Date(s) Hiked: August 24, 2006
Trails(s) Hiked: North Twin Trail to Twin Spur.
Total Distance: About 11.5 miles.
Difficulty: Long day, not a difficult trail. River crossings were not bad, but a bit tricky in spots.
Conditions: Excellent visibility (100+ miles), trails in great shape. Quiet in the mountains.
Special Required Equipment: Bathing suit is a good idea :wink: Good map, good boots.
Trip Report: My summer is coming to a close and I needed to get a few more peaks. So I opted to hit the Twins via the North Twin trail with an option to go to Galehead if time, terrain, weather, and my legs held out.
I got a later start and ended up starting about 9:45. The trailhead was not too hard to find...but I was
to see that the ranger was there checking parking stickers...mine was brand new so I passed that test.
"Don't get too wet." He said, as if to foreshadow things to come.
"I won't."
The trail was described in one book as having an easy approach followed by a "long grinding steep climb up the ridge," so I tried to make good time at the bottom. I was able to cross the rivers easily and on the last crossing took a break. From here, the trail begins a gradual ascent, crossing several small streams before angling W and then S up the mountain. It was a steady grade, that did have some steep stair sections, but I did not think that the trail was too bad. It offered some nice views through the trees at the top and it was well cleared.
I made it to the summit of North Twin at about 12:20pm, making decent time. The first outlook was very pleasant, with views of the Presidentials, Attitash, Carrigain, S. Twin, Zealand, Willey, Crawford Notch region, etc.
After a brief snack and view, I moved onto the summit proper and took in the impressive view point that offered a great perspective of Galehead, Garfield, the Franconia Ridge, Loon Mountain, Owl's Head, and the distant Greens and NEK mountains. It was well worth the trek.
I pressed on to the open summit of South Twin. The connecting ridge trail was not too bad. Views from the South Peak were impressive--into the Pemi, down toward the Tripyramids, Osceolas, Moosilauke, Ascutney, Kearsarge (S), Franconia, etc. It was quite reminiscent of the view from nearby Garfield. After lunch and soaking in the views and silence, I headed back down.
My feet held up quite well thanks to the new insoles and sock liners. I made good time descending the trail and saw that it was a bit steep, but not too bad. I got to the first river crossing and rejoiced...I was going to be out at about 4:45pm. :beer: And then I came up to the second river crossing, at 1.3 miles from the road, and that's when I biffed it. I was stepping from one rock onto another and slipped. In trying to pull my foot out of the water, I lost my balance and fell back into the rushing water! I stood up, placing both feet in the current. Water surged in. I reached to grab my poles before they went downstream. My backpack and lower back took the brunt of the fall on the rocks, but I was OK. I scurried over to the other side, like a wet cat, and shedded my socks and boots. I was wearing a bathing suit, so that was fine, and my shirt was polypro, so I wrang it out.
The items in my bag were fine, but my boots were soaked So I dried up as much as I could and slogged the last mile home. I will say it took forever to dry my boots...but they did try before my trip up Moosilauke on Saturday.
A fine hike and a great day...water or no water!
Trails(s) Hiked: North Twin Trail to Twin Spur.
Total Distance: About 11.5 miles.
Difficulty: Long day, not a difficult trail. River crossings were not bad, but a bit tricky in spots.
Conditions: Excellent visibility (100+ miles), trails in great shape. Quiet in the mountains.
Special Required Equipment: Bathing suit is a good idea :wink: Good map, good boots.
Trip Report: My summer is coming to a close and I needed to get a few more peaks. So I opted to hit the Twins via the North Twin trail with an option to go to Galehead if time, terrain, weather, and my legs held out.
I got a later start and ended up starting about 9:45. The trailhead was not too hard to find...but I was
to see that the ranger was there checking parking stickers...mine was brand new so I passed that test. "Don't get too wet." He said, as if to foreshadow things to come.
"I won't."
The trail was described in one book as having an easy approach followed by a "long grinding steep climb up the ridge," so I tried to make good time at the bottom. I was able to cross the rivers easily and on the last crossing took a break. From here, the trail begins a gradual ascent, crossing several small streams before angling W and then S up the mountain. It was a steady grade, that did have some steep stair sections, but I did not think that the trail was too bad. It offered some nice views through the trees at the top and it was well cleared.
I made it to the summit of North Twin at about 12:20pm, making decent time. The first outlook was very pleasant, with views of the Presidentials, Attitash, Carrigain, S. Twin, Zealand, Willey, Crawford Notch region, etc.
After a brief snack and view, I moved onto the summit proper and took in the impressive view point that offered a great perspective of Galehead, Garfield, the Franconia Ridge, Loon Mountain, Owl's Head, and the distant Greens and NEK mountains. It was well worth the trek.
I pressed on to the open summit of South Twin. The connecting ridge trail was not too bad. Views from the South Peak were impressive--into the Pemi, down toward the Tripyramids, Osceolas, Moosilauke, Ascutney, Kearsarge (S), Franconia, etc. It was quite reminiscent of the view from nearby Garfield. After lunch and soaking in the views and silence, I headed back down.
My feet held up quite well thanks to the new insoles and sock liners. I made good time descending the trail and saw that it was a bit steep, but not too bad. I got to the first river crossing and rejoiced...I was going to be out at about 4:45pm. :beer: And then I came up to the second river crossing, at 1.3 miles from the road, and that's when I biffed it. I was stepping from one rock onto another and slipped. In trying to pull my foot out of the water, I lost my balance and fell back into the rushing water! I stood up, placing both feet in the current. Water surged in. I reached to grab my poles before they went downstream. My backpack and lower back took the brunt of the fall on the rocks, but I was OK. I scurried over to the other side, like a wet cat, and shedded my socks and boots. I was wearing a bathing suit, so that was fine, and my shirt was polypro, so I wrang it out.
The items in my bag were fine, but my boots were soaked
So I dried up as much as I could and slogged the last mile home. I will say it took forever to dry my boots...but they did try before my trip up Moosilauke on Saturday. A fine hike and a great day...water or no water!
