Rollins Rhyme (Whiteface/Passaconaway 2/20/10 TR)

This would be a lucky, ducky day;
My brother thought all night of his friends foolish way;
Foolish to be climbing Mt. Washington in snow coulds of gray;
Forocious winds and 20 below windchills the report did say;

So a call I got at 7:30 in the morning;
My brother did call and ask if I was hiking;
Scott was sick and I would be home sulking;
But not now, we were soon off for some 4000 foot peak bagging;

We parked at Ferncroft at ten-o-eight and headed up Blueberry Ledge;
Sky's were mostly sunny, a snow packed trail we climbed the steep ridge;
Jeremy kept a quick pace, I kept the pics to a minimum which made me cringe;
We soon took off the heavy outer-gear as it was warm just a smidge;

Just below the ledges we met up with an older couple on the trail;
The very funny lady said to go ahead, that she "moved like a snail";
Over the steep ledges we went, making it to the false summit with a joyous wail;
It was 1pm so we ate our lunch and they did the same, the woman and male;

Tummy's full, pushing on to the true summit with excitment a-fluttered;
Down and up almost missing the cairn, with snow most of it was covered;
Now the dreaded Rollins Trail..."this trail will surely kill us", I muttered;
I thought of this long, annoying, PUD infested trail, ugh, I shuttered;

But much to my surprise it was packed pretty well;
So we charged down this ridge like two bats-out-of-hell;
A long hour and a half later, behind us this ridge fell;
My brother and I exhausted with signs of defeat did I smell;

But one last challenging push did we have to complete this story;
Long switchbacks and steep pitches, boy was this trail ornery;
Then finally reaching the top at three p.m, oh the exictement and glory!
And down to the view for one last look to the North, oh so stormy;

We hussled down now to reach the truck before we lost the light;
Passing the couple we had seen earlier drained like us of their might;
Sliding and scurrying we reached the end, timed just right;
5 pm, on the road we arrived, the sunset a warm, comforting sight.

Hike Overview:

Bagged my 26/48 4000 footer
Bagged my first 2 winter 4k's!

Total Time: 7 hours
Total Mileage: 11.5 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 4,450 ft.

Weather: Mostly Sunny Sky's, Clouding over around 2:30pm. Winds off and on in areas 20 mph. Temps ranged from low 40's at the base to low 30's/upper 20's on the summits. Trails well packed. Light traction required on the Whiteface ledges and Passaconaway. Another beautiful February day!

Pics of this hike HERE

Middle Sister (Chocorua) 2/13/10

With reports of clouds possibly hovering over the Northern Peaks and trail reports of deep snow drifts on Mt. Flume's Osseo trail I thought it best to stay more South. The pick for the day would be Mt. Chocorua via the Nickerson Ledge-Carter Ledge-Three Sisters-Piper Trails. When we got to the Piper parking lot we found that it was not plowed. Why? Do we not pay parking fees for trail and parking maintenance. Should not the popular trailheads be plowed? The home right at the spot unplowed was charging $3.00 for parking. Having paid an annual parking pass I wasn't up for paying to park. No where near the road to park I decided to drive over to the White Ledge Campground gate and parked there. This would change our plan of action slightly, we would ascend Carter Ledge trail at it's start here (bypassing Nickerson Ledge - not much of anything anyways) and we would descend Middle Sister trail.

We geared up and took the immediate left down the loop road. The trailhead (signed) was down a bit on the left. We started up the trail at 8:47am. Only one set of footprints were visible but the snow was hardpacked with just a little crust on top. Many sections were bare from water run off. This section of Carter Ledge trail was rather pleasant up to the Nickerson junction. You pass through many boulder fields, it remains gradual to moderate and contains many fine, large Birch stands. A half mile in we were taking jackets off as it was surprisingly warm. We passed the Middle Sister trail junction which was not packed out and continued on arriving at the Nickerson junction. Continuing on up Carter Ledge trail making it to our first ledge and Chocorua view at 10:45am. It was here we were passed by the only two people we would see all day. Temps. were now reading an incredible 46* in February!! And the warm sun was very pleasant.

Onward now through some steep sections past a slide area and arriving at the seamingly endless ledges and rock slabs. Having done this hike Spring of 2009 and now back here in the winter this area is truly my favorite in the White's (Eagle Crag and Algonquin trail ridge. trailing close behind). Outstanding views to Chocorua, the Piper trail ridge, the Hammond trail ridge, the Three Sisters and the rock slabs containing countless stunted red pines and the occasional rock erratic. We took a break here before dropping back into the trees in a minor col. (North Sister jutting up in front of us) finding some deep snow and post-holing our way through. We snaked our way up the trail to the base of the very steep climb up ledge that was covered in several feet of snow. We careful followed the shrub line for something to hold onto and pulled, post-holed and mumbled our way up. Once atop this first section it got a bit icy and, well, a simple slip and your gonna have a long ride down. So I put on my fresh-out-of-the-package micro-spikes. Boy do these things work! We soon came to and climbed a couple other scrambles then made the height of land. We continued on mostly level grades before popping out at the Middle Sister summit (3,340') at about 1:00pm.

