Saturday, 05 January 2008 Mount Moosilauke, New Hampshire
Eager to get in our first hike of the new year, Kevin and I set our alarms for oh-dark-thirty on Saturday morning. Had it just been the two of us we would have almost certainly thrown the beepers across the room and gone back to sleep. Fortunately we had arranged to hike with VFTT member SkierSteve that day. Since we had an “appointment” we managed to haul ourselves out of bed and were pulling out of the driveway by 6:30.
The drive to the Ravine Lodge Road was uneventful and, for the record, takes only 1:45 from our house...not the 2.5 hours I thought it might be. Steve pulled in right on time and after quick introductions and donning of gear we set out up the road. The 1.6-mile road walk was easy and was a welcome warm up for lungs and muscles that hadn’t worked much recently. The walk to the Lodge passed quickly and after a short break we entered the woods on the Gorge Brook Trail. We soon passed the Snapper Trail and noted that it had not been broken out. We were thinking of this as a descent route if conditions up top were conducive to crossing the ridge. The first mile and a half of trail climbed gently through mixed woods along the Gorge Brook. After passing a sign announcing “Last Water” the trail began to climb a little more seriously with some short steep sections mixed in. After about ninety minutes on the trail we came to the first view looking out over Carr Mtn. After a snack and layer break we proceeded upward as the trail climbed more steeply and began to switchback. The switchbacks offered views to the Tripyramids and Sandwich Dome in the east, over the Asquam Ridge to Mt Washington. As we approached treeline the wind started to pick up. Finding a bit of shelter we stopped to add some layers before setting out for the last bit to the summit. I had wished I’d put on my face mask and goggles because the wind was affecting my eyes. Using my hand as a shield I crossed the last bit of open ridge to the top. After some quick summit pictures we retreated a few meters to a sheltered spot very much out of the wind. After adding on our puffy coats we settled in for a quick lunch and some hot tea with a view of the Franconia Ridge and Mt. Washington.
Over lunch we considered the conditions. To make a loop we would have to head one mile across the mostly-open ridge facing into the wind. We also expected that we would have to break trail for a mile on the Snapper once we got down. We decided not to make the loop and followed our ascent route back down. Once back in the trees we stopped to drop some layers and agreed that the wind had seemed stronger as we left the summit, and we were not sorry to be backtracking. Near the bottom we noted that someone had hiked the Snapper during the day. We got back to the Lodge at 3:15 and made quick work of the roadwalk, getting back to the car long before headlamps would be needed.
The drive to the Ravine Lodge Road was uneventful and, for the record, takes only 1:45 from our house...not the 2.5 hours I thought it might be. Steve pulled in right on time and after quick introductions and donning of gear we set out up the road. The 1.6-mile road walk was easy and was a welcome warm up for lungs and muscles that hadn’t worked much recently. The walk to the Lodge passed quickly and after a short break we entered the woods on the Gorge Brook Trail. We soon passed the Snapper Trail and noted that it had not been broken out. We were thinking of this as a descent route if conditions up top were conducive to crossing the ridge. The first mile and a half of trail climbed gently through mixed woods along the Gorge Brook. After passing a sign announcing “Last Water” the trail began to climb a little more seriously with some short steep sections mixed in. After about ninety minutes on the trail we came to the first view looking out over Carr Mtn. After a snack and layer break we proceeded upward as the trail climbed more steeply and began to switchback. The switchbacks offered views to the Tripyramids and Sandwich Dome in the east, over the Asquam Ridge to Mt Washington. As we approached treeline the wind started to pick up. Finding a bit of shelter we stopped to add some layers before setting out for the last bit to the summit. I had wished I’d put on my face mask and goggles because the wind was affecting my eyes. Using my hand as a shield I crossed the last bit of open ridge to the top. After some quick summit pictures we retreated a few meters to a sheltered spot very much out of the wind. After adding on our puffy coats we settled in for a quick lunch and some hot tea with a view of the Franconia Ridge and Mt. Washington.
Over lunch we considered the conditions. To make a loop we would have to head one mile across the mostly-open ridge facing into the wind. We also expected that we would have to break trail for a mile on the Snapper once we got down. We decided not to make the loop and followed our ascent route back down. Once back in the trees we stopped to drop some layers and agreed that the wind had seemed stronger as we left the summit, and we were not sorry to be backtracking. Near the bottom we noted that someone had hiked the Snapper during the day. We got back to the Lodge at 3:15 and made quick work of the roadwalk, getting back to the car long before headlamps would be needed.
