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After reaching the Dry River Trail, I sat down
for a well-deserved rest, forcing down a Power Bar (for energy, not
because I was hungry) and admiring the colors of the trees above me. The
sky was an extremely clear deep blue color that offered a sharp contrast
to the yellow and gold tones of the numerous tall birches. Thinking
back, it had been over 7 years since I had last been on the Dry River
Trail. Muffin and I passed this very spot on our way to Rt 302 after
climbing Mt Isolation in August of 2001.
It was a long way back to Mizpah
- 3
miles and 1900 ft -
especially after sawing and lifting heavy logs and branches most of the
day, so I couldn't stop to rest for long. On the way back I checked my
work, built another small cairn, and dragged a few more branches around.
Obscure brook crossings and false paths that aren't obvious when going
downhill can be more apparent going uphill, and vice-versa.
I got back around 5:30, just in time to
change and take a short rest before dinner. It was good timing too,
because shortly after I got back, it started to rain. I was particularly
hungry that night and the food was particularly good. The first course
was vegetarian chili and some biscuits that really hit the spot. I sat
at a table with a hut informational volunteer and several people who I
found out lived in Framingham and Marlboro, both towns near where to I
live.
Afterward, as it had stopped raining, I took
my usual evening hike up to the south summit of Mt Pierce. It's a spot
with views to Mt Washington in clear weather and where I can get cell
phone reception. I like to check to make sure everything's okay at home,
which it was, and my wife and daughter like to hear that I'm all right
up in the mountains. Back in my sleeping bag in the hut, I meant
to do a little reading, but fell asleep instead. My winter bag, an REI
minus 5 degree down bag, is particularly soft and cozy.
After breakfast, I packed up my gear,
including my tools, which I was going to bring home over the winter, and
then left my pack in the dining room to take a quick hike to the summit
of Mt Pierce and back. I didn't see any sense in carrying the extra
weight up the steep ascent on the Webster Cliff Trail. On the way up, I
passed a guy and his daughter who had been at the hut overnight, and who
were now headed to Mt Washington via Eisenhower and Monroe. They caught
up to me again on top of Mt Pierce, and we all watched the drifting fog
first envelope and then uncover the peaks to the north. One minute there
was nothing to see, and then Mt Eisenhower appeared briefly from out of
its ghostly shroud. The air was a bit chilly and damp, and the wind went
right through me. None of us stayed on the exposed summit very long. I
watched as they descended into the col and disappeared into the void
below.
After picking up my pack at the hut, I
headed back down the Mizpah Cutoff and Crawford Path to my car at the
Highland Center. Being Saturday, and Columbus Day weekend, there were
quite a few hikers on their way up the trail.
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Two
different views looking up at the tops of the trees at the Dry
River Trail junction. The sky was an extremely clear deep blue
color that offered a sharp contrast to the yellow and gold tones
of the numerous tall birches. |
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