Winter Hiking Series Carter Notch Overnight Trip - March 4-6, 2016

TRIP DATE:      March 4-6, 2016                                

TRIP LOCATION: Carter Notch, Carter Dome, Wildcat A and B                   

MEETING TIME:  10:45 am                

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS): 11       

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS): app. 3.5 hours into the AMC Carter Hut 

LENGTH IN MILES:  3.8 miles each way on Nineteen Mile Brook Trail (plus 2.4 mi. r.t. for Carter Dome hike or app. 4 mi. r.t. for Wildcat A/B hike)         

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): app. 1,900 feet into hut (plus app. 1,550 feet for Carter Dome hike or app. 1,400 feet for Wilecat A/B hike)

DIFFICULTY:   ranged from “average” on Nineteen Mile Brook Trail to “strenuous” on Carter Moriah and Wildcat Ridge Trails due to steepness and icy conditons

LEADER NAME(S): Paul Miller, Maureen Kelly, Wayne Anderson, Mike Woessner, Dexter Robinson

CO-LEADER NAME(S): Barry Young, Paul Brookes, Peggy Qvicklund

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Parked at Nineteen Mile Brook Trail trailhead on Rte. 16, one mile north of Mt. Washington Auto Rd.  Pay box was covered, so we didn’t have to insert usual WMNF use fee

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:      No                TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS:

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?  Yes     

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:  Nineteen Mile Brook Trail mostly snow covered with a few icy spots, requiring microspikes; Carter Moriah and Wildcat Ridge Trails very icy, requiring full crampons with front points

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE:  Very nice sunny and clear winter weather with daytime temps in the 20s and 30s and nighttime temps in the single digits and teens.

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.) – Wonderful views from the summits of Carter Dome and Wildcat A.  Very challenging conditions on both Carter Moriah and Wildcat Ridge Trails kept groups from continuing on to Mt. Hight and Wildcat D, respectively.

 

Winter Series Overnight Trip to Zealand Falls Hut

TRIP DATE:      March 13-15, 2015  

                          

TRIP LOCATION:          Zealand Falls Hut in NH

MEETING TIME:          11:00 am on Friday for hike into hut

     

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):    17 

  

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):       hike into hut on Friday – app. 4 hours, hike from hut to Zealand Mountain on Saturday – app. 4 hours, alternate hike from hut to Thoreau Falls on Saturday – app. 3 hours

LENGTH IN MILES:      hike into hut on Friday - app. 6.7 miles with app. 1,100 feet elevation gain, hike from hut to Zealand Mountain on Saturday – app. 5.8 miles r.t. with app. 1,600 foot elevation gain, alternate hike from hut to Thoreau Falls on Saturday – app. 5 miles r.t. with negligible net elevation gain

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET):    see above

DIFFICULTY:             Strenuous due to length and full winter packs

LEADER NAME(S):       Leslie Carson, Wayne Anderson, Mike Woessner, Paul Miller

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION:    Parked at hiker/snowmobiler parking lot on Rte. 302 at western end of Crawford Notch.  Had to walk across Rte. 302 from roadside parking area and follow snowmobile trailhead for short distance to Zealand Rd. (closed to traffic in winter).  Important to use caution when crossing road!

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:         No               TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS:

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?              Yes

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:  Zealand Rd. hardpacked snow and barebootable.  Zealand Trail also barebootable as long as you stayed in middle of trail.  Used snowshoes for hikes from hut and for return hike to trailhead at Rte. 302

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE:   Sunny with temps in high 20s and light wind on Friday; high 20s to low 30s on Saturday with increasing cloudiness throughout afternoon and snow in evening; same temps on Sunday, but with steady light snowfall

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.) – Excellent views on Friday, ok views early Saturday, very pretty hiking out from hut in snow on Sunday, which also made the first part of the drive home a little dicey.  Snow turned to rain further south…

Winter Series Hike #3 - Mt. Tom

TRIP DATE:      2-21-2015                               

TRIP LOCATION:          Mt. Tom from Highland Center in Crawford Notch  

MEETING TIME:          8:45 am          

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS): 17       

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):       app. 5.5 hours

LENGTH IN MILES:      app. 5.7 miles

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET):    app. 2,500 ft.

DIFFICULTY:       B                           (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):       Wayne Anderson, Eva Borsody Das, Paul Miller

CO-LEADER NAME(S): Paul Brookes, Barry Young

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION:    Parking area at the Crawford Depot was not plowed out, so those staying at the Highland Center parked there; others may have had to park at Mt. Clinton Rd. parking lot or

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:         No                TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS:

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?              Yes

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED: 
Hiked Avalon Trail to A to Z Trail to Mt. Tom Spur and back again via same route.  Trail nicely packed out for snowshoeing. 

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE:   Mostly sunny with temps in the teens and low 20s.  No noticeable wind until summit of Tom.  Started snowing after we returned to trailhead.

