Sandwich Dome via Flat Mountain Pond and Bennett Street Trails

Dates - October 25 through 27, 2013

Peaks - Sandwich Dome (44/100)

Trails - Flat Mountain Pond Trail; Bennett Street Trail

Companions - Kenny, Brandon, Chris & Sonsie

Kenny, Brandon and I had gone up to Ethan Pond (w/ Zealand, Wiley & Tom) about a year and a half ago but they're not camping regulars so we hadn't done anything since. Kenny just moved back to Boston so we used it as an excuse to revisit the Whites, this time with Chris in tow. Originally we were planning on a Green Mountain hike since Chris was coming from NYC, but ultimately there just weren't any hikes that had all the right ingredients, so we settled on Sandwich Dome. Not a 4k footer, but that's actually preferred because I'm hoping to check off the rest with Ted as we go. Notwithstanding, I would argue that I likely made it to 4,000 foot on this hike since the mountain is 3,993 and I'm 6'7" and jumped up at the top.

Headed up Friday evening/afternoon. We were able to cut out of work a little early and we made our food/gear stop quick, but with the short days and Friday traffic coming out of Boston, there's just no avoiding the night hike. I realize night hiking such a distance is not advisable, but the desire to spend both Friday and Saturday night at Flat Mountain Pond shelter made it worth it. No cars at the trailhead at the very end of Bennett Street was the good sign I was looking for so we chanced it and proceeded sans tent. Off we went ...

Went 0.3 in and cut right on Bennett Street Trail, just a little ways beyond a private bridge. Walked up along the stream for somewhere around 1.0 to 1.25 miles without any real incident, but around that point we dipped along the stream and lost the trail at some point. Very difficult to tell when with the dried out tributaries, darkness, and leaf cover. That being the case, and knowing that Bennett Street Trail cuts left before the junction with Flat Mountain Pond Trail, we decide to bushwhack the gap, probably cutting off 0.2 or so in the process. Again, night bushwhacking likely not advisable, but I knew our heading and it wasn't ultimately that bad, just a little steep. All the same, true relief upon re-finding the trail. Headed east/north from there up the trail to the shelter, easy and flat, as all before me have described.

Got to the shelter to find it all for ourselves. Toes were quite cold at this point from a couple mud dips but admired the beautiful stars above for a moment before starting up dinner. 1 lb ground beef cooked in a little olive oil, added some chopped onion, cooked until tender, drained, then added 1 can tomato soup, 1 can diced tomatoes, and 2 cans bean. Warmed through then served topped with cheese with chips for dipping. This might be the most legitimate back country meal that I've done that actually worked, and I will definitely be doing it again. Very delicious and easy. Got to bed late.

Woke up early but the others were slow to rise so cooked up the instant coffee, eggs, remaining ground beef and another onion. The pond was as beautiful as I've seen in others' pictures, with an added bonus of light snowfall. No fish jumping, though, and unfortunately no beavers or moose. Left most of our gear and packed one bag between us and headed back the way we came to go tag Sandwich Dome.

Came upon a large group of hikers heading toward the pond as we were heading away from it. Quite a few of them. No issues whatsoever for the entirety of the trip. A few very minor blow downs but only one that I recall having to step over significantly. No real color in the trees anymore, but beautiful to be crunching through the thick covering of dead leaves. About halfway up light snow coverings appeared and by the time we reached the top I would say it was a 1/2 inch covering all around. Not great views from the top, but not the worst I've seen. Ran into two other ladies while we were there. Decided to have our obligatory sandwich a bit down from the peak, though, where we saw a solo hiker heading up at a good clip.

After our break, headed back down the way we came. We had intended to come up Bennett Street Trail and head down the same, rather than Gleason, just to save a couple fractions of a mile. I believe we were on it, but ultimately I'm not sure because I was watching for the Gleason/Bennett trail split 0.5 from the summit and did not see it. Then again, I could have just missed it. In any event, slowly but surely we made our way all the way back down and eventually made it back to the pond around 5:15. With the little daylight we had left we decided to scope out a bit more of the lake and cast a few lines to see if anything was biting. Not a sign of fish anywhere, sadly. Maybe I should blame Sonsie and her splashing.

