Mark Renson
New member
I left work in Boston in the drenching rain, 45+ MPH winds and near zero wind chills - "The Weekly Noreaster". Later that evening on I-495, the Wind Gawds played ping-pong with my pick-up causing me to nearly lurch out of my lane several times. The weather became benign on the Everett Turnpike until The Party reignited around Tilton as I drove sideways on slick wet snow covered I-93, reaching the crux in Franconia Crotch at around 11:30PM and arriving in Crawford at around midnight. <BR> Next morning, I was on the road again, reaching the crest of Pinkham Notch by 7:30 and in time to assemble for the Thiokol ride to Hermit Lake at 8AM. On the way up, we stopped to shovel out some rescue caches. <BR> Snow depths at Hermit Lake were astounding and it was reported that a few measuring stakes in the Presidentials have been buried and lost ! Roughly 13" of new snow had fallen and the avalanche danger was rated as High, effectively shutting down almost all skiing above treeline and making for a mellow day. <BR> It was decided to ride over to Huntington Ravine so that we could dig out some more rescue caches and check out the wreckage left by the gargantuan "100 Year Avalanche" that occured there 1 week prior. "That's 137 year" corrected Brad the USFS Snow Ranger. Getting to Huntington was an adventure in itself. The snowpack is so deep that the Thiokol pushed through the forest canopy which deposited thick layers of snow on the windshield. <BR> Even through the fog, we were able to see the enormity of the avalanche. There are now several ski opportunities there ! The boulders on, around and below "The Fan" are covered and I observed some gullies on the southern rim that looked very skiable. We did not stay long as there was the risk of wind loaded slopes hanging above us to the south that could have released. <BR> Once back at Hermit, I was given the chore for a little while of informing the Public of the high avalanche risk. I was told to be particularly concerned of those who say "I'm just going to take a look, not to ski" as they usually wind up skiing in danger. It was encouraging to find that everyone was open minded and did not give me any flack. Nobody gave me the "I'll go where I want - those avalanche reports are BS" type of 'tude. At about 2PM, I was free to ski and I was able to have an enjoyable run down the Sherburne and bagged some heavy untracked powder along the edges all the way to the bottom. I skinned up the Tuckerman's trail and refused a ride up on the Thiokol that was making another run up the hill. I was amazed at the snow depth as it crossed the upper most flat bridge over the Cutler River - the bridge is one big storm away from being totally covered. I was enjoying my ascent up a trail that has brought me much joy over the years. <BR> Hearing about a boarder's plan to ride the Raymond Path intrigued me. When I reached the intersection to this trail, I observed his track and decided to try it on my own, especially since I have hiked this forgotten hiking trail a number of times and have admired its beauty and solitude. After pointing 'em downhill, I went over a roll and found some nice heavy untracked in the forest. After a while, the woods got thick and I schussed at a moderate rate down the path and eventually in the track of the snowboarder before I reached the Huntington Ravine Fire Road which I used to ski back down to the Tucks trail. It was a nice ski, but somehow I suspected that I was missing something. An AMC caretaker -perhaps impressed with my intrepidness - later revealed to me what I indeed did miss. Backchannel me for info on this. It is also interesting to note that 100 years ago, the Raymond Path was the route into Tucks, originating from the bottom of the Carriage (now Auto) Road. The Tucks Trail had not been cut. <BR> Time ran out on this peaceful day as we retired for some dinner. <BR> Next morning, I popped out and was treated to the only 15 minutes of sunshine that we were to experience during the weekend which made for some nice photo opportunities. We then had a ski down the Sherburne to the bottom where the Thiokol picked us up - a weekend of Cat Skiing ! <BR> After tending to an incident, we headed up to the Connection Cache to dig it out. Incidentally, The Connection is the stretch between the floor of The Bowl and Little Headwall. I skinned up, finding a convenient ascent track in the deep snow to the right of the steep Tucks trail. Nobody was in the Bowl as the avie hazard was rated as "Considerable" which means that you will probably get your arse handed to you. I was impressed at the number of skiing possibilities to the right of the Right-Right Gully descending from the Lion's Head, including one named the Connection Gully which I had nver heard of before. <BR> Afterwards, it was time for a ski down with Mike the Caretaker. Little Headwall was rated as having "Low" avalanche danger, but we were still careful and followed proper avalanche country protocol - carried beacons, shovels and probes, decended 1 at a time, stayed close to some anchors and near islands of safety. Snow was best on the safest line which was near some small buried spruce - knee deep !! <BR> Final descent was with heavy packs down the Sherburne. Good experience for me as I have never skied with something that heavy on my back. It was enjoyable down the superb packed snow ! <BR> The number of possibilities around The Presidentials are mind-boggling. There are places to ski that I never thought of before. On the way home, it appeared from a distance that Jefferson and Castle Ravine had many opportunities for those with the skills and determination. <BR> Quiet, relaxing weekend with good skiing .... but I know that it could get intensely wild 'n wooly. They told me about a gruesome deadly accident that they had cleaned up in Odell's Gully 5 years ago. The big challenges for me are yet to come. <BR> Here's some pics: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/996.jpg" ALT="Taken December 1"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/997.jpg" ALT="Taken April 1 !"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/998.jpg" ALT="HIGH Avie Danger"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/999.jpg" ALT="Snow blinded us en route to Huntington"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1000.jpg" ALT="Yup, that's Huntington Ravine - lots of new possibilities"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1001.jpg" ALT="Southern rim of Huntington Ravine - more possibilities"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1002.jpg" ALT="The Thiokol rumbles over the upper Cutler crossing"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1003.jpg" ALT="Raymond Path Tracks"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1004.jpg" ALT="Lean Tos are almost buried"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1005.jpg" ALT="Classic morning shot of Hillman Highway"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1006.jpg" ALT="Skin tracks on the right"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1007.jpg" ALT="Connection Gullies"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1008.jpg" ALT="On the way home in The North Country">