on the MOC deepfreeze overnight! at our first meeting about a month ago, more than a dozen people voted to go back to the smarts mountain unheated cabin. i gave them a couple of the colder stories over the past 17 years and a couple of the students who went up to cardigan's heated high cabin last year talked up the benefits there. the trick with deciding a month ahead, you never know what the weather will be. this year we hit the warm spot!
sunday, dawned clear and forecasted to get into the 40's, °F, with some sort of front coming through late in the afternoon. jeff, my co-advisor, came over in the morning and we packed up the food, sleds, and snowshoes while in our shirtsleeves, we were very comfortable. as we drove over to the skiway to meet with everybody before heading over to the trailhead, we were downright giddy about how nice a day it was.
almost everybody was waiting for us and after 15 minutes the last 3 showed up. we left a few cars in there and took only three vehicles over to the trailhead. it was such a nice day, that lot just might be full. as we pulled in we were happy to see only one other vehicle and plenty of room for us to park for the night. no sooner had i shut the truck off than jeff and the andrew boys were running up the trails testing conditions. that led us to our first two decisions--which way? and snowshoes or no?
we went with clockwise, up the AT today, down the ranger trail tomorrow, and no snowshoes. having been caught in the wrong before, i had some second thoughts about that last decision, nobody i know likes post-holing up four miles deep snow. on such a warm day, that would lead to wet feet as quick as wading into water. but, both trails had obviously been packed by hikers with snowshoes already (see last friday's post where matt had gone up with me thursday) and seemed pretty solid going. maybe the biggest advantage was coming down tomorrow morning would be a lot easier without having to strap snowshoes on our packs as we were hoping to sled. as the group started up ahead of me, i kept my fingers crossed.
the group was mixed between experienced winter hikers and those who were less so--one or two complete ingenues. liz, ben, maia, and olivia had gone up to the cardigan high cabin with MOC last year. maia and ben had been up to smarts with us the year before--and woke up to -10°F inside the cabin. liz, ben, julia, olivia, torey, cam, brandon, dirk, and justin all went up to tuckermans last year. dirk and justin also cross country ski race throughout the northeast--justin is even going over to norway to race in the birkebeiner. matt and jeff are avid backcountry skiers/winter hikers while logan loves to ski the frontside. given our varied skills, we planned to gather at the rock overlook and eat some lunch, a mile or so up the hill.
at 'lunch rock' people spread out and ate their goodies. as the pictures show, it was sunny and warm enough to be very comfortable. i was glad to have remembered my dark glasses. a couple of hikers asked if the next hill just to the north was where we were headed. they kind of shrugged off that no, we weren't even half way there yet and that where we were going wasn't even visible until we got up on that ridge. as we packed up and started out again, i noticed that predicted front approaching from way west.
up on the ridge, the dark clouds were building overhead, blowing in fast by the increasing winds. now that you could see the summit i heard a couple of hikers wonder, if they would ever make it. we had time on our side and with every step we were getting closer.
after dropping off the ridge there is a little less than a mile to a steep climb up to the junction of the ranger trail. tori and i were bringing up the rear as we were going along that section and we stopped to saw out a few obstructions. i knew of a couple more blowdowns later so i kept the saw out and tromped on. up on the last steep switchbacks i started seeing my ski tracks from thursday. they were pretty melted down and when i got up to that next blowdown, i watched tori and logan barely duck and go right under. those branches were at my belly three days before that--now they could be pretty much ignored. cam and i stopped to cut them out anyway and as i did, i dreamed their removal would bring another big powder day--that would make it really worth doing.
while we were cutting and clearing, henry came by stepping pretty slow. he had mentioned that his back was pretty sore. i had been impressed with maia, cam, and logan each helping him problem solve his pack and load, repacking or shifting his waste-belt and shoulder-straps. i suggested that rather than hurt himself, he drop his pack off and continue on to the cabin, only about twenty minutes ahead--but with two fairly steep sections. i had asked an earlier hiker to drum up someone feeling strong and lively already at the cabin, and send them back this way to ferry a pack if needed.
