Work-wise I have a whole bunch of deadlines coming up as 2010 closes out. I needed some quiet, focused time. So the dog and I headed to NH where distractions are few(er). Hunkering down in the solitude of a snowy setting can be great way to get some writing done. It can also be a great way to start seeing ghosts and chopping down doors. So learning a lesson from Mr. Torrence I made sure to avoid the all-work-and-no-play syndrome.
It had rained pretty hard last Sunday and NH lost virtually all of the snow they had received so far. Fortunately the Notch did it's thing and 10" fell Tuesday with another sixish on Wednesday. I managed to get some slope time Wed, Thurs, Fri. Conditions on those days were very good, good, and OK respectively. MD joined me on Thursday. Here's a small sampling...
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Lincoln Woods, Cannon, Bretton Woods
Commuting to Boston is not what I do. But lately I’ve had to head in on several occasions for some testimony. It’s like going to another planet. We are closed up in a small room with no outside contact for 8 hours. That is why I had no idea a nice storm was developing in the mountains on Monday. Monday night, I left the hearing and got on the commuter train all set to get home and settle in for a big Pats-Jets game on Monday Night Football. The Wi-Fi option on make the commuter rail a pretty sweet way to get into town. I logged in and started my routine: email, weather, ski reports. Whoa! 8-10” at Cannon and more elsewhere? After some quick calls and rescheduling I’m on my way to NH. Chilly and I hit the road by 7pm and were nestled into the condo and watching the Pats by 9:30.
Saturday at 6am I took Chilly out to play in the 2-3" on the ground here in Lincoln. I had planned a quick 20 minute walk but she was loving it and I’m still interested in exploring up here. So we ended up doing about 2 hours on the trail. This trail system I've found leads right out of our place and seems to have endless possibilities. I'm sure there are local names for these trails but until I learn them I'm dubbing this whole network 'Outback 69'. The reasons are obvious when you see it. So this morning it was Outback 69 North. She found a nice big stick to run with.
And I found this. ??
Even with the extended hike I got on the Peabody lift by 9:15. Cannon was reporting 10.5" in the past 24hrs. That was a stretch. The best pockets held around 6". Fresh lines were still found on trail edges. The only trails that didn't ski well were those that had been hit with the guns (esp. Middle and Lower Ravine) . It seemed like the blown snow mixed with the real stuff and eliminated in fluffiness. The front 4 were getting heavily poached and looked good although I didn't bother.
The problem with Cannon on a pow day is that Cannon skiers are all die-hard pow-hounds. We're all thinking alike and fresh lines get used up faster than sunscreen at the albino family beach party. But that's not the case everywhere......
So off to Bretton Woods at ~11:30. BW was reporting 10-16" and that was no lie. Huge swaths of untouched were in plain sight. 8-10" was found everywhere that hadn't been groomed. Although the pitch can be a problem here it was ridable. After 4 fun, fresh runs on the lower mountain I finally realized that the Rosebrook chair was open. At the top was an early Christmas miracle. Upper Express was open, it had 12+ of fluff, and it looked like less than a dozen skiers had hit it. Thank you. I hit that 5 consecutive times. The fluff wasn't bottomless and the board took a few hits. But that's to be expected in early December and I had the right board for it. Unfortunately there is no decent cut back from there to Rosebrook Chair so those laps meant top-to-bottom and 2 chairs up. But the lower mountain was still in great shape so it was nothing to complain about.
At both mountains early season hazards are abundant. Water bars, man-made death cookies, and sharp stuff lurk beneath the fresh. So be on your toes. I got a stick wedged so far into my binding buckle that unstrapping at the bottom was a major ordeal.
Got back around 3:00 and C-dog was ready for round two. So another hour and half on the trail. This time was Outback 69 East. We found that it's an easy walk through the woods to the Kancamangus Ski Hill where they had the snow guns blazing. We explored some more, pushing the limits of energy and light. We got back in just as dark settled in pretty solidly.
I shot a lot of video but don’t have time to edit now. Here’s some unedited footage from Bretton Woods on Upper Express.
Saturday at 6am I took Chilly out to play in the 2-3" on the ground here in Lincoln. I had planned a quick 20 minute walk but she was loving it and I’m still interested in exploring up here. So we ended up doing about 2 hours on the trail. This trail system I've found leads right out of our place and seems to have endless possibilities. I'm sure there are local names for these trails but until I learn them I'm dubbing this whole network 'Outback 69'. The reasons are obvious when you see it. So this morning it was Outback 69 North. She found a nice big stick to run with.