That night we had grilled cheeses with ramen noodles and a little Jack with Honey to cure what ailed us. I had been a little anxious about sharing the area with such a large group but they were very nice and we ended up getting into our game of Racko so much that we didn't even really notice them. They too had a dog but there were no issues there. Slept snugly that night.

Woke up Sunday morning to another beautiful morning over the pond. Took our time getting to it, had some oatmeal and coffee, and eventually said farewell to the site and our neighbors. Stopped on the far end of the lake to try again with the fishing but, again, no luck. Still a beautiful lake though. Saw a couple others with a dog along the way. Flat and easy going out. Was going without incident until, soon after the McCrillis Trail split we lost the trail along the river right near a makeshift picnic table someone had thrown together with some boards and a fire pit nearby. After a quick sandwich we wandered around but seemed to just get more and more lost as we went until, eventually we were just bushwhacking parallel to Whiteface River. Kept that up for a while, seeing trees marked for cutting (I assume) along the way, until eventually we came upon a path. Thought it was our path so we followed it but then ultimately came out on an old farmhouse's property. Skirted the edge along to Chase Road and then back to Bennett Street junction. Then we ditched the packs and I jogged the 2.2 miles with Sonsie back to the car, stopping at a point to hold her still while she growled suspiciously at a passing horse. Could have been much, much worse in my book.

What I Didn't Bring But Wish I Did: Full-on Boots; Chair

What I Brought But Didn't Need: Tarp

Reflection: The best of the fall colors were gone but I think I liked it just as much as it was. The crisp, cool temperatures of fall, the dead leaves covering everything, and the bugs and crowds of the summer days mostly passed. Only weather better for hiking is the dead of winter ...

Mt. Carrigain and Vose Spur via Signal Ridge Trail, Bushwack and Carrigain Notch Trail

Dates - July 27 and 28, 2013

Peaks - Mt. Carrigain and Vose Spur (40/48; 42-43/100)

Trails - Signal Ridge Trail; Bushwack; Garfield Notch Trail

Companions - Ted and Sonsie

Was going to head up for Friday through Sunday but the weather forecast for Friday night was all rain so decided to wait until Saturday morning and go after a shorter hike. Had not yet done Carrigain or Owl's head so decided it was going to be one of those, depending on the views that would be available. With that in mind, headed up early on Saturday after some Dunkin's.

Skies were clear, so decided to do Carrigan, and decided to try and knock off Vose Spur via bushwack then continue bushwacking all the way to Duck Pond, and then on down Whiteface Brook. Stopped first for a few odds and ends at a roadside stop near Twin Mountain. Sonsie waited eagerly.

Hit the trail a little late, around 12:08 p.m. Enjoyed the leisurely stroll for the first 1.7 miles, along with a nice view of the brook. Had a stream crossing and a few mud patches along the way. Also noted the old logging trail or whatever it is that transects the Signal Ridge Trail right before the junction with Carrigain Notch.

Made it to the junction in 45 minutes. Took a quick break and then headed on up the rest of Signal Ridge to the peak of Mt. Carrigain. The 3.3 miles after the junction, in tune with the contours on the map, was must more strenuous. At this point we passed about a dozen other people on their way down and maybe four or five dogs. 

Eventually we reached the ridge and got a good view of the tower atop Carrigain. Big boost to see it so close.

Eventually made it to the last few yards before the peak. Saw a bucket with a few bullet holes in it, a memorial, and then the tower. Climbed to the top (had to coax/carry Sonsie as she is not a fan of walking on see-through grates). Just as advertised, pristine views all around. Snapped a couple pictures of the presidential ridge, the ridge up which we had just trekked, and the nub beyond which lay Vose Spur. Set a bearing on my compass then headed northeast into the woods. 

 Maybe an old firewatcher's bed?

