| Summary | |
| Owner | MITOC Gallery Administrator |
| Creation Date | 2006-03-13 16:37:10 UTC-0500 |
| Description |
New Page 1 Pemigewasset Winter Slog The Farewell Trek Solo, 19 hours, 10,000 feet of climbing, 12 peaks Bilal Zia This was one of those things Id been putting off for some time now, but time is what I didnt have left. Graduating this June, Ill be out of Boston and setting up camp in DC, and plane rides out West or across the Pond to the East will likely trump plane rides up-north to the Whites. Plus winter is fast fading so this weekend was the only viable shot of making this a slog through snow The pemi-loop is one of those debilitation treks that has captured the hearts and minds of many hardy MITOCers in the past, but mostly has been attempted in the summer, or over two-days in the winter. Having already done this trek in the fall with two of my coolest hiking buds (see: http://mitoc.mit.edu/gallery/2004-Pemi_Loop), I knew that the hike was do-able in a day in winter as long as Garfield ridge can be traversed ahh the Garfield Ridge . One of the most desolate and un-traversed parts of the White mountains in the winter, this long stretch between the bottom of Lafayette and essentially all the way up to Galehead is something I wasnt too keen on traversing. And true to my expectations, it was hell going through it! But lets start at the beginning Eric Gilbertson and I were supposed to do this together but he bailed for a Katahdin training trip, so I was left with a choice of doing it alone or forgetting about it. Doing it alone meant taking greater risk and not enjoying the hike with someone else. Naturally I chose to do it alone Starting a tad after mid-night from Lincoln woods, I made good headway on the wilderness trail which had most of its snow cover blown off. The plan was to be near Lincoln around sunrise (i.e. 6am), and have a good chunk of the early day left to deal with Garfield Ridge. Trail was packed down so moving up fast was not such an issue and I made it to Flume by 3:10 am. Didnt stop much as it was a bit over-cast and soon it started getting light. By 6am, I had long-crossed Lincoln and was making good headway towards Lafayette (didnt really notice where or when I crossed Little Haystack). Once at Lafayette, I took a break, grabbed some much needed food, sugars, carbs, etc.. Stocked up, and with a good dose of daylight, I started down Lafayette towards the infamous Garfield Ridge The climb up to Garfield is mighty steep and I was surprised that I wasnt sinking into snow. It was clear that not many people had been down here in a while. My joy soon turned into horror once I crossed Garfield as the meager tracks turned into powder snow and each step meant plunging waist deep into fluffy snow. Good that I had carried the biggest-baddest snow-shoes on my back just for this Even with the snow-shoes, it was tough going But I knew if I got to South-Twin by early afternoon, I would be all set as its pretty much smooth sailing after that (even though distance-wise its still half the hike, but elevation wise, less than 1/3rd). I was ecstatic to see the Galehead hut and took an extended break there to stock up again on carbs and sugars. A quick jaunt up Galehead and back meant I had to prepare myself for the biggest climb of the day.. and the toughest the climb up South-Twin Here the pack started feeling heavier and thoughts of bailing out crossed my mind but I kept at it knowing that this was my farewell trek. Even more so, I was determined not to let Garfield Ridge defeat me Finally I made it up to South-Twin with light to spare, and I knew I had the pemi-loop in the bag . The rest of the way was smooth sailing, with a huge smile plastered on my face, even in the dark. I even convinced myself to bag West Bond even though it wasnt on my initial list. Made great time down Bond-cliff trail and was back at the car about 19 hours after I had started This was an awesome trip and a great way to say good bye to winter in the Whites These mountains have been my trekking grounds for the past several years and will always be remembered fondly! |