Pemi Loop

Summer 2014 came and went with nary a rugged mile hiked the entire season! Not really sure what happened, but Kelly and I managed to get roped into everything aside from hiking. No regrets really – just no mountain climbing in 2014.

In May of 2105 we uncorked our bottled up zeal for arduous mountain adventure by doing what we do best: biting off way more than we can chew and getting ourselves good and committed. Of course we invited everyone we could think of (the final roster included Deb, Ruthie, Ben, myself and Kelly) and sallied forth into the Pemigewasset Wilderness armed with a smorgasbord of untested backpacks, unbroken boots, and ill-conditions legs.

Our original plan as proposed by Deb was to go summit Katahdin, but we learned at the last minute that Memorial day in Baxter closely resembles winter. Thusly, we aborted that plan and pivoted back to a known quantity: the Pemi Loop. We opted for a more ‘leisurely’ pace by splitting the circuit across 3 days and 2 nights. In hindsight I’m dubious that the 3 day pace is any easier than the overnight, simply due to the spectacular amount of gear that must be hauled to make multiple overnights comfortable. Anyway the hike was ultimately fun, if not a rude awakening for a first-outing-of-the-season.

The Crew

Day one was the longest and most difficult day: we walked from Lincoln Woods Campground, over Franconia Ridge, all the way to the base of Garfield where we camped for the night. Franconia Ridge was hallmarked by spectacular winds and beautiful, clear skies. On day two we dragged our achy selves over Garfield (I’d say we all had some choice words for that mountain – both up and down), and then up and down a whole bunch more gnarly mountains which finally taper into the plateau-ish Bond Range where we were able to skulk into camp at Guyot Tentsite. We were among the last to arrive that night and were relegated to the lean-to shelter. Tents were uncalled for, but earplugs might have been nice. Day three was by far the easiest. You ease into the day with a gentle traverse of the Bonds featuring spectacular views of the Pemi and Franconia Ridge and eventually begin the long slow descent back toward Lincoln Woods. The hike from the bottom of the Bonds along an abandoned logging railway feels simply interminable and the monotony steadily builds toward a bursting point when suddenly you waltz out of the woods and into the parking lot. We wasted virtually no time in trading our boots for flip flops and hastily made our way back to town for some non-freeze-dried victuals. The Woodstock Inn Brewery, pre-ordained about 3 miles after we started hiking on Day One satiated our respective hungers and thirsts as well as ever, after which we sleepily traipsed back toward home, leaving behind a Memorial Weekend well spent.

Classic White Mountain scramble

High on the ridge, the winds howl

Garfield Pond

Camp 1

Home sweet home!

So wait, what are we supposed to do here?

Seriously?

Spikes would have been nice…Garfield, grrrrrrr…

Camp 2
Photo Credit: Deb

Sunrise

This picture pretty much sums up everything about backcountry travel…

Photo Credit: Deb

Iceland Adventure

Catherine and I spent 8 days in Iceland, driving about 1400 miles on and around the Ring Road. We did some great sightseeing, hiking, and had time to unwind, all while enduring the unseasonably cold temps and winds. Catherine put together a video of the trip here. I took way too many photos, some of which I’ve put up here.

I’ll try to describe the trip from my journal notes while abroad. I’ve included a few highlight photos for your viewing pleasure.

Day 1 – Keflavik to Selfoss

After worrying about our plane tickets, our flight went smoothly. Then, disaster struck when we arrived at 6:30am. It took us nearly two hours to track down the company in charge of our car rental, since our rental agency was actually a booking agency, but they’d never told us which company had our car.

Things started to turn around after we left the airport. We drove close to the city and had no issues buying groceries. We doubled back and were able up move up our Blue Lagoon reservation. Though man-made, it was unique and relaxing. We napped after a dip for a few hours, until we could check in at our hostel. On our way to Selfoss we saw our first sights, with Catherine in the driver’s seat. Iceland is barren! Lots of snow and rocky carved cliffs. Our guesthouse in Selfoss was well equipped and provided a great base to catch up on sleep.