The bushwhack was miserable, plain and simple. I don't know if there is a herd path or anything like it that goes from Carrigain's peak over to the spur, but if there was, we missed it. Generally we tried to stay on the ridge until we got to big uphill up the nub, at which point we traversed along the south side of the ridge until we reached the other side. We never really had any issues with our bearing, but the woods were frequently thick and miserable without an obvious easy way through. As a result, got pretty scratched up and the going was slow. 

Eventually reached the gully between the nub and Vose Spur and rested for a minute on the patch of rocks between them. Definitely tired but we decided to finish what we started and make our way up the dense misery toward the peak of Vose Spur. 

Made it to the top of Vose Spur, saw a little cairn, then moved forward and found the canister and a chair somebody was nice enough to leave behind. I had thought the canister was going to have a log book in it or something, but turned out just to be a pvc tube as far as I could tell.

After the peak we decided to head southeasterly to traverse down the steep eastern face. Ted saw a sort of herd path heading in a separate direction but it looked to be going to far south or maybe even west, so I picked the eastward route. There were a few nice views along the way, but overall, suffice it to say it was steep. The going was slow, mildly treacherous, and exhausting.  

Made it to the Carrigain Notch Trail around 8:40, getting to be fairly dark, and knew that Duck Pond was not a good idea, so decided to head south on the trail. Slept in our hammocks off the trail a ways, slept like a log, woke up sore, and sped out the flat 2 or so miles to the parking lot.

This was only my second bushwhack and my first during the summer. I found the experience to be pretty miserable, possibly because I didn't read up enough beforehand on possible pre-existing herd paths. Looking around now, it looks like there may have been one from Vose Spur south-southeast down to Carrigan Notch Trail, but no real easy way to get from the Spur over to Mt. Carrigain's summit. By the end of it, we swore off any future attempts at Bushwhacking. I know that a number of the other NE Top 100's are accessible only via bushwhack, though, so additional bushwhacks would be inevitable if I end up wanting to check them all off. For the foreseeable future, though, am going to stick to the trails and only bushwhack if I'm informed of a well-trodden way to do it.

Gear Recommendations: Bug spray!

What I Didn't Bring But Wish I Did: A better plan.

What I Brought But Didn't Need: Rain gear

Lesson Learned: Generally avoid bushwacking.

Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Garfield (6/22 - 6/23/13)

Dates - June 22 and 23, 2013

Peaks - Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Garfield (37-39/48; 39-41/100)

Trails - Falling Waters Trail; Franconia Ridge Trail; Garfield Ridge Trail; Garfield Trail

Companions - Dorothy and Sonsie

I set off from Boston early on Saturday with Dorothy and Sonsie to head up and try a 2-day-1-night traverse of the northern Franconia Ridge and Garfield, and Galehead, with a plan to leave our car at Lafayette Campground and hitchhike from Rte. 3 back after the hike. Leading up to the hike, the forecast was predicting little to no chance of rain so I thought it would be a great weekend for Dorothy's first back-country overnight in the Whites. Wrong.

By Saturday morning the forecast had changed to 40-50% chance of thunderstorms, predicted to commence around 6 p.m., if at all. I definitely did not want to be up on Franconia Ridge when and if lightning arrived, but I figured we would have plenty of time to get up and back below tree line on Garfield Ridge before 6, so we decided to go for it. I had been up Old Bridle Path once before for some back country skiing but never made the top of either northern Franconian, nor had I hiked that area in the summer. 

Parked at Falling Water Trailhead and started heading up the steep ascent. The trail was simply beautiful, and apparently that's no secret, as there was more than a few others hiking along with us. I tried to keep count for a while but lost track somewhere around 60, and am pretty sure we ended up seeing around 150 by the time we reached the peak. Plus about 5 or 6 other dogs.

And then came the rain. Sometime around 1 it started to drizzle and then eventually picked up to almost a downpour, but then stopped just a quickly, in time for us to reach the ridge. Hadn't heard any thunder so felt comfortable going for it. And so we did.

 Crazy rock, eh?

