The Early Bird...

The Early Bird Gets The Worm

A famous English Proverb states "The early bird gets the warm." Sadly, in hiking, this is not always true, as I recently found out on a hike to Mt Jackson in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

With unseasonably warm temperatures this December, I decided to add to my Winter List of hiking the NH 48 4000 Footers. I had completed this list in 2011, but none of them were Winter hikes. In my blog post titled "It's On The List", I discuss how we hikers love our lists!! Far fewer people have completed the Winter list than have completed the non Winter list due to the increased difficulty Winter weather can provide.

New Hampshire doesn't have the highest mountains in the world, but they do have some very rugged trails. Many peaks, although under 6000 feet, are considered "sub-arctic" in temperature.

Sitting at 6,288 feet high,  Mt Washington, the regions tallest peak, had until very recently, held the title of the worlds worst weather. The Mount Washington Observatory recorded a wind speed of 231 mph on April 12, 1934.

The weather in the whites can be drastically different on the summit than it is down below, and can change for good or ill, in a matter of minutes...but I get ahead of myself.



As is my custom, I arrived at the trail head parking area before dawn. As usual, there wasn't another car in the lot.

I sat there for a moment, enjoying the last of the warmth from my heated seats and drank the remaining bit of my coffee.

My plan for today was to hike the Webster Jackson trail to Jackson summit, then head over to the AMC's Mitzpah Spring Hut and hike up to Mt Pierce summit. If all went well, and I still had juice in the tank, I would head over to Mt Eisenhower and then down to the car for a total of around 12 miles. 

I donned my hiking boots, gloves, knit hat and backpack and, once properly fortified, headed off into the cold, windy, predawn darkness.

As usual, I had the trail and the woods all to myself, which is something that I cherish and the main reason I hike so early. It also allows me to have the summit to myself in most cases.

The Webster Jackson trail, in Crawford Notch, is very easy to follow, with decent grades.

Although a little windy and cold (27 degrees to start), I made quick progress and soon made it to Elephant Rock. This is the first good view on this hike. It looks down into Crawford Notch and surrounding mountains and hills.

Considering I was below the clouds at this point, I was fortunate to have some views. Every once in awhile a slight break in the clouds would appear, giving some hope, but then it got socked in totally.

On my way out from Elephant Rock, I noticed this sign, and it made me think of my mother. She usually visits me in the form of butterflies but being December, the butterflies were gone for the year. It was nice to see this in the woods.

I hung out here for a little while thinking of her and then went back to the trail to continue my ascent of the mountain.

The longer I hiked, the lighter the sky got, which was a good thing because the trail became a little rocky.

I was definitely working up a sweat on this steeper section of the trail, which caused me to have to try to find the right balance of layers.

I was surprised to not see any snow or ice on the trails until just below the summit of Mt Jackson. I never once had to use my micro-spikes for additional traction.
 

I soon enough learned what happened to all the snow and ice. It appeared to have melted, creating many, wet and muddy sections of trail that were not easily avoided.

It will certainly be better when the trails are covered with a good blanket of snow. Snow helps to smooth out the trail and make it much more easy to climb. You can also slide down the trail on your backside on the way down.

The only real evidence of winter, other than the colder temperatures, was this one small section of iced-over trail. This wasn't a problem because it was easily avoided by hiking to the side of the trail. I really did expect more of this.

I continued on at a medium pace. I still saw and heard no one else. I was alone in the wilderness which is just like I like it.

Eventually I made to the summit of Mt Jackson. Although the weather services all called for partly sunny skies, there was absolutely zero visibility, winds at 25, gusting to 45, snow flurries and wind chill near zero on the summit. It was nasty!

Since I was solo hiking and could see nothing in any direction, and the conditions were so miserable, I made the decision to return the way I had come, and not continue on to the other peaks. At the time, considering the weather conditions, it seemed like a prudent decision on my part.

In New England they say that if you don't like the weather, wait a minute, it will change, and change it did.

As I descended the trail, the clouds began dissipating and the sun came out. The 30+ hikers I saw going up while I went down were in for a good view when they got to the summit. Sadly, I was too far down the trail to consider going back up.

This isn't the first time that the weather has changed for the better after I have made the decision to not continue. I still stand by my decision because the weather showed no signs of improving while I was on the summit. If I hadn't been solo, I am sure I would have continued on and had some nice views.

Had I not started so early, I would have have a pleasant, Blue Bird sky day, as you can see in this picture of the Mount Washington Hotel.

It just goes to prove that the Early Bird doesn't always get the worm!! Regardless of the weather, it still was better than sitting on the couch at home!!

Thanks for reading! Happy New Year to you!