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)
Beautiful hike through the snow-draped woods.  Nice views from summit of Mt. Tom.  Originally had planned to also follow the ridge from Mt. Tom over to Mt. Field and return via the Avalon Trail, but due to the forecast of yet another snowstorm in the afternoon, we skipped Field, which got us back to the trailhead (just) before it started snowing.  Drive home was still interesting, but not as bad as it would have been if we got a later start…

2014 Winter Hike #4 - Lonesome Lake Overnight

TRIP DATE:  Friday - Sunday, 2/28 – 3/2, 2014  
                                
TRIP LOCATION:  Lonesome Lake Hut in NH (with Sat. hike options for Cannon Mtn. or North Kinsman Loop hike)                       

MEETING TIME:  10:00 am on Friday, 2/28              

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS): 15       

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):
Trailhead to AMC Lonesome Lake Hut = app. 1.25 hours (Lonesome Lake to trailhead return trip only took less than an hour!)
Cannon Hike = app. 4.5 hours via Lonesome Lake, and Kinsman Ridge Trails (including leisurely lunch in cafeteria at top of Cannon Mtn.)
Kinsman Loop Hike = app. 7.0 hours via Fishin Jimmy, Kinsman Pond, and Cascade Brook Trails (including numerous stops for photos)   

LENGTH IN MILES:     Lafayette Campground trailhead to AMC Lonesome Lake Hut = app. 1.5 miles each way; Cannon Hike = 4.2 miles round trip/Kinsman loop hike = 7.4 miles round trip

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): Trailhead to Lonesome Lake = app. 1,000 feet; Cannon Hike = 1,398 feet; Kinsman loop hike = 2,879 feet   

DIFFICULTY:      B                         (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):       Leslie Carson, Maureen Kelly, Wayne Anderson, Paul Miller

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Hiker’s parking lot at Lafayette Campground in Franconia Notch (ample parking available in morning, not so ample later in day…) 

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:    No                 

WAS TRIP WITHING WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?  Yes   

IF YES TO ABOVE, DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED: Packed snow on all trails hiked.  Lonesome Lake Pond frozen and crossable with microspikes.

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE:  Very cold (minus 6 degrees F.) and clear Friday night; mostly clear and cold (teens?) during day on Saturday, only windy on summits; not so cold Saturday night (6 degrees F.) with light dusting of snow.  Cold with light snow Sunday morning.

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.):  No problems.  Good winter hiking conditions, cold but generally nice weather, nice views across Lake to Franconia Ridge and from summits of Cannon and North Kinsman.  For the Cannon hike on Saturday, based on the caretaker's recommendation, we only wore our microspikes.  However, in retrospect, it may have been better to wear full crampons, particularly on several particularly steep sections of trail.  Snowshoes not needed on well-packed trail.

 

2013-14 Winter Hike #3 - Mt. Pierce

TRIP DATE:  Feb. 1, 2014                                           

TRIP LOCATION: Mt. Pierce, Crawford Notch, NH             

MEETING TIME:   8:45 am                 

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS): 16       

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS): 6.5 hours  

LENGTH IN MILES: app. 6.6 miles

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): app. 2,400 feet

DIFFICULTY:          B             (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):  Paul Miller, Mike Woessner, Wayne Anderson, Chris Pellegrini, Bill Pellegrini           

CO-LEADER NAME(S): Anne Duggan

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: large Crawford Path parking lot off Mt. Clinton Rd. (at Crawford Connector trailhead)

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:        No

WAS TRIP WITHING WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?  Yes

IF YES TO ABOVE, DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:

Well-packed snow on Crawford Path, Mizpah Cutoff, and Webster Cliff Trails with a few icy spots on the Crawford Path and a little deeper snow on Webster Cliff toward the summit of Pierce

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE:  Beautiful weather, with temps in the high 20s/low 30s and no wind.  Got a little cloudy in the afternoon on the way down...

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.):  excellent views from summit of Pierce toward Ike, Monroe, Washington, and even the Northern Presidentials

Carter Notch Hut Winter Hiking Series

TRIP DATE:            3/2 & 3/3, 2013                   

TRIP LOCATION:            Carter Notch, NH      

WAS TRIP CANCELLED? (y/n):  N

MEETING TIME: 8:45 AM     

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):            17       

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):            app. 3.5 hours into hut/3 hours on return trip

LENGTH IN MILES:             3.8 mi. each way into and back from hut, plus additional hikes from hut

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): 1,900 ft. from 19 Mile Brook Trailhead on Rt. 16 in Pinkham Notch to Carter Notch Hut.    

DIFFICULTY:     B                            (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):             Leslie Carson and Wayne Anderson

CO-LEADER NAME(S):            Maureen Kelly and Paul Miller

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Parked at Nineteen Mile Brook Triailhead off Rte. 16 in Pinkham Notch.  Lot was barely large enough to just accommodate our own group.

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:    N                      TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS:

WAS TRIP WITHING WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?              Yes

IF YES TO ABOVE, DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED: Snow covered trails required microspikes at lower end of 19 Mile Brook Trail and switched over to snowshoes at higher elevations

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE:  Cloudy with mild temps in the 20s and light snow on and off.

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)  Beautiful winter hike into hut for overnight!

Mt. Pierce Winter Hike

TRIP DATE:            2/1/2013                   

TRIP LOCATION:            Mt. Pierce, Crawford Notch, NH      

WAS TRIP CANCELLED? (y/n):  N

MEETING TIME: 8:45 AM     

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):            14       

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):            app. 5 hrs.

LENGTH IN MILES:             6.19 mi.

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): 2,553 ft.        

DIFFICULTY:      B                            (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):             Leslie Carson, Wayne Anderson

CO-LEADER NAME(S):            Maureen Kelly, Paul Miller

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Parked at hiker’s lot at beginning of Mt. Clinton Rd.  WMNF parking sticker or $3.00 daily fee required  

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:    N                      TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS:

WAS TRIP WITHING WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?              Yes

IF YES TO ABOVE, DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED: Hard-packed snow on Crawford Path and Mizpah Cutoff with ice on short stretch of Webster Cliff Trail leading from Crawford Path to summit of Pierce

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE:  Cold with temps in single digits but little wind.  Sunny at start leading to clouds and light snow.

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)  Great views!