And I found this. ??
Even with the extended hike I got on the Peabody lift by 9:15. Cannon was reporting 10.5" in the past 24hrs. That was a stretch. The best pockets held around 6". Fresh lines were still found on trail edges. The only trails that didn't ski well were those that had been hit with the guns (esp. Middle and Lower Ravine) . It seemed like the blown snow mixed with the real stuff and eliminated in fluffiness. The front 4 were getting heavily poached and looked good although I didn't bother.
The problem with Cannon on a pow day is that Cannon skiers are all die-hard pow-hounds. We're all thinking alike and fresh lines get used up faster than sunscreen at the albino family beach party. But that's not the case everywhere......
So off to Bretton Woods at ~11:30. BW was reporting 10-16" and that was no lie. Huge swaths of untouched were in plain sight. 8-10" was found everywhere that hadn't been groomed. Although the pitch can be a problem here it was ridable. After 4 fun, fresh runs on the lower mountain I finally realized that the Rosebrook chair was open. At the top was an early Christmas miracle. Upper Express was open, it had 12+ of fluff, and it looked like less than a dozen skiers had hit it. Thank you. I hit that 5 consecutive times. The fluff wasn't bottomless and the board took a few hits. But that's to be expected in early December and I had the right board for it. Unfortunately there is no decent cut back from there to Rosebrook Chair so those laps meant top-to-bottom and 2 chairs up. But the lower mountain was still in great shape so it was nothing to complain about.
At both mountains early season hazards are abundant. Water bars, man-made death cookies, and sharp stuff lurk beneath the fresh. So be on your toes. I got a stick wedged so far into my binding buckle that unstrapping at the bottom was a major ordeal.
Got back around 3:00 and C-dog was ready for round two. So another hour and half on the trail. This time was Outback 69 East. We found that it's an easy walk through the woods to the Kancamangus Ski Hill where they had the snow guns blazing. We explored some more, pushing the limits of energy and light. We got back in just as dark settled in pretty solidly.
I shot a lot of video but don’t have time to edit now. Here’s some unedited footage from Bretton Woods on Upper Express.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Finally
Finally some days up north this winter. It’s a late start for us, especially considering that this October was one of the best early, early seasons on record and lots of people were getting high quality turns. But at that point we were focused on clearing the plate to make room for the real season. And here we are.
We have been talking for months about conducting some recon in the Lincoln area. Looking for routes and lines prior to real snow cover will hopefully save some time when it counts. On Friday we scoped an area that we’ve been looking at for quite a while – Pollard Brook off of Big Coolidge.
Canines Chilly and Chestnut joined humans Leighann, Matt, and I. It was a first meeting for the dogs in what will surely be a long friendship. We weren’t sure about hunting in the area so the dogs donned bandanas. I opted for a hat that thankfully was not photographed.
We found that a combination of established trails, old logging roads, and bushwhacking got us to a nice lesser summit/ridge to the SE of BC (Little Coolidge?) Although mostly tree covered, views into Lincoln and across the valley were plentiful. The whole area has been extensively logged in the past meaning that while there are no big trees there is a lot of scrub. Ski lines would be tight but the definitely exist in places. Short sections definitely abound.
We hadn’t started until 1:30, so with dark closing in we had to limit our exploring and be sure that our random route could be retraced to the cars and beers. The next trip will start earlier and will include full recon of Big Coolidge.
Saturday 12/4/10:
With no shades on the condo windows and a dog that likes an early breakfast there was no sleeping in on Saturday. I got up thinking of a quick walk with her. But my curiosity got the better of me and I NEEDED to discover the local trails that I knew had to be there. Sure enough, a little bit of investigation uncovered an excellent network of trails that head in all the directions I wanted them to. We did a few miles of exploration uncovering the routes to the north and to the east although never completing any of them. XC-ski possibilities appear endless and there were some very nice wide-open, moderate pitch tree lines that could keep a group of skiers and riders happy on a pow day.
After that good dose of exercise and exploration I knew C-dog would be content to lounge about while we headed over to Cannon. The Cannon Cloud was in effect. Lincoln was blazing sun and dry roads, the Notch was windy with light snow blowing everywhere. Of course we ran into Tom N. before we even got out of the car. Caught up with him for a few minutes then grabbed our passes and headed out. Leighann opted to get her first fall of the season out of the way early by tumbling down the stairs and faceplanting in front of the lodge. Considering last year’s teeth incident I was pretty happy to see her get up laughing hysterically. With that out of the way we finally headed up good ‘ole Cannon Mtn. There were only 2 routes down but conditions were surprisingly good. 2-3” of new snow on top of some very high quality faux-snow made for enjoyable turns along the edges. Although there were a lot of race teams there it really wasn't crowded and he hopped straight on the lift each time. It wasn’t really enough to hold our interest long though, so after 3 runs we called it a successful shake out day and headed back.
