Terrifying 25 - Mt. Morgan and Mt. Percival

Friday, July 24, 2020 - "The mountains are calling, and I must go." - John Muir, 1873

Another list I got exposed to over the winter is the "Terrifying 25" - the list dedicated to climbing the scariest of New Hampshire's trails.
website

Well, it does sound like fun!

They say that you should hike a specific 20, then any 5-of-the-remaining-14. I think that for today I'll hike the "Morgan-Percival Loop", down near Squam Lake:


I went up 93, east on 3 (the New Hampshire Lakes look beautiful):

and got to the Mt. Percival Parking Area a little after 10AM:


My plan was to go around on Morse Trail, up Mount Morgan Trail, northeast on the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail, then back down on the Mount Percival Trail


This way, I can bag TWO on the list - Mount Morgan Trail:
"involves climbing over several ledges, passing through a boulder cave, and scrambling up three ladders and some ledges; Mt. Morgan is typically combined with Mt. Percival for a classic 5.4-mile loop; don't miss the boulder caves on Mt. Percival"

and Mount Percival Trail:
"climb through a small boulder cave; typically combined with Mt. Morgan for classic 5.4 mile loop; it can be tough to find the boulder cave loop from the summit as there is no sign near the summit"

A little ways from the parking area, you take a left onto Morse Trail:


It was a beautiful day for a hike in the woods

and an hour later I intersected the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail:


Turn right for 1/10th of a mile, then left for "The Cliffs":

pretty tricky going up the trail:

and then you get to the REAL TRICKY PART!!


After going UP THE LADDERS (then through a "cave") (and climbing some ledges), you get to THE VIEW-POINT:




Continuing down-then-up on a side-trail to the summit:



looking north from the summit:


This is a good place to show my hiking map - 5.71 miles in 2 hours 55 minutes:

You can't tell, but I lost the trail and had to bushwack from Morgan to almost-Percival. The real trail is west of the ridge-line:

The forest wasn't bad, and I knew where I was going, so it worked out ok.

I was at Mount Percival by 12:15



A last look up at Mount Percival:

then down the ledge to find the boulder caves:


The yellow blaze on the granite wall means I'm on the right path:


You go down to the blaze, and turn right and crawl through a couple of boulder-spaces (having to take off my backpack both times to squeeze through!). But it was PRETTY COOL (not scary).

I then was able to just go bounding down the trail, passing people and having a great time - and making great time: 40 minutes for the bottom 2 miles.

2 hours to get home, by 3:30 - WOW - Thank you God for this Great "Terrifying 25" Day!

For today's listening=pleasure, I started with Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash, 1992, cd 3:


Then back to the mp3 cd that I burned back in November 2000:

Vineyard Sound - III, 1996


various Windham Hill artists - Winter's Solstice II, 1988


but I got tired of acoustic music on my drive home, so I put on some rock-n-roll from my green nano (LOUD):

The Doors - Strange Days, 1967 second album


various artists - Time-Life Classic Rock: 1966 - The Beat Goes On, 1966


lyrics: "Daydream" by The Lovin' Spoonful:

"And even if time ain't really on my side
It's one of those days for taking a walk outside."

various artists - 45's On CD, Vol. 2: 1960-1966, 1966


Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about visiting Art Museums and National Parks (and hiking in the Rockies)
hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/

Adirondacks July 2020 - Day 3/3

Wednesday, July 8, 2020 - I was originally planning on hiking Seymour Mtn. today, but I am too sore from the past 2 days, so I'm just heading home:


It is a lovely drive west-south-and-east through the Adirondack Park. Then south on 87 and east on 90 (the Mass Pike), all the way to Logan Airport. I looped through Revere, got a car wash at The Barn, then up Route 1. I went to REI in Reading, just to give them their hiking-pole-pieces, but the guy said "Wasn't there another pole?"

I ran out to my car and got it, and he let me go get ANOTHER NEW SET - FOR FREE:


Didn't that work out nicely!

393 miles today, and home at 3 PM.

Very sobering adventure - Thank you God for this Great Day!

