No Trophies Up Here: humility in the mountains

No one can say that weren't warned going above tree line on Air Line

There are no trophies in hiking. At least not like there are in competitive events, the sports that are on TV, or in the Olympics, or that we played in school. Yes there are the various peak bagging lists, and the patches or certificates for finishing them. But these modest tokens are not even as flashy as the trophies for winning in beer league softball. Mountain sports are different that way. They have no championships, no podiums, no medals. It is usually just you, your honor, your partners, and your own sense of accomplishment.

That does not mean that no one is keeping score. This is still a human endeavor. Between the multiple peak bagging lists, FKT's, first ascents, winter ascents, and other challenges we have ways of measuring our accomplishments in the hills. Ego and ambitions are not absent from those of us who play in the mountains rather than on a ball field. Most of us who climb have objectives in mind, peaks to reach, and goals we seek.

All those mile for a patch

These goals are almost incomprehensible to people who are not hikers or climbers. The incredulous question from some folks when I mention finishing the 48 White Mountain peaks is "you hiked all those miles for just a patch?" When the risk level is higher the lack of comprehension is greater too. "You've already climbed Mt. Washington, why would you do it in winter?" or "How could he/she leave their family just for a mountain, didn't they know it could be deadly?" "You do what with your kids? Don't you think that's dangerous?"

We know of course that climbing can be lethal. While it is easy to quote accident statistics, how it's more likely to die on the highway driving to the trail head than on the mountain, that is a blithe argument. The risk of death in the mountains is very real, and it is an overwhelming risk for the vast majority of people. Until 200 years ago that risk kept all but a very few lunatics from climbing the high mountains. The highest peaks are still fearsome places when the weather turns. Each of us who regularly play in the mountains do what we can to mitigate the risks. I often read and discuss incident reports with my son as a way of learning how mistakes occur, so that we can avoid those errors.  We train our selves physically. We equip properly. We go with experienced partners. We become students of the trails, terrain, and weather. We exercise the best judgement we can. 

The deadliest cue in the world, South Ridge Mt. Everest

However the risk always exists at some level in the mountains. This year has been particularly hard both in my local mountain range and further away. In the past week 11 people have died on Mt. Everest. While the pictures show a dangerously crowded route on the fair weather days, that is not the only reason for those deaths. When ambition outruns awareness and judgement in the mountains the outcome is often lethal. Too many people with too lofty goals and too little restraint at 8000 meters is a recipe for disaster. Locally we have also seen fatal accidents this season. Three people died in the White Mountains from December to April this year. Each was a very different sort of accident occurring to experienced people. While it can be easy to criticize the choices individuals made afterwards, their errors are ones that I can imagine most of us making. We shouldn't need helmets for walking the approach trail should we? Do we need to rope up now or can we a little climb higher? This slope almost never slides, I can ski it solo. Yet each of these simple mistakes led to someone's death this year. No matter how strong I feel I also realize that one slip resulting in a broken ankle or a quick accumulation of freezing fog and the mountain can become very serious.

The strength required to climb mountains is not only physical, but mental and emotional too. That emotional strength is not only pushing through fear or discomfort, but also understanding when to reduce ambition and retreat. There are days when the decision to turn back is more important than to push on, when continuing only leads to a dangerous situation. Humility is subtle sort of strength. Attempting to climb mountains will eventually humble almost everyone, when the wind picks up and the cold exposes your vulnerability above tree line there is no where to hide. The mountain has been here for millions of years before you or I, and it will still be there for millions of years after we are gone. The mountain always wins.

heading up to Edmands Col

Last Saturday I took my son and his best friend (co leading with her mother) on an ambitious route for 12 year olds. We planned to traverse the Northern Presidentials, the higher half of the full Presidential Traverse. While we started early, made good time up Airline, and felt fine on Mt. Madison, it was clear after Mt. Adams that we were not moving fast enough. We did go the harder path up Mt. Adams via Star Lake Trail. We also lingered too long at the Madison Hut. By the time we reached Mt. Jefferson we were 2 hours behind my plan and feeling fatigued. But it was a perfect weather day, so we were tempted to follow the plan and summit Mt. Washington. However that would get us down the Jewell trail close to dark, and home at 10:00 p.m. We also knew that a rain storm was forecast for 7-8 p.m. Once we rounded Mt. Clay the kids decided to descend. We skipped Mt. Washington rather than push on for another 3 miles. Half way down the ridge both kids said that their feet hurt, their energy was waning. They confirmed that was the right decision for this trip. 

