Comments Off on K2 : Wind Drives Climbers Back to Base Camp + Arnold and Schali Establish Eridius on Gross Ruchen in Switzerland
K2 : Wind Drives Climbers Back to Base Camp : from Explorersweb.com
Dani Arnold, and Roger Schali establish Eridius on Gross Ruchen in Switzerland – Planet Mtn
———————————————————————————————————————-
https://explorersweb.com/2020/12/14/k2-wind-drives-climbers-back-to-base-camp/ — K2 : Wind Drives Climbers Back to Base Camp.
https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/dani-arnold-roger-schali-establish-egidius-gross-ruchen-switzerland.html — Dani Arnold, Roger Schali establish Egidius on Gross Ruchen in Switzerland.
========================================================
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener — Please log in
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener/photos_all Please log in
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener — Please log in https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener/photos_all Please log in https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener
========..
K2 : Wind Drives Climbers Back to Base Camp : from Explorersweb.com
Dani Arnold, and Roger Schali establish Eridius on Gross Ruchen in Switzerland – Planet Mtn
Comments Off on The winter I became a cold weather wimp
It really hasn't been that cold. The lowest temperatures have been single digits, but normally it has reached the twenties and sometimes thirties during the day. But somehow, I have become a wimp. I have felt very cold this winter. I have taken to wearing a hat all the time, even just going to the post office. I pulled out some vintage items from my closet, including a puffy jacket of extreme puffiness, the North Face guide jacket. I bought it in the nineties, before puffy jackets were less puffy. Wearing it, I look as though I have huge biceps. I also resurrected some huge pack boots. Around town, I appear to have just come from base camp.
I scanned the weather forecast obsessively, wanting to get in one more backpacking trip. Even at a thousand feet by the river, it was predicted to only be forty degrees. Escalating to a high level of wimpiness, I decided that was too cold for enjoyment. I have camped in those temperatures before, but I didn't feel like doing it anymore. An..
It really hasn't been that cold. The lowest temperatures have been single digits, but normally it has reached the twenties and sometimes thirties during the day. But somehow, I have become a wimp. I have felt very cold this winter. I have taken to wearing a hat all the time, even just going to the post office. I pulled out some vintage items from my closet, including a puffy jacket of extreme puffiness, the North Face guide jacket. I bought it in the nineties, before puffy jackets were less puffy. Wearing it, I look as though I have huge biceps. I also resurrected some huge pack boots. Around town, I appear to have just come from base camp.
I scanned the weather forecast obsessively, wanting to get in one more backpacking trip. Even at a thousand feet by the river, it was predicted to only be forty degrees. Escalating to a high level of wimpiness, I decided that was too cold for enjoyment. I have camped in those temperatures before, but I didn't feel like doing it anymore. Angrily I unpacked my bag. It would have to be day trips from now on, until spring, or until I adapt.
Jerry mansplaining to Spruce and Frost how to skijor.
I'm not sure what is causing this wimpiness: thyroid? less body fat (I wish, but unlikely), but it has to stop. There are five more months of cold weather ahead. So I keep going outside, trying to adapt. Mostly this has taken the form of walking gingerly on ice or some skiing where I can find good snow. I gaze longingly at the dogs with their fur coats. Spruce is in love with the snow and rolls in it with enthusiasm. Dogs are lucky, though they suffer in the summer.
Success!
The other day we skied desperately through the trees trying to find powder. I wore long underwear, two fleece layers, a hat and mittens, and never removed any of those layers. We encountered many other townspeople following our tracks, hoping we had discovered the secret good spot. The kids couldn't ski at the downhill ski area yet, so they were being pulled by a car around and around the parking lot. You do what you have to do around here.
Kids being pulled by a car on skis.
In search of somewhere new to go, I parked by the turn-off to Kinney Lake and ran up the dirt road. It is a short, steep run, hardly worth bothering, but it was good to try something different. The lake looks skateable, so this went on the list. Our little outside skating rink won't be open due to Covid, though it seems like it could have been managed, people didn't want to deal with it. Skating is hard because I'm not good enough to stay warm, so hand warmers it will be.