IT IS ON!
We have been talking for months about conducting some recon in the Lincoln area. Looking for routes and lines prior to real snow cover will hopefully save some time when it counts. On Friday we scoped an area that we’ve been looking at for quite a while – Pollard Brook off of Big Coolidge.
Canines Chilly and Chestnut joined humans Leighann, Matt, and I. It was a first meeting for the dogs in what will surely be a long friendship. We weren’t sure about hunting in the area so the dogs donned bandanas. I opted for a hat that thankfully was not photographed.
We found that a combination of established trails, old logging roads, and bushwhacking got us to a nice lesser summit/ridge to the SE of BC (Little Coolidge?) Although mostly tree covered, views into Lincoln and across the valley were plentiful. The whole area has been extensively logged in the past meaning that while there are no big trees there is a lot of scrub. Ski lines would be tight but the definitely exist in places. Short sections definitely abound.
We hadn’t started until 1:30, so with dark closing in we had to limit our exploring and be sure that our random route could be retraced to the cars and beers. The next trip will start earlier and will include full recon of Big Coolidge.
Saturday 12/4/10:
With no shades on the condo windows and a dog that likes an early breakfast there was no sleeping in on Saturday. I got up thinking of a quick walk with her. But my curiosity got the better of me and I NEEDED to discover the local trails that I knew had to be there. Sure enough, a little bit of investigation uncovered an excellent network of trails that head in all the directions I wanted them to. We did a few miles of exploration uncovering the routes to the north and to the east although never completing any of them. XC-ski possibilities appear endless and there were some very nice wide-open, moderate pitch tree lines that could keep a group of skiers and riders happy on a pow day.
After that good dose of exercise and exploration I knew C-dog would be content to lounge about while we headed over to Cannon. The Cannon Cloud was in effect. Lincoln was blazing sun and dry roads, the Notch was windy with light snow blowing everywhere. Of course we ran into Tom N. before we even got out of the car. Caught up with him for a few minutes then grabbed our passes and headed out. Leighann opted to get her first fall of the season out of the way early by tumbling down the stairs and faceplanting in front of the lodge. Considering last year’s teeth incident I was pretty happy to see her get up laughing hysterically. With that out of the way we finally headed up good ‘ole Cannon Mtn. There were only 2 routes down but conditions were surprisingly good. 2-3” of new snow on top of some very high quality faux-snow made for enjoyable turns along the edges. Although there were a lot of race teams there it really wasn't crowded and he hopped straight on the lift each time. It wasn’t really enough to hold our interest long though, so after 3 runs we called it a successful shake out day and headed back.
IT IS ON!
Monday, November 8, 2010
My typical morning ritual is to scan the weather sites while drinking my coffee, then take Chilly for a walk on the beach. It has been pretty windy for the last 4 or 5 days. It's fall, that's how it goes. So, I wasn't at all surprised to find huge surf and strong Northerly winds buffeting the beach.
I wasn't looking forward to heading out on the bay. But there are oysters to drag and I knew it would be windy all week. Plus the forecast suggested that there would be a slight lull as things switched to the East late this morning. Not great, but doable.
But just as I made the turn into the town landing the wind switched almost instantaneousnessly from the East and a gust of at least 40 knots shot across the bay. In a matter of seconds the bay turned white and boats and floats started bouncing. I ran into John E who was checking in on his boat. We watched as each of our boats started taking a pounding on their mooring lines. But they seemed to be holding up to it.
I left to get a better vantage point of my work float further out in the bay. When I returned a tender was up on the rocks and there was a scramble of activity as everyone attempted to get boats away from the trashing floats. As D. Merry and the Harbormasters bolted out through the moorings we watched from the pier. A few times it looked like even there powerful boats weren't going to make it. But they did, and they sped off to the safety of the Bluefish River.
Fortunately I had my camera in my truck. Unfortunately I only had about 1 minute of battery life. Rats. This doesn't completely capture the scene there....unless you know what this dock usually looks like.
This is the wind graph from the weather station right at the Maritime School. You can see the huge jump in wind speed. It jumped up so much I can't even zoom the graph out far enough to catch the peak of the spikes or see the direction data. I hope that last spike at 11am doesn't mean that the weather station blew off the roof.
