#25 Mt Cabot solo

7:58 AM on Sunday, January 29, 2017

After yesterday's slog to Owl's Head, I lightened my load today, left my snowshoes and poles on my backpack and just enjoyed walking up the gentle slope to Cabot's summit.

Stats:

• Peaks: Mt Cabot
• Weather: 15F, 15mph, light snow most of day, some blue sky towards the end
• Parked: York Pond trailhead, Berlin Fish Hatchery gate open and road plowed
• Trails: York Pond, Bunnell Notch, Kilkenny Ridge, Mt Cabot Tr, and back
• Time: 4h42m
• Distance: 9.1mi
• Track: GaiaGps

An overview of my Single Season Winter 48 with links to all the trip reports is here.

The woods were pretty.
No skis + lighter load = funner hike

Mostly cloudy and no views, but got a glimpse of the valley a couple of times.

The ridge near the summit was spectacular.

Aww, cute.

The cabin at the top of Cabot just needs a bathroom and heat to rival The Hikers Paradise hostel I spent the night at.

I met the owners of these packs soon after I left the cabin. They spent the night at the cabin and had just stepped out to visit the summit. I took a photo for them before they retrieved their bags and headed down.

Summit #25 this winter. Woohoo!

For the return, I tested a new piece of gear. My hiking pants are getting thin in the rear from seated glissades. So I decided to try out this little sled. It worked well, but the snow was perfect for running on the moderately steep sections, so I only used the sled on the very few steeper sections.

A bit of blue sky made a short appearance near the end of the hike, but it was snowing again by the time I got to the car.

After a 3-hour drive home, I enjoyed this delicious Trillium IPA.

btw - My weight after the hike was 155 pounds, the same as every day last week. Then I went to celebrate Chinese New Year with Julie's sister and parents. We had huku (Chinese hot pot). I ate so much I had to lie down to rest my stomach. The next morning I weighed 162; that's seven pounds of huku. Also my legs still ache from Owl's Head on Saturday. It's going to take all week to recover from the hiking and the eating.

#24 Owl's Head solo

7:02 AM on Saturday, January 28, 2017

An exhausting hike for several reasons. 1) Even well-established bushwhacks require more effort than following a maintained trail. 2) I used my XC ski gear for the first time, carrying my hiking boots in case I wanted to switch out of the XC ski boots. 3) My pack was extra heavy because I brought additional emergency gear, having been spooked by a short story about death in the mountains. 4) Much of the bushwhack was post-holed; now I understand why some people are so vehement about post-holing.

Stats:

• Peaks: Owl's Head
• Weather: 15F, 15mph, light snow most of day
• Parked: Lincoln Woods Trailhead of the Kancamagus Hwy
• Trails: Lincoln Woods, Black Pond bushwhack, Lincoln Brook, Brutus bushwhack, and back
• Time: 8h28m
• Distance: 15.8mi
• Track: GaiaGps

An overview of my Single Season Winter 48 with links to all the trip reports is here.

The stream crossings all had snow bridges, but there was plenty of open water too.

This minor cairn in the woods marks the summit of Owl's Head.

It was a hard hike up, so I was happy to reach the summit. Little did I know the return would be even more tiring.

Fluttering in the breeze, the birch bark reminded me of Tibetan prayer flags.

On the return, I passed Black Pond again, and viewed the Hancocks in the background. On the way up it was snowing, so I couldn't see beyond the trees on the other side of the pond.

My new NNN-BC ski gear worked great. The backcountry skis are wider than typical cross country skis and have metal edges and beefier bindings for more control. The boots are more substantial also, and I was able to complete the hike without switching from ski boots to hiking boots.

I stayed at the Notch Hostel on Friday night so I could get a good night's sleep and still have an early start on Saturday. When I got to the hostel, Serena greeted me with a hug and declared I was "hamily" now, part of her hostel family. I spent the evening chatting with Serena and the other guests. Kim was Serena's long time family friend and visiting the hostel for the first time. Gail was one of the very first guests when Serena and Justin opened the hostel last year. The woman that lives in a room upstairs in exchange for cleaning at the hostel had a few friends visiting. One had the same first name and last name as Serena and was from the same town in Massachusetts.

