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View Full Version : BRRR! Thru Hiker and dog in Gorham NH



peakbagger
10-09-2012, 11:47
I saw what looked like a thru hiker walking up the road with his black and white dog towards Walmart in Gorham NH yesterday (monday 10/8). We had snow on the summits Sunday night and this morning its in the 30's with some more snow up high later in the week. He sure didnt look like he had a big enough pack to carry the gear for the current conditions. We are not supposed to get out of this cold snap all this week so whatever way he is going, its going to be a bit frosty. I expect those heading to Baxter are starting to wonder if they are going to be allowed to summit. Then again we usually get a warm spell in a week or two so maybe they will luck out. I have seen a few other potential thru hikers around on occasion in the last week. The remaining AMC huts up high shut down Saturday night (10/13) so from then on the options for shelter get dicier.

I just dragged out my microspikes and put them in my pack for the season.

Slo-go'en
10-09-2012, 12:46
Yep, I met quite a few thru-hikers on my little Maine section hike not long ago who are probably not going to make it all the way. Indian summer is gonna come a little too late for them.

jakedatc
10-09-2012, 13:09
Peak.. you think spikes are needed for the more southern stuff? Hoping to do Owls head saturday and maybe Chocorua sunday (maybe morgan/percival too if time allows on the way home)

RED-DOG
10-09-2012, 14:28
So PeakBagger what do you consider a big enough pack.

peakbagger
10-09-2012, 14:35
My general recomendation is if you got them bring them, usually its only an issue to begin with in the AM in shady spots. I ran into some ice at the base of the north slide of Mt Tripyramid last year in late September. An early morning hike up Amonoosuc Ravine is a hike where one can get surprised by AM ice.

Realistically Owls Head is mostly a "roadwalk" until mid day and the slide gets plenty of sun in the afternoon so it shouldnt be an issue. The same with Chocurua, by the time you get to the summit rocks, any ice should have melted.
I just throw things like spikes in my pack now so that when I do get surprised with ice I can use them. It pretty much a guartantee that sooner or later in the next 5 or 6 weekends they can come in handy.

By the way, I have done the Owls head bushwhack and the regular trail in the spring and fall and I usually am faster doing it via trail even though its longer. I am not a fast hiker as some can attest, but I can usually do it via the trail in 9 or 10 hours. The only caveat is if we have heavy rain, the lower stream crossings can be cold (the bushwhack skips them).

jakedatc
10-09-2012, 14:43
Thanks. I don't have them.. and this is about as late as I will ever do much hiking up north so I will not get them (50 even with 20% rei is a lot for not much use)

I was planning to stick to the trail.. Me and the friend i'm going with are pretty fast hikers and are rock climbers so the slide will be super fun also. That reminds me I should throw in Tevas for the streams if they need to be waded and not rock hopped.

peakbagger
10-09-2012, 14:50
As for pack size, its all relative, IMHO a 3000 cubic inch pack would be tight unless there is a lot of stuff hanging off it. With the current overnight temps predicted to be below freezing most of this week with a chance of showers most days, its time for a 15 degree bag and foam pad plus some sort of real shelter (not just a tarp, but something with floor, walls and a door). Add in extra layers of clothes, hats, gloves extra fuel, microspikes and extra food due to most of the AMC high elevations huts either closed or closing this saturday and its gets to be more like a 4500 cubic foot pack. Do folks do it with less gear, yes, are they lucky, yes. We usually only hear about the ones that are unlucky.

One of the reasons I do long day hikes in the winter is the weight of all the extra gear required to camp out.

I cant comment on some of the hammock systems that some folks use as an alternative to a real shelter. I expect they can work but only with experience.

Slo-go'en
10-09-2012, 15:19
I saw the guy with the dog when I went to the Gorham PO this afternoon. Looked like he had a pretty sizable pack.

It's suppost to warm up some by the weekend, so I imagine most of this early season snow will be gone by then.

Blissful
10-09-2012, 15:45
Sounds like the guy I met in MD in August. The thru hikers in August said they would summit come he** or high water. Wouldn't listen to the flip flop suggestion b/c summiting Katahdin is all they cared about.

Slo-go'en
10-09-2012, 17:15
Sounds like the guy I met in MD in August. The thru hikers in August said they would summit come he** or high water. Wouldn't listen to the flip flop suggestion b/c summiting Katahdin is all they cared about.

They sure get a big suprise when the weather turns on them this time of year up here! How bad can it get? Really, really bad, really, really quick.