As usual, Sonsie had no trouble. So much so that she found her frisbee in my bag as soon as I sat for a break at the top and demanded to play fetch. First through caught a stiff White Mountains breeze and I was pretty sure it was going to land at the base of Owl's Head, but luckily it dropped somewhere in the bushes off the ridge and eventually she came back with it. After a quick snack and photo opp, off we went towards Lafayette.

 Looking toward Lafayette from Lincoln.

Cannon and the Old Man site were visible but hazy, and eventually, somewhere around the approach to Lafayette the rain began again. Enough this time around to merit Sonsie's favorite outfit. Dumb as it looks, she really seems to like wearing it and it helps abate the soaking wet dog for purposes of sharing a tent later.

Destination for the night was Garfield Pond. I had seen a few stray posts here and there and an old image of a map on Google indicating there was actually an old shelter that doesn't appear on my waterproof mapadventures trail map (this one was marked as separate than the Garfield Ridge Campsite). From the top of Lafayette we could see the little nub before Garfield beyond which lay the pond, and despite the distances on the map, it didn't look like too much of a hike to get there. The rain, the weight of the overnight gear (including a full tent, some wine because why not, and a full 24 oz can of corn because I'm an idiot), and the wearing need to watch every step on the slippery rocks, however, led the hike to sap all of our energy. Eventually we reached the pond but not a moment too soon, and found two other fellas already pitched to camp across from it. Unfortunately, there was no shelter to be found and they had never heard of it. Does anyone know whether this rumored shelter exists? Anyways, quickly set up the tent and dried off and had dinner inside. Easy mac, cajun sausages, and some wine. Refilled the water and then passed out hard.

Next morning, awoke to what sounded like a downpour on the tent. Was able to check the high summit forecast from where we were and the outlook was dismal. Micro thunderstorms throughout the day with possibilities of pea-to-golfball sized hail? With that as a risk we decided to just tag Garfield then head down the Garfield Trail to cut the day off a little early. And I don't mind leaving Galehead for now as both Ted and I have that and Owl's Head to do, so we may be able to combine them into an aggressive two-day trip later this year. Only time will tell. Anyways, as I said, we tagged Garfield ...

Then headed down. Definitely a long trail with all the switchbacks, but really not bad, particularly after the first quarter of it. In fact it was shallow enough to make me wish I was either mountain biking or running it. Also always nice to be walking alongside some water.

Charlotte.

 Gathering of butterflies.

And then we made it. Sort of. Had to walk to Rte. 3 first, hoping that when we got there someone would be kind enough to pick up two smelly hikers with a wet dog in tow. Luckily we came across Sean, who hikes with CHAOS, who took us aboard and dropped us back at our car. Next time, hopefully, we can pay it forward.

Stopped for some Nacho's Mexican food (arguably) in Lincoln and followed it up with some roadside ice cream. The food was decent but I'll boost the joint to an A- because they let Sonsie sit with us outside and even brought her a dish of water, which she gladly accepted.

Gear Recommendations: Waterproof boots and rain gear. this rain is getting to be obnoxious.

What I Didn't Bring But Wish I Did: Belt

What I Brought But Didn't Need: See above re giant can of corn.

Lesson Learned: There ain't no shelter on Garfield pond. At least not that I could find.

Mt. Isolation (6-8/9-2013)

Dates - June 8 and 9, 2013

Peak - Mt. Isolation (36/48; 38/100)

Trails - Rocky Branch Trail; Isolation Trail; Davis Path

Companions - Ted and Sonsie

Left Boston around 2:45 on Saturday and drove up to the trail head off Rte. 16. Made good time getting there, though might have liked to not be racing the sunset, as I wanted to peruse the goods at Ted's tarp shanty down the road. Lot of cool toys in there.

Hit the trail and hauled up to Rocky Branch Shelter. Saw two guys sleeping at the primitive campsite. Were surprised to find nobody else in the shelter. Except a little mouse. Our beloved guard dog didn't even notice. To busy chasing sticks.