I'm hoping to lose my cold weather wimpiness soon. I love it when I walk outside on a thirty degree day and exclaim how hot it is. I have faith this will come. Until then, I'll be the one in the Puffy McPufferson jacket, big boots and a hat.
Comments Off on Parker, Salisbury, Hassanamesit, Hill, Platt, Oakmont Conservation Land (Grafton, MA)
Buy my new novel Take to the Unscathed Road now! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
In our quest to discover more local trails, we stumbled upon a large multi-parcel, multi-use area in South Grafton. There are a half dozen tracts of land to explore, and we visited most of them on our rainy day Thanksgiving hike. We started in a subdivision off Taft Mill Road on the orange trail. A great map can be found HERE.
The trail was covered in November leaves and was a little hard to follow initially. We were able to navigate using the orange blazes. This was a “neighborhood trails” type section, but had some cool large cliffs that we switchbacked up. After we got to the yellow trail, we banged a left on a nice, flat, but wet trail.
When we reached the Salisbury Preserve, we took the blue trail and looped around the towers and into a gorgeous forest with interpretive trail markers on the brown trail through the Hassanamesit Woods.
To finish our loop, we took the purple to yellow t..
Buy my new novel Take to the Unscathed Road now! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! In our quest to discover more local trails, we stumbled upon a large multi-parcel, multi-use area in South Grafton. There are a half dozen tracts of land to explore, and we visited most of them on our rainy day Thanksgiving hike. We started in a subdivision off Taft Mill Road on the orange trail. A great map can be found HERE. The trail was covered in November leaves and was a little hard to follow initially. We were able to navigate using the orange blazes. This was a "neighborhood trails" type section, but had some cool large cliffs that we switchbacked up. After we got to the yellow trail, we banged a left on a nice, flat, but wet trail. When we reached the Salisbury Preserve, we took the blue trail and looped around the towers and into a gorgeous forest with interpretive trail markers on the brown trail through the Hassanamesit Woods. To finish our loop, we took the purple to yellow to red to white and back on the orange trail. The terrain was quite varied and beautiful, ranging from pine tree to everything in between. This was a wonderful loop that would make for great running or biking and I'm sure I will make the trip again to do just that. Total Time: ~1 hr 35 minsTotal Distance: ~4.17 milesTotal Elevation Gain: ~413 vertical gain
Comments Off on NH 4K: Mount Hancock and South Hancock via Hancock Loop Trail (December)
Buy my new novel Take to the Unscathed Road now! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Lauren and I were joined by Mike and Astrid for a quick jaunt up the Hancocks. This was my seventh time doing the peaks. Conditions were about as perfect as you could ask on a balmy December day.
It was in the high 30s when we started at the trailhead so we delayered almost immediately. The snow was wet, but packed down. Microspikes are necessary but snowshoes would only be useful on the steep ascents higher up and the ridge between the two peaks.
We cruised up to “the junction” in about an hour and a half. “The junction” is the beginning of the Hancock Loop Trail and is usually my benchmark for how quickly we will finish the hike. We also caught a quick snack here before the steep and sometimes slippery ascent up the south peak.
I prefer going up the south peak because it's all business. There were a few steeper spots that were slick due to people butt sliding, but nothing too crazy..
Buy my new novel Take to the Unscathed Road now! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Lauren and I were joined by Mike and Astrid for a quick jaunt up the Hancocks. This was my seventh time doing the peaks. Conditions were about as perfect as you could ask on a balmy December day. It was in the high 30s when we started at the trailhead so we delayered almost immediately. The snow was wet, but packed down. Microspikes are necessary but snowshoes would only be useful on the steep ascents higher up and the ridge between the two peaks. We cruised up to "the junction" in about an hour and a half. "The junction" is the beginning of the Hancock Loop Trail and is usually my benchmark for how quickly we will finish the hike. We also caught a quick snack here before the steep and sometimes slippery ascent up the south peak. I prefer going up the south peak because it's all business. There were a few steeper spots that were slick due to people butt sliding, but nothing too crazy. We got no views on the summit, so we made the quick journey over to the north peak, where we also got no views. The ridge could definitely use a good snowshoeing, as many people tore it up barebooting. It's still able to be barebooted, but the snow will likely soften up with warmer weather coming in. It was a great day in the hills despite the lack of views. Total Time: 4 hrs 34 minsTotal Distance: ~9.12 miles (Garmin Fenix 5x Plus)Total Elevation Gain: ~3012 vertical gain
Comments Off on MacLeod and Small Establish Nevermore on Ben Nevis, Scotland + Savannah Cummins is New Kid Climbing in Antarctica
David MacLeod, Ian Small Establish Nevermore on Ben Nevis, Scotland – Planet Mountain
Savannah Cummins is the New Kid climbing in Antarctica – from PlanetMountain.com
—————————————————————————————————————-
https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/dave-macleod-iain-small-establish-nevermore-ben-nevis-scotland.html — David MacLeod, Ian Small establish Nevermore ob Ben Nevis, Scotland.