Someone is going to be unhappy when they find their tender later on. It was to rough and too full of water to even attempt rescuing it.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Switch
Finally a rainy day to catch up things here at the desk.
This was shot a few weeks ago during a good morning tide. We are switching nursery stage oysters from 3/16 bags to 3/8 bags. This makes the grow fast and in a few weeks they'll be in great shape to go 'free range'
This was shot a few weeks ago during a good morning tide. We are switching nursery stage oysters from 3/16 bags to 3/8 bags. This makes the grow fast and in a few weeks they'll be in great shape to go 'free range'
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Quick snorkel on the grant
The tides this week weren't very conducive to nursery work. A 1.6' low only affords about a half hour of chest deep work time. So instead JB and I opted for a snorkel around our growout area.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Pre-season Workout
It may be 90 degrees out, but the 2010-2011 snowboarding season is right around the corner. Will you be in the shape you need to be when the time comes?
Local snowboarding legend Tom Norcott has put together a workout specifically designed to have you ready when the first flakes fly....
Local snowboarding legend Tom Norcott has put together a workout specifically designed to have you ready when the first flakes fly....
Friday, July 23, 2010
Sharkira
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I had to snag another cross-post from JRL. It's been cool to have this Sand Tiger Shark research going on in the Bay and in the River. The DMF crew were pretty excited about this female as she seemed very healthy and active. I'm not sure what their tally is at this point but I believe it's close to 20. Several have been recaptures from last year, including on that was tracked all the way to Cape Canaveral over the winter.
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I had to snag another cross-post from JRL. It's been cool to have this Sand Tiger Shark research going on in the Bay and in the River. The DMF crew were pretty excited about this female as she seemed very healthy and active. I'm not sure what their tally is at this point but I believe it's close to 20. Several have been recaptures from last year, including on that was tracked all the way to Cape Canaveral over the winter.
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Wednesday, July 14, 2010
It is on.
2010 oyster seed is exploding in the upwellers...there is no time to slack. Every year it sneaks up on us. Racks need to go out, bags need to be prepped, seed constantly needs washing and grading and tending.
I wish I'd had a better way to capture the rack moving process. From the bog to the dock to the boat to the lease. Here is one trip (~1.5 hours) compressed into a minute. Repeat over and over and over and over.......
I wish I'd had a better way to capture the rack moving process. From the bog to the dock to the boat to the lease. Here is one trip (~1.5 hours) compressed into a minute. Repeat over and over and over and over.......
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Rogue Wave Nada Surf
Both played at the FNX Clambake tonight. While I appreciate the surf theme, I really don't have much to say.
What is worth talking about is Silversun Pickups. At one point Brian Aubert pointed out the full crowd of fans on Lansdowne street was completely free of 'douche-bagery'. He was pretty much right on. The crownd was into the show and pretty cool. More importantly, the band pulled off a show reminiscent of the best Smashing Pumpkins....but without the douche-bagery. So it seemed like everyone was in sync. 'You get up there and kill it on stage and we will love you for it'.
Not surprisingly, highlights included "Common Reactor", "Future Foe Scenarios", "Kissing Families", "Panic Switch" and the opener "Growing Old is Getting Old". Highlights also included a mixed up set that didn't seemed predesigned to maximize public appeal, returning for an encore/second set by walking across Lansdowne in full view of the crowd, completely leaving the stage and the street to the sound of their own feedback.
What is worth talking about is Silversun Pickups. At one point Brian Aubert pointed out the full crowd of fans on Lansdowne street was completely free of 'douche-bagery'. He was pretty much right on. The crownd was into the show and pretty cool. More importantly, the band pulled off a show reminiscent of the best Smashing Pumpkins....but without the douche-bagery. So it seemed like everyone was in sync. 'You get up there and kill it on stage and we will love you for it'.
Not surprisingly, highlights included "Common Reactor", "Future Foe Scenarios", "Kissing Families", "Panic Switch" and the opener "Growing Old is Getting Old". Highlights also included a mixed up set that didn't seemed predesigned to maximize public appeal, returning for an encore/second set by walking across Lansdowne in full view of the crowd, completely leaving the stage and the street to the sound of their own feedback.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
TX
I am not religious. At all. But I do believe in hell. I believe in it because I've been there and then had subsequent brushes with it. It's called Texas. I haven't thought about it in a long time but tonight I was reminded of it again. I really shouldn't explain why - so I won't. Let's just say I had a near-hell experience and it had 'Texas' in the title.