I started the drive with the mp3 cd - Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown, 1974


Very nice listening to Gordon Lightfoot, driving through the Adirondack woods. and of course listening to "Carefree Highway"!!

Carefree highway, let me slip away on you
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The morning after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away, slip away on you

Then Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash, 1992, cd 2:


Then back to the mp3 cd that I burned back in November 2000:

Suzanne Vega - Suzanne Vega, 1985 debut album


Marvin Hamlisch, Scott Joplin - The Sting, 1973 soundtrack


Traffic - Traffic, 1968 second album


lyrics: "40,000 Headmen"

... But luckily for me they had to stop and then reload
And by the time they'd done that I was heading down the road.

U2 - War, 1983 third album


Wow, what an excellent album!

Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece, 1974


Wang Chung - Points on the Curve, 1983 second album


"Dance Hall Days" is a Great Driving Song!

Steve Winwood - Back in the High Life, 1986


With "Higher Love", "Back in the High Life Again", and "The Finer Things", what an excellent album!

Adirondacks July 2020 - Day 2/3

Tuesday, July 7, 2020 - Up to this week I have done 16 of the 46 mountains (4000 footers) in the Adirondacks, and I want to do 3-mountains-in-3-days:


Rocky Peak Ridge on Monday, Table Top Mtn. on Tuesday, and Seymour Mtn. on Wednesday.

Well, yesterday I did not complete Rocky Peak Ridge - let's have better luck today with Table Top Mtn.!



A nice easy morning's drive:


and I was at the trailhead at 8:50


This trail is the main feeder trail for a lot of mountains and lakes and rambling hikes, and it is a joy walking through these woods for the first couple of miles:



At just-shy-of-2-miles, I took a shortcut down across Marcy Brook:


and then I went up that trail on the left.

I hiked up Phelps Mountain last November, and the 3.3 miles to that mountain-trail are very nice. Unfortunately, right beyond that turn-off, the 1.1 miles to the Table Top herd path are not-so-nice:


Beautiful crossing Phelps Brook:

upstream:

downstream:

The water is cool, clear and clean!

From here it was a good hard "Adirondack hike" up to the Table Top herd path at 11:05


The trail up to Table Top Mountain has 3 parts:

and took me 40 minutes.



There was a nice group of us up on the summit, and yes, I did wear my mask:




These are the mountains you can see:


It is pretty cool finding out what you are looking at.

And Yes, I do have to climb all those in the future! (except Little Marcy)

Back down to the main trail, then south for a little bit to the turn-off for Indian Falls:

It was pretty cool hanging out, boots and socks OFF, on the rocks right above Indian Falls:



10/15 minutes later I was back on the trail, heading home. My body was hurting, mostly from the day before (raising the question of the wisdom of multiple-consecutive-hikes over multiple-consecutive-days), and my feet were also hurting. Because the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had Issued a "Late Season Muddy Trails Advisory" ["Hikers Advised to Temporarily Avoid High-Elevation Trails, Especially in the High Peaks"], I have worn my LL Bean Hiking Boots these past 2 days. I certainly did not need them (almost everywhere was dry as a bone), and my regular hiking boots would have provided much better support-and-protection for my feet.

I am healing up fast, but at the time hiking was no fun. My muscles/body really enjoyed going downhill, and I passed many hikers, so I know I still have my skills. I think the key for the future is to carve-out separate days for travel, and not try to bundle travel-and-hike, or hike-and-travel.

So while I'm thinking these thoughts, and bounding down the trail, my left pole went in some mud. I kept going, and heard a snap:

Wow, and only the second day of use.

Three miles later, and I was back at the parking lot - 11.52 miles in 6 hours 18 minutes.

Looking at my trail, from the south-looking-north:


and then looking from the north, toward the mountains I still need to climb:


23 miles driving round-trip today. Hot shower, pepperoni pizza for dinner, A nice phone call with Wendy, and then Heavy Rescue on The Weather Channel:


Thank you God for this Great Day!

Staying in one of my mp3 cds that I burned back in November 2000:

Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S., 1987


Warren Zevon - Sentimental Hygiene, 1987

a very enjoyable album - Zevon lyrics and passion (and satire), plus musicianship from R.E.M.