Day 2 – Selfoss to Höfn

It was a big day. We started early around 7:30. First stop, Skogafoss, pictured above. It was icy and roaring. I ran to the top for some more photos. It’s also the start of a big hiking trail to Porsmork. Next was Vik and the black beaches. It reminded my of our first PNW trip. Afterwards came mountains. And more and more, endlessly. We skipped Svartifoss because the trail looked lame, and we’ve seemed a lot of falls, and instead drove to the glacier nearby. It was hidden just off rt. 1 behind a hill. I took over driving there. Onward to Jökulsárlón! I was rusty at manual, but no stalling, despite limited previous practice. At the lake we saw Marcus and his brother, who’d sat next to us on to plane, on a random embankment. Crazy huh? Our hostel was perfect. Very private and we were the first guests ever in a new addition. Our hostess helped us with laundry and we had a big breakfast!

Day 3 – Höfn to Berunes

We went into town for the morning. Then, nothing but mountains and coast on our drive along the fjords. We also found moon-like terrain. Very cold and windy all day. We stopped a lot and listened to powerful surf. Before Berunes we drove into town and found a store with dragon bones out front. There we played fetch, heard stories, and bought handmade souvenirs. The hostel had been run by the same family for 300 years. The old guy running it was awesome. We went for a frigid walk in the evening to the beach. In the morning we were served breakfast at our host’s house.

Day 4 – Berunes to Akureyri

Catherine’s birthday! Also, a long, snowy, whiteout drive. We passed Dettifoss and Mývatn since the visibility was so bad, but stopped at Godafoss. Akureyri was crowded, but our Airbnb was awesome. Lamb, Einstök beer, and Toblerone cake for dinner.

Day 5 – Akureyri to Reykholt

We headed to our last minute booking at Hotel A. The drive took us longer than we expected. We found Catherine’s mountain spire and a new falls. Lot’s of roadside photos. Hotel A was quaint and quiet. A herding dog befriended us and we spent hours by the fire sipping beer and reading.

Day 6 – Reykholt to Hellnar

We slept in, got breakfast and headed out. The assistant at the hotel pointed out some nearby landmarks and we were off. First to Barnafossar, above, then past a hot springs, and back to 1 and Arnarstapi. Great views on the way. We stopped at the black church in Búðir. We were relocated from Snjofells to Hotel Hellnar. After this discovery we drove down the coast to Lóndrangar, a sea stack alone on the shore that had drawn some climbers. We took a long walk there and in Arnarstapi. Mussels for dinner were delicious, and after we smuggled beer into our room while we played Rummy and read.

Day 7 & 8 – Snæfellsnes Peninusula to Keflavik

We had two nights in Hellnar, so the second day we drove the peninsula, soaking up views of the Snæfellsnesjökull, pictured above, which dominated the area. The glacier is said to be one of the seven power sources of the world. We climbed a volcano, walked around an ancient viking village, and found yet more waterfalls. The wind whipped at us in the open spaces, threatening to knock us over at times. We drove to Grundarfjordur and snacked there, before doubling back over the lower mountain pass. On our last day we tried to make it to an archway between Hellnar and Arnarstapi, but needed to hit the road to make our afternoon flight.

Iceland was stunning, and varied. I’ve never been to Hawaii, but it felt like the opposite of a tropical volcanic jungle. Iceland had the beaches, and active volcanoes but was certainly no tropical paradise. Our only regret was not seeing the green pastures and spring growth delayed by the cold.

See many more photos here! Thanks for reading.

Montana Lodge Life

The plan was hatched before the East got pummeled with snow and the West had one of the lowest snow years on record. In a way, it worked out. Sweeney and Kelly flew out and Catherine, Dylan, Atlas and I met them in Montana for some hut living, hot tubing, warm weather, and spring skiing.