just in case my 'send help' message didn't work, at the last steep pitch, i borrowed julia's sled, dropped my own pack, and backtracked to bring up henry's. just as i started back up, justin came hopping down the bunny trail raring to carry something. we hustled back up to my pack, which he shouldered quickly, and took off. i was breathing pretty well trying to stay on his heels up that pitch. onto the summer ridge, we stopped at a last blowdown and cleared that out of the trail, before loading up one last time and tramping to the cabin.
with everybody inside, we planned out the sleeping arrangements and set up the 'kitchen' atop the new board i brought up thursday. a few went up to the firetower to watch the sunset and others got into their sleeping bags to play a game of 'ha-ha'. it seemed like both groups got their money's worth. i got after cooking up dinner which i had promised would be worth it as well. we had beans on tortillas, with cheese and salsa, and mac & cheese, with added pesto if desired. after food was all distributed, i noticed dirk was sitting there licking out his dish, so i handed him the mac & cheese pot to clean out. i scraped out the beans for a last tortilla and had the happy thought that unlike some years, we had eaten everything up. for dessert, we heated water for hot cocoa and passed out the hermit cookies. people looked satisfied.
as it got dark, i told the story of "the cat that ran out of gas..." that got us to sleeping-bag-o'clock. some of the heartiest campers had the idea that it would be way cool to sleep in the tower. my rule was if it was above 10°F, that was fine. my only suggestion was they lay down the space blanket cam had packed up--along with practically everything else but the kitchen sink. having that under their pads would help keep the wind out. that, the wind, was supposed to be pretty strong overnight. four students and jeff, grabbed their gear and went up. the others of us, settled down head to head in two rows of five.
in the cabin, people chatted for about two hours--marked every fifteen minutes by olivia announcing "i'm so hot"--trading a few more stories including logan's lonesome lake scary one. things finally quieted and folks mostly fell asleep a bit after 9:00p, at least i did. when i woke about midnight, i lit the night candle for those that had to get up and pee. while i was out doing that, the wind was really howling. i imagined the tower crew was not as quite as cozy as we were. my second, trip sometime after 3a, it seemed even blustery-er, and here i was standing out there barefoot, in a t-shirt and long johns. i bet that the tower five would come down cold.
around 5:30a i woke to justin dressing to go up and spook the tower folk. when he got back in a few minutes i suspected he had done the deed and come right back as it was a lot colder this am than yesterday. that was my signal to get out of my bag and start breakfast. as it got lighter and the sun came over the horizon, the cocoa was heating and the cereal cooking. the tower sleepers took in sunrise and came on down for some heat and food.
bowls and cups came out and folks took their portions, topping them off with fruit, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and almond milk--in whatever combination they desired. people ate and packed up much quicker than i remember in years past. it seemed we were all out on the porch, ready for the pre-descent picture with the early light in our eyes. as soon as the 'sled-safe' lecture was done, they took off. jeff and i made a final sweep and as i shut the door, i was thinking we would be down about long before our 10:30a plan.
things were a lot stiffer this am making the sledding pretty bumpy, but wicked fast. jeff and i started picking up sled pieces right at the first steeper pitch. i was hoping the breakage would be at a minimum, but as we went on pieces grew both in number and size. i got ahead of jeff and captured a picture of him coming over the bulge at the junction with the AT--we were staying on the ranger trail on jour way down. i could hear some whooping from the main group below and figured while we might catch up with some, the 'whoopers' sounded like they were not waiting around for anything.
sure enough i caught two, then two more, taking a break from sledding for various reasons. julia showed me a hand size hole in the bottom of her sled. torey was dragging a pretty small piece of sled along by its leash in one hand, and carrying some big pieces in the other. as we got down to the fire road and the old garage, we caught up to four more. brandon and cam still had their unbroken sled and attested to their controlled two person decent was what kept it whole. we trooped along the track, every once in a while sliding down the steeper pitches. i did catch one shot of the double sledders, though they were going fast enough to mostly beat the camera's slow recovery on the second shot.
almost to the truck i found dirk and justin scooping snow over a huge birch trunk, building a jump "just for fun." it didn't really have enough speed in the approach, but it was "for fun" and was keeping them busy as more than likely they were one of the first ones down.