At first I wasn't going to write anything about it. At first blush it seems like the completely wrong topic for this blog. But then I thought about all those sayings like "know your enemy" and such. WATER is the theme of this blog and it's quite possible that TEXAS is the opposite of, and the enemy of, WATER.
The first time I went to Texas was actually to consider moving there. I had a grad school opportunity. And yes it was on the water. Texas has water. Texas has beaches. I've seen pictures of beautiful beaches and wildlife and clear water in Texas. But I don't believe it. The beaches I saw weren't any place I'd set a towel. the wildlife I saw was heartbreaking (dolphins swimming in sewage), and the water...well I guess it probably had some Hs and Os but it wasn't what I think of as water.
I remember returning home from Texas and L asking me "so how was it?". My answer was "Think of anything you like to do....you can't do it there." It's flat, it's hot, it's dry, etc, etc. HELL. I fold.
At first I wasn't going to write anything about it. At first blush it seems like the completely wrong topic for this blog. But then I thought about all those sayings like "know your enemy" and such. WATER is the theme of this blog and it's quite possible that TEXAS is the opposite of, and the enemy of, WATER.
The first time I went to Texas was actually to consider moving there. I had a grad school opportunity. And yes it was on the water. Texas has water. Texas has beaches. I've seen pictures of beautiful beaches and wildlife and clear water in Texas. But I don't believe it. The beaches I saw weren't any place I'd set a towel. the wildlife I saw was heartbreaking (dolphins swimming in sewage), and the water...well I guess it probably had some Hs and Os but it wasn't what I think of as water.
I remember returning home from Texas and L asking me "so how was it?". My answer was "Think of anything you like to do....you can't do it there." It's flat, it's hot, it's dry, etc, etc. HELL. I fold.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Jones River: A Duck's Eye View
A kid's movie.
This was a fun project. We - the JRWA crew - have been discussing film making concepts for almost 2 years now. We've had some common ideas and some individual ideas, but I think the stumbling block has always been execution. We are working with some folks with the equipment and expertise that will eventually generate a great product. But I continue to struggle with how to relate the concepts in my mind to others who might implement them.
So while I figure that out, I thought I'd try a DIY version. I spent a few days learning some under-appreciated features in Google Earth. With that as a basis, L. helped me develop the story outline. Then on a beautiful Friday afternoon we toured around and shot some targeted bulk footage in the hopes of catching some usable pieces. We then spent the next three days editing the footage and writing the story around the it.
Here's the end product. The audience is 5th graders in Kingston, who will get a look this Friday. It's a silent version for now as it suits the venue. A soundtrack will eventually follow.
This was a fun project. We - the JRWA crew - have been discussing film making concepts for almost 2 years now. We've had some common ideas and some individual ideas, but I think the stumbling block has always been execution. We are working with some folks with the equipment and expertise that will eventually generate a great product. But I continue to struggle with how to relate the concepts in my mind to others who might implement them.
So while I figure that out, I thought I'd try a DIY version. I spent a few days learning some under-appreciated features in Google Earth. With that as a basis, L. helped me develop the story outline. Then on a beautiful Friday afternoon we toured around and shot some targeted bulk footage in the hopes of catching some usable pieces. We then spent the next three days editing the footage and writing the story around the it.
Here's the end product. The audience is 5th graders in Kingston, who will get a look this Friday. It's a silent version for now as it suits the venue. A soundtrack will eventually follow.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
IT
No action. Just a sweet night on the river. It's great to have friends with skills and a sharing nature. MD came down to help be the 'not-for-profit' IT guru at our non-profit. Then we headed out on JC's Landing Craft. His vessel is at our disposal for research work....or touring with the IT department. Thanks guys.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
One thing I miss...one thing I don't
My phone died for good yesterday. I never liked the thing so I'm happy to see it go. I managed to save the pictures from it though and was glad to find this one. I miss winter....
Monday, May 24, 2010
Harsh winter causes a fall this spring
So the seawall at our beach decided to fall over last week.
I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on seawalls, coastal construction, property ownership, public access, erosion, natural processes, and all the other related issues. I don't have the time or space to really get into that here. And honestly, this specific incident challenges some of my long-held beliefs. Maybe I'll chip away at the issue over the course of the summer. In the meantime here are some pics.....
It didn't stop Chilly and L from having fun though...
I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on seawalls, coastal construction, property ownership, public access, erosion, natural processes, and all the other related issues. I don't have the time or space to really get into that here. And honestly, this specific incident challenges some of my long-held beliefs. Maybe I'll chip away at the issue over the course of the summer. In the meantime here are some pics.....