We had a 8.5 hour drive from Seattle across the state, through Idaho and over 3 mountain passes. With Atlas still only 6 months, it was our first long trip with a dog in tow, and while he did well, it’s a bit different road tripping with a dog. But this story is about spending a few days up on a ridge with friends in western Montana, and doing some skiing, so let’s focus on that. Unfortunately Dylan and Catherine had to work part of the time, but we all got to enjoy the views and the hut amenities.

Dawn on Downing Mountain from our motel.

Sunrise on Downing Mountain Lodge from Sweeney’s goPro.

We met at a motel the night before, and it was great to see old friends again. The next morning, Sweeney, Kelly and I drove up early to ski until the hut was open to us. Catherine and Dylan took care of the pup and met us after.

Usually, there’s several feet of snow blocking the road for the last 1.5 miles to the lodge. Not this year. We drove up, and still had about a half mile hike to the snow each way. Behind us, the avalanche basin and upper zone glistened in the midday sun on the upper mountain.

Skinning commenced in the base of the gully and we set a steep track up. Luckily the snow had plenty of time to consolidate and the Low danger meant we were mostly concerned with timing the corn right. Day one was mostly a quick up and back, following the skier’s right side of the gully where some lightly crusted powder lay. The hike out was what made it unique.

That evening we all sampled Montana brews, and enjoyed the hot tubs and dry sauna and sunset over the valley below. We let Atlas outside on a long lead but as he’d never been ‘off leash’ outside a dog park, we kept an eye on him.

Day Two

We set out sights a bit higher for the second day, and skinning up past our previous days top out over the looker’s right shoulder and neared the summit ridge. Up there we found cool lines and some powder. Sweeney wanted to push on, but Kelly and I were content to hang out. I found myself in especially rough shape after being sick for months.

Sweeney got the best views as he pressed on a bit higher than us, all around were snow capped peaks and enough lines for a lifetime.

On the descent we found some variable powder, then snaked through trees in the burn zone and back out to the main gully.

We were hoping to make an afternoon group jaunt with skis, skins and snowshoes, but because of the lack of snow we instead took short walks on old logging roads and hung around the lodge.

Day 3

The last day I was pretty beat. Sweeney, Kelly and I make the trek up once again, first to our ski cache, and then following our day old skin track. The day was warm and I wanted to maximize lounging, so I turned around and did my best to make the most of the pristine corn for one last run. Sweeney and Kelly followed suit not far behind after they’d gained a few hundred more vert. They still had a whole second half left of their trip. After one more day at Downing Mountain they were headed to Whitefish.

Catherine and Atlas greeted me at the lodge. After we said our hellos and were headed inside, Atlas spotted a crow, and took off exploring for the first time. We were a little concerned at first, but he came back when called, and after handing out treats to everyone, we turned it into a fun game. By the afternoon he was playing fetch in the yard and was good and beat from romping about in the open spaces.

Day 4

We let Atlas tire himself out a bit as we packed up for the long ride come. We chased the sunset across Washington, where it beat us to the horizon near Ellensburg. After the long drive, we felt good to be home.

Here’s a short video of some of my skiing footage from the trip. Sweeney has much more, and everyone snapped some great shots of the trip.

Good Karma

Over the weekend Karma payed dividends in the form of the ol’ white gold! It all started with getting Xterrible stuck in a ditch on a snowy roadside somewhere in Vermont…

…As we arrived at the trail head, as described by a friend of a friend, we attempted to pull onto the shoulder and out of the road. I flipped on the 4WD and crept into the half foot or so of fluff on the edge of the road…only to be promptly pulled into a ditch immediately beside the road. Strongly suspecting I’d just sabotaged our day, Kelly and I exchanged dubious glances as I threw it into reverse and vainly tried to pull out of the snow. No dice. We shoveled a bit. Also not helpful. In a last-ditch effort, Kelly took the wheel while I pushed. The notion of me pushing a 5000 lb car is pretty ridiculous, but the idea of three of me pushing a 5000 lb car begins to sound plausible. If only there were two more of me…

Right on cue, two burly snowmobilers emerged at the trail and took notice of our plight. They strolled over and with one big heave between the bunch of us, we had the car back on the road. We thanked them profusely, cleared out a proper parking area, and started getting our gear ready for the tour.

