decide which Mountains to climb. The options were, North and South Kinsman or Lincoln and Lafayette. The latter two require a pretty good weather day because there are two miles of above treeline hiking. Exposure to both weather and falls in some areas and trails that can be difficult to follow in low visibility, make weather an important factor. We got to the parking lot about 8:15 and were on the trail by 8:30. We made the call to go up over the ridge since the weather looked Ok at that time.

Moses at the beginning of Falling Waters

We headed up Falling Waters Trail which for three miles climbs up to Franconia Ridge and Little Haystack Mountain which at 4,760 feet is higher itself than most of the four thousand footers.  It does not qualify as one of the 4000ers however because it is not separated by a col or saddle of more than 200 feet in depth. Falling Waters follows, oddly enough, Dry Brook. It is not dry and in winter there are quite a few places that it forms formidable ice bulges which require traction devices to negotiate.

We put on microspikes before starting and had no trouble.

Crampons

We got to the most troublesome spot and changed to full crampons as the microspikes were collecting snow on the bottom and the reduced traction could have been a problem. It was here, a young couple overtook us and neither was wearing traction devices. We questioned them about that and they

Microspikes

thought they’d be okay. We watched as they slowly went up the icy pitch and foundered around below a particularly nasty spot, trying to find a safe way over. I easily scrambled up and over the worst looking section to demonstrate the usefulness of traction devices. We moved on and left them to decide what to do. We learned later, they turned around right there.

Ice Flows Beside the Trail

We got to the summit of Little Haystack about 11:30. Just before we broke out above tree line we stopped to add layers and have a snack. There were plenty of people out on the ridge today. Starting across to Lincoln, we met several groups coming across from Lafayette. The weather had closed in a bit and visibility was down to a hundred yards or so.

Little Haystack

Cannon Cliffs from Little Haystack

 We reached the summit of Lincoln about 1:00 and then had a discussion about whether to continue or not. I preferred to go back as my legs were getting about to their limit and I knew we had to go down about 250 feet and then climb 350 more in the next mile to summit Lafayette and connect with Greenleaf Trail which would take us down to Greenleaf Hut and The Old Bridal Path which in turn would take us back to the parking lot. I also felt that given the weather conditions, I’d rather come back on a better day when the views would be better. I knew Chris would want to go across because he wanted to be able to say, he got Moses across the ridge In winter. So rather than listen to him complain about turning around, I acquiesced and trudged across. I did not enjoy it. I was moving so slowly, I couldn’t take time to take pictures or even celebrate going across the ridge. Hiking is something I do because I love it. When it stops being fun, It’s time to turn around, period. I have absolutely nothing to prove to anyone but myself. I didn’t need to summit Lafayette. I already had twice. Chris didn’t need to cross the ridge. He had done it multiple times. Moses didn’t care whether he went across or not. We got to the Summit of Lafayette at about 2:00.

Hiker in The Fog Near Lincoln Summit

Lafayette Summit

Back Alleys of Lafayette

We headed down the Greenleaf Trail and I had a bit of a chuckle when I heard Chris’s emergency whistle and a shout because he had gotten off trail and looked back and couldn’t see me. I hollered back and assured him he wasn’t too far off. He got back on the trail and we continued down.

At Greenleaf hut, we stopped for a few minutes and had a lunch and a rest before heading down. I took my time descending because, as tired as my legs were, I didn’t want to risk a fall or a twisted ankle. We got back to the parking lot about 4:30 and headed home.



Tips and Hints.

    Hiking companions

It probably isn’t possible to find someone who hikes exactly the same way you do. It sounds funny, I mean hiking is hiking, right? Maybe not so much. In summer hiking with other people is fairly straight forward. Everyone in the group can hike more or less at the pace of the slowest person, which is how it’s supposed to be. My rule for faster hikers in my groups is that the lead person will stop at any trail junction or anywhere the trail is not well defined. That is only with experienced hikers whom I know. Anyone else stays within sight.
 In winter it’s a whole different ballgame. Days are much shorter so you must start earlier or move faster. If your metabolisms aren’t the same, one person may move much slower than another and maintain the same comfort level as far as staying warm. I find that I can move very fast on the flat sections but very slowly on the steeps. Some people move at a constant speed throughout. Physical conditioning plays a big roll too. The rule of thumb is, the bigger the group the slower the hike. The trick is to make sure you stay closer together so the lead hikers don’t have to stop and wait too long and the slower hikers can stop long enough to get a rest.
Combine the physical differences with potential differences in comfort levels in extreme conditions and just plain differences of opinion and you run the risk of someone not enjoying themselves. So choose your hiking partners carefully and try to hike your own hike. If you hike in winter, it’s harder to find people to hike with because oddly enough, most people don’t like to hike in the cold!

