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.

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/

The highlight of today’s hike was spotting a mo…

The highlight of today’s hike was spotting a mother moose and her calf. The guys were following big tracks in the snow and could tell they were fresh. Sure enough mamma and a big calf soon appeared .When the moose caught sight of Eric and Matthew they(The moose) quickly headed for cover. Later on down the trail they found a few (bear tracks) shh…don’t tell Mary Kay she was worried enough about the moose. They found a comfortable flat location in the woods to set up the tent close to the Franconia Notch shelter. A big fire was helping to dry out boots and everything else that has been getting damp. The trail is covered mostly in ice and when that breaks the boots go into water that comes over the tops. Their cooking stove has a malfunction so they boiled 6 pots of water over the open fire.

Matthew said hiking Kinsmen Mountain took about four times as long as it would in summer because of the tough wintry trail and the extra load of cold weather gear they need to carry.

The plan for tommorow is: Kat will meet them early in the morning near their campsite. She will bring a replacement stove from MITOC. Then they hope to go to town to wash and dry clothes, warm up and enjoy a good meal in a restaurant.

They met another person on the trail from MITOC today. This was the first day they were not breaking trail the whole day.

The crampons worked well on the ice and snow cov…

The crampons worked well on the ice and snow covered mountains. “It was hard going” said Matthew, “we covered about 12 miles today.” The steps on Mt Moosilauke were topped with a coat of ice. The trip up and down was well worth it. They could see way into Vermont and all the way to Mt Washington. The view extended probably 100 miles and was beautiful. I found out the night time temp was near zero but they claim to be warm enough. Last night was a bit warmer but every attempt to kindle a fire was met with frustration. The logs had absorbed rain and ice for days. The next destination is 12 miles away at Franconia Notch. Here they will meet Kat, get another stove and most likely get a cooked meal in Lincoln, NH. The tent was once again the accomodation for the night. They spotted one hiker on the top of the Mt otherwise the have the AT to themselves until the weekend.

Last night Eric and Matthew pitched a tent about …

Last night Eric and Matthew pitched a tent about halfway up Mt Moosilauke. The campsite was covered with only a couple inches of snow but Eric said there is a quite a bit of snow on the peak. I checked the temp for Glencliff, NH this morning and it was 18 degrees at 8:00 am. Once again they built a nice big campfire to keep warm.The guys slept in a little in order to pace them selves to arrive at the Glenncliff Post Office by 2pm. It seems the PO is open for a hour or two in the morning and then reopens at 2:00 pm. If they had left camp at the normal time they would have had a long wait in town. The PO was the lone place of business. They restocked with food and had a big meal of couscous for dinner. They hiked about 10 miles today and have twentytwo more miles to hike on Thursday and Friday in order to meet Kat on Saturday near Franconia Notch. The crampons are very useful and they are using Agua Mira to purify water rather than filtering. All seems to be going well.

More info about the Mountain
http://hikethewhites.com//moosilauke.html

On a cold evening in the New Hampshire mountains …

On a cold evening in the New Hampshire mountains Matthew and Eric were keeping warm close to probably “our biggest fire ever”. The trail has been a little lonely with no other hikers but then it is January. They had a “long and hard day” and covered about 19 miles to the Ore Hill shelter and are a little ahead of pace. One highlight was a 140 foot firetower on Smart’s Mountain. The natural course was to attempt to climb it but the ice covered steps kept them from the top. The rain froze to the trees and made starting a fire a little difficult. Matthew was prepared for such an event and used some cotton balls coated with vaseline to improve his fire staring chances.

The Ore Hill Shelter looks comfortable but is not as warm as the tent. If it gets much colder they may set up the tent in the shelter. That way they will be warm and dry.

The sky was bright and clear enough to witness the Milky Way as they sat around the fire.