last peak of the day

Perhaps that is the most important skill in mountaineering; assessing your present capacity and the conditions to decide when to descend, i.e. how to be humble. The phrase I've drilled the kids with all winter is "reaching the peak is optional, coming home with your fingers and toes is required". I expect that my little mountain goats will climb many many more mountains. We all love traveling in remote wild places too much to avoid them. I hope that when I no longer go with them on every trip they continue to make good decisions, that while they seek their goals it is always with humility towards the mountain.

Trail Head Parking Problems & Solutions

One great challenge in hiking the White Mountains during the fair weather seasons can be finding a place to park. For several years now the trail head lots at Lafayette Place & Pinkham notch are full to overflowing every weekend from June to October. I've often seen while driving through Franconia Notch dozens of cars on both sides of I-93 dangerously parked in the ditch. The New Hampshire State Troopers warned that they would begin ticketing or towing cars parked on the highway for the last 2 years. This past weekend they started issuing those tickets. Next weekend expect the same and roped off breakdown lanes.

cars lined out illegally on the Franconia Notch Parkway

But there are solutions to this parking problem. Below are my 7 ideas to beat the rush to the trail head lots. Of course the most obvious solution is to get there early. If you are at the trail head before first light you will likely be fine. Most weekend days I can find a spot until 8 a.m., but not always. If you are not inclined to true Alpine start times, read on,

1) Go Late. All those hikers who jammed the trails at 8 a.m. are typically done mid afternoon. If I arrive at a popular trail after 2 pm I usually find a parking space without problem. As June and July come around there is enough daylight to hike for 7 hours on this "second shift". Starting late though has risks. You need to be a speedy hiker to have time to reach the higher peaks. If you are delayed you will likely hike out in the dark so bring a fully charged headlamp. Any rescue situation may mean being out all night. This is not a good strategy for folks new to hiking the White Mountains or unprepared for walking in the woods at night.

Back Country camping to reach distant peaks

2) Stay Over. The best way to get an early start on the trail is to be there already. Whether you stay in a hostel, camp nearby, or backpack to a shelter/tent site you'll be closer to the trail. Lots of options exist for those willing to sleep near or on the trail, from the Notch Hostel, to the AMC Highland Center or Joe Dodge Lodge, to the Lafayette place campground or multiple WMNF campgrounds, to the AMC back country tent sites. Pick your level of comfort and luxury in accommodations. 

3) Take the Shuttle. The AMC has run a shuttle service from the Pinkham Notch Center and Highland Center for several years. Last year the New Hampshire State Park Dept. started a shuttle in Franconia Notch going from the Cannon Tramway parking lot to the trail heads, and it's only $5 round trip. If you don't want to meet the shuttle schedule you can also book a private shuttle through Trail Angels.

4) Ride your Bike. This is my favorite way to get to popular trail heads in fair weather. I sometimes park at Great Glen or Cannon and ride my bike to the more crowded trail heads. Bike racks at Pinkham Notch and Lafayette Place make this very convenient. But I've never had a problem stashing my bike behind a tree at other trail heads either. The distance from those large parking lots to most trail heads in less than 3 miles. In Franconia Notch there is even a dedicated bike path. I do carry a dry bag to stash my helmet and bike shoes which I attach to the bike cable lock.

5) Choose a Different Path. If you want solitude but still get to the more popular peaks choose the paths less traveled by. Go up Greenleaf or Skookumchuck to Lafayette rather than Falling Waters Trail. Take the long route up Great Gulf or Davis Path to Mt. Washington. Access the Presidentials by Edmands Path or the Castle Trail rather than from the notches 

6) Discover Other Peaks. The original goal of the AMC 4000 footer list was to reduce traffic on the Presidential Ridge and the Franconia Ridge. It is still a valid goal. Perhaps this is the weekend to make the drive up to Mt. Cabot? Or maybe it's time to do the long trek out to Mt. Isolation? If you want to take in the views of the most peaks a hike up Mt. Carrigain is always a treat on a clear day.

