A Very Memorial Weekend

First of all, Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all of you.
ONLINE WEB ALBUM
I have this habit of repeating things until I know it.  I do it with hiking as do most people. The trails in The Whites are different than most. I did some new trails this weekend as well as some ones I had done before.  I was solo this weekend so I left on Friday and it was raining.  I drove through Franconia Notch and it was very rainy but up towards Carroll, the sun was out. Huge clouds were covering the mountains.  I parked at Zealand Falls, unsure of what direction I would go at the AZ Trail. I could have gone to the hut and gotten dry or bag some 4000 Footers.  I think we all know the direction this went.  The bugs weren't out YET, and the rain wasn't all that bad.  I had been wanting to stretch out the durability of some of my rain gear anyway.  It stayed dry, I sweated a lot so the rain jacket didn't even go on til coming down Willey.  I hit the AZ Trail to Mt Tom and got up to the top very quickly. The AZ Trail is pretty smooth actually, the up hill is gradual til just before the top on the spur.  The Willey Range with Field and Mt Willey is up and down with little views but I am sure that on a clear day it would have been beautiful.  The rain stopped on Field and really started back hard as I came down Willey and that was scary because it is STRAIGHT down with this 12 level wooden staircase that comes off of the ledges.  I was a little nervous coming down but took it really slowly.  I got to Ethan Pond a lot earlier than I thought I would. It stopped raining long enough for me to get my tent set up.  I want to add something about my experience and this is not me complaining. When you walk into a campsite, notice that there is a privy. DO not sit on the edge of the tent pad and use the bathroom because some day, someone is going to be setting their tent up and will step in it.  I used some tree bark and a rock to properly dispose of the mess.  It took me an hour to clean up and disinfect all of my gear and clean my shoes. Thank goodness for denatured alcohol!  Anyway, the rains returned for an hour or so as did more people and the tent pads were full.  After dinner I walked out to the pond and sat on a rock and watched a beaver swim across the pond.  There was another guy there that spotted a Loon. I could not ever get a good zoom on the camera because he was all the way across the pond.  The loon made its moaning call that I haven't heard since my thru hike.

Mt Willey stairs

I retired early and noticed a few passing showers through the night. By the way, my tarp tent is awesome! It was an awesome shelter and by tieing out the doors and adding the little porch is perfect.  I sat under it and stayed dry and had my dinner and some whiskey. I woke up at 4 am and was ready to get up. I took my time, cleaned up the campsite some more and tested some things on my pack. I walked out of camp a few minutes before 6.  The walk was easy but the bugs were going crazy. As I write this, I have learned my lesson about carrying bug spray or some sort of protection as my ear and neck have huge welts from the bites. Anyway, I got to Thoreau Falls quickly and stayed there and cleaned my shoes again just to make sure. I filled up my water jug and went back on the trail a bit and scrubbed the bottom and sides of my shoes with water and some Dr Bronner's. As I walked out I passed a guy, that I would learn at the hut, is a thru hiker.  I was a little surprised to see one so early but with the mild winter the south had, it makes sense. Anyway good luck Peachfuzz.
I was walking along the slides heading back towards Zealand and met Red Devil. He hiked in 1987 during the 50th Anniversary of the trail.  I guess he really saw the first TrailDays. Anyway we hiked together til Guyot Campsite. Really awesome guy and is probably the most knowledgable person I have met thus far when it comes to knowing the trail and ins and outs of The Whites.

Ethan Pond

Zealand had been full and Im guessing we saw the last group leave out.  Everyone was heading for Guyot and they all wanted to get there early to claim a spot.  Red Devil and I were the first one's there and we passed about 10-12 people heading there. When we summited Guyot and had lunch, there were a couple of groups.  I had to water up so I had to make the silly drop down to the campsite.  Its one of my favorites but I wouldn't want to be there this weekend.  I walked out of Guyot Campsite and made the climb back up to the summit.  There was a line of people coming off of the first summit of Guyot down to the junction.  Everyone stopped to ask about the numbers.  I must have passed 20 people before I got back into the woods going to South Twin.  I had thought for a second about going with Red Devil, who was going to camp on the "spot" on West Bond. I talked it over with him and just decided to go to North Twin, since it was only noon. I was going to camp in the woods on the other end of North Twin but would ultimately hitch on the highway and get picked up and back to my car at 7:30 pm. A really awesome trip with lots of lessons! I also met a NH Tramper this weekend from VFTT which was another awesome highlight.