It didn't stop Chilly and L from having fun though...
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Sounds of Summer
Sometimes you get more than you expect.
Last night JC and I launched his boat in the Jones River...its summer home. At the start of this operation my expectations were low. I wasn't even sure we could fit his boat on my trailer. I thought our best case outcome was doing some trailer modifications over a few beers in his driveway.
Instead, we easily lifted the boat off its blocks and onto the trailer where it fit perfectly. Twenty minutes later we slipped it into the Jones. And five minutes after that we were heading out to the bay. The lower river and the bay were glassy calm and beautiful but no fish were in sight. After a few casts near Cripple Rocks we headed back into the river. On a hunch I suggested we drift past the mouth of Smelt Brook. As soon as we cut the motor the schoolies erupted all around us. We each landed fish before it was time to move on with the setting sun.
What a night. What a start.
Last night JC and I launched his boat in the Jones River...its summer home. At the start of this operation my expectations were low. I wasn't even sure we could fit his boat on my trailer. I thought our best case outcome was doing some trailer modifications over a few beers in his driveway.
Instead, we easily lifted the boat off its blocks and onto the trailer where it fit perfectly. Twenty minutes later we slipped it into the Jones. And five minutes after that we were heading out to the bay. The lower river and the bay were glassy calm and beautiful but no fish were in sight. After a few casts near Cripple Rocks we headed back into the river. On a hunch I suggested we drift past the mouth of Smelt Brook. As soon as we cut the motor the schoolies erupted all around us. We each landed fish before it was time to move on with the setting sun.
What a night. What a start.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Failure
A few weeks back I posted a report from our end of April assault on Cannon. That report showed how tough the snow was with some good laughs at J's expense. Well the truth is I didn't handle it much better. If you can't laugh at yourself.....
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Sorry water
So back to the story of April 30th. When we left this story we had just hiked up Cannon in a freak late April 2’ snowfall and skied down through the most water logged snow I’ve ever seen.
This little blog is about water and sure enough our story that day was also water’s story. We headed out of Franconia Notch and so did the water. The mighty Pemigewasset River starts its 65 mile journey right here at Profile Lake at the base of Cannon - filled by all that melting snow. We left the Notch and found a spot in our favorite brewery - the Woodstock Inn. We quickly replaced lost calories and fluids from the hike. Then we headed across the street to a perfect little park along the Pemi. What a spot! The water was fairly high and cold from all that spring snow melt. People and dogs were enjoying the sundrenched rocks in the middle of river. I forgot to bring the camera, but let me tell you the scenery was DDDelightful.
It was hard to tear away from the sunny rocks but we knew we had miles to go. But we weren’t in the car long when we realized that days like this are rare and need to be maximized. So we pulled off the highway a few exits down to explore a spot J had been researching. Stopping at a roadside store we looked across the street and saw that our story had rejoined water’s again. This time it wasn't snow on the mountain or snowmelt in the river, this was clear, cold spring water bubbling up from the deep aquifer. Filing our bottles we were ready to move on.
J had been wanting to check out Franklin Falls Dam. This is one of those crazy Army Corps projects that I’ll never be able to wrap my head around. Here are the stats…
And here we meet the Pemi again. At this point the Pemi should have gained strength from the addition of hundreds of tributaries that have joined its progress since we left it as the small mountain stream in Woodstock. Instead, it is broad and slow thanks to the Franklin Falls Dam. This is a massive flood control dam (I talk more about them here ). Built in 1943 I have to assume that this was part of a jobs creation program because this thing is so strangely massive and so completely out of place it’s hard to understand why else it would be built.
We walked around for a while exploring both sides of the ‘keep out’ signs. I’m sure the Jamaican beer and the spring greenery contributed to the experience but this seemed to be truly a lunar landscape. While NASA brings people to the moon, the Corps brings the moon to the people…right smack dab in the middle of a scenic New England town and a noble river.
And then we were on our way. The water was on its way too. While we had an easy trip home the Pemi still had another dam to block its path before reaching the Merrimack series of dams of its own. Sorry water.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Good bye April
You don't skip a chance to catch 2' of snow at the tail end of April. So JE, MD, CT, and I hit the road. There was a lot of talk about where to go. Temperatures, wind, avalanches, crowds, and more all got factored into the equation. The result (as it so often is) was to head to Cannon. As a group we have about 80 years, hundreds of days, thousands of hours, and maybe millions of vertical feet of experience on this hill. But none of us have ever skinned/skied it. So the familiar became novel.