As we concluded our gear harmonizing, a jovial ski-bum looking fellow rolled up in an old Toyota T-100 truck and introduced himself. Turns out this guy was also here to explore the unknown stashes that were thought to lay somewhere in the woods beyond. We teamed up with out new touring partner Zach, and the blind led the blind into the woods.

We followed the snowmobile trail into the forest; an easy skin after maybe a dozen snow machines packed it out for us. After 30 minutes or so we came around a corner to find a couple of sledders trying to drag a their machine back onto the trail, where it had apparently slid off. Sympathetic to their plight, Zach and I put our backs into it, and between the four of us had the sled back on the trail in a jiffy.

Having balanced our pool of Karma we traveled deeper into the woods in search of the elusive powder stashes. After a series of fortuitous educated guesses we happened across the elicit goods! We set a skin track up one of the best looking pitches and indulged in several laps of powdery euphoria.

Update: video now available here.

Gear List

POC Synapsis 2.0 Helmet White, S

POC engineers backed up with ultralight shell of the Synapsis XP Helmet with APB technology that provides supreme protection in a feathery 13oz package. A new turnring adjustment system allows you to dial the fit of the 2. 0 to your liking quickly and easily. Two oversized vents allow fresh air to enter and circulate your lid so hot-headed shredders can send cliffs or throw down in the park in cool comfort. Ballistic APB places a layer of pentration-proof Aramid between the molded shell and liner, allowing for a thin outer shell that’s both ultralight and protectiveAn EPS liner provides single-impact protection that keeps your head safe without weighing you downOptional visor is included for keeping the sun out of your eyes or looking wicked gnarly

GoPro HERO4 Black Edition One Color, One Size

If you take a look at the tech specs of the new GoPro Hero4 Black Edition camera, and then give us a call to point out some mistakes we made in the numbers, because you simply don’t believe them, we won’t be entirely shocked. The new Hero4 Black is the most advanced camera GoPro has made, and it boasts capture capabilities that rival cameras that cost ten times as much. The 4 is an eye-popping evolution of the already-impressive Hero3+ camera, and that’s where engineers started when they really wanted to knock it out of the park, and then some. The Hero3 and the 3+ were incredibly capable cameras, indeed, but the new Hero4 generation takes things to the next level. A lot has changed, but some basics haven’t, such as the overall dimensions of the camera. Exterior dimensions of the camera itself and its cases are all virtually unchanged. The Hero’s fantastic, wide-angle, six-element aspherical lens (f/2. 8-6. 0) also remains unchanged, ensuring the same stunning clarity and scope of your photos and videos, at virtually any light level, as we came to expect from the 3. Three field of view settings — ultra-wide, medium, and narrow — grant you an unmatched selection of perspectives. And for those lower light conditions, GoPro introduces new Night Photo and Night Lapse long-exposure imaging modes. Those mesmerizing time-lapse pictures of the stars trailing through a dark sky, or the rivers of headlights and taillights that form when capturing an urban scene at night? They’re yours to take now. Customizable settings for exposures of up to 30 seconds — whether taken individually or in Time Lapse mode for successive hours or exposures — mean you can capture an almost unlimited range of time-lapse events with the utmost precision. Also new to the Hero4 is its sound-capturing abilities. GoPro fielded feedback from audiophiles and everyday users alike to fine-tune the Hero’s microphone, which now captures far greater fidelity and boasts almost double the dynamic range of ..