December 22, 2007
As of 1:08 am this morning, it is officially winter. With the first day of winter falling on a Saturday, the White Mountains will be especially busy as winter hikers set out on their quest to bag all the 4000 footers in winter. I completed the White Mtn 4000 footers in July, but that was for all seasons. Now I get to work on my winter list. Last winter was my first year of winter hiking and I bagged seven. Here's today's track.
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We met at 8:30, a very late start for an Ed Hawkins' hike. Ed and Dave (and others) had a big hike yesterday up to Mounts Adams and Jefferson including several miles of trailbreaking as a result of the latest snowfall. Today, we will give someone else a chance to break trail, thus the reason for the late start.
Getting ready.
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Sign at the trailhead.
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Part of our group ready to take off.
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Our group of 8 left about 8:40. Besides myself, there was Ed, Dave, and Becca, who I've hiked with many times. There was also Bruce who I hiked with for the first time last week. We also had Audrey, Jonathan, and Doug, who I've never hiked with. A large group of about 30 headed off before us, as they are working on a winter workshop for beginner winter hikers. They packed down a nice trail for us.
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The plan is to head up the Old Bridle Path to Mount Lafayette, hike across Franconia Ridge to North Lincoln, Lincoln, and Little Haystack, and then descend via the Falling Waters Trail.
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Time to layer down.
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I snapped a shot of Bruce.
"You took my picture last week. Are you trying to break your camera again," said Bruce.
"I'm still using it this week, so I guess you didn't break it last week," I said.
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Audrey set the pace for the first part of the hike.
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No one knows these mountains like Ed.
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We caught up and passed the large group that was before us. The trail was still fairly well packed, from previous hikers. I took the lead for a while. Here comes Doug.
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The snow made Audrey's hair turn prematurely white.
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Next we reached the Greenleaf Hut. It's been closed for a couple months or so and won't be open again until the middle of spring. This was the only White Mountains Hut that I hadn't been to yet.
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We took a break, put on another layer, and headed off again.
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The day was completely overcast and the weather report stated it would be cloudy all day.
But we were in luck, we climbed above the clouds.
Looking up to Lafayette . . .
. . . and over to Lincoln.
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It looked like we were getting close, but this turned out to be a false summit.
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Our group makes the break above treeline.
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Dave Langley
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Mount Lincoln staying just above the clouds.
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Doug by a cairn covered with rime ice.
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I was in the back taking pictures, but I think Becca was the first to reach the 5260' summit. This was winter #8 for me. It was awesome! The sky was blue and clear, but there was a blanket of clouds below us as far as we could see. Only the highest peaks around managed to rise above the clouds. Ed pointed out Camel's Hump over in Vermont. There was also a great view of the Presidential Range.
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Here's a zoomed in shot.
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Cairn covered with rime ice.
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Jonathan took my picture at the top.
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The signs were impossible to read, but who needs signs when you have Ed Hawkins along.
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It was extremely windy at the top. Some of us were adding another layer of clothes when Audrey dropped her mitt. The wind immediately grabbed hold of it. Audrey and I had a brief snowshoe race across the summit. She stabbed it with her trekking pole just before a grabbed it. Close call. We then began the hike across Franconia Ridge which is part of the Appalachian Trail. Out of the thousands of pictures I've taken the last few years, this just might be my favorite.
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Nearing North Lincoln
North Lincoln is not an offical 4000 footer, but it does make the trailwrights' list. This list has the forty-eight 4000 footers as well as an additional 24 peaks. One of the requirements for an offical 4000 footer is that it must have a minimum of 200 feet of prominence. This requirement is lowered to just 100 feet of prominence for the trailwrights' list. Another trailwrights' requirement is that you only get creadit for one peak for each hike. You also have to complete 72 hours of documented trailwork.
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Looking back at Lafayette
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Dave and Jonathan
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Next we reached the 5089' summit of Lincoln. (Winter #9)
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It was amazing to be above the clouds.
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Off to Little Haystack
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A look back to Lincoln
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After bagging the 4780' summit of Little Haystack (another trailwrights peak),
we headed down the Falling Waters Trail.
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Back in the woods
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We had to tease Ed a little on the way down. Whenever someone asked a question, he would stop to answer them. "I know," he said. "I should walk and talk, but I can't multitask."
"The next person to ask Ed a question goes to the back," Audrey joked.
Here's a cool ice formation.
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We came to a a steep spot in the trail.
"Keep a little distance between yourself and the person in front of you. That way if you slip, you won't take out a friend," said Ed.
"But I don't have any friends," said Bruce.
"OK, keep some space between you anyway, so that you don't end up with an enemy." added Ed.
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Across the only bridge of the day.
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We reached the parking lot at 4:05 pm. What an awesome hike above treeline and above 'cloudline'!! This was a great first day of winter. The best news is that now the days start getting longer. Jonathan also took pictures from today's hike. To see the awesome pictures he took,
click here.
Just 3 days 'til Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone!!!!
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