Connecticut to Mass. AT Partners Wanted sometime 12/26/07 to 1/21/08

[wystiria]

jzakhar check your gmail I invited you to chat

~Christy

[Fornfearen]

Hey Fornfearen et al
To answer to your first question I did the section with a 25-30lb pack - I think total
I'm not a light backpacker. My winter backpack may be close to 45#! An 8# sleeping bag is the biggest single part of that. I have a 1+ person tent <3 lbs. which I'll bring in the car. If rain is likely, I'll carry it.

As far as personal schedule and destinations, I have done the section from Salisbury to Rt 41 in MA twice and was hoping to meet up with you guys heading into the Beartown State Forest section. I am working on the 26th and would catch up with you most likely on the trail around 10ish on the 27th, depending on your route of course I could adjust the timing as needed. I expect to hike up one of the access trails and hang out until you reach me since "catching up" can be a pain...
See an actual potential itinerary in my next post!

I would rather do Bear Mt section again than miss out, so I will plan on joining you regardless of destination, unless you DO plan on continuing north afterwards, (ie Salisbury-MA rt 41 on the 26th-27th, Beartown 28th-29th etc) at which point I would meet up with you for the latter section.

...I find tenters have a hard time finding a suitable area and can get frustrated with setting up camp. I am interested in the whole "find spot - lay down" technique though. It's a bit easier w/o a tent because you just need a space for your body, not a rectangle longer and wider than your body. Also, it's easier with snow because snow smoothes out lots of irregularities and things that go bump in the back.

--I do mostly day hikes in winter and would also be happy to do that as well.

["-When I drive a long distance to work on the AT, I want to maximize the trail distance. So I prefer doing a series of high mileage day hikes."]
Question - if you do day hikes, where do you sleep? Do you car camp and then hit the trail again the next AM? I camp near the car, or drive to some nearby place that looks promising on the map. If I'm really tired at the end of a long day and it's raining, I can sleep in the car fairly comfortably. How do you get your car from location A to location B?I used to drive to my ending point and hitch back to the start. Two winters ago and three winters ago I paid someone to shuttle me back to the starting point. I'm looking forward to hiking with someone with a car!

Answers:
1- My preferences are to head north of Rt 41 in MA but will join up with you when possible wherever you are..

2- I do not have crampons and limited experience with them, but what better chance to learn! Would these suffice? ... I just called them and the West Hartford EMS will rent a full set for 3 days for only 20$. I don't know the terrain you'd be on, but I can say that I went DOWN a very steep mountain trail w/ insteps and they worked fine. I'd gone UP a more gradual trail where ice wasn't as much a factor. Insteps don't work as well when going up steeply because the natural stride involves rolling onto the front of your foot, which has no points. It's easier to walk on your heels going down. See my next post to decide if you might need them. But I also have a pair of insteps that I can bring down and let you use, so you can have a free trial.

4 - I will plan on tenting unless we day hike. I am not fond of B&B or hotels since they eat up much needed gear stash money.I mentioned hotels as a possibility, but I also hate to pay for a place to sleep. Why do that when I already paid for a good bag? One more thing on my sleeping style. I frequently hike solo, so when I find a place to stop for the night, nobody living or taking a walk nearby will hear strangers conversing in the woods. This makes it easier to find a place to crash. So to me, day hiking does not mean motels or B&B's.

I guess it comes down to this: plan whatever you think is best since you are probably driving the farthest distance. My four days are open and I will meet up when and where I can.
Dan

There's a lot of uncertainty as to what time jzachar and I might be at a particular trailhead, but I hope we can work something out. See next post.

[Fornfearen]

I was really frazzled at 1:00 AM trying to come up with a plan. I'd really like to get on the trail 12/26, but my starting time is so indefinite that I couldn't make a decision. After sleeping, today I realized that starting on 12/26 almost certainly means camping on the trail, and I need to just let go of the idea of getting to the 41 crossing in a day hike. So here's what I've come up with:
I'd try to give jzachar my ETA in Salisbury as soon as I can figure one out. We'd spot a car at Jug End Rd. or Rt. 41 and start from Salisbury with full packs and get as far as we can that day and camp out. The next day we'll continue to backpack to Jug End or Rt. 41, and possibly meet Dingus Khan. Then we can spot a car/cars at potential end point(s) for the day hike we would start from JE or 41.
Two details here: 1. My contacting jzachar and 2. He and I contacting D.Khan.
1. Jzachar, I can call you at home when I'm underway because my drive will be longer than yours. I don't know how long. 4 hours or longer? If you have a cell, I can call you when I'm much closer so we'll have an idea of when each would be arriving at a rendezvous poiint.
2. If you and Dingus Khan have cells, you can call him when we have some idea when we'd be getting to JE/41 on Thursday, 12/27. If not, at the very least we could leave a note in the windshield of the car at JE/41 saying what time we'd headed down to Salisbury. He could then play all sorts of scenarios through his head to come up with our ETA. Are there any other ideas out there for how to meet DK?