Back Door to Cannon

Monday January 2 2012

    It was a nice day for the first hike of 2012. It was almost too warm for a winter hike. I drove across town to pick up Chris and Moses the hiking dog. It was 44° in town as we left at 6:15. We figured it would be about 20 degrees colder on the mountain. As I drove the two hours to Franconia Notch I was wondering how I’d do today. It’s been over two months since I hiked because of a surgery in late October and then the Holidays and two mandatory overtime Saturdays. I was concerned too, about the hip belt from my pack irritating the site of the incision. Turned out, as usual, I was worried about nothing. There is a trail that goes up the same side of Cannon as the ski slopes but though it is shorter, it is very steep so we elected to take the long way up the back side.
    We got to the Lafayette Place parking lot around 8:15 and were on the trail a few minutes later.

Lonesome Lake Trail goes from the campground to the Kinsman Ridge Trail. The trail first climbs a ridge for a few hundred feet of elevation gain and then drops down to a trail junction on the East shore of Lonesome Lake.

 We took a short break for snacks and photos. Taking  the left for four tenths of a mile leads you to Lonesome Lake hut which can be seen from the East shore and is open year round. The right, which we took, is a continuation of the Lonesome Lake Trail. It skirts the northeast side of the lake on a series of bog bridges then veers North to ascend the Kinsman Ridge at a moderate rate. The trail joins the Kinsman Ridge Trail on the  saddle between Cannon and Northwest Cannonball.

It follows the saddle along and then ascends Cannon steeply on the West side. There are several places where a slip could result in a nasty fall but nothing death defying. Moses, as usual negotiated everything with ease. One area of boulders we went through were covered with ice that froze in some unusual patterns on the undersides.

  Once on the upper ridge the grade moderates and for the next half mile it’s a pleasant walk in the woods.

Just before the summit, we stopped to add some warm layers to fight the cold wind we’d experience on the tower platform.  My new down parka kept me very warm.

    As I said, there is  platform on top of Cannon. Four set of stairs lead you up to a large observation platform. Everything at this elevation is covered in rime ice. The views from there are very nice.

Some clouds obscured Lafayette and Mount Washington but pretty much everything else was in view. After a round of photos, we headed down to a more sheltered place to have lunch. We spoke to several groups going to and from the summit. There are several hiking trails and a couple of ski lifts that provide access to the summit. We saw probably 30 people on the trail today, an indication of how popular hiking in the Whites has become. We headed back down the trail and within a couple of hours we were back at the parking lot. Another wonderful day in the mountains of New England.



Tips and hints

 Layer and body heat management

Controlling your  body temperature in winter is essential to being safe. Everyone's inner furnace runs a bit differently so it is important to find out what works best for you. On a twenty degree day I see everything from people who put on all their insulating layers in the parking lot and keep them on all day, to people who, as I often do, putting on  light layers in the parking lot and then removing them in 15 or twenty minutes after the furnace really fires up.

My layers in winter consist of ; A poly-pro liner sock and a pair of medium weight wool socks. Poly-pro long johns top and bottom. A pair of nylon hiking shorts (for the pockets and modesty). A pair of Gore-tex gaiters. A medium weight zip neck pullover of wool or poly-pro. A light pair of wool gloves. This is what I wear in temps down to 15 or 20 degrees if there is not much wind. In temps below that I'll add a light fleece zip pullover. When above treeline or for longish breaks I'll put on Gore-Tex pants and hooded jacket. In severe cold and wind I also put on a hooded down parka, a balaklava and Gore-Tex over-mitts. I also carry but have never worn, a pair of fleece pants for extra insulation. I also have a neoprene face mask and goggles that I wear in severe conditions.

 Gear management takes practice. In very cold windy conditions, you need to be quick about getting on extra layers so your core temp doesn't drop too much. A balky zipper or buckle, when it's relatively warm is a pain but in severe conditions it is dangerous. Getting used to getting clothing as well as traction devices out of your pack and getting them on as quickly as possible is an essential skill in winter conditions. I try to familiarize myself with any new piece of gear before I need to use it on the mountain.