Garfield - Jan. 31

[Max]

I stagger out of bed at 3:15 AM, 15 minutes before the alarm is due to cause me to have a near heart attack. Why is it that I always seem to wake up before it goes off, do I have a built-in clock in my head? I wish someone would do a scientific study on this phenomenom. I've packed the night before, so I quickly gather my stuff, dress, and head straight for the local Dunkin Donuts for a medium coffee and a muffin. The guys have gotten used to seeing me come in at weird hours on the weekend, and I hear the familiar "Going hiking again?" greeting. 3 hours later I find myself at the Appalachia trailhead, with a plan to climb Madison and Adams. But it's been lightly snowing since I hit Franconia Notch, and the visibility is poor...I can see maybe to the 3,000 foot level. Not wanting to spend the day wandering around looking at only the next 100 feet of trail in the clouds and wind, I decide to change my plans and head back through Twin Mountain and off to the Garfield trailhead.

It's now 7 AM, and there's one other car there, and 2 guys are just getting ready to leave for a days hike. I rearrange my gear, get my clothing adjusted by using a precise scientific formula for telling how to dress for the day; i.e. I stick my head out the car window. After my recent adventures on the Carters, sans snowshoes, I lash them to the pack and I am off, about 15 minutes behind the other 2 hikers. The first mile or so is on the dirt road that is gated, adding an extra mile to the hike...it'll end up being a 12 mile day. I cover this with great speed, snacking on a pack of peanut butter cookies along the way. Soon I hit the trail itself. Because of the gentle grades on the Garfield trail, it's favored by back country skiers, but it sure could use a fresh dump of snow, especially on the lower section here, where many exposed roots pose a challenge. A half mile up, I meet and pass the other 2 hikers. I'm feeling particularly strong today, must be the Dunkin Donuts muffin, it always seems to do the trick. The trail is well graded, not really any steep sections all the way to the Garfield Ridge trail, and, one foot in front of the other, I settle into a nice rhythm that I just hate to break. And I've hit my "clothing comfort level" as well, so why stop? And I don't until I hit the ridge trail junction 2-1/2 hours after my start. It's time to write my name in the snow, and add my Gortex shell since I can hear the wind higher up. I kick steps in the steep ascent and 10 minutes later I'm on the summit. The visibility is about what I expected, that is to say "none." I can see brief bits of the valley towards Owl's Head, but Lafayette is shrouded in the clouds. The wind is biting pretty hard, and I don't have a thermometer, but it feels like zero degrees, perhaps a bit less, so I quickly drop down to the trail junction again.

Oh yes, and here some self-styled carrier of the "Anti-AMC" torch has done his handiwork on the trail sign, painting the entire board in a horrendous lime green color. And added a message in black marker saying something like "AMC has poor backcountry ethics." Well, DUH, that's the pot calling the kettle black! What a profound statement and garish paint job from this glasshouse rock tosser! But off I go, now striding along at a tremendous pace...I didn't use my snowshoes on the way up, and it's perfect conditions for bare booting, a nice soft cushion where your boot sinks in an inch or two and I fly on the descent. In 15 minutes I meet the other 2 hikers on their ascent. We exchange brief pleasantries about the day, and I'm off again, hustling down, passing a couple other groups of hikers, crossing the totally frozen brooks, reaching the road, and finally the gate at the parking area. It's been a great hike, my descent averaging over 3 mph due to the perfect booting/sliding conditions, like jogging downhill in cushy-soft beach sand! I even get home early enough that I can take my wife down to the health club to work out the day's kinks, while she gets in her routine, then it's off to Subway for a coupla sandwiches. Well, no Presidentials today, but Garfield was a good substitute. We sure could use a bit more snow on the trails though, espcially for the back country skiers. Sorry, no pics, I left the camera at home for the day.

Max

[MichaelJ]

I'm glad you had a good trip (I still need to get up Garfield)! Sorry about your poor visilibyt; we were skiing the Sawyer River Trail (report soon to follow in Ski Trip Reports) and it was sunny, blue ski, barely any wind (except up at the Kanc trailhead). It did look not cloudy, but "hazy", on the mountaintops. Gotta love those ice crystals in suspension!