MITOC Trip Reports :: Across NH in January: Matthew and Eric

MITOC Trip Reports :: Across NH in January: Matthew and Eric
Many more Photos have been posted in the gallery. They go day by day. As of Tuesday am Eric has posted reports for days 1, 2 and 11. More will follow soon.

As of 1:00 Saturday Eric and Matthew are safely…

As of 1:00 Saturday Eric and Matthew are safely back in their dorm rooms at MIT. Over the past 13 days they hiked about 120 miles accross the snowy White Mountains of New Hampshire. I would say the highlights were Mt. Washington and sleeping in a snow fort. I just finished watching the slide show of the Mt Washington hike. Truly amazing with all the ice and wind blown snow formations. Here is the link
http://mitoc.mit.edu/gallery/album554. We are waiting for many more photos from each day. I will post links when ready.

Mount Washington In January. It looks like the sk…

Mount Washington In January. It looks like the sky was clear and Eric and Matthew had some extra time to pose for pictures. The temp was a balmy 8 degrees I think that is Eric holding Matthew up for a hand stand.

We got a call about 11:40 on Thursday and the view from the mountain top was “awesome.” Early in the morning the guys observed the weather and determined the ascent would be no problem for them. Once again their efforts climbing with snowshoes and crampons were rewarded with spectacular view and relative solitude.They made it safely down to camp near Pinkham Notch by late afternoon. Unfortunately Eric developed a heel blister on the descent from Washington. They decided to spend Friday taking it easy around Pinkham Notch and then catch a Saturday morning bus back to MIT. The activity for Friday will probably be to build another snowfort and rest their feet. I wrote this late on Friday evening. For those following the hikers, they are doing well and will be back in the dorm Saturday night. Eric gave us a short call Friday evening from Pinkham Notch Hut. There was no cell phone service so he used the last of a phone card with a pay phone. Then he and Matthew were heading back to their little camp about a mile away. We are very glad they will walk extra miles just to keep in contact. We all sleep better knowing they are safe.

Thanks to Jake for sending the Deck photos.

Snowfort time!!. Today Eric and Matthew realized t…

Snowfort time!!. Today Eric and Matthew realized the dream they always seem to have when camping in the winter. They got to sleep overnight in a snowfort built using their very own MIT-MITOC winter engineering design principles. As planned they hiked about eight miles along a wilderness trail using snowshoes all the way plodding through the deep snow. They ended up at about 3,500 feet elevation which was safely below treeline. They stopped for the day at 2:30 and proceeded to begin construction of their lodging for the night. The procedure was to pile snow and let it settle for about an hour. Then they kept piling up snow until it was six feet deep. The ground snow depth was already three feet so now they had plenty of room to dig out comfortable sleeping quarters. Snow shoes served as shovels and sleeping pads transported the fresh snow which was dug out of the cave and then onto the top of the pile. Eric called from the fort at about 8:30. It was starting to warm up inside and they loooked forward to a cozy night in the snow and on the mountain.

The trail they took early in the day was very remote and Eric figured it had not been tracked on in the past couple of winter months.
Tommorow they hope to tackle Mt Washington again but are ever mindful of the cold and wind. On Tuesday night the temp on Washington was minus 30 with winds over 100. The forecast for Thursday AM calls for 10 above and 40-50 mph winds. They realize the potential dangers and I know will use great judgement.

White Mountains New Hampshire Highland Center at Crawford Notch

White Mountains New Hampshire Highland Center at Crawford Notch

Tuesday was a day of rest from the cold and snowy …

Tuesday was a day of rest from the cold and snowy trail. Matthew is applying for an internship and deadlines loom so the two spent most of the day writing answers to questions and then sending the handwritten pages via photo email for Dad and Amanda to type and send off. There is not much to report but they had an enjoyable stay at the Inn.
The temps are hovering near zero and below for yesterday and today so Eric and Matthew are using good judgement and staying below treeline while the cold and wind remains. Plans as always in the rugged mountains are dependent on favorable weather. Most of us think cold and snow should cause us to stay inside but not these guys. But even though they thoroughly enjoy a snowy winter they have temp and wind limits. We are thankful for that bit of wisdom.