New Hampshire is awesome!!

New Hampshire

I moved to New Hampshire in February 2011. I sort of always knew I would end up here when Jen and I got together.  After hiking The Whites in 08, I expanded my very small horizons.  I had never really been that far out of NC.  So here I am in New Hampshire with all of these fun places to go. It is much more different than I thought it would be.  The scenery down south is great and amazing and I miss it. The mountains and the woods are totally different. The one thing that always amazes me about NH is the way the forest changes as you climb.  The different species of plants and mosses that are across these mountains are unlike anything else in the world. The dirt is different. I live in the center of the state and have had the privilege of doing some traveling in and around New England and I really appreciate the beauty up here.  With that said, we have to protect it.  The main thing that people can do everyday is pick up trash. If you see a wrapper that someone dropped, or whatever, pick it up. With the amounts of people on the ridges and open summits, there was quite a bit of trash scattered across the trail. If you see something, just pick it up and pack it out. Keep the streams clean.  I do not really choose to filter water, especially in the alpine elevations.  I let the moss do the filtering. I do carry Aqua Mira because as precaution, but I have been carrying the same drops for the past 2 years and am probably due for a change out.

So my calves still ache from the hike and the map is out for this weekend. I think I am going to get on a 2 night quest for some of the 4000 Footers I need to complete the 48. I have a figure eight type hike, starting at the trailhead for Mt Hale, and do the side over Hale then take Ethan Pond Trail to the Pond or try to water up and camp somewhere in that area.  Next day will be over Wiley, Field, and Tom, then back to the hut and to the car, its all pretty flat.  I will still have one extra night left so I thought of driving to Haystack road and walking in later in the afternoon on the North Twin Trail and just camping at the bottom area along the river. The next morning I could head up North Twin and get a total of 5.  I have to be in the car by 2:00 at the latest.  I may try and catch a sunrise somewhere depending on weather.

Our summer plans are changing and it is looking like I can't do the Long Trail after all.  We are going to Jonesville, Vermont and will be hiking Mansfield to the border and will be out for about 8 days.

Liberty Springs and Franconia Ridge

Sunset on Mt Liberty

Online web Album- New videos in the video bar as well------------>
We ventured out on a beautiful weekend up to The Whites.  We parked at the crowded Lafayette PLace parking lot and walked the Pemi Trail to Liberty Springs Trail and climbed Mt Liberty. We stopped at Liberty Springs Tentsite and set up, ate dinner then climbed the summit for an awesome sunset. The next day we started out early to avoid the heat that was coming.  There was a light breeze on the ridge and we managed to traverse the ridge over to Lincoln pretty early in the morning. Mt Lincoln has always been my favorite spot on the ridge because it is right in the middle and you can see the whole ridge on both sides. Its just a very sentimental spot for me personally. The climb up Lafayette was tough because the temps rose pretty quickly.  The crowds started to increase as we went over Lafayette. We went down to Greeleaf Hut and passed a large crowd of people seeking the summit. It was one of the busiest weekends I have seen since I have lived up here.

We made it to the Hut and rested for a while and fueled up on water.  The view from Greenleaf is so nice.  There is a Eagle Ponds just below the hut.  We took Old Bridle Path down the mountain.  We passed a considerable amount of people coming up.  It was very dry and warm.  I like this trail because of the different view of the ridge you get as you wrap around Lafayette and circle down a ridge that is cut into the side of the mountain and arm of Franconia.  I have been down it twice.  Its a long climb up and there are some very steep spots.  Great trail though.  We made it down to the river and cooled down for a little while before getting to the car.  Overall an awesome hike, one of the best ones we have had since moving up.  I love these mountains and still have hard time believing that we live in New Hampshire.  I love it here!

Zealand Falls and Zeacliffs

Amazing day for a hike. We went with a crew of people from Concord and hiked up to the falls and hut. Perfect day and great conditions.  The views from Zeacliffs were perfect. Did 8 miles total round trip.  Felt great at the end of the day. A little tired but overall, it was good to hike and not be sick.  Great day was had by all
Web Album- Web Album

Last Push...

Im currently buried in school work for the next 7 days but we are squeezing a hike up Zealand Falls this Sunday so I am going to probably carry my pack as a test run and get some more ideas on how I can reduce and be comfortable. I like the way my setup has come along. I have a great pack, all my gear is so basic,  but solid.
Wak is back from Bolivia and is working on a little visual project that is coming along nicely.  She got some great shots and video.  Great experience for all involved.