Mt Cardigan 12/6

[montvm]

Date(s) Hiked:12/6/06

Trails(s) Hiked:Ascent: From Caridgan lodge, Manning trail to Mowgils to Firescrew to the top of Cardigan. Descent: Clark trail to Cathedral Forest, back to Manning Trail

Total Distance:Approx 6.5

Difficulty:Moderate

Conditions:Lower elevation dry, upper elevations icy with a dusting of snow on exposed summit rocks.

Special Required Equipment:I used crampons although these where overkill. Stabilizers would have been fine.

Trip Report: Forcast for this day was 60 percent of precipt with temps in the upper 30's. It stayed dry all day until a tiny bit of sleet started to fall at the very end of the hike. All trails where well maintained and marked. Matt and I enjoyed the serenity of having the mountain to ourselves this day, not a single soul to be seen. The summits of Firescrew and Cardigan where very windy. I Hiked with only thermals and gortex shell pants and shell for jacket. Brought extra wool sweater and fleece insulation for the gortex pants that where not needed. Jacket was not need until we stopped up on the summit. Thats when the gloves and hat made a brief appearance.

I would recommend this hike to anyone. It was not too difficult, unlike the rumors i hear about the Holts trail. I Would like to do this trail in the future. This was my second trip to Cardigan, the first being in the fall with my wife. Big crowds that time. I would like to do this when there is more snow and ice. Maybe the Holts trail would be cool with full on crampon conditions...
FYI: My budy Matt is in the red jacket, I'm in the blue with the old school crampons..Here are some pictures of the trip.

First view of the Summit


The beggining of Firescrew


Summit of Firescrew


Matt Possing


Famous Holts Trail


Firetower and Crampons


View from the Summit


South Peak


Me fighting the wind...

[MarcHowes]

Nice report, you really lucked out with the 60% precip considering the pics you got!!! Cardigan used to be on my official to-do list but it got shoved off by my NH48 quest. Looks like I will have to put it back on

[montvm]

Originally Posted by MarcHowes

Nice report, you really lucked out with the 60% precip considering the pics you got!!! Cardigan used to be on my official to-do list but it got shoved off by my NH48 quest. Looks like I will have to put it back on

I was going through your web site last night after i wrote this report and read about the your North Presidentail Traverse, that you did in one day. Was it 17 total miles? How long did it take you to do the whole thing. Man you must have been a hurting puppy after that. I don't think that i would be cable of something of that magnitude at my current physical condition. Jackson and Webster was the hardest day hike that i have had this year. Actually I did Kerasage and then Sunnape in the same day, Sunnape follow the James Brook trail i belive, (it was some brook trail).

Did you finish your 48 quest? Well anyways i would deffinatly put Cardigan back on your to do list. Its sort of like Manadnock but without the crowds. The Holts trail is supposed to be one of the most difficult in New England according to the Southern New Hampshire AMC book. I would still like to do this. I'm wondering if its worse than the scrambles at the summet of Jackson and Webster...I mean how bad could it really be, anyone have any input?????????

On the Ascutuany front, right now rain is forcasted for Monday. Hopefully this will change!

[thetrailboss]

Nice report and pics. Cardigan is a great mountain. Glad it is only 35 minutes from my house!

[MarcHowes]

Thanks, I did the traverse in two stages the North which was from the great gulf trailhead on 16 (Sort half way between Gorham and Pinkham notch) then I traversed over the peaks to to o monroe. Rain clouds roared in and soaked me as I bailed out down tuckermans ravine to my bike at Pinkham notch. I dried up mostly by the time I reached my bike and I took off very fast to my car. It began to instantly pour 5 seconds (literally) from my car. Then there was a big lightning storm on the mountain. I was glad I bailed out.

I was fine that day actually, but the next day I did the South Presis. I felt very sore after that!

-- Yes I did finish the 48 quest 11/05/06 Baby!

I didnt visit Webster but there are lot of trails out there worse than Jackson summit

[montvm]

Originally Posted by MarcHowes

I didnt visit Webster but there are lot of trails out there worse than Jackson summit

Like which trails. Ok i have done a bunch of different hikes over the years. In Maine i did the arm at old speck and hiked to the summit of Bald Pate. In VT I have hiked Mansfield, Camels hump, and General Stark in the winter. Actually i have hiked Mansfield in the winter and we stayed at the lodge third of the way up but could not find the trail to the summit. I hiked it when i was younger and my uncle who took me on this trip, told me in recent years that he headwall at the summit looked really bad, so maybe thats why we didn't make it to the top. (He, my uncle, through hiked the AT in 1983, and is responsible for giving me the bug). Actually Old speck was my first summit ever, I was 15. OK anyways, in NH i have done Monanock, Cardigan, Jackson, Webster, Chachora, (sp?) Wildcat D, and the Franconia ridge walk in the winter.

I am just trying to quantify the difficulty of the Holts trail on Cardigan. Unfortunatly i can not tell you which trails i took on most of the hikes because i was too young. I do remember Mansifield being very difficult. There was one point where i had needed help coming down a scramble that had a latter, someone took my pack for me.

Ok enough of my babbling, i just came from a christmass party and had a few drinks!!!!!

Looks like the weather is changing in my favor for monday! :-

P.S. Sorry about my spelling.