This weather this past weekend was just blah, but it surely didn't dampen my hike on Saturday to Mt. Carrigain. After my friend finished the 48 a couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity to join Mark Truman and his wife Nat on their final hike to complete their White Mountain 48, a journey of five years. I met Mark briefly last year at the AMC Awards Dinner, and this was the first time I had a chance to connect for a hike - I'm sure glad it was this one.
Mark's blog is Ramblings, and you can read all about the story of his finish over on his blog. Not to mention countless other hikes and amazing photos. Click Here and immerse yourself into the story of another amazing accomplishment and 48 finish. (Link will open in a new window, so that you can come back here)
One of the new things for me was hiking in a larger group. I had never hiked with more than 4 people before. It was something different, but it was nice to enjoy the woods and good company of other avid hikers. The conversation was great, and lots of good stories were shared. With all of the conversation, excitement, and laughter, it made no difference what the weather was doing. It was simply a beautiful fall trek through the woods.
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| Area of road work on Sawyer River Road |
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| The original trailhead now blocked and re-routed |
The start of the Signal Ridge Trail was re-routed to the left of the bridge and river. Its now a nice and soft start (muddy when wet) through a really pretty section of woods. There were also some other changes along the way, particularly the location of the junction with Carrigain Notch Trail. The junction's sign
was re-located closer than it was before from the start. These changes leave only one simple crossing to contend with, and the changes are clearly marked, and most should not have anything to worry about.
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| Just over the bridge, the sign and trail has been re-located |
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| The view of the day, all day. |
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| Signal Ridge is still cool in the fog |
What an exciting moment this was to see...
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| Three 48 finishers in 1 hike, and 1 NE67 finisher |
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| Mark & Nat clearly beaming in the spotlight - Congratulations! |
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| Carrigain's a popular finishing peak, I see! |
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| The group on the summit tower of Mt. Carrigain |
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| Chatter, laughter, stories, and oh-so yummy cookies - thanks! |
It was so great meeting all of you for this special hike. I enjoyed it very much. Join me in a final BIG Congratulations to Mark, Nat, and Rex for their amazing finish. As I've said before, whether a year, 5 years, or more, there is nothing like the accomplishment of hiking the 48, because its a journey that doesn't end! It usually continues on in some other fashion, which I'm sure it will for them. Good luck in your next endeavors!
Ramblings: 48 x 3 +67 = 1 Incredible Day on Mt. Carrigain!
Hike Stats
Trails: Sawyer River Road, Signal Ridge Trail
Distance: 14 miles (road walk 2 miles each way)
Elevation Gain: 3,800
Book Time: 7hrs 50min
Looks like a great day, and quite epic after reading Mark's report! Hiking in a larger group is a different dynamic than solo or small group. I find it does make the time and miles go by quicker, especially if it a new group or I haven't seen the others in a while.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the great account of the day Dan. So glad that you could join us for this one. Pretty amazing day! We've only hiked in large groups like this a couple of times and it's definitely different. Summerset is right about it making the time and miles fly by. The group we had for Owl's Head this spring was one of those times and so was this one. Such a great group! Looking forward to sharing the trail with you again soon. Hope you're having a great weekend in Maine!
ReplyDeleteMark
Mark - No problem. Feel free to either download the pictures from my Facebook for yourself or I'd be happy to send you a disc if you'd like. It definitely made the hike seem a lot easier and was fun.
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