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.
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.
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 Didn't Bring But Wish I Did: A better plan.
What I Brought But Didn't Need: Rain gear
Lesson Learned: Generally avoid bushwacking.
think i'm dropping the idea of vose spur for now. lol thanks for the great information.
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