I need to call my niece (too late tonight) to see what her plans are for Christmas Day. If she puts on the dinner very early, I might even take off that night. NOT likely!


Dingus Khan, if you wait for us at our spotted car, the section most likely to need crampons will be behind us. But East Mountain looks like it could require them, especially given the forecast of lots of rain followed by freezing temps. Using poles will give you added stability w/insteps.

Well, I just had another idea, but if I mention it, I'll probably end up tweaking this posting til 1 AM, so good night all. Except for the next brief post.

Fornfearen

[Fornfearen]

Wystiria,
Thanks for confirming that taking Paradise Tr. will still count.
You are our resident expert for that section, so tell us: What's your impression of how well marked the trails are?
Old business: Too late I realized I could have added something when I welcomed you to this forum. Please accept this belated .

This is about as fancy I get: Boil water, pour some over instant rice. Use rest to heat sealed pouch of Indian food. Pour pouch over rice in 5 minutes.

Fornfearen

[jzakhar]

I am roughly 2 hours from most AT points. I am just coming from the shoreline in CT. I only own a cell phone, so you can reach me just about anytime at 860-335-6270.

That rough plan seems fine. Including camping on the 26th with full packs.

[Dingus Khan]

hey guys, my cell is 774 644 7639, like jzakhar i do not have a home phone. i am in manchester ct right now and can make the jug end road in 2 hours, including bad traffic along rt 44.
as of now, it sounds as though I will plan on meeting you guys on the 27th. i will be packed and ready to go as early as 5 am planning on two nights. just in case, if ithe plan is to hike till the 28th that is fine as well.
if you pull an overnighter you will most likely be hitting jug end road at lunch time the second day, unless the going is very slow.
we can hop in my car when you show up, pick up the drop off car and run it up to ??? for a shuttle car.
i will rent a pair of full crampons just in case, snow is cake but freezing rain can be bad with a heavy pack.
as far as poles, i do not have mine with me (in storage and 2 hours away). i have been doing the ol' stick grab of late. i also do not have any AT trail maps, i have been using the state park maps or just winging it with rough mileage and site spots.

ps Dingus Khan is just a screen name and I do not have a trail name.... not that it really matters...lol

[Dingus Khan]

ps -- i am guilty of missing the clues as well, welcome wystiria!

[Fornfearen]

I am roughly 2 hours from most AT points. I am just coming from the shoreline in CT. I only own a cell phone, so you can reach me just about anytime at 860-335-6270.

That rough plan seems fine. Including camping on the 26th with full packs.

Great! This seems to be coming together. My home (and only) phone is 315-386-3945. Again, I can pick up messages on my machine from anywhere. Between that and pay phones, I'm almost in the 21st century!
I'll try to keep you posted in a timely manner. For instance, if I leave Burlington very early Wednesday, I could call you the night before, then again when I think I'm just over two hours from our meeting point, and maybe one more time when I'm pretty close. Maybe we can hit the trail well before noon.
Meeting point: In the potential itinerary, I said Salisbury. But I think it might be easier to meet where the AT crosses Rt. 41 in Mass, and drive down to Salisbury in one car.

[Fornfearen]

i will be packed and ready to go as early as 5 am planning on two nights. just in case, if ithe plan is to hike till the 28th that is fine as well.
I didn't go into any details about the rest of Thursday's hike, or Friday's. We can discuss that based on what time we meet on Thurs. I'd like Friday to be a mile-bagging day hike, but depending on where we end up Thursday, we could do a hybrid. Example: After meeting at JE/41, suppose we think we can make it to the Tom Leonard shelter that night. So we'd spot one car with our overnight gear at the last road before the shelter, and another car at the first road after it. Then we'd hike at a good pace to the first car, grab the overnight gear and continue to the shelter. The next morning, we continue to the next car, drop the heavy stuff, re-spot cars, and go light and long on Friday. Maybe repeat this Fri afternoon and Sat. morning. I've never tried or even heard of this before, but with 3 cars and a keyboard, this is what I come up with.

we can hop in my car when you show up, pick up the drop off car and run it up to ??? for a shuttle car.

. i also do not have any AT trail maps, i have been using the state park maps or just winging it with rough mileage and site spots. I don't have the AT maps either, just topo maps with someone's route downloaded. I've also just gone by a chart of mileage and site spots. That was when I forgot my maps in the car.

ps Dingus Khan is just a screen name and I do not have a trail name.... not that it really matters...lol

I figured it was meant to sound like Ghengis Khan without ticking off any of his living descendents. Fornfearen is a trail name I came up with but still don't know how to pronounce.