The wind was a little cold here but not too bad, we still didn't need our jackets! Views were impressive (and really just as good as Chocorua's summit, minus views to the south). The Sandwich range loomed to the West, the many peaks North up to the Presidential range, North East to the Conway area and East into Maine. We ate lunch and decided we had our fill for the day. Besides, if we continued on to Chocorua that would put us in around 1-2 hours of hiking in the dark, no thanks! We didn't see the Middle Sister trail junction on the way up, nor did we find it on the way down, so we had to back track the way we came. Again the steep snow covered ledges were a lot of work but we hussled down them and back through the col. to the Carter ledges. Removed our micro-spikes and took a last break and took in the sights one last time. Then down and out arriving back at our starting point at 4:00pm.

Total Time: 7.25 hours
Total Mileage: 7.4
Elevation Gain: 2,790 ft.
Weather: Mostly clear sky's, clouded up by 3:00pm. Temps ranged from mid to upper 40's at the base and ledges to mid 30's at the high points. Light winds now and then and at the summit. Beautiful day!
Hike Overview: My favorite hike in the White's. Beautiful, secluded, ledgy and excellent views.

View pics of this hike HERE

Blue Job Mt. 2/10/10

Difficulty: Easy - Moderate:
Fire Wardens trail on South and East side of the mountain is steep and wet with loose footing.
Loop trail which follows part of the access rd. is moderate but easy footing.
Gray Hill or Little Baldy Knob trail is easy with some easy rock scrambles.

Directions: From Rt. 11/N Main St. in Rochester, NH take Rt. 202A. Just past the "4 Corner Store" take your first right at a corner onto First Crown Point Rd. Follow it for approximately 5 miles. The parking lot is on the right (signed) just over the hill. 

Report: With a planned snow storm hike up Blue Job Wednesday I was happy to see the temps. in the mid-40's! I arrived at the empty parking lot at 12:30pm with the snow flying, grabbed my pack and got on the trail. The snow monorail was very hard packed and from the warm temps. thawing it then re-freezing at night it was very slippery. Here and there patches of solid ice were hiding under the dusting of snow. I slipped over 1/2 a dozen times by the end of the trip but catching myself...luckily I have good balance from always being on my feet at work and hiking on the weekends. I arrived at the base of the Little Baldy knoll area and put some extra head gear on as the wind was howling up ahead. I began to wander off trail here checking out the pretty colors of the lichen, birch trees and rock all around. I ventured around to the South side of the knoll (careful to step on snow and rock so as not to damage the delicate blue berry bushes and lichen) and it was on this side that I began to notice signs of fire damage. I am assuming this is how the knoll was stripped of it's tree cover at some time in the past. Charcoal spots on logs, blue berry bushes & bare rock all signs of fire. I continued on past the 6 lonely pine stands  most of which are dead and found a rock "shrine". A partial rock wall & some cairns all on a slab of rock...interesting.
Onward now to the rock wall that leads up to the summit of the knoll I passed a large rock and continued on to the summit. The wind was strong up here blowing the snow around, but the temps. were still warm and I was actually very comfortable. A large amount of pictures already taken by this point I hiked down the trail to the col. and up into the pine forest on the North side of Blue Job Mt. I took notice again to signs of fire damage, most of the pines were multi-trunked which is talked about in Tom Wessels "Granite Landscapes". There is a wonderful mixture of Red, Spruce & Pitch pines. Finally arrived at the fire tower with not really any views to speak of and explored again, finding a trail on the East side of the summit in orange blazes..."so this is where the loop is"! I opted to give this trail a try instead of taking the usual direct route back. This trail curves around the South side of the mountain back to the parking lot. It was 1/4 of the way down this steep trail that I hit a patch of hidden and ice and the trail won this one, as I fell on my butt and slid 6 ft. My water bottle top broke as it hit the ice....argh! More carefully now I slowly made my way down this trail kinda wishing I had taken the other route.

Down back to level ground I suddenly ran into fresh animal tracks in the dusting of snow. A dog perhaps? There were no human prints, what was this animal doing out here alone? A little nervous I took my pack off and got my knife out just in case. It's not the first time I have encountered a viscious dog hiking, but usually the owner is not far behind. I followed these tracks for a ways, eventually passing a small white house and came to the road at a red house with a school bus warming up. Were one of these where the dog came from? The tracks continued on down the trail before dissapearing into the woods. I soon arrived back at the parking lot at a surprising 2:30pm, 2 hours on this mountain! This is usually a 45min./1hr. hike. Guess I was enjoying myself! As I was backing my truck out a big black lab mosied out of the woods. I am not fond of dogs and was just gonna drive off but who can resist a lab?? An what if it was lost? So I called it over and it excitedly ran over. I checked the tag to discover her name was Bella "Blue Job Hiker". This was interesting. I called the number and a man answered. I asked if he had lost a dog named Bella. He replied "you must be at Blue Job", I answered I was, and he said "she's OK, they live at the top of the mountain" (high point of the road I would assume...fits the discription of the two houses mentioned earlier) and he said "she wanders the area and will make her way back home". I said alright, don't recall if I was thanked for calling and not sure I like the idea of an unleashed dog running around a hiking area, but whatever. It wasn't until later on I remembered the first time I hiked Blue Job this past November a man coming down with a dog said "this black dog followed me all the way up the mountain and back, I don't where she came from". Well now I know, she's the Blue Job Hiker!