Had hauled in some firewood so made a fire in the fire pit. Nothing in the area would have burned otherwise - everything soaked from the remnants of Andrea storm. Refilled on some water and dunked our heads in to refresh.

Put an additional poncho over the roof because it was still drizzling and that roof could use a face lift. Slipped on a log at some point when walking around and jammed my thumb on the ground. Impeded things the next day but nothing too bad.

Dinner was buffalo chicken roll ups, cheese curls and some creamed corn. The buffalo chicken was pretty runny and the creamed corn was too cold, but hunger and exhaustion made it all delicious anyways. Dog played some glow in the dark frisbee. We played some dominoes for dollars. I lost twice. Couldn't get anything going. Stars came out for a bit, but on and off rain all night. May have seen another headlamp wander by at some point in the night but not sure. Was pretty groggy.

Hit the trail the next morning around 8:30. No rush. Ditched some weight near the Isolation Trail branch, and took off up the mountain. 

Lot of water. Stream crossings were technical, as was the trail itself most of the time, as it had basically turned into a stream.

Lot of blowdowns still from Irene. QUESTION - is an unaffiliated hiker allowed to bring along a saw and clear out logs here and there if they have the energy? If so, I may bring one along next time and finally give something back.

Was surprised to find no trail blazes the whole trip. This was our first time doing Isolation, and, though I don't find the elevation gain or grade to be anything special, the trip was ultimately pretty draining in light of the technicality. I'd be curious to hear whether others feel the same after hiking it during dry conditions.

Made it to the top eventually with a few slips but no falls. Ran into a few other dogs along the way, one of whom did a big cannon ball into a stream crossing. Enjoyed the view from the top (capped by clouds) for a while, then returned to the tree cover. Temperature all day was pretty perfect, though would have welcomed some more sunshine.

On the way back, ran across one of the larger hiking groups I've seen, maybe totaling 20 people but still managing to stay tight as a group somehow. Eventually got to one of the final main river crossings and decided to dunk in a pool. Freezing cold but refreshing. Dried off and resumed. At this point, saw what looked to be a bike shoe (w/ built in clip on orange sole) stuck on a tree branch - if that's yours and you lost it, it's still there. It was on the western side of the river at the first crossing immediately north of Rocky Branch Shelter 2.

Eventually made it all the way back to the car, but again it was very slippy and/or technical at parts, with mud patches frequently, making poles very helpful, if not necessary. Also making for some very muddy paws on the doggy.

Consequently, when we reached the river bridge five seconds into our return trip, we stopped we pulled over, hiked down, and tossed in the pooch to clean her off.

Tried to grab some Muddy Moose on the way back but they don't allow dogs to be tied up outside. Have to say that it the first negative mark I have for Muddy Moose, as that is where we stop almost without fail after trips up into Pinkham or off the eastern Kangamangus. Ordered some take out and ran to EMS while waiting to buy some buckles that I'm planning on using to modify my bag to make strapping things to the outside easier, as the existing straps are too small for sleeping bag, tent, or sleeping pad. I have delusions of some day constructing a pack of my own to get it just the way I want it.

Gear Recommendations: poles a big help; very muddy so plan footwear accordingly; chilly enough for sweater at night but jacket not needed

What I Didn't Bring But Wish I Did: belt and tarp

What I Brought But Didn't Need: n/a

Lesson Learned: check your gear before you leave - I had new poles ordered online from REI and noticed that they're different sized - need to return

Next Up? Hoping to do my first one-day pemi loop at some point this summer. Will have a see if I get a day by myself to do it. That will give me the chance to nab Lincoln/Lafayette/Garfield, which Ted has done but I haven't. May do Madison with Dorothy in a couple weeks, or may opt to head further north into Maine to grab some NE 100's so Ted and I can stay on track to finish together, as I already have seven other whites he doesn't (southern presidentials and tom/wiley/field). Also planned at some point is a hopeful two-day-one-night bike trip from Portland to Boston with the girls traveling up with us and meeting us halfway after day one to camp out together.