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| Summit Push, South Twin Mountain |
Bogged down on our latest home rehabilitation adventure, K and I recently realized that we had not gotten away to the mountains together since last autumn's excursion to the Abruzzo. Clearly, the house work had put our priorities elsewhere. Understandable? Certainly. But we REALLY needed to get out of dodge.
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| The Beater on The Streeter |
A little cabin on the northwest shore of Streeter Pond in Sugar Hill proved the perfect getaway. A little old, a little smelly, a little lopsided (it's slowly being reclaimed by the pond), the so-called "Beater on the Streeter" offered great opportunities for wildlife observation.
Otters liked to hunt crayfish right off our cabin dock; osprey and blue heron swooped upon and stalked fish; and a bald eagle terrorized pretty much everything.The only non-carnivorous action, come to think of it, involved a big old moose. We watched him peacefully eating plants along the opposite shore for a good 1/2 hour. A great sighting on a great trip.
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| Log Crossing, Little River, North Twin Trail |
Needless to say, it also involved some ascendant outings. I choose the hulking Twins for my first solo trip of the week. Awakening at 5:00 AM to the sound of rain on the cabin roof, I decided to change my plan from a hike in the Franconia Range to a run up the Twins. I hit the North Twin Trail really early - 6 AM - and immediately met the light, soaking rain that turned the trails into slop. The crossing of the Little River proved more difficult that I expected for August -- a balancing act on a pair of slippery logs wedged across a raging channel. After that, it was a long, gradual climb up rocky trails that had been turned into cascading streams from the steady rain. The rain subsided by the time I reached the summit of North Twin, but the high elevation spur trail to South Twin proved to be a veritable mud fest. I slogged on, rewarded by a socked in summit and not a single view on the day.
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| Slop on the Spur |
Meeting not a single soul on the ascent, I encountered only three upward-bound hikers on my way down. I guess that a total wash out is one way to avoid the August hoards in the Whites.
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| North Twin Ledge, Just Below Summit Cairn |
Peak: North and South Twin Mountain
Elevation: 4,761 feet and 4,902 feet (Gain: 3,700 feet)
Distance: 11.2 miles
Route: Up and Back, via North Twin Trail and North Twin Spur
Conditions: Fog and steady rain, 50 degrees F, zero visibility at the summits