[Dingus Khan]

lI've also just gone by a chart of mileage and site spots.

likewise... i did go take a glance at the official AT map of the area and I will make sure to document some of the potential parking sites since there are quite a few of them.
i believe the TLshelter was 9 miles from rt 41 in ma with, if i remember correctly - don't quote me, a parking lot at the mountain view road crossing. there were several pretty close to each other, i will get the definite parking spots on monday... i will be at work until then, online though occasionally.

i use google earth for visual, Garmin Topo (don't have a GPS unit yet) and state park maps/trail maps and just wing it with shelter distances and trail markers between known areas. probably not the safest and I will be getting the offical maps for both VT and NH as I head northerly.
this area is so populated it doesn't feel stupid to just wing it...

I am interested in the carpooling/stashing of gear. That sounds to be a good idea and maxing out some of these milder sections is a goal of mine as well.
as long as we have a good street map (i think jug end et al are dirt roads - it was snow covered last time but looked dirt) and can reach a car by dark we should be able to figure out the details during our hike.

this will be an interesting test for myself, it will be my the coldest camping to date (estimated 10* nightly low) and i think will be maxing out my 20* bag with fleece liner. I am considering bringing my "snow pants" but they are soooo bulky - i use sil chaps for rain - not the warmest around
what kind of insulation do you favor? down or synth? (not trying to make this a gear comparison thread... that could go on forever...

as for Dingus Khan - it's actually a bit of an insult. I have a clumsy goofy 20lb Maine Coon cat that acts more like a dog. He is all black, has 6 toes on each front paw and is named Gotti (8 years old, no I dind't get it from that stupid show, but the *actual* Teflon Don) He beats up dogs etc... pretty funny really. He gets called Dingus Khan all the time for doing stupid stuff; over time I have been called the same and have somewhat taken it on for online sites etc, just cause it was handy.

1.	dingus	167 up, 45 down
	another word for a spaz. NOTE: a dingus is NOT a stupid person, because a dingus is someone who can make you laugh by doing stupid THINGS, but they are not stupid people. a stupid person is an idiot. idiot and dingus are different. (your friend is rocking back and forth on their chair and it topples over, thus flinging them across the room)

[jzakhar]

Wow 10 degrees, I will probably re-evaluate what I plan to bring, that is just cold lol.
I think with a 20 degree bag and liner/tent/mat you will be ok. That or it will be a late night at the came fire telling stories lol.

[Painted Turtle]

Ok just got done with checking things out here is the story:

9:30 left my house

10:10 Race Brook Trail only a couple of tracks.. Parking for 4 -5 cars if no-one gets stupid

Note: Section Between Sages and Race brook on an exposed rocky ridge line close to the edge will have a lot of ice and hidden holes.

10:35 Undermountain trail head. Light use.. room for 3 cars 4 wheel drive maybe needed could not pull into lot

10:40 Parking lot at base of Lions Head on Rt41 unuseable One set of tracks leading in.

10:40 no sign of tracks coming off Mt Barrack to RT 44 Salisbury

10:55 Falls Village parking lot near Power station plowed well used plenty of room Trail heading South well used. Great Falls parking area CLOSED no signs of tracks.

11:10 Lime Rock RT7 parking area excellant plenty of room No tracks coming off MT from Betlers Campsite

11:20 West Cornwall Rd No tracks from the south Two sets going north and back looks like whoever went in to Shelter and back out. Parking for one car with 4 wheel drive. Sharon road only useable for about 100 yards need 4 wheel drive.

11:34 Pine Knob Loop Parking good Trail shows limited use. If Using think twice about coming down or going up the North end.

11:37 Breadloaf MT trial heavily used Parking excellant.

11:45 Parking at Dawn Hill and river RD for 5 cars. Where "AT" crosses Dawn Hill no sign of tracks

12:05 Kent 341 no sign of tracks from the South a few going North Need 4 wheel drive to get off road to park.

12:10 River Road out of Kent unpassable never plowed

I did not go any farther south. Bulls bridge is a heavy traveled area and there is always parking there.

I hope this helps some. Temp has been in the low to mid 20's with an occasional single digit at night Days have been in the mid to upper 30s with a occasional low 40. At 3:05 it is 34 very over casted and with a light snow.

[Fornfearen]

Wow 10 degrees, I will probably re-evaluate what I plan to bring, that is just cold lol.
I think with a 20 degree bag and liner/tent/mat you will be ok. That or it will be a late night at the came fire telling stories lol.