at the truck people had already loaded their gear, after unpacking what they carried out for me and putting things in the back of my truck. this group was really good at helping each other, noticing what needed to be done and doing it--the overnight was a total deepfreeze success. it made me think of MOC's motto, "go outside and play!"...
sunday, dawned clear and forecasted to get into the 40's, °F, with some sort of front coming through late in the afternoon. jeff, my co-advisor, came over in the morning and we packed up the food, sleds, and snowshoes while in our shirtsleeves, we were very comfortable. as we drove over to the skiway to meet with everybody before heading over to the trailhead, we were downright giddy about how nice a day it was.
almost everybody was waiting for us and after 15 minutes the last 3 showed up. we left a few cars in there and took only three vehicles over to the trailhead. it was such a nice day, that lot just might be full. as we pulled in we were happy to see only one other vehicle and plenty of room for us to park for the night. no sooner had i shut the truck off than jeff and the andrew boys were running up the trails testing conditions. that led us to our first two decisions--which way? and snowshoes or no?
we went with clockwise, up the AT today, down the ranger trail tomorrow, and no snowshoes. having been caught in the wrong before, i had some second thoughts about that last decision, nobody i know likes post-holing up four miles deep snow. on such a warm day, that would lead to wet feet as quick as wading into water. but, both trails had obviously been packed by hikers with snowshoes already (see last friday's post where matt had gone up with me thursday) and seemed pretty solid going. maybe the biggest advantage was coming down tomorrow morning would be a lot easier without having to strap snowshoes on our packs as we were hoping to sled. as the group started up ahead of me, i kept my fingers crossed.
the group was mixed between experienced winter hikers and those who were less so--one or two complete ingenues. liz, ben, maia, and olivia had gone up to the cardigan high cabin with MOC last year. maia and ben had been up to smarts with us the year before--and woke up to -10°F inside the cabin. liz, ben, julia, olivia, torey, cam, brandon, dirk, and justin all went up to tuckermans last year. dirk and justin also cross country ski race throughout the northeast--justin is even going over to norway to race in the birkebeiner. matt and jeff are avid backcountry skiers/winter hikers while logan loves to ski the frontside. given our varied skills, we planned to gather at the rock overlook and eat some lunch, a mile or so up the hill.
at 'lunch rock' people spread out and ate their goodies. as the pictures show, it was sunny and warm enough to be very comfortable. i was glad to have remembered my dark glasses. a couple of hikers asked if the next hill just to the north was where we were headed. they kind of shrugged off that no, we weren't even half way there yet and that where we were going wasn't even visible until we got up on that ridge. as we packed up and started out again, i noticed that predicted front approaching from way west.
up on the ridge, the dark clouds were building overhead, blowing in fast by the increasing winds. now that you could see the summit i heard a couple of hikers wonder, if they would ever make it. we had time on our side and with every step we were getting closer.after dropping off the ridge there is a little less than a mile to a steep climb up to the junction of the ranger trail. tori and i were bringing up the rear as we were going along that section and we stopped to saw out a few obstructions. i knew of a couple more blowdowns later so i kept the saw out and tromped on. up on the last steep switchbacks i started seeing my ski tracks from thursday. they were pretty melted down and when i got up to that next blowdown, i watched tori and logan barely duck and go right under. those branches were at my belly three days before that--now they could be pretty much ignored. cam and i stopped to cut them out anyway and as i did, i dreamed their removal would bring another big powder day--that would make it really worth doing.
while we were cutting and clearing, henry came by stepping pretty slow. he had mentioned that his back was pretty sore. i had been impressed with maia, cam, and logan each helping him problem solve his pack and load, repacking or shifting his waste-belt and shoulder-straps. i suggested that rather than hurt himself, he drop his pack off and continue on to the cabin, only about twenty minutes ahead--but with two fairly steep sections. i had asked an earlier hiker to drum up someone feeling strong and lively already at the cabin, and send them back this way to ferry a pack if needed.
just in case my 'send help' message didn't work, at the last steep pitch, i borrowed julia's sled, dropped my own pack, and backtracked to bring up henry's. just as i started back up, justin came hopping down the bunny trail raring to carry something. we hustled back up to my pack, which he shouldered quickly, and took off. i was breathing pretty well trying to stay on his heels up that pitch. onto the summer ridge, we stopped at a last blowdown and cleared that out of the trail, before loading up one last time and tramping to the cabin.
