July 3, 2010
I've got a big hike planned for today, a Pemi Loop. I'll be throwing in the spur trails to Galehead and West Bond as well. In total, I'll be climbing ten 4000 footers. I left Lincoln Woods at 5:20 a.m. I knew it would be a long, long time before I completed the loop and headed back across this bridge.
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I headed up the Osseo Trail which I had only been on once before.
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Up a stone staircase
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Higher up there was a string of ladders.
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The trail flattened out for a few minutes where I had a view of Mount Flume.
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A 10th of a mile from the summit I came to the junction with the Flume Slide Trail.
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Nearing the summit of Flume.
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With one down and nine to go, my next target was Mount Liberty.
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Looking back to Flume from Liberty
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On to Franconia Ridge
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Looking across the notch to Cannon Mountain which was not on today's list of peaks to climb.
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Nearing Little Haystack, a non-4000 footer.
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No time to stop, let's keep moving.
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There's Mount Lincoln
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Looking back to Little Haystack
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Looking back to Lincoln from Mount Lafayette.
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With four down and six to go, I continued on the Garfield Ridge Trail.
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At the junction with the Skookumchuck, I took my first break of the day. I'd be dropping below treeline so I figured it was a good spot to relax and enjoy the view for a few minutes. I continued on my way. Part way up to Mount Garfield, I had a view looking back to Franconia Ridge.
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Next I reached Mount Garfield. Five down and five to go. I looked at Owl's Head in the Pemi.
I was making one gigantic loop around this mountain.
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Next I reached Galehead Hut
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Time to go tag Galehead Mountain.
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I returned to the hut where I took break #2. After refilling my water bladder, I began the long steep climb up to South Twin.
Looking over to North Twin from South Twin. Some hikers do an out and back to North Twin on this hike as well. I would pass.
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I was getting a little tired but still felt I had plenty left in the tank.
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I watched a glider go overhead. He just drifted effortlessly over to North Twin in a matter of seconds.
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The trail doesn't quite go over Mount Guyot. It's not a 4000 footer so I didn't bother to tag it.
I did however, go over a subpeak of Guyot.
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Looking over to West Bond, #8 for the day.
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South Twin from West Bond.
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From West Bond, I had my eyes on Bondcliff, my final 4000 footer of the day.
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But first I had to climb Mount Bond where I had another view of Bondcliff.
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It's not much of a climb from the col to the top of Bondcliff, but I was quickly running out of "up".
I was starting to feel pretty beat by the time I reached Bondcliff, my 10th and final 4000 footer of the day.
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It was a great feeling to be on my 10th 4000 footer of the day and be able to look around at the peaks that I had just climbed. This also completed my Grid for each of the Bond peaks. Without the Grid pressing me to hike the Bonds, I figured it could potentially be quite a while before I come back. With that in mind, I took my 3rd and final break of the day. Then I had the long, long, long hike out. I ran much of the Wilderness and Lincoln Woods Trails to help get out a little quicker. I finished at 8:02 p.m., completing my first Pemi Loop with the Galehead and West Bond spurs in 14 hours and 42 minutes. Nowhere close to a record, but a time that I was proud of. I would have been happy with anything under 16 hours.
On the way home I stopped at the Pemigewasset Outlook and saw a beautiful sunset.
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