For winter sleeping, I use two ground pads, sometimes three. Our weight compresses the insulation of the bag under us so it doesn't insulate well, so something has to compensate, or we loose a lot of heat by conduction to ground.
I checked 2 weather sites, and didn't see anything below 18F, but this far in advance, what do they know. What site said 10 degrees? I'd like to monitor that for worst case scenario.

Fornfearen

[Fornfearen]

Painted Turtle,
Thank you for your epic scouting expedition! Especially useful are your observations of how hard the parking spots might be to get to. Our plans may call for parking along dirt roads, so we may have to revise them, or at least allow for more scouting ahead for where to spot cars.
By the way, your offer to shuttle early on was very encouraging. That was difficult and irritating detail the last two times I did this. As it looks now, I won't have to take you up on that, but I don't know what the three of us will be doing after Friday, so I may yet give you a call. Thanks.

Ok just got done with checking things out here is the story:

9:30 left my house

10:10 Race Brook Trail only a couple of tracks.. Parking for 4 -5 cars if no-one gets stupid

Note: Section Between Sages and Race brook on an exposed rocky ridge line close to the edge will have a lot of ice and hidden holes.

10:35 Undermountain trail head. Light use.. room for 3 cars 4 wheel drive maybe needed could not pull into lot

10:40 Parking lot at base of Lions Head on Rt41 unuseable One set of tracks leading in.

10:40 no sign of tracks coming off Mt Barrack to RT 44 Salisbury

10:55 Falls Village parking lot near Power station plowed well used plenty of room Trail heading South well used. Great Falls parking area CLOSED no signs of tracks.

11:10 Lime Rock RT7 parking area excellant plenty of room No tracks coming off MT from Betlers Campsite

11:20 West Cornwall Rd No tracks from the south Two sets going north and back looks like whoever went in to Shelter and back out. Parking for one car with 4 wheel drive. Sharon road only useable for about 100 yards need 4 wheel drive.

11:34 Pine Knob Loop Parking good Trail shows limited use. If Using think twice about coming down or going up the North end.

11:37 Breadloaf MT trial heavily used Parking excellant.

11:45 Parking at Dawn Hill and river RD for 5 cars. Where "AT" crosses Dawn Hill no sign of tracks

12:05 Kent 341 no sign of tracks from the South a few going North Need 4 wheel drive to get off road to park.

12:10 River Road out of Kent unpassable never plowed

I did not go any farther south. Bulls bridge is a heavy traveled area and there is always parking there.

I hope this helps some. Temp has been in the low to mid 20's with an occasional single digit at night Days have been in the mid to upper 30s with a occasional low 40. At 3:05 it is 34 very over casted and with a light snow.

[Dingus Khan]

right, the hammockers worse nightmare.
problem is, is that my other pads are in storage... i can always "duff it" if there is duff to be found.... now you have me worried... lol, they ARE only 10$ at wallyworld...
i cant imagine strapping two ccf pads to the outside of my pack...that in and of itself is worthy of a trail name...

the temp was based upon 13 degree low according to either wunderground or weather that i read recently. i dropped it to ten for wind chill and elevation... i have really no idea what they will be forecasting as the days get closer.
i know it is supposed to be 40's and rainy for the next 2... then chilly during the end of week.

[jzakhar]

I've used the chemical hand / foot warmers and strapped them to my wrists and feet before in the whites. That has always made a bad night into a much better one.

You could try one CCF and an air pad under it. I might have an extra CCF if you need one, ill have to check in the attic.

PT thanks so much for the scouting.

[Fornfearen]

right, the hammockers worse nightmare.
problem is, is that my other pads are in storage... i can always "duff it" if there is duff to be found....I have an extra ccf which I'll bring for you.

the temp was based upon 13 degree low according to either wunderground or weather that i read recently. i dropped it to ten for wind chill and elevation...Good thinking, DK. You really have your head in the game. I usually account for elevation, but simply forgot this time. i have really no idea what they will be forecasting as the days get closer.

i know it is supposed to be 40's and rainy for the next 2... then chilly during the end of week.

It sounds like a recipe for glazed rock. Not only that, but there might be a dusting of powder on top to hide the ice. Not looking good.

[Painted Turtle]

I have a busy week but the offer still stands I will try very hard to help.

[RITBlake]

I just finished the Conn. section, and did Ma. last year. One short section in Conn. comes pretty much right down a cliff. Can't remember where it is right now. I wouldn't want to do it in the snow and ice. Be careful.

I'm guessing you are thinking of the section immediatly after St. John Ledges just outside Kent. Its an extremely steep and rocky section that I wouldn't really want to do in the snow.

[Dingus Khan]

forn and jza, check your pms