Mark Renson
New member
I hit the road at about 3:30AM bound for Pinkham Crotch. No snowcat ride this weekend and we were on our own to lug our gear up 'da hill. About 1/3 of the way up, I slapped on the skins and shuffled up on the somewhat comtinuous snow. With the exception of some bare spots, it was an enjoyable skin up and much more fun than hiking. <BR> Snow levels are 4-5 feet lower than they were 4 weeks ago - 2 huge thaws have hit the place hard. There will not be July 4th skiing even though there is still good skiing to be had. <BR> After checking in at Hermit Lake, I splattered some zinc oxide sludge on my face and put on my patroller jacket and grabbed my mountain gear - it reminded me that I get to play part California beach bum lifeguard and part North Country Hardman up there .... is this fun stuff or what !!! Even with the sun block, my hair is turning light and skin turning red as opposed to my usual red hair and light skin. We headed up to the Bowl. Several were turning back from some of the high winds. After advising some folks about the dangers of falling ice and crevasses and settling down at Lunch Rocks, it was time to ski. Weather was deteriorating with cloudy skies and falling temps. I climbed up to the top of Right Gully, noticing and occaisional flake coughed up by the winds. The snow was still soft, but barely. As temps plummeted towards freezing, the snow was just starting to get crusty as I made my way down by the Lunch Rocks. <BR> We ate and had a seminar on shoulder dislocations in the backcountry. This is not a lark up there; it is very hard work, but we all love every minute of it and the harder it gets, the more we seem to laugh and revel in it. Afterwards, we stepped out into the moonlight under the breaking clouds with the sublime 4,800 foot Carter Dome in the distance, a sight from the Presidentials that always soothes me. <BR> Next morning ....... HE-E-E-E-YYYYY !!!! The sun blinded us as I awoke. Roger walked into our hut and announced that corn was already forming. It was 28 degrees at 7AM and cloudless and would remain as such with the exception of 2 or 3 small puffy clouds. Time to harvest the corn. After some outreach to the public about falling ice, it was time to go farming. I noticed that the Lobster Claw Gully was probably in it's last weekend .... and I had never skied it. I also knew that it was the mellowest line in the bowl per Goodman's guide. Also, nobody was heading there. Sounded good to me, so I went for it. I ascended past the bottleneck to the top and found it steeper than advertised and even more than the Right Gully. Views from the top were impressive as I was higher than the top of Left Gully (or so it seemed). I was hesitant, initially as I pushed off, but my confidence soared as I carved the corn on my first aggressive turn. I bungled the bottleneck and had to make 2-3 sideslips, but the rest was exhilirating as I punched through some green vegetables and made my way down to the Tucks Trail at the bottom. Cool, very cool ..... I now have a new Tucks favorite. <BR> After manning the Lunch Rocks for a spell, I headed up Right Gully. Before exploding out of the gully onto the face above Lunch Rocks, I ran into fellow patroller Roger ascending Right Gully. I went into the untracked corn and made my way to the Tucks Trail at the bottom. <BR> With the exception of a shoulder dislocation in late afternoon, it was a perfect Tucks day. The hike down at 6PM was relaxing as the trail was empty. Hiking was necessary as the bottom half of the top half of the Sherburne turned to toast (it is now closed for the season). The full moon kept me going all the way to Hudson Mass 'til 10:00PM. Life has been so good to me, lately .... I've been very euphoric, lately.