Pics of this hike HERE

Eagle Craig 2/6/10

Scott & I actually rested and up early for once arrived at the Baldface Circle Trail to find all but 1 car in the lot! It was cold but nothing like the weekend before! We geared up and headed across the street to the trail head at 9:38am. The trail was hard and crusty and well packed, temps. were in the upper 20's. We made a stop at Emerald Pool and continued on with thick ice coating many sections of the trail. We took a right at the loop junction on to the Baldface Circle Trail (counter clockwise) and arrived at the Charles Brook crossing, which was not passable at this spot. We headed up river about .1 miles to find a safe and suitable crossing. Then simply cut through the woods to the trail which runs perpindicular to the river. The trail here gets really icy as water runs through these trail sections. We negotiated our way keeping to the sides of the trail for traction on the snow. We finally made our way to the Bickell Ridge junction at the bank of Eagle Brook taking another right keeping on the BFC Trail. The snow pack became a little deeper but only 5 or so inches with grades remaining at a moderate climb, until about 2700' where steep pitches started to work themselves in.

We arrived at the first rock scramble at about 1pm, this time of year a snow & ice scramble and this one proved to be the most difficult. Still we did fine bare booting then easily made the second scramble. We crested the ridge, took a right at the trail junction and arrived at the Eagle Craig summit with light but constant winds around 1:20pm. We took pics, made our way back to the somewhat more sheltered trail junction and ate a quick sandwich. Temps. dropped to the mid teens and with the windchill I would say it was in the single digits. Views were stunning as they were in the summer with views across the rocky Eagle Craig over to Evans Notch, the Wildcat/Carter/Moriah Ranges, a glimpse of the Southern Presi's, the Baldfaces, and across the valley to Maine.

With frozen faces & fingers we packed back up and headed to the Bicknell Ridge Trail which we decided to descend by. We dropped down into the pines to find a cold, snow accumulated area and grumbled our way back up and out to the rocky ridge crest to the trail junction. We had some trouble finding the trail entrance into the pines and decided to follow the fox tracks as he seemed to know where he was going on our ascent trail. Sure enough it led us the right way. We very quickly discovered that this trail was nto a good choice. Not packed out and full of much more snow due to the pines and semi-openess of this ridge we were post-holing every few steps up to our knees. This trail would make an awesome summer ascent though, with many open ledges with South Baldface right in your face!

We continued on in this exhausting fasion all the way down the ridge arriving at the Eagle Brook river crossing just before the junction. Again we had to look for a suitable crossing which was found 100 ft. up stream. I was having a little fun on the ice trail sliding down it, Scott tried video taping it and just caught the end of it as I slipped and fell, OWCH! Another dumb moment by me! Back down quickly to the Charles Brook crossing and back on the main trail we gunned down it getting back to the road at 4:20pm. A beautiful day, a wonderful hike and it was topped off with a SPECTACULAR sunset. I got a few shots of it from Rt. 113 and was so hopeful to find a clear shot of the fiery orange over Chocorua but no such luck.

Pics of this hike here

A drive through the Notches

On 1/30/10 Scott & I had decided on a hike up Beaver Brook Trail on the North end of Mt. Moosilauke despite the forecast for below zero temperatures. We arrived at the parking lot about 10am as two cars exited. We got our gear on and were not sure just how long we could stand the cold. Two other cars were still in the lot (a solo hiker whose boot prints went up Beaver Brook Trail, and a couple getting their gear on) The trail was not broken in, but the snow was no more than 6" deep with some minor snow drifts here-and-there. Temps. were now reading .7* so I am assuming with the light wind temps. were below zero. We made several bridged and ice crossings before reaching the warning sign. Shortly after this the trail becomes quite steep. The brook was more frozen than I had hoped (actually completey frozen) so no icy cascades. We made some very steep ascents and not having anything more than stabalizers (which proved useless in these conditions) we quickly decided this was not a safe thing to be doing on this particular trail. Cold anyway not having enough winter gear (which we will be certain to stock up on for next winter) we headed back down reaching the parking lot an hour later. View pics of this hike here

Not wanting to waste the day and in no mood to freeze on another trail we tought it would be fun to be tourists for the day. One thing we never do (and I am sure this goes for most hikers) isstop at the tourist areas and take in the spectacular views that are right at base level. We made the classic loop through Franconia Notch, stopping at the Indian Head, Old Man viewing area, Artists Bluff and the old bridge near by. We then looped over to Crawford Notch stopping at the Cog Base, Mt. Washington Hotel, a spot near the popular ice climbing area on I believe Mt. Willey where 5 ice climbers were braving the elements, a stop at the Willey House Site where we ate our lunch and a stop in Conway. Turned out to be a relaxing day and it was nice to be a laid back tourist for the day...except for the trucks towing snow mobiles riding my bumper every time I pulled back onto the road. View pics of the notches here