.June 25, 2006
I don't have a lot of time today, but I am going to attempt to squeeze in a couple 4,000 footers. I didn't get to the trailhead until 3:00 pm so I will have to keep moving to finish by dark. My original plan was to knock off Mt Willey, Mt Field, and Mt Tom. This would definitely be do-able if it was morning, but being in the mid-afternoon I will have to settle for the first two. Below is a picture of me on Webster Cliffs from last week. I am adding it to today's journal entry so you can see what I am about to climb.
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Snoopy and I left the Willey House and started out on the Kedron Flume Trail.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This trail was in very good condition and much of it was a dirt path which is pretty rare in the Whites. Within a few minutes Snoopy and I crossed some railroad tracks.
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After some more climbing I reached Kedron Flume. This was beautiful. I bet it is quite impressive after a lot of rain and maybe impassable, but today wasn't a problem.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Next we reached the Ethan Pond Trail which is also the Appalachian Trail. I will only be on it for 3/10ths of a mile. I already hiked this section of the AT on April 1st.
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Surprisingly, I met a thru hiker. Only being on the AT for a few minutes today, this was unexpected. He was headed north, attempting to complete his 3rd thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. Wow!! What is more impressive is the fact that he did his first two in 1998 back-to-back. This is called a yo-yo. He hiked from Georgia to Maine and then turned around and went all the way back. (Maybe it was because he realized he left his car parked in Georgia.) What a hike! That's somewhere around 4,350 miles. Anyway, during this hike he was given the trailname 'The-Can-Do-Man'. This is very appropriate for him, especially during this hike. He is setting Appalachian Trail history. I didn't catch what had happened to him since 1998, but he has had two hip replacements. When he reaches Katahdin, it will be the first thru hike by someone who has had this done. I wanted to offer him some fruit like I often do to provide some trail magic, but I realized in my hurry to get out here today I forgot it. I had treats for Snoopy but nothing for myself. By the end of the day his doggy treats will probably look pretty good.
Next up I passed a stone staircase. I didn't remember this section of the AT having stone staircases then it dawned on me, "Of course you don't remember this. You hiked this on April 1st when it was under 2 feet of snow."
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I reached the Willey Range Trail. Only 1.1 miles to the summit. Although the trail up to this point was fairly steep in places, it was not 4,000 footer steep. I have a feeling I am about to pay.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ After a couple of tenths of a mile the trail steepened. Snoopy was anxious to get to the top.
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Then the trail steepened even more, but these log steps helped with the climb.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The trail steepened yet again. This part was really neat though. There was a series of ladders that had been built. I felt like I was playing 'Chutes and Ladders' only there were no chutes.
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The trail remained extremely steep and some scrambling was involved. I had to help Snoopy in a spot or two.
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Just before the summit, there was a sign for a lookout. Although the day became cloudy, the view was still great as I looked across at Webster Cliffs.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Then I looked down into Crawford Notch and Route 302.
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Another few feet and I reached the summit. Here's Snoopy on the 4,285 foot summit. This is my 29th for NH and 30th for NE.
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I set out for Mount Field and got another great view to the south. Here's a picture of Mount Carrigain, one of my remaining unconquered 4,000 footers.
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It took Snoopy and I about 45 minutes to hike between the two summits. Here's the summit of 4,340 foot Mount Field. My 30th for NH. This is Snoopy's 12th for NH in case there are any Snoopy fans out there.
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The map I have of the Whites wasn't showing any scenic views from the top of Mount Field so I was surprised when I got this view of the Mount Washington Hotel down in the valley. This would be a great view on a nicer day. My picture is kind of hazey.
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I gave Snoopy some treats. I was jealous, he had food and I didn't, but I am no where near hungry enough to eat them. At least I had plenty of water as we began the return trip. I thought I might have to help Snoopy down the series of ladders, but he had no trouble. I counted the steps/rungs on the way down. There were 99. If whoever built them had counted them, they probably would have thrown an extra one in to make an even 100. (There's also the very real possibility that I miscounted.)
After reaching the bottom, I decided to walk around the Willey House a bit. It was 8:00 pm and the building was closed. I walked over to Willey Pond.
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I searched for markers around the area hoping to find out why it was a historic site. I found one marker stating that the Willey House stood here during the landslide of 1828. When I got home I searched the Internet. Here is a few lines I found on the Willey House.
The Willey House was built to serve people traveling between settlements. A landslide in 1828 roared down Mt. Willey sweeping everything in its path, except for the house. Everyone was killed supposedly when they ran to safety. In 1898 the house burned down.
Now that I know about the landslide, I'm glad mother nature didn't pick today for another one.
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