https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/savannah-cummins-is-the-new-kid-climbing-in-antarctica.html — Savannah Cummins is the new Kid climbing in Antarctica.
===========================================================
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener — Please log in
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener/photos_all Please log in
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener — Please log in https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener/photos_all Please log in https://www.faceb..
David MacLeod, Ian Small Establish Nevermore on Ben Nevis, Scotland – Planet Mountain
Savannah Cummins is the New Kid climbing in Antarctica – from PlanetMountain.com
Comments Off on Joshua Tree National Park 3 Peaks Loop Backpack
“There are times occasionally in life when great changes occur, and then nothing is ever the same again. Things never just stay the same anytime. Change seems to be one of the certainties in life… just as well. But while we look forward eagerly to what is to come, we can thoughtfully appreciate the good that has been and what we have at the moment.”
~Ester Morganson from “The Last Season”
Joshua Tree National Park is located in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts of Southern California and is a perfect destination when it is cooler in the fall, winter or spring. Step off the main highway that is loaded with people and cars and remote desert wilderness is yours. However, it is primarily waterless. For the backpacker, this means hauling extra water which is very heavy or caching water along the way. Luckily, placing a water cache is legal in Joshua Tree. My hiking friend, Michelle and I put together a Joshua Tree 3 Peaks Backpack. It is a 3 day new route featuring a little trail walking, cr..
“There are times occasionally in life when great changes occur, and then nothing is ever the same again. Things never just stay the same anytime. Change seems to be one of the certainties in life… just as well. But while we look forward eagerly to what is to come, we can thoughtfully appreciate the good that has been and what we have at the moment.” ~Ester Morganson from “The Last Season”
Joshua Tree National Park is located in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts of Southern California and is a perfect destination when it is cooler in the fall, winter or spring. Step off the main highway that is loaded with people and cars and remote desert wilderness is yours. However, it is primarily waterless. For the backpacker, this means hauling extra water which is very heavy or caching water along the way. Luckily, placing a water cache is legal in Joshua Tree. My hiking friend, Michelle and I put together a Joshua Tree 3 Peaks Backpack. It is a 3 day new route featuring a little trail walking, cross-country travel, road walking, climbing 3 peaks and 3 water caches.
We used the program CalTopo to map it out and print maps. We then uploaded our route to Gaia GPS on our phones. The trip did have more road walking than I prefer, but the peak climbs made up for it. It was diverse, interesting, scenic, challenging, and fun.
GPS File Click blue “Open in CalTopo” in upper right hand corner of map to view and download GPX
Pre-trip
Michelle and I drove to Joshua Tree and placed 3 water caches the evening before our trip. At each location we placed 1 gallon per person labeled with hiker name and estimated date of pick-up under near by bushes. I like using Crystal Geyser brand of water bottles. They are inexpensive, smash easily, very lightweight, and have a small plastic handle that makes it very easy to carry them on a backpack. All locations are accessible by 2 wheel drive cars.
Cache locations (refer to trip CalTopo map):
Ryan Mountain Trailhead, Queen Mountain Trailhead, Quail Spring Day Use Area
Water Cache – labeled water bottles in bush
Day 1 – Upper Covington Flats Trailhead to Queen Valley
19.6 miles
Day 1 was a huge success and included both an incredible sunrise and sunset plus a climb up Ryan Peak. I have a new Suunto Ambit3 Peak watch highly recommended by Andrew Skurka that gives all sorts of interesting stats about our hiking day. Apparently we hiked 19.6 miles with 2,556 elevation gain and 3,031 descent.
