another after season trip...

and what better way to get high--on 4-20 no less--than ski up into the mtns, oh yeah, and fly back down!

the last post on goap! mentioned that the ski trail on cardigan was in fine shape, just waiting for a late season snow. none of the MOC were available, but skip was primed. i picked him, his skis, and sled up just past noon. we got to the parking lot without any of wednesday's nasty road hassles and quickly geared up. we were dragging sleds along behind us just in case the skiing was more furious than fast. i convinced skip to forego putting on skins thinking we could scale it without slippage, especially as it seemed to be getting warmer.

by the time we stashed our sleds up near the creek past the mower garage, we were in a couple inches of fairly sticky snow. the skins may have helped to keep from clumping up, but i was glad to keep them in the pack. the steeper sections were no problem going up, skip even started to wonder if coming down would be an issue. i was confident that once we were sliding, it would be plenty slick, maybe too much so.

down below the second ski trail section, all the ice that had been in the trees wednesday, was shed. you could feel it under ski buried by the fresh snow from thursday night. when we got to a little below the waterfall, we started noticing it still up coating branches. it got thicker and thicker as we gained altitude.

by the last ski trail section, i tried for a picture of the multi-cicles along the trail. you can almost see them in the picture with skip. (yes, the same person picks out our clothes for us.) the ice was pretty thick, especially on some of the lower spruce. i whacked one bent over branch and felt like i was hitting a wall.

we made it up to the top of the chute where we saw the two hikers that had tracked up it. it did look inviting even though it is way off trail. they were obviously kind of lost. when skip asked if they knew that the trail was way down below them, they said yes and that they were going down to it--and then promptly turned and kept going up hill and away. they were probably the ones in the car with connecticut plates--not that i begrudge out of staters the north country. but i have driven more than a couple groups around the mtn to the alexandria, east-side when they come down to canaan on the west.

it can be confusing up toward the top. we pointed our tips down and pitched over the icy cornice at the top of the chute. it was way fast, almost loud. i took a video of skip, check turning his way down.

we zipped along the 'hurricane' cut off and tipped into the upper ski trail. after whooping it up hopping over the ice flows i hockey stopped and got another video of skip.

at the top of the falls i hooked the big corner and slid to another stop for yet another video--this was skips day.

maybe i should have stopped and videoed the next ski trail section as the conditions all of a sudden got really favorable. a good group of buttery soft turns prompted a quick back up to hit that section again. what the heck, we didn't need skins.

after that, i didn't stop until the last steep part on the bottom ski trail section. it wasn't exactly planned, but it was better than hitting a tree--after all, i didn't have my helmet. oh, and i took a last video.

when we picked up the sleds, skip suggested we get a gopro for efficiency of filming. that might not be so bad, but if i wanted him in the picture, i would have to trail him fairly close. i am not sure we would still be smiling as big after that...







go outside and play! it will make you "happier, healthier, and more creative"...



ps according to sarah coons and seth burke, that spot of blood on my nose makes the trip official--"it's not an adventure until koby bleeds." 

lots and lots of ice...

if it's april vacation, this must be tuckermans ravine.




sadly, it's not. well, the picture above is tux. but mascoma outing club is not up in the bowl. all last week MOC stalwarts and new comers hawk and samantha, were getting pumped about heading up to tuckermans ravine on mt washington--especially hawk, who wants to ski the bowl so badly, even i can taste it. around thursday, i started hearing of a storm coming in sunday, through monday, and into tuesday, our planned day. first, liz backed away, leery of avalanche danger. even though we haven't 'lost' anybody in 20 years of trips, i respect that caution.



over the weekend, caution was heightened given the storm was supposed to be a wintery mix all falling atop a hard frozen surface, blown about by extreme winds. of course high up on the mountain, it would all be snow. down low on the roads, it was supposed to be a lot of freezing rain. 

all day sunday, the freezing rain was falling from someplace warm above into the cold down low. there was an easy 3/4 inch of ice to be scraped before pam could head to work monday morning. after slipping around myself in some crazy sleet and snow running errands on monday, i checked the weather up in the north country. it was predicted to continue--maybe even get worse.

monday afternoon, justin and dirk bailed for multiple reasons, but mostly because hiking would be miserable. when i heard that semi-tractor trailers were blowing over in franconia notch, i decided that the driving would be just as bad--probably worse--so we called it off. 

tuesday was as bad as predicted up north, and wild enough for me to work inside down 'south'. wednesday i was getting itchy. i finished a few more inside projects and packed for a run up cardigan. a text to MOC got no response, so i was solo. getting up to the winter parking was sketchy as the higher the elevation, the worse the road. ruts, slush, mud, frozen washboard, were pretty good signs that they had not plowed any of this storm--probably didn't want to dig up the unfrozen road.

i got going up the trail and immediately thought, "oh my gosh this is great coverage, i could have skied! at least sledded." it was a really good and solid base under a couple of inches of wet, soft new snow. i could hear the ice up high in the trees as the wind chimed it around. there were branches and even whole trees down all over the place. since there was more snow in the forecast, i started clearing things thinking i could definitely come back to ski. 

taking my time and sawing up the big stuff, i slowly made my way up. the ice got lower and lower in the trees, and i was knocking into bent limbs by the second ski section. i saw two other groups coming down, but since i was clearing the ski-trail, i avoided any close contact. i doubt the one pair even saw me as they were deep in discussion. 



as i got past turn-around-rock, the wind came into play and i stopped to jacket up. the snow underfoot gave way to a couple inches of ice there. even with spikes on, i had to pick my way along, choosing the grey cloudy ice for best purchase. it was well worth the effort as the tower was in fine form, about as heavily iced as i have seen it.





i lay beneath the stairs and took a shot up through the framing, but my art skills were limited given the cold and bluster--and general lack of art skills.




i stopped playing photographer and went to eating as i am fairly a pro at that. it was a sublime moment. by the time i repacked and headed down, the wind seemed a bit stiffer. i guessed gusting between 20-30 but was too lazy to take out the anemometer. i was comfy in my blue jacket.




back in the trees, and on the hiking rather than the ski trail, i had to take out the saw again for a couple of major blow downs. it warmed me enough that i could take hat and jacket off. 


all in all it was a pleasant trip. spending the time to make a clear run of it got me pretty excited. i texted MOC with the icy tower picture and notice that "if we get snow, we will go! bring something to slide on!!"


go outside and play--risk free!