7) Carpool/ Car spot. If you are hiking with a group try to use a single vehicle. This requires coordinating plans, but one less car is more space for another party. If you have hiker friends doing a different route, perhaps you can arrange a car spot or car swap. A car spot is similar to taking a shuttle, but without the fee. Of course it is up to the goodwill of your friends to drive you to your favored trail head. A car swap takes a little more organization. If you know another set of friends is hiking one direction on a trail and you are coming up the other, swap keys and meet back in town. This can be complicated to plan but allows you to take more distant trails to get to the same objectives.

I have no expectation that the popularity of hiking the Franconia Ridge or the Presidential Peaks is going to diminish. Nor do I expect the WMNF to add more parking spots in sufficient numbers. In order to start your day out on the right foot, plan to get the trail with a minimum of frustration by having a parking strategy in mind. With that, walk in peace friends.

May is the Cruelest Month: the White Mountains between Seasons

Last snow. That’s what we’ll think for weeks to come.

Close sun sets up a glare that smarts like a good cry.

Last Snow - Heid E. Erdrich

In the White Mountains May, not April, is the cruelest month.

In April the snow is still thick to the trail head most years. 
You may have bare ground at home, but the mountains are still cold and deep in snow. It is in May that the transition begins, bare rock and mud appear at the start only to relinquish the trail to icy monorail or softening snow pack higher up. For those of us that love winter it is a time to mourn its inevitable loss. For those eager for summer it is a time of frustration at the lingering snow. Nothing is consistent or easy in these mountains in May.

Since my son decided to seek the grid, and his best friend now is interested in that goal for herself, we must get out when we can, regardless of the month. We thought that the snow will still be firm enough for a quick loop of the Tom-Field-Willey ridge last weekend. But May conditions are often anything but quick. We started out on bare dirt for the first time since last November. Just half a mile up the Avalon trail we found the monorail. While it was thick and flat at the start once the snow filled in the woods beside, the mono rail became balance beam narrow. The sides of the trail were littered with 3 foot deep post holes. The width of the mono rail kept shrinking until in sections it was like walking on a tight rope. Snowshoes were as useless as clown shoes would have been. I stepped side foot just like traversing a slack line top stay on balance. One slip off the hard rail meant sinking in to my hip.

slipping off the monorail can be perilous

But we were hiking. And the air temperature was warm enough to strip down to t-shirts on the way up. Winter is receding though not without a fight in the White Mountains. While Mud Season is in full effect and Black Fly Season is just around the corner in the valleys, the snow and cold are weathering the siege in the high peaks.

The lingering winter conditions are a cruel surprise to people from further away this time of year. We crossed paths with less prepared folks on each hike we've been on this month. The shivering and deer in the head lights look in their eyes was a dead give away that someone did not read the latest trail reports. I've seen too many guys in trail runners and shorts struggling down the trail in the snow. Their expectations of fair weather and bare trails ran ahead of reality. In fact there were two separate rescues of solo hikers in sneakers this past week alone. While flowers are likely blooming in your back yard, it is a different world above 3000 feet in the Whites.

mud, ice and deep snow are just steps apart at 4000 feet.

The cruelest part of May is how rapidly the conditions change. We've hiked up cement hard monorail in the morning only to return on melting lemon sherbet in the afternoon. I imagine that a few days after I post this cautionary missive folks will go up trails completely free of snow and ice. Then again, we could have a foot or more of snow hit the high peaks the following day too. The trail conditions sometimes change by the hour in this transition from deep winter to something like summer over the next few weeks.

still goofing means still enjoying the trail

So if you're anxious for summer, practice patience. If you yearn for more snow, be grateful for what is left. This is the season for being focused on the now. Prepare for everything, expect nothing, hike in the present. With that thought, friends, walk in peace, joy, and laughter.