Front row parking is the first benefit of off-season skiing.
The skinning was smooth and easy. Although not so true for C on the slowshoes.
At the bottom of the Cannonball we spent some time deciding on our approach to the summit. We ended up choosing Profile which was a steep windy slog. But it was the most direct approach and the wind at our backs both helped our ascent and kept the body temp out of the red zone.
A nice little backcountry hut. I had big dreams of sitting out the deck enjoying the views and coldie. But the wind was easily 60-70MPH. The one sunny sheltered spot I found was getting barraged by 'knock-you-out' sized ice chunks. So we enjoyed a somewhat surreal indoor lunch break. It was also nice to lighten our loads....thanks Cannon.
Heading back into the sun, wind, and snow we debated options. From the tram building we could see that Tramway and probably Vista were totally scoured. On the way up we had seen that Hardscrabble was virtually untouched and looked better than ever. So we headed down Taft. The coverage was good, the snow was sticky but not bad. And then it all went down hill....or I should say we wished it would go down hill. The snow was so deep, wet, and sticky. Even the steepest pitches required straight-lining and turns were mostly out of the equation and ugly at best when attempted.
We decided the flat run-outs on that side were unwise so we slog-traversed are way over towards Zoomer. C was in and out his bindings all day. Even though is seemed that conditions would be board favorable, ultimately he had it extra hard.
We are actually pretty good skiers. And when I get a chance I'll post some video that proves it. In the meantime I hope you enjoy how hilarious water logged snow can be. My apologies to J for the evil laughter. (best viewed at 720).
There's plenty more to come, including the rest of the day's adventures.
Front row parking is the first benefit of off-season skiing.
The skinning was smooth and easy. Although not so true for C on the slowshoes.
At the bottom of the Cannonball we spent some time deciding on our approach to the summit. We ended up choosing Profile which was a steep windy slog. But it was the most direct approach and the wind at our backs both helped our ascent and kept the body temp out of the red zone.
A nice little backcountry hut. I had big dreams of sitting out the deck enjoying the views and coldie. But the wind was easily 60-70MPH. The one sunny sheltered spot I found was getting barraged by 'knock-you-out' sized ice chunks. So we enjoyed a somewhat surreal indoor lunch break. It was also nice to lighten our loads....thanks Cannon.
Heading back into the sun, wind, and snow we debated options. From the tram building we could see that Tramway and probably Vista were totally scoured. On the way up we had seen that Hardscrabble was virtually untouched and looked better than ever. So we headed down Taft. The coverage was good, the snow was sticky but not bad. And then it all went down hill....or I should say we wished it would go down hill. The snow was so deep, wet, and sticky. Even the steepest pitches required straight-lining and turns were mostly out of the equation and ugly at best when attempted.
We decided the flat run-outs on that side were unwise so we slog-traversed are way over towards Zoomer. C was in and out his bindings all day. Even though is seemed that conditions would be board favorable, ultimately he had it extra hard.
We are actually pretty good skiers. And when I get a chance I'll post some video that proves it. In the meantime I hope you enjoy how hilarious water logged snow can be. My apologies to J for the evil laughter. (best viewed at 720).
There's plenty more to come, including the rest of the day's adventures.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thinking.
What to do? Lots of snow up north. Lots of wind too. 84.3 MPH from the NW at the MT W summit right now. Tomorrow expected to be "Strong and damaging winds, with a northwest wind 85 to 90 mph." Travel up high won't be fun. Travel in the lee won't be too fun either "TUCKERMAN RAVINE HAS EXTREME AVALANCHE DANGER TODAY. WIDESPREAD AVALANCHE ACTIVITY IS CERTAIN. EXTREMELY UNSTABLE SLABS ARE CERTAIN ON MOST ASPECTS AND SLOPE ANGLES, LARGE DESTRUCTIVE AVALANCHES ARE POSSIBLE. AVOID AVALANCHE TERRAIN INCLUDING RUNOUT PATHS IN THE FLATS."
hmmm
hmmm
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Bottle up the Sauce
Last night's show was really, really good. I'm sure you can find a well crafted review with better adjectives somewhere. I'll leave it at this - if Mike and Scrap come to to a living room near you BE THERE to hear it.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Air Time
Another cross-post swiped from JRWA's blogstream www.jonesriver.org
WATD did a little live interview with me today. Thought it would make good narration for these fish I saw heading up the river on Monday.