I brought a can of Trillium Ft Point Mosaic Dry Hopped to enjoy at The Notch Hostel. Another guest saw the empty can and insisted I share his bomber of Hill Farmstead Dorothy. We spent an hour discussing beers and skiing. The Hill Farmstead was as good as I remembered, but not as good as the Trillium, at least on this night. I declined a second glass and went to bed at 10 PM.

In the morning I ate breakfast and drove the short distance to the Lincoln Woods parking lot. I skied the first 3 miles on an old railroad grade along the Pemigewasset River. Then I hid my skis in the woods and put my snowshoes on over my ski boots for the rest of the hike.

Black Pond Trail was well packed and easy walking, but the bushwhack was tiring. Bushes kept whacking me in the face (go figure!) and getting caught on my pack. Plus someone had postholed deeply, making the footing difficult, twisting my snowshoes and causing me to stumble every now and then. Near the end of the bushwhack I caught up with Gail (from the hostel) and her friend Joe. Joe was embarrassed that he didn't have his snowshoes and apologized profusely. I just laughed it off and told him not to worry about it, but the hiking did get easier once I was in front of shoeless Joe. I met Gail and Joe again later as I was hiking back down. They were making slow progress and thought they would get back to the trailhead well after dark. I asked if they needed anything, water, food... Joe said he needed my snowshoes, and offered me $1000 for them. I laughed; I think he was just kidding, wasn't he?

The Lincoln Brook Trail was easy hiking, fairly flat and well packed, but the Brutus bushwhack was brutal. It seemed to go straight up the mountain (even though it isn't as steep as the slide path) and was steep enough that my snowshoes would slip if I didn't stamp them into the snow each step. I had to stop a few times to catch my breath, which is not typical; usually I just put my head down and hike to the top. There were several tracks that branched off, so I had to decide which one to follow. I consulted my planned route using GaiaGps on my iPhone and just guessed which to follow. My chosen path led to a giant ice-covered boulder. It looked like the hiker tried to go up the ice, slid down, and then decided to detour around the boulder. I followed the track through dense saplings, having to squeeze between trees that my pack couldn't fit through without pushing the trunks apart.

Eventually, I reached the ridge on top and followed it to the clearing that marked the summit. Before the summit I met a hiker returning. He asked me if I followed his crazy bushwhack path and we laughed about the rock and tight squeeze. We discussed going down the slide instead of backtracking his difficult track. Soon I reached the summit; it was impossible to miss because the snowshoes tracks ended a few feet past the tiny cairn. I snapped a photo and headed back down.

There was no path broken out to the slide, so I just followed the most distinct track, put down by the 6 people who summitted a bit before me. At one point I stopped for a drink and my left calf cramped painfully. I took deep yogic breaths to relax the muscles so I could continue. Later, I did a seated glissade on a steep section (right through the tight trees and over the huge ice-covered rock) and my inner thighs cramped up painfully. I couldn't figure why I my muscles were cramping--I had a good dinner and breakfast, slept well, and ate and drank plenty during my hike. When I got back to the Lincoln Woods Trail and started to ski back to the car the answer was obvious; the cramps were the result of muscles unused to cross country skiing.

The relatively easy Black Pond bushwhack seemed endless on the return. I kept tripping over my snowshoes, gashing my gaiters, and falling in the snow. Two tracks diverged, and I followed the one that looked smoother but it soon devolved into a rough track which eventually rejoined the main track.

I retrieved my skis and was disappointed that I still had to kick and glide on the trail back to the car. I was hoping it would be a 3-mile downhill coast back, but no such luck. I finally got back to the car, eight and a half hours after I started, but every muscle in my legs, back and shoulders ached.

I was hungry and tired with an hour drive to SAaLT Pub in Gorham. Traffic was clogged by skiers leaving Loon, so when I saw the Gypsy Cafe that people at the hostel recommended highly, I pulled in. The mushroom and Brie soup was quite good paired with a Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale. After eating, I hobbled to the restroom and changed out of my sweaty clothes for the drive to Gorham.