Crawford Notch was the stop for the night. They ha…

Crawford Notch was the stop for the night. They had planned to stay inside of the hut but the cold forecast cause Eric and Matthew to change plans. Mom and Dad were glad to hear it. Monday night they tented near the hut in plus 20 degree cold and Tuesday night they will pay some money to the AMC(They may wash some dishes to lower the costs) and have a comfortable bunk, a warm fire, hot showers and a hearty morning breakfast. No hiking on Tuesday. They will stay inside to avoid the below zero temps predicted for late Tuesday and Wednesday AM. An added highlight is internet connection so Matthew can finish an assignment. It sounds like a relaxing day to rest in the cold NH mountains. www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodges/highland/index.cfm

When they picked up packages at the Highland Center there was a nice package from Amanda. It included a weather radio,delicious cookies and fresh fruit. More trail magic. Thanks Amanda.

The days’ hike was good but tough with slogging thru six inches of fluffy snow. The climbs were “so much work” but on the down hill they could slide some with the snowshoes.They met two other groups and everyone was grateful for the trail being broken both ways. The snow was amazing and there was even heavy sleet with ice pellets bouncing off jackets in the 17 degree weather.

The forecast was accurate as snow was falling…

The forecast was accurate as snow was falling all day and still coming down at 7:30 PM on Sunday. Kat got some experience driving back in the snow and we were happy to hear she made it home. After climbing mountains with up and down elevations of over 5000 feet, they made it to the Galehead hut and set up a tent as close to the porch as possible. The hut is locked for the winter but provides a little more windbreak than the tent. During the day Eric and Matthew donned their snowshoes and broke trail for over half of their 12 mile hike. It was rough going again especially on the steep inclines. The scenery was great with the fresh snowfall but Matthew said “You mostly forget about it when the hiking is rough.” They spotted some rime ice formations that resemble 3 to 4 inch feathers. The next food

pickup is at the Highland Center at Crawford Notch. If all goes as planned they will stay inside a hut tonight.

Saturday morning started out on a frustrating note…

Saturday morning started out on a frustrating note with long steady rain and Kat being delayed by key problems… but it turned out very well by the afternoon. Kat arrived from Woods Hole, MA a little after noon.(Thanks to Kat for making the long drive up north to meet the wayward hikers.!!) After the guys finished drying gear and washing clothes they went to a good pizza place. From there they went in search of the stove which was stashed in the back of a red shed. It didn’t take long for Kat to find it. They are now prepared to cook some more great meals and melt snow for water. Thanks to Anne L from MITOC for dropping off the stove.Then they found a nice economical motel and took nice hot showers. They did some repacking and later went out for some good Chinese food.
http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/summit_forecast.php I have been monitoring the weather forecast for the summits. It looks like some light snow and lower winds for the next two days. Eric heard someone say the forecast calls for 6 to 10 inches of snow so he is excited. The forecast I read calls for some accumulation.Today they planned to hike Franconia Ridge and stay at the Garfield shelter or hut tonight. That would leave them with sixty miles to hike by Saturday.

Matthew called Saturday morning with word that the…

Matthew called Saturday morning with word that there was a little glitch in the plans. They got up early and took down their tent in the steady rain. (It rained most of the night). Somehere along the line Kat had some bad luck and locked the keys in her car. At 9:30 they were waiting below an overpass to get out of the rain. They were hoping someone would take pity and give them a ride to North Woodstock. Meanwhile Kat successfully got into her car and was on her way but a couple of hours behind schedule. At about noon Matthew called from a laundrymat in North Woodstock, NH. He sounded dry and relieved. Some kind soul with a pickup had given them a ride. They were expecting Kat to arrive shortly One more detail in the master plan. Being Kat was too late to pick up the stove at Dunkin Donuts she had to resort to plan B or plan C. It what seems like some sort of clandestine plan, a friend from MITOC stashed the stove behind some haybales in a red barn near the Kangamangus Highway. We will stay tuned to find out if all the plans work and where they ended up on Saturday night. http://netrailhead.com/new_hampshire/kancamagus-scenic-byway/