WATD did a little live interview with me today. Thought it would make good narration for these fish I saw heading up the river on Monday.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Tuckermans: Winter in spring
(updated 4-20-2010)
This weekend we turned the clock back a few months. Our expectation for this trip was late spring conditions. In the week leading up to the trip we were expecting to find minimal snowpack, lots of down hiking, and crazy crowds associated with the Inferno race. In the last few days leading into the trip crowds seemed like less of a problem. That was because the forecast was calling for rain, sleet, and some snow. What we got instead was a full return to winter. North Conway picked up 2-3", Pinkham Notch snagged 6-8", and the higher elevations were reporting 10-15"+.
The race was cancelled. So that left the parking lot fairly empty except for hundred or so cars that had been left overnight for the racers.
TK, MD, and I hooked up with an extended party of T's friends and 7 of us hit the trail by 8:45. The trail was only somewhat packed out but the hiking was good and the pace was brisk. I almost immediately wished I had opted for snowboard over skis as my pack weighed many pounds more than in recent years.
HoJo's was a ghost town. Our group nearly doubled the population there. But the rangers were out in force and were jazzed up to discuss the avy conditions. After listening to reports and recommendations our group of 3 decided to lay low and stay low. The other 4 included three newbies to Tucks and one well seasoned vet. As a result they had both the motivation and the confidence to head a little higher. They knocked off some nice turns on the lower half of Hillman's while we had lunch and contemplated afternoon plans elsewhere. Freshies on the Sherburne made it all worthwhile. The snow was like honey - sticky but sweet! What had been dirt and rocks the day before was now a plush carpet and we cruised straight into the parking lot.
Recommend full screen viewing at 720HD (selections at bottom right of video)
This weekend we turned the clock back a few months. Our expectation for this trip was late spring conditions. In the week leading up to the trip we were expecting to find minimal snowpack, lots of down hiking, and crazy crowds associated with the Inferno race. In the last few days leading into the trip crowds seemed like less of a problem. That was because the forecast was calling for rain, sleet, and some snow. What we got instead was a full return to winter. North Conway picked up 2-3", Pinkham Notch snagged 6-8", and the higher elevations were reporting 10-15"+.
The race was cancelled. So that left the parking lot fairly empty except for hundred or so cars that had been left overnight for the racers.
TK, MD, and I hooked up with an extended party of T's friends and 7 of us hit the trail by 8:45. The trail was only somewhat packed out but the hiking was good and the pace was brisk. I almost immediately wished I had opted for snowboard over skis as my pack weighed many pounds more than in recent years.
HoJo's was a ghost town. Our group nearly doubled the population there. But the rangers were out in force and were jazzed up to discuss the avy conditions. After listening to reports and recommendations our group of 3 decided to lay low and stay low. The other 4 included three newbies to Tucks and one well seasoned vet. As a result they had both the motivation and the confidence to head a little higher. They knocked off some nice turns on the lower half of Hillman's while we had lunch and contemplated afternoon plans elsewhere. Freshies on the Sherburne made it all worthwhile. The snow was like honey - sticky but sweet! What had been dirt and rocks the day before was now a plush carpet and we cruised straight into the parking lot.
Recommend full screen viewing at 720HD (selections at bottom right of video)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
C-Dog leading from behind
Just another MTB clip. With some new angles and M Doughty helping out. (Music unauthorized so go buy Sad Man Happy Man and make us all feel better).
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Fish in the river.
Had to co-opt this clip from my Jones River site. Cool to see the herring moving up river early this year.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
What: Quick morning ride with Chilly-D
What: Quick morning ride with Chilly-D
Where: Carolina Hill
When: Morning (didn't I already say that?)
How: How!
Who: Me and Chillster (said that too)
Why: Honestly? Because I want to play with this new camera toy. And it's a last ditch attempt to get some legs for Tuckerman's
(video updated for improved quality)
Where: Carolina Hill
When: Morning (didn't I already say that?)
How: How!
Who: Me and Chillster (said that too)
Why: Honestly? Because I want to play with this new camera toy. And it's a last ditch attempt to get some legs for Tuckerman's
(video updated for improved quality)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Easter Slush Fest
Put it all together and what do you get?
Still working out the editing bugs to make the video quality better. I'll get there eventually.....
Still working out the editing bugs to make the video quality better. I'll get there eventually.....
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
A river runs through it
I'm not talking some metaphor for father/son relationships as told through fly-fishing and cheezy actors. I'm talking about about water literally running through what should be ski trails.
Here's a shot of ski patrol using