I took time to text my family that I returned safely from my hike.
Me: "Also...I read a scary story about a hiker dying in the winter, so I carried extra emergency gear. Very heavy, and wore me out. Fell many times while snowshoeing because my load was unwieldy."
Alexa: "Better safe than sorry dad!!!!"
Me: "Yep. But it's a balancing act. Carrying too much gear can lead to dangers from exhaustion, or falling and getting injured, or just wet and cold."

By the time I got settled into the Hikers' Paradise hostel in Gorham, I was hungry again. So I walked the mile to SAaLT Pub for second dinner. It was such a pleasure to walk down a smooth, flat sidewalk with nothing on my feet except Timberlands and nothing on my back except my Nano Puff. The Buffalo Cauliflower and Herb Fries with truffle ketchup were delicious and filling. I enjoyed a Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA while waiting for my food, and then followed it up with an Allagash Black for dessert.

Meanwhile... Michael texted me this photo of him and Becca enjoying the good life at Squaw Valley. "California skiing in January is a little different than Wyoming, haha"

Holiday Greeting 2016-17

We enjoy receiving Christmas Cards: photos of the children and adventures; stories of milestones, even the sad ones. Yet we haven't sent out our own Christmas Card in over a decade. What's up with that?
This is my attempt to return the joy your cards give us, even though it is a month after Christmas and sort of lame.  :)

We've had a fantastic holiday season. Our family was all together for Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then for a week skiing in Jackson Hole. Such great times. Now we have to wait until graduation in May before we are all together again.

Alexa is graduating from Cornell business school in May, and will move to NYC to work for Unilever. She and Jordan just got back from trekking in Patagonia.

Michael is loving the west coast. He lives in the Mission District of SF and works in CS for Meraki on the waterfront in Mission Bay. He and Becca stayed true to their NE roots while watching the Patriots beat the 49ers at Levi's Stadium.

Nick will graduate from Cornell with an undergraduate business degree in May. He will be working for AB in NYC. He is one of the Sigma Chi "dog boys" so he brought Runkle, the house dog, home for spring break.

Julie's practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine is thriving. She continues to spend a couple weeks each year donating her skills in remote villages in Guatemala.

Phillip spends most weekends biking or hiking.

Roy and Phillies (Phillip's parents) both turned 80 recently. Phillip helped celebrate Roy's bday with and 80-mile ride in Florida. Phillies' bday was the last gathering at their home in Indiana. Soon after, my parents moved into a retirement community.

Sam and Mabel (Julie's parents) split their time between Bedford and Palo Alto. We had the pleasure of their company at Christmas this year; Sam is getting treatment in Boston, so they didn't spend the winter golfing in Cali as usual.

Jackson Hole 2017: We also skied a bit

Jackson Hole looks beautiful, even from the rental car parking lot.

The first day was spent travelling, buying groceries, getting ski gear, and soaking up the views.

We had a fun crowd of skiers in two suites in the Teton Club: Alexa and Jordan straight from a couple of weeks trekking in Patagonia; their friend Cody from Cornell; Michael and Becca prepped to ski by their weekends at Squaw Valley; Nick, Jared, and Logan ready to relax before the Sigma Chi rush; Julie and Phillip for another awesome ski vacation at our favorite place.

Michael and Becca's skis and ski clothes didn't make their flight. Julie's new ski poles were lost somewhere in the Teton Club's cavernous members' storage room. Nick needed new boots. Jordan and Jared needed rental equipment. So Saturday was split between ski shops and NFL playoff games.

Michael, Alexa, Jordan, and Becca outside the Teton Club, ready to start the first day.


Jared and Nick at the top of the Gondie, ready for the first run of the week.

Beautiful clear day at the top of the Tram. An inversion meant it was really cold at the base (-9F) but warm enough up top (27F). Since it stayed cold, we didn't experience the dreaded bake/freeze cycle that ruins the snow. The snow was as good as it could be without freshies and we had a great time.


