The Gentle Giant

Washington summit Sept '11

Mount Moosilauke (4802 ft.) was my first four-thousand footer of 2012, and it was a tough one. It was April 14, a Saturday, and I wanted to get started on my new project for the year: climbing (or finish climbing) all of New Hampshire's mountains that stand at four-thousand feet or greater. Hopefully, before August 21, which is when I did my first one last summer and will keep the 48 within one calendar year.

But a little backstory.

Last year, 2011, I lumbered up several mountains, along with who knows how many hikers who are enamored by elevation, in love with alpine meadows, and hooked on the idea of ticking off summits.

on the Tom/Field/Willey hike

In early September my friend John and I tackled a string of peaks over the course of five days, sticking mainly along the world-famous Appalachian Trail. Garfield, South Twin, Zealand, Pierce, Eisenhower, and Washington were checked off the list on that trip. Washington is the most daunting, of course, due to its massive height and notoriously inclement weather, but it was the last summit of our trip and we were hiking strong. The approach wasn't too difficult, and the satisfaction of summiting the beast was satisfying, to say the least.

I also went up Mt. Tom, Mt. Field, and Mt. Willey around the same time (8/21/11), with a group of hikers I met on Meetup. A pleasant summer hike with great views and interesting folks.

Me and Dana on Lafayette

Columbus Day of 2011, Jorbi and Dana and I hiked the classic Franconia Ridge Loop, up the Falling Waters Path to Little Haystack, then on to Lincoln and Lafayette. A ridge-walk to end all ridge-walks, providing spectacular views of Franconia Notch. We just couldn't have asked for a nicer day.

So that was pretty much it for 2011, and though we enjoyed a mild winter I didn't get back up to the White Mountains until April. Mount Moosilauke was my choice to start off the season, due to its relative close proximity to Boston. But a snow storm had blown through not too long before, and I didn't realize just how much snow I'd be slogging through.

Summit of Mt. Lafayette

I schlepped through more snow on that one day than I did the entire winter in Boston. I didn't bring micro-spikes, and I probably should have. But, I met guys on the trail who had them and weren't even wearing them. It wasn't icy, but the terrain and snowpack seemed to change with every passing minute. Most of the time, walking on the packed snow trail was fine, but occasionally I'd find myself up to my knee in a snowbank.

It was a hard slog. Maybe it was just because it was the first time I'd done any serious hiking in a few months, but I really had to dig deep to get up that mountain. Every step I'd either sink into the snow or slide back a bit, making each step twice as hard as if I were hiking on a dry trail. My trekking poles punctured the snow by a foot or more with each stride. I went up the Gorge Brook trail, and though not excessively steep, the inconsistant conditions definitely upped the intensity. Several times I thought "Oh, screw this, I don't have the right footwear and I can't do it." But I just kept going, heart pounding and sweating against the cold air. Eventually...eventually...I saw the summit, and  made the final push.

Mousilauke Summit, view of Washington

The summit was beautiful, of course. Washington stood stolidly in the distance still blanketed in pristine white. Though the wind, like on almost all summits, was fierce, it was peaceful beyond measure. "Well shit, that was difficult" I panted at another hiker as I approached the sign. He smiled. We talked for a bit and be discouraged me from going back down on the Carriage Road path, due to deep snow. He was carrying snowshoes. I decided to go back down the way I came; at least I knew the conditions of that trail.

I basically slid all the way back down the mountain. While on the way up I made an effort to keep snow out of my boots (another poor choice; I was wearing my Merrill Vents and not my Goretex Vasques), on the way down I resigned myself to having absolutely sopping feet. Oh, also the approach road that you can usually drive down to the trailhead was still closed for the winter, so hiking it to and fro added another three miles to the hike. Total mileage was about 10 miles. So yeah, it was a slog. Some definite second-tier fun. But like so many hikes in the Whites, you push through it, respectfully let the mountain test you, and keep putting one foot in front of the other till you hit the top.

What I should have brought: microspikes, waterproof boots.
What I didn't need: I don't think I wore my down jacket once. But, it's light and packable and nice to have just in case.
What I was glad I brought: sunglasses, windbreaker, trekking poles (even though I didn't have the snow-baskets for them)