Mumster
07-07-2003, 09:12 PM
You want the full story, :skicdave: ? I don’t know how much of it needs comment, but here goes…
The beginning. Ever since I saw JollyJ and Castlerocks pix of the Gulf I’ve wanted to go…there’s something about the openness and foreboding nature of it that I was drawn to. So, given the long weekend off I couldn’t resist the opportunity to make the trip. I stayed with :skiergroup: , but hiked the Gulf alone - partly because I wanted to do some mental editing and partly because no one I really like was free at the last minute. Didn’t do much to prepare, except to get :ducttape: and find M@s short cut thru the Pinkham B Road. Also studied Castlerocks :camera: of the Gulf so I could identify airplane and pipeline.
The fellows at the base of the :mtwashington: autoroad :autoroad: were personable, and happy to see someone still seeking out skiable snow. They thought there was snow remaining at the bottom of the Gulf but weren’t sure how I could find it. It was :sun: and warm.
Surprise. When I arrived at the top, it was about 40 degrees, windy and we were in a cloud. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. It took 30 minutes to find a trail from the Summit to the Gulf – no one knew where the Gulf was, and most people never heard it. There was supposed to be an employee who knew what was going on, but he eluded my detection.
The murderous rock pile. I finally found signs that pointed out a way to the Gulf…but, it was via the murderous rock pile :rocks: , seen in Image 1. It was hard to climb down because of poor visibility and wind - my visor blew away in the first 5 minutes. I saw no one, and the isolation made me wonder if it was a mistake going alone. It was a hard climb with a shifting backpack because I was never sure the rocks below were stable.
The main hike. When I finally made it to the nonrockpile trail, visibility improved and the cool temperatures were pleasant. Sun came out now and then, but it was mostly hazy or :clouds: . I started seeing other :happyhiker: . It was never crowded, but enough people passed by that I didn’t feel isolated. The wind remained throughout – especially at the lip of the Gulf. Someone was thinking about a trip to :mtwashington: to get away from the bugs - s/he should go … the breeze and elevation kept bugs away.
The Gulf. The Gulf was no disappointment. It was awe-inspiring. Spacious and amazing. Was :D to spot the elusive patch of :snowflakes: as well as another patch of snow farther away (Images 4 and 5). I asked every group if they knew how to get to the :snowflakes: spots and no one knew. Finally gave up on pipeline and focused on finding the snow in Image 5. Everyone was unsure of which peak was which. I was surprised that a lot of people didn’t even know that the Gulf was the Gulf…only one person had a map, and he didn’t seem to be able to read it.
I searched endlessly for the second patch of snow, but to no avail.
A big surprise was I was the only hiker with skis – some people were snapping my picture, as if a hiker with skis was curious. That was odd, since I assumed EVERYONE would be looking for the last skiable snow. Despite that, most people could appreciate the fun in trying to hunt it down.
Started pouring :raining: on the way back – about when I got to the murderous :rocks: formation. The last bit of the hike was irritating because I was totally drenched, my legs were all bruised (sorry, no pic of this), the murderous rockpile became slippery and I became tired of well-intentioned tourists at the Summit asking me why I was carrying skis.
Had fun with :skiergroup: on the way back. :pizza: , :beermug: Pleasant times. Narrowly escaped a ticket in NJ during the final drive home.
The future. That’s about all that’s noteworthy, except I appreciate the feedback from :ma: and Castlerock about the best place to enter the Gulf and my backpack problems. And :skicdave: 's endless willingness to post the photos.
:lips: Loved the Gulf. But, now its time to look ahead to the next :skifemcool: adventure.
The beginning. Ever since I saw JollyJ and Castlerocks pix of the Gulf I’ve wanted to go…there’s something about the openness and foreboding nature of it that I was drawn to. So, given the long weekend off I couldn’t resist the opportunity to make the trip. I stayed with :skiergroup: , but hiked the Gulf alone - partly because I wanted to do some mental editing and partly because no one I really like was free at the last minute. Didn’t do much to prepare, except to get :ducttape: and find M@s short cut thru the Pinkham B Road. Also studied Castlerocks :camera: of the Gulf so I could identify airplane and pipeline.
The fellows at the base of the :mtwashington: autoroad :autoroad: were personable, and happy to see someone still seeking out skiable snow. They thought there was snow remaining at the bottom of the Gulf but weren’t sure how I could find it. It was :sun: and warm.
Surprise. When I arrived at the top, it was about 40 degrees, windy and we were in a cloud. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. It took 30 minutes to find a trail from the Summit to the Gulf – no one knew where the Gulf was, and most people never heard it. There was supposed to be an employee who knew what was going on, but he eluded my detection.
The murderous rock pile. I finally found signs that pointed out a way to the Gulf…but, it was via the murderous rock pile :rocks: , seen in Image 1. It was hard to climb down because of poor visibility and wind - my visor blew away in the first 5 minutes. I saw no one, and the isolation made me wonder if it was a mistake going alone. It was a hard climb with a shifting backpack because I was never sure the rocks below were stable.
The main hike. When I finally made it to the nonrockpile trail, visibility improved and the cool temperatures were pleasant. Sun came out now and then, but it was mostly hazy or :clouds: . I started seeing other :happyhiker: . It was never crowded, but enough people passed by that I didn’t feel isolated. The wind remained throughout – especially at the lip of the Gulf. Someone was thinking about a trip to :mtwashington: to get away from the bugs - s/he should go … the breeze and elevation kept bugs away.
The Gulf. The Gulf was no disappointment. It was awe-inspiring. Spacious and amazing. Was :D to spot the elusive patch of :snowflakes: as well as another patch of snow farther away (Images 4 and 5). I asked every group if they knew how to get to the :snowflakes: spots and no one knew. Finally gave up on pipeline and focused on finding the snow in Image 5. Everyone was unsure of which peak was which. I was surprised that a lot of people didn’t even know that the Gulf was the Gulf…only one person had a map, and he didn’t seem to be able to read it.
I searched endlessly for the second patch of snow, but to no avail.
A big surprise was I was the only hiker with skis – some people were snapping my picture, as if a hiker with skis was curious. That was odd, since I assumed EVERYONE would be looking for the last skiable snow. Despite that, most people could appreciate the fun in trying to hunt it down.
Started pouring :raining: on the way back – about when I got to the murderous :rocks: formation. The last bit of the hike was irritating because I was totally drenched, my legs were all bruised (sorry, no pic of this), the murderous rockpile became slippery and I became tired of well-intentioned tourists at the Summit asking me why I was carrying skis.
Had fun with :skiergroup: on the way back. :pizza: , :beermug: Pleasant times. Narrowly escaped a ticket in NJ during the final drive home.
The future. That’s about all that’s noteworthy, except I appreciate the feedback from :ma: and Castlerock about the best place to enter the Gulf and my backpack problems. And :skicdave: 's endless willingness to post the photos.
:lips: Loved the Gulf. But, now its time to look ahead to the next :skifemcool: adventure.