Alexa and Becca take a break near the bottom of Rendezvous Bowl before lunch.


Quick photo of my new skis when we stop by the Teton Club for lunch. The Soul 7s are light and nimble. They are excellent in bumps and trees, in crud and on groomers. Next time I hope to try them in powder, but I expect they will be awesome. Just changing my skis from the ancient Pocket Rockets and the mammoth Bros, I suddenly became twice the skier I was last year.


Hanging out in Rendezvous Bowl after lunch.


Julie always looks good.


Logan is our best snowboarder.


Becca is our best ski racer.


Michael is our best skier, though he doesn't look it here. I caught him in an awkward transition, wearing his rental coat and pants, skiing his rental skis.


This is Michael the next day after the airline finally delivered his skis, coat, and pants. What a difference. I guess it's true. The clothes do make the man.

By the way, I don't have photos of Nick, our second best skier, because he is so fast that I can't capture him on film.


There were a couple of moose off the Union Pass chair for a couple of days. You can see one at the base of the tree in the photo. Use your imagination.


The "little boys" came to ski. Logan, Nick, and Jared were the youngest of our crew (at 21), so they were collectively referred to as the little boys. As in, "Where are the little boys? I'm ready to ski. Better go wake them up."


Day after day of beautiful blue skies. I would trade them for fresh snow, but you can't really complain about views like this. Becca skied here with us last year when it snowed every day, so this was the first time she was able to view the surrounding mountains. Alexa says the scenery rivals that in Patagonia.


I love this view of Cody Peak from the top of the Tram. It's a long hike out along that ridge to ski the chutes, but Julie, Michael, and I have all made the trek. I remember the thrill every time I look across Rendezvous Bowl.


I taught this guy how to ski when he was 4. Now he's giving me pointers. Life is good!


Julie and Alexa by the Elephant Tree at the beginning of one of our favorite bump loops: Elephant Tree to Paint Brush to Toilet Bowl.


Same tree. Different Day.


The tree stands alone. Now do you see the elephant? The eye, the trunk, the tusk? Use your imagination.


Becca, Michael, and Julie pause below the Alta Chutes, after skiing Flip Point. There is still some mighty nice snow if you know where to look.


Speaking of nice snow, here's Julie looking good in Expert Chutes.


We didn't have any powder days, but we also didn't have to worry about rocks in the chutes because Jackson Hole is having a massive snow year.


No new snow, but lots of base at Jackson Hole.


We did more than just ski. We also ate.
Here we at Thai Me Up in the town of Jackson.

...here we are at the Mangy Moose in Teton Village.

...and here we are at the Chili Cook Off in the Great Room of the Teton Club.
But mostly, we skied.


Cody and Alexa in the Gondie.


Phillip, Jordan, and Julie in the Gondie.


Casper Bowl. We did Mr Toad's Wild Ride a couple of times so we could ski the very bottom of the bowl, but never got up the energy to climb the Headwall to ski the chutes at the top of the bowl as in past years.


Posing at the top of the Gondie with the Corbet's Couloir and the Tram top in the background.
Left to right: Logan, Nick, Phillip, Julie, Michael, Becca, Alexa, Jordan. Not in photo: Jared and Cody.


Julie and Michael, always her little boy.


Jordan's first run from the Tram. Read all about it here.


It's 0F at the Tram base. We are loving today's warmer weather.


No lines for the Tram (or anything else) this week. When the kids were in school we came during Presidents' Week. Now we can come in January and enjoy the nearly empty slopes.


The view across the "hole" or valley.


One of the ski patrol cabins. The skeleton reminds me of an iguana, but they live far from here. So maybe its some kind of weasel.


After enjoying the views for most of the week, the last two days brought clouds and snow. Not much snow, but every little bit helps.

On our way to the airport, we passed the Jackson Hole Women's March. Julie, Alexa, and Cody wore their pink pussy hats in solidarity.

It was a short, but fun week. We saw the Patriots beat the Texans. We saw Trump's inauguration (and we drank a lot). Mostly, we skied til we dropped (into the hot tubs).