Our route started at Upper Covington Flats Trailhead to Ryan Peak, then cross-country to below Queen Peak. Man is it a challenge getting camp setup before 4:45 pm when it gets very dark and cold. More importantly it is tough staying awake past 6:30pm! Lots of horizontal time!
Photos of Day 1:
Early morning signing in at the register board – Upper Covington Flat TrailheadSunriseThe California Riding and Hiking Trail is well markedViews from the California Riding and Hiking TrailRyan MountainSummit of Ryan MountainView from top of Ryan MountainDescending Ryan MountainSuunto Ambit 3 PeakSuunto Ambit 3 PeakCamp 1 Sunset – Queen Valley
Day 2 – Queen Valley to Entrance of Johnny Lange Canyon
15 miles
Today started off with a fun and scenic climb up Queen Mountain. Highly recommended!
After the travel cross-country through Queen Valley to Barker Dam, the day digressed with flat dirt road walking, lots of people, and some circumnavigation around private property.
Highlights of the day: helicopter flying very close while we were on the summit of Queen, luxury of throwing water cache bottles in recycling bins, and Michelle and I both had the best 11 hour sleep last night. I wish sound sleep like that happened more often when I backpack.
We camped at the entrance of Johnny Lange Canyon hoping to have a warmer night.
Photos of Day 2:
Sunrise – Queen ValleyEarly morning road walking – Queen ValleyQueen MountainClimbing Queen MountainSteep climb up Queen MountainFun scramble up Queen Mountain summit blockAt the top – Queen MountainPosing at the top – Queen MountainHelicopter flying very close to summitRecycle bins at each day use area
Day 3 – Johnny Lange Canyon to Upper Covington Flats Trailhead
12.8 miles
It has been cold every night. Michelle had ice on her beanie when she woke up this morning and my water was partly frozen.
Today was our final day and a grand finish. Our route headed up Johnny Lange Canyon to the top of Quail Mountain, then down to the California Riding and Hiking Trail, ending our big loop at Upper Covington Flat Trailhead. We didn’t see a single human today until a 1/4 mile from the end. Pretty cool for a park as busy as Joshua Tree.
Our 45 mile with 7,516 elevation gain on trail, cross-country and 3 peaks route actually went well. We both had trouble with the long road walks to connect the peaks we climbed and the massive crowds at the road crossings where we cached water. But all in all it was a great trek and I got to climb a peak a day and that always makes me happy.
Early morning view from Johnny Lange Canyon to the Wonderland of RocksJohnny Lange CanyonCross-country travel up Quail MountainRidge up to Quail MountainView of both Queen Mountain (left) and Ryan Mountain (right) from Quail Mountain SummitFinal summit photo – Quail Mountain
Trip Gear & Food
Gear I add to my regular lightweight kit for colder and possibly wetter Fall/Winter/Spring backpack trips:
Comments Off on Hearts of Ice New Routes at the Grand Flambeau, Mont Blanc. + Queen Creek – Arizona Trip Report with Pictures
Hearts of Ice – new routes at the Grand Flambeau, Mont Blanc — from PlanetMountain.com
Queen Creek, Superstition Mountains – Arizona — Trip report with pictures from Seano.
———————————————————————————————————–
https://www.planetmountain.com/it/notizie/alpinismo/cuori-di-ghiaccio-grand-flambeau-monte-bianco-anna-torretta.html — Hearts of Ice at the Grand Flambeau, Mont Blanc.
http://www.drdirtbag.com/2020/12/10/queen-creek/ — Queen Creek – Arizona — Trip report with pictures by Seano.
==========================================================
Please visit my website
http://www.hiking4health.com
==========================================================
Hearts of Ice – new routes at the Grand Flambeau, Mont Blanc — from PlanetMountain.com
Queen Creek, Superstition Mountains – Arizona — Trip report with pictures from Seano.
