The trail to Cascade.
The first good view.
The last stretch to Cascade's summit.
Not much of a view from up there.
On my way to Porter! Look how happy I am to be hiking.
Porter's anti-climactic summit.
The trail to Keene.
On my way back to the Cascade/Porter intersection.
Summary
October 31st, 2010 I hiked Cascade and Porter from Rt-73. The round trip mileage was 6.2 miles and it took approximately 3.5 hours to complete.
Description
Not knowing what kind of conditions to expect in the higher elevations, I decided to do a shorter hike. I brought snowshoes just in case becuase I last time I was in the high peaks, I had to turn back due to heavier than expected snow. I slept in becuase I'm lazy and didn't get to the trailhead until quarter after noon. I thought about dressing as a white tail deer for Halloween but then I remembered that I promised by girlfriend I'd be careful.
I started up Cascade and the trail quickly became a mud pit. As I continued the trail became more of a slushy and there was more and more snow. There were a few downed trees across the trail and I thought about trying to move one of them but then I remembered that I promised by girlfriend that I'd be careful.
I ran into half a dozen groups on my way up. All of them had microspikes accept for one and they were visibly upset trying to make their way back down over the icy rocks. There were lots of dogs and as usual, it was mostly French Canadians out hiking. Either they're really outdoorsy or Americans are just lazy.
By the time I got to the turnoff for Porter, there were snow drifts over a foot high. I thought about testing one but then I remembered that I promised my girlfriend I'd be careful. When I got above tree line on Cascade, I felt like I was on Mt. Everest. It was really windy, the summit was covered in ice and snow. I don't do much winter hiking but it was a lot of fun.
I shared the summit when a French Canadian couple. After we offered to take each other's pictures, we headed back down. There was one steep ledge on the way down where I had to slide on my butt. The woman behind me stopped at the ledge and said something to her hiking partner in French. After his response, she said "that's the best way?" and pointed to me, as if she was unconvinced.
When in doubt, butt slide.
I got back to the intersection with Porter and this time went the other way. I was surprised how flat the trail was. It was the easiest time I've ever had of hiking one of the high peaks. I had the trail all to myself and I was happily bopping along. I was surprised when I came to the summit. I hardly had to go uphill at all and it was just a little outcrop of rocks surrounded by trees. Again, no view but it was even more windy than Cascade. I could feel the snow sticking to my beard.
On the way back to Cascade I could hear a tree hissing and cracking as if it was about to fall over under the weight of the snow. I thought it would be really cool if I got video of myself karate chopping it down but then I remembered that I promised by girlfriend I would be careful.
I was again bopping along carelessly when I heard heavy footsteps and loud grunting noises coming down the trail towards me. I stopped and waited to see what was about to come around the corner and thought what it waste it was to be so careful only to end up being a bears last snack before hibernation. But it turned out just to be a really enthusiastic Canadian.
The rest of the hike was rather uneventful. The further I went, the clearer the sky went and the quieter the wind got. It got to be really peaceful and there was no noise at all. At one point I was romping down the trail and I came around a corner to see a wide eyed hiker stopped in his tracks. Maybe he's scared of bears too.
Weather
Cloudy with a high of 38 degrees. Both peaks were immersed in clouds.Description
Not knowing what kind of conditions to expect in the higher elevations, I decided to do a shorter hike. I brought snowshoes just in case becuase I last time I was in the high peaks, I had to turn back due to heavier than expected snow. I slept in becuase I'm lazy and didn't get to the trailhead until quarter after noon. I thought about dressing as a white tail deer for Halloween but then I remembered that I promised by girlfriend I'd be careful.
I started up Cascade and the trail quickly became a mud pit. As I continued the trail became more of a slushy and there was more and more snow. There were a few downed trees across the trail and I thought about trying to move one of them but then I remembered that I promised by girlfriend that I'd be careful.
I ran into half a dozen groups on my way up. All of them had microspikes accept for one and they were visibly upset trying to make their way back down over the icy rocks. There were lots of dogs and as usual, it was mostly French Canadians out hiking. Either they're really outdoorsy or Americans are just lazy.
By the time I got to the turnoff for Porter, there were snow drifts over a foot high. I thought about testing one but then I remembered that I promised my girlfriend I'd be careful. When I got above tree line on Cascade, I felt like I was on Mt. Everest. It was really windy, the summit was covered in ice and snow. I don't do much winter hiking but it was a lot of fun.
I shared the summit when a French Canadian couple. After we offered to take each other's pictures, we headed back down. There was one steep ledge on the way down where I had to slide on my butt. The woman behind me stopped at the ledge and said something to her hiking partner in French. After his response, she said "that's the best way?" and pointed to me, as if she was unconvinced.
When in doubt, butt slide.
I got back to the intersection with Porter and this time went the other way. I was surprised how flat the trail was. It was the easiest time I've ever had of hiking one of the high peaks. I had the trail all to myself and I was happily bopping along. I was surprised when I came to the summit. I hardly had to go uphill at all and it was just a little outcrop of rocks surrounded by trees. Again, no view but it was even more windy than Cascade. I could feel the snow sticking to my beard.
On the way back to Cascade I could hear a tree hissing and cracking as if it was about to fall over under the weight of the snow. I thought it would be really cool if I got video of myself karate chopping it down but then I remembered that I promised by girlfriend I would be careful.
I was again bopping along carelessly when I heard heavy footsteps and loud grunting noises coming down the trail towards me. I stopped and waited to see what was about to come around the corner and thought what it waste it was to be so careful only to end up being a bears last snack before hibernation. But it turned out just to be a really enthusiastic Canadian.
The rest of the hike was rather uneventful. The further I went, the clearer the sky went and the quieter the wind got. It got to be really peaceful and there was no noise at all. At one point I was romping down the trail and I came around a corner to see a wide eyed hiker stopped in his tracks. Maybe he's scared of bears too.
Beautiful pictures, sounds like a nice trip. You're more energetic than I am, but you end up with better views.
ReplyDelete