with everybody inside, we planned out the sleeping arrangements and set up the 'kitchen' atop the new board i brought up thursday. a few went up to the firetower to watch the sunset and others got into their sleeping bags to play a game of 'ha-ha'. it seemed like both groups got their money's worth. i got after cooking up dinner which i had promised would be worth it as well. we had beans on tortillas, with cheese and salsa, and mac & cheese, with added pesto if desired. after food was all distributed, i noticed dirk was sitting there licking out his dish, so i handed him the mac & cheese pot to clean out. i scraped out the beans for a last tortilla and had the happy thought that unlike some years, we had eaten everything up. for dessert, we heated water for hot cocoa and passed out the hermit cookies. people looked satisfied.
as it got dark, i told the story of "the cat that ran out of gas..." that got us to sleeping-bag-o'clock. some of the heartiest campers had the idea that it would be way cool to sleep in the tower. my rule was if it was above 10°F, that was fine. my only suggestion was they lay down the space blanket cam had packed up--along with practically everything else but the kitchen sink. having that under their pads would help keep the wind out. that, the wind, was supposed to be pretty strong overnight. four students and jeff, grabbed their gear and went up. the others of us, settled down head to head in two rows of five.
in the cabin, people chatted for about two hours--marked every fifteen minutes by olivia announcing "i'm so hot"--trading a few more stories including logan's lonesome lake scary one. things finally quieted and folks mostly fell asleep a bit after 9:00p, at least i did. when i woke about midnight, i lit the night candle for those that had to get up and pee. while i was out doing that, the wind was really howling. i imagined the tower crew was not as quite as cozy as we were. my second, trip sometime after 3a, it seemed even blustery-er, and here i was standing out there barefoot, in a t-shirt and long johns. i bet that the tower five would come down cold.
around 5:30a i woke to justin dressing to go up and spook the tower folk. when he got back in a few minutes i suspected he had done the deed and come right back as it was a lot colder this am than yesterday. that was my signal to get out of my bag and start breakfast. as it got lighter and the sun came over the horizon, the cocoa was heating and the cereal cooking. the tower sleepers took in sunrise and came on down for some heat and food.
bowls and cups came out and folks took their portions, topping them off with fruit, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and almond milk--in whatever combination they desired. people ate and packed up much quicker than i remember in years past. it seemed we were all out on the porch, ready for the pre-descent picture with the early light in our eyes. as soon as the 'sled-safe' lecture was done, they took off. jeff and i made a final sweep and as i shut the door, i was thinking we would be down about long before our 10:30a plan.
things were a lot stiffer this am making the sledding pretty bumpy, but wicked fast. jeff and i started picking up sled pieces right at the first steeper pitch. i was hoping the breakage would be at a minimum, but as we went on pieces grew both in number and size. i got ahead of jeff and captured a picture of him coming over the bulge at the junction with the AT--we were staying on the ranger trail on jour way down. i could hear some whooping from the main group below and figured while we might catch up with some, the 'whoopers' sounded like they were not waiting around for anything.
sure enough i caught two, then two more, taking a break from sledding for various reasons. julia showed me a hand size hole in the bottom of her sled. torey was dragging a pretty small piece of sled along by its leash in one hand, and carrying some big pieces in the other. as we got down to the fire road and the old garage, we caught up to four more. brandon and cam still had their unbroken sled and attested to their controlled two person decent was what kept it whole. we trooped along the track, every once in a while sliding down the steeper pitches. i did catch one shot of the double sledders, though they were going fast enough to mostly beat the camera's slow recovery on the second shot.
almost to the truck i found dirk and justin scooping snow over a huge birch trunk, building a jump "just for fun." it didn't really have enough speed in the approach, but it was "for fun" and was keeping them busy as more than likely they were one of the first ones down.
at the truck people had already loaded their gear, after unpacking what they carried out for me and putting things in the back of my truck. this group was really good at helping each other, noticing what needed to be done and doing it--the overnight was a total deepfreeze success. it made me think of MOC's motto, "go outside and play!"...
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