———————————————————————————————————–
https://www.planetmountain.com/it/notizie/alpinismo/cuori-di-ghiaccio-grand-flambeau-monte-bianco-anna-torretta.html — Hearts of Ice at the Grand Flambeau, Mont Blanc.
http://www.drdirtbag.com/2020/12/10/queen-creek/ — Queen Creek – Arizona — Trip report with pictures by Seano.
Just over a year ago, a young man and his challenges was brought to my attention at a time when we were looking for the new Ordnance Survey GetOutside Champions for 2020. This young man’s exploits were amazing and the way he was talking he had more to come. He is 15 year old Brynn … Continue reading Brynn’s Challenge
Just over a year ago, a young man and his challenges was brought to my attention at a time when we were looking for the new Ordnance Survey GetOutside Champions for 2020. This young man’s exploits were amazing and the way he was talking he had more to come. He is 15 year old Brynn …
Comments Off on East Rattlesnake Mountain via Butterworth, East Rattlesnake, Col Trail (NH)
Buy my new novel Take to the Unscathed Road now! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
East Rattlesnake Mountain is West Rattlesnake's secret cousin. It's a beautiful peak with an elaborate trail system and great summit views. I had a few trails to wrap up in the area so I made a whacky loop out of it, not seeing a single soul in the late afternoon.
I started up the Butterworth Trail, which is on a side street with ample roadside parking and some pull offs. This is a residential area, so be mindful where you park.
The trail was much steeper than I expected. After heading up moderately for the first bit, it climbs steeply all the way to the summit of East Rattlesnake in about .7 miles.
From the summit, I took the East Rattlesnake Trail all the way down to the junction with the Col Trail, as this was the only other trail in the area I hadn't done. It was a steep drop followed by a short and steep gain back up to the ridge.
I essentially followed the Col Trail ..
Buy my new novel Take to the Unscathed Road now! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! East Rattlesnake Mountain is West Rattlesnake's secret cousin. It's a beautiful peak with an elaborate trail system and great summit views. I had a few trails to wrap up in the area so I made a whacky loop out of it, not seeing a single soul in the late afternoon. I started up the Butterworth Trail, which is on a side street with ample roadside parking and some pull offs. This is a residential area, so be mindful where you park. The trail was much steeper than I expected. After heading up moderately for the first bit, it climbs steeply all the way to the summit of East Rattlesnake in about .7 miles. From the summit, I took the East Rattlesnake Trail all the way down to the junction with the Col Trail, as this was the only other trail in the area I hadn't done. It was a steep drop followed by a short and steep gain back up to the ridge. I essentially followed the Col Trail all the way back to the road on the other side. It was a pleasant forest but it was getting quite dark. When I reached an old logging type road, it got a little confusing, but the signage was able to point me in the right direction. It seems like it isn't part of the trail, but a quick right following along the logging road takes you right back to a small parking lot. From here, I ran back to my car, completing the loop. Total Time: ~40 minsTotal Distance: ~3-4 miles
Comments Off on Amore Supercombo on the Northeast Face of Pizzo Badile – Swiss/Italian Border + Prescott Climbing – Arizona – T/R – Seano
Amore Supercombo on the Northeast Face of Pizzo Badile (Swiss/Italian) – PlanetMountain.com
Prescott Climbing – Arizona – Trip Report with pictures by Seano from his blog
————————————————————————————————————–
https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/amore-supercombo-pizzo-badile-climbed-david-hefti-marcel-schenk.html — Amore Supercombo on the Northeast face of Pizzo Badile climbed by Schenk and Hefti. ( Swiss/Italian border)
http://www.drdirtbag.com/2020/12/09/prescott-climbing/ — Prescott Climbing – Arizona — Trip Report with pictures from Seano
==========================================================
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener — Please log in
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener/photos_all Please log in
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener
https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener — Please log in https://www.facebook.com/cyril.kaicener/photos_all Please log in https://www.faceb..
Amore Supercombo on the Northeast Face of Pizzo Badile (Swiss/Italian) – PlanetMountain.com
Prescott Climbing – Arizona – Trip Report with pictures by Seano from his blog
