White Mountain National Forest - Gentian Pond - November 8, 2008 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | White Mountain National Forest - Gentian Pond |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | New Hampshire |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | November 8, 2008 |
| Duration: | 2 days |
| Trail Conditions: | Fair to Good |
| Trail Traffic: | Light |
| Trip Weather: | Partly Cloudy, Cloudy, Fog |
| Trip Winds: | Moderate |
| Trip Precipitation: | Rain, Showers, Sleet, Snow |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 51-60, Low: 31-40 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | Saturday (11/08/08) – (Gorham, NH) The Camel and I woke by 7:20am, were first to breakfast when the Colonial Comfort Inn (aka Hiker’s Paradise) opened ten minutes later, and were served up by the owners Bruno and Mary Ann. The hotel is definitely not the cleanest and is a little run down, but the convenience of having lodging, breakfast, and a shuttle all at one spot made it well worth it. Mary Ann even let us store our bags and my laptop so we didn’t have to leave them in our Chevy SUV. By 8:30am, breakfast was over and Mary Ann offered us up a ride in her compact car. Followed her to the AT trailhead at US 2, then shifted over to her car for the ride to the Austin Brook Trailhead. I got a little nostalgic when we pulled up to the small turnstile gate that marks the start of the trail. It was here that Harry snapped my photo back in 1994 as we blue-blazed to the Gentian Pond Campsite. The Camel and I took our own shots, then began the 1700’ climb to the shelter. I had forgotten that most of it was on old logging roads and that the first two of the 3.3 mile hike was relatively well graded. We ascended steeply over the last mile, and arrived at the shelter before noon and had enough time for a long lunch break. The temperature had dropped significantly by the time we hit the ridge, and The Camel opted for a warm pot of mash potatoes topped with hot sauce and pepper. I finished off the cheese and meat carton that I picked up last night and watched the winds blow clouds and mist at us from the shelter. This would have made an excellent campsite for the night, and the pond was really pretty. Unfortunately, it was too far from our end point on this shuttle hike and we still had another five miles to the Trident Col Campsite which was our destination for the night. Passed two pretty ponds on the way including Moss and Page Pond, and also Dream Lake. We considered stopping at Page Pond and stealth camping for the night as it was even nicer than Gentian Pond, but we had a tight schedule on Sunday and wanted to get another mile down the trail. This turned out to be a great call as the last mile between Page Pond and the Trident Col Tentsite was not easy by any means – with some hand-over-hand climbing/descending along the ridgeline which is typical of this area. Just before we hit Page Pond, I stumbled on to moose including a bull and a cow that were on the Trail. The cow stayed long enough for The Camel to catch up and for me to get a photo, but the bull ran off almost immediately. At one point, the cow came at us on the trail but we backed off and it headed for the woods. It was the highlight of a misty and cloudy hike along the ridge which eventually put us at the Trident Col Campsite by 3pm. We took the group campsite and I was disappointed to find no platforms and no fires permitted. So The Camel and I settled in, had some wine and started cooking dinner when the first blast of rain showers hit. It was light rain and we ended up huddling under our tent fly’s periodically during the night. By 7:41pm, both of us had knocked out our dinner and our wine and were tired enough to sack out. With dark coming at 4:30pm today, it felt like it was after 10pm Sunday (11/09/08) – (Gorham, NH/Boston) The Camel and I woke around 6:30am this morning and there was enough light to boil some water, pack-up, and have breakfast while we got ready to hit the trail. It rained during the night and for most of the hike out today, but at least we had only cloudy skies when we woke. It was a 6.9 mile hike from the Trident Col Campsite to US 2 today, but the first two miles were really slow going with the steep terrain and wet and muddy rocks on the trail. I stopped to put on a rain jacket in the first hour, and spent most of the morning hiking solo and wondering if The Camel had lost the trail. I had on two occasions – most notably at Mt. Hayes - and didn’t see any fresh footprints as I hiked toward Gorham. After a brief lunch break during major snow flurries, I turned on the IPOD and left Mt. Hayes for Gorham. The visibility was poor, which was a shame because the views from Cascade Mountain and Mt. Hayes would have definitely been impressive. After about an hour of hiking, I reached a grouse hunter on the A.T., I discovered that The Camel was just ahead and caught up with him in about 15 minutes. The hunter was the first person that I had seen on the trail this entire trip but as we got closer to town we passed more hunters and a few day hikers. By 11:30am, The Camel and I were crossing the bridge over the Androsgroggin River. We reached our rental SUV at the A.T. trailhead on U.S. 2, then rolled through Burger King for lunch. Our gear was still stashed at the Colonial Comfort Inn, so we made a brief stop, changed out of our wet clothes, and hit the road for Boston. |
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