July 26, 2008
The plan was to camp alone with Peter, my 12 year old, and do the ridge. Then it became a family event, with just Peter and I hiking. Then my wife's sister and her husband wanted to come along, with their two young children. Camping alone with one boy could have been a very special time. I'll have to plan another next summer.
We camped at Lafayette campground. After much dallying, Peter, Bro-in-Law Mike, and I started our ascent. It was about 10 AM. I notice right off that my boy was wearing blue jeans. Seems he forgot his hiking pants. Be prepared, hmmm. Weather reports indicated a warm day, at least.
We followed the Falling Waters trail up to Little Haystack (4840). Gordon back at the camp store said about three quarters of the hikers travel the loop in this direction. Falling Waters is so named because it follows Dry River, a very ironically named body of water. Because of tremendous rain recently, Dry River roared. There are three main falls on this trail and they are spectacular. My son couldn't contain his enthusiasm. This part was, by far, the most beautiful hike I've ever been on. Sadly, we couldn't follow the river forever.
Near the first peak there is a sign that read Shining Rock 0.1 miles.
Shining Rock is a 200 by 800 foot granite ledge that is visible for miles. It shines because of it's angle to the sun and because water trickles over it. Shining Rock is very visible from camp, and the view from Shining Rock is amazing. We met up with a young couple, Kyle and Melissa, who chose to hike with internal frame backpacks that must have weighed fifty pounds each. Melissa was not as eager to travel two tenths of a mile out of her way to see a rock, but once there she seemed glad she did.
We paused there for a while, then continued our way to Little Haystack. This part seemed to take forever. As the summit was barely above the tree line, we could not see our destination. When we finally got there, I was surprised by two things: how late it had gotten, and that my phone had three bars. There is little or no service back at camp.
The ridge line runs due North to Mount Lincoln (5089) then
Mount Lafayette (5260), a distance of just under two miles. Despite a couple humps to get over, this part was fairly easy. There was some wind but the temperature was comfortable, about 60. It's nice when you can actually see your destination.
At Lafayette the ridge trail continues North, but we turn left, down towards the Greenleaf hut. The Appalachian Mountain Club has several "huts" along the Appalachian Trail in the White Mountains. I had never visited one before. In reality, this hut is a small hotel at an elevation of 4000 feet. For about $80 you can stay the night. Included are two meals: dinner and breakfast. Now that I've seen the facility (and the meals), it's not that bad of a deal. Still, out of my price range.
From Greenleaf down to Lafayette Place is 2.9 miles. Walking down doesn't bother me. I frequently hear people say how they hate the walk down. I suppose my knees aren't too bad yet. This final leg did seem to take forever. There was one part, somebody called Agony Ridge, that was tricky. There was a three foot wide vein of mineral in the granite bedrock. It was smooth and slippery. We had to take extra care. Other than that, it was a "when will this be over?" scene. It was growing dark and I forgot my headlamp.
7:40 PM we walked off the trail. The showers at the camp store had a line, so I found another shower on the opposite side of the campground. When done, I heard the rain. The skies had opened. I stepped out and realized that it was dark and I didn't know where my campsite was. I put my shirt into a plastic bag with my dirties and walked blind in the direction I thought I had come. In fact, I walked exactly in the opposite direction. Finally I asked directions to the camp store and found my way back. Dinner, of course, was ruined. When the rain let up, I got another fire burning and sat out a bit.
In the morning we headed for North Conway. After shopping, we took route 16 South. Travelling through Ossipee, NH we discovered where a tornado had touched down. The tops of some trees were sheared off and a trailer was crushed like a soda can. People were stopping to take pictures.
The plan was to camp alone with Peter, my 12 year old, and do the ridge. Then it became a family event, with just Peter and I hiking. Then my wife's sister and her husband wanted to come along, with their two young children. Camping alone with one boy could have been a very special time. I'll have to plan another next summer.
We camped at Lafayette campground. After much dallying, Peter, Bro-in-Law Mike, and I started our ascent. It was about 10 AM. I notice right off that my boy was wearing blue jeans. Seems he forgot his hiking pants. Be prepared, hmmm. Weather reports indicated a warm day, at least.
We followed the Falling Waters trail up to Little Haystack (4840). Gordon back at the camp store said about three quarters of the hikers travel the loop in this direction. Falling Waters is so named because it follows Dry River, a very ironically named body of water. Because of tremendous rain recently, Dry River roared. There are three main falls on this trail and they are spectacular. My son couldn't contain his enthusiasm. This part was, by far, the most beautiful hike I've ever been on. Sadly, we couldn't follow the river forever.Near the first peak there is a sign that read Shining Rock 0.1 miles.
Shining Rock is a 200 by 800 foot granite ledge that is visible for miles. It shines because of it's angle to the sun and because water trickles over it. Shining Rock is very visible from camp, and the view from Shining Rock is amazing. We met up with a young couple, Kyle and Melissa, who chose to hike with internal frame backpacks that must have weighed fifty pounds each. Melissa was not as eager to travel two tenths of a mile out of her way to see a rock, but once there she seemed glad she did.
We paused there for a while, then continued our way to Little Haystack. This part seemed to take forever. As the summit was barely above the tree line, we could not see our destination. When we finally got there, I was surprised by two things: how late it had gotten, and that my phone had three bars. There is little or no service back at camp.The ridge line runs due North to Mount Lincoln (5089) then
Mount Lafayette (5260), a distance of just under two miles. Despite a couple humps to get over, this part was fairly easy. There was some wind but the temperature was comfortable, about 60. It's nice when you can actually see your destination.At Lafayette the ridge trail continues North, but we turn left, down towards the Greenleaf hut. The Appalachian Mountain Club has several "huts" along the Appalachian Trail in the White Mountains. I had never visited one before. In reality, this hut is a small hotel at an elevation of 4000 feet. For about $80 you can stay the night. Included are two meals: dinner and breakfast. Now that I've seen the facility (and the meals), it's not that bad of a deal. Still, out of my price range.
From Greenleaf down to Lafayette Place is 2.9 miles. Walking down doesn't bother me. I frequently hear people say how they hate the walk down. I suppose my knees aren't too bad yet. This final leg did seem to take forever. There was one part, somebody called Agony Ridge, that was tricky. There was a three foot wide vein of mineral in the granite bedrock. It was smooth and slippery. We had to take extra care. Other than that, it was a "when will this be over?" scene. It was growing dark and I forgot my headlamp.
7:40 PM we walked off the trail. The showers at the camp store had a line, so I found another shower on the opposite side of the campground. When done, I heard the rain. The skies had opened. I stepped out and realized that it was dark and I didn't know where my campsite was. I put my shirt into a plastic bag with my dirties and walked blind in the direction I thought I had come. In fact, I walked exactly in the opposite direction. Finally I asked directions to the camp store and found my way back. Dinner, of course, was ruined. When the rain let up, I got another fire burning and sat out a bit.
In the morning we headed for North Conway. After shopping, we took route 16 South. Travelling through Ossipee, NH we discovered where a tornado had touched down. The tops of some trees were sheared off and a trailer was crushed like a soda can. People were stopping to take pictures.
