Saturday I went on line and looked at a few forecasts and somehow came up with the idea that it would be cloudy and would be getting windier in the afternoon. Wind chills not to my liking were mentioned as well. And my granddaughters were here a little late (meaning no early early early starts the next day). Based on that, we looked for something not too lengthy. Ironically I chose a not so long hike, but with a long drive (Lawrence to Randolph). But it was worth it.
The drive itself wasn't so bad. Once you get past the Lakes region on 93N the scenery is good, especially with all the snow on the peaks now. It was suggested several times that we go up there (meaning anything from Franconia Ridge to Mt. Washington and so on), but I'm not ready for that. We got to Randolph Hill Road and then suggestions were made concerning the several houses for sale (the ones with the views of the Northern Presidentials). My finances aren't ready for that
.
We followed the road till its end, where the Randolph Mountain Club (along with other generous folks) has provided a new trail head and great parking lot. Mount Crescent Trail actually starts further down the road, there is a new trail (and that's its name "New Trail") that leads you up from the parking lot to the trail (reminds me of the Crawford Connector and the Crawford Path). We put on our snow shoes and off we went.
Snow wasn't that deep, but I didn't want to need them and not have them, nor did I want to keep bitching every time they fell off my pack
. It was in the mid 20s, hardly any wind, and sunny (oh gee, if I had known THAT we could have gotten up early and went on a big hike above treeline). But I was glad we went to Mt. Crescent, it was a nice half day hike and I learned a few things.
1. I'm better at dealing with cold than I realized. I wore my fleece jacket and a hat and gloves and was not cold at all (in fact, I was wearing the same get up at work, damn electrical system at the post office is not working where the blowers are supposed to send heat, it's been in the low 50s there since last Monday). I even slipped and got covered in snow, got dumped on by evergreens, and peed once and I was fine. 2. Dealing with "failure." You'll read about this in another minute.
The Mt. Crescent Trail leveled off and went through some nice woods. You could see through the trees at this point, but soon we came to more evergreens. Since it had snowed the day before, they were covered. They were so beautiful that I didn't even notice that much when I'd get some of their bounty on the back of my neck! We came to an area called Castleview Loop. We decided if we had time we would check it out on the way back. Due to slippery areas and a few rocky areas we were going slower than my already slow pace.
Then we came to the small loop that finally takes you up to the summit. We went clockwise; according to everyone's favorite tyvek map this section had a view (stars mark views) and it was broken out as well. And here is where the fun started. This section is rather steep and there were a few spots where it was difficult for me to get a grip. I was fortunate enough to find a branch or a stump to hang on to and pull myself up, but my luck ran out 20 feet from the summit. Prema was up already. I yelled to her, she yelled suggestions back but it just would not work. And I felt like an idiot for not bringing the Hillsounds, but then again there wasn't really anything for them to dig into. The trees on either side were too thick for me to bushwhack (North Tri Slide it ain't!). So I said "Enjoy the views and then come down." By this time it was no longer sunny and her pictures were monochromatic greys and whites thst made me think of Ansel Adams or GG or whoever else posts classy black and white photos on this forum (insert teasing here - Beckie still hasn't figured it out
).
The trip down was nothing but butt sliding. Not intentionally, because I am leary of creating a luge for future hikers. But it just was not an easy descent. At one point I slid and ended up around a stump in such a way that I thanked God I wasn't a guy. And then, almost back at the car, I slipped and landed my tailbone on a jagged stump (I'm sitting on a donut as I write this!).
Despite being turned away 20 feet from the great views of King Ravine and other lovely places, I had a great day. Sure it was disappointing, but I've read a few trail reports that this area has great wildflowers, so I was planning to come back anyway. Our own Hardcore has written about and Joe Keys had a great video. I'll be back!
Saturday was sunny, afternoon weather and it sounds like Crescent will be something to check out. Another peak I've not heard of!
