Monday, July 11, 2011

7/10/11 Breadloaf, Wilson, Camels Hump Backpack attempt

I got up at 2:45am and took a shower. I loaded up the truck and was on the road by 4am.

On Rt. 4 heading to Concord, I stopped at the Hess gas station in Chichester. When I tried to use my Visa Card, it said "See Cashier". So I went in.

I told her that the pump didn't accept my Visa. She told me to go out and press pay inside, then come back in to pay. So I did. When she tried to use the Visa to pay for it, it didn't work. She kept trying, and it didn't work. She called her manager and nothing.

I called Jenifer (which was camping with our kids) to tell her what was going on. She called Northeast Credit Union. First they said that we didn't have any debit cards. Later they said we had cards and that they should work. When Jenifer called again after failed attempts with my card, NCU said that there was a glitch with their systems and noone could use their cards and they didn't know how long it would take to fix it.

Jenifer was able to give them a credit card number over the phone. PAID!

Now I was on my way to Vermont.

I geared up and was on the Long Trail by 10:10am (3 hours late).

After the 1st mile, I started to look for a campsite. After 2.5 miles, nothing. GREAT!

So my planned backpacking trip became a peak bagging hike.

I took my tent, sleeping pad, pans and stove out of my pack and stashed them behind a tree a little ways down the Burnt Hill Tr.

My original plan was to find a campsite close to the road so I wouldn't have to carry the heavy pack. So after I bagged Breadloaf and Wilson, I would hike back to the camp, spend the night, and leave early the next morning to drive to Came's Hump for another hike. If I carried the heavy pack 5 miles to a campsite, I definitely wouldn't have enough energy for the next days hike.

With the lighter load, I was able to move fast.

The Long Trail was narrow and very rough. Mud, rocks, moss, roots and water. My feet started th hurt.

I saw fresh Moose tracks on the trail. Soon I had to avoid stepping in Moose poop.

Soon I was on the wooded summit of Breadloaf. There was a spur trail from the summit that lead to a view west.

The trail from Breadloaf to Wilson wasn't too bad. When I got to the top, I almost walked by the summit. There were a few logs in front of the summit. Another spur path lead to a lookout east.

After taking a break, I headed back.

My feet, back, and shoulders were hurting. Down, up, down, up.

Heading towards the Boyce Shelter, I got the idea that if noone was at the shelter, I could put my sleeping bag in the shelter to hold a spot. Then head over to the Burnt Hill Tr. to pick up my gear, set the tent up in the shelter and spend the night.

When I got to the Boyce Shelter, 2 people and a Saint Bernard were there. Plus I couldn't find water nearby so staying at the shelter was not an option.

So when I got to the Brunt Hill Tr., I went down and picked up my gear.

My shoulders were hurting for the rest of the descent.

When I got to the truck, I dropped the pack in the bed. I set up my stove on the tailgate and cooked Chicken Ramen noodles with Pepperoni for dinner.

I called Jenifer while the Ramen was cooling. I told her about my day and that I was heading home after I ate.

This was my second attempt for Camel's Hump. Denied.

It still was a great hike. I bagged 2 more peaks for the New England 100 Highest list. 65/100.

Hiking 15.8 miles, there was no way that I could of hiked 25 miles the next day. This morning I had a hard time walking.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

7/2/11 Parker Mountain Backpack



7/2/11

I got to the trailhead for the Carter Smith Tr. around 2pm. I put on my heavy backpack and started to head up Parker Mountain.

The trail starts off easy, then becomes steep and eroded. It took a little while to get use to carrying a heavy pack again.

Heading up the trail, I saw the downed tree that points to a lookout. From the lookout I could see Blue Job Mountain. At the lookout there was a cross with plastic ivy on it. I wondered if someone got hurt.

After leaving the lookout, I started to climb again. Soon I saw the faded path on the left that leads to my campsite from last year.

I set up my tent and checked out the views. I could see Blue Job again.

I grabbed my pack and continued towards the summit.

After some more climbing, it levelled off. Then I was at a clearing with great views. I could see the smoke stacks in Newington but it wasn't clear enough to see the Atlantic Ocean.

I found a few wild blueberries, Yum!

There were a few more ups and downs before I reached the summit cairn on Parker Mountain.

I took my pack off and took a break. After some GORP, I headed back down.

When I got back to the tent, I filled my Therm a rest and organinzed inside the tent.

I found a flat rock a little ways from my tent. This will be my kitchen for this evening

I started to boil water for 4 cheese lasagna from Hamburger Helper, minus the hamburger. I added the powdered milk to the boiling water. Soon it overflowed and spilled all over the place. I put in the pasta and sauce mix and mixed it. I had to add more water so it would cook. 10 minutes later, it was done. It wasn't bad but it burned to the bottom of the pan.

After dinner, I cleaned up the kitchen. Since I couldn't find water and I didn't have enough water to clean the pan, I brought it down to my truck, since I didn't want to store it and have a bear for an after dinner guest. The truck was only a 1/2 mile away.

After I came back to the tent, I changed my clothes and hung out in the tent.

6:11pm. Hopefully it will not be a long night.

7/3/11

I had a rough night trying to sleep. I left the sleeping bag at home and I wanted to try sleeping on the Therm a rest with a pillow and blanket. I read "The Appalachian Trail Backpacker" and went out a few times to roam the area.

I read until 9pm and blew out the candle lattern.

Fireworks, motorcycles, and dogs kept me up for quite a while. I was able to sleep on and off until around 3am. Then I set my alarm for 4 to get up.

At 4am, I was up and wide awake.

I organized inside the tent, then went out and started up the stove. As the water started to boil for my oatmeal and java, my headlamp died. I went into the tent and got my candle lattern.

From the ridge where I camped, the views were to the east. The sun was rising as I put my tent into its stuff sack.

I loaded up my backpack and headed down.

5:30am. Cool! I can go home and make pancakes!

This was an excellent warm-up backpacking trip. I learned a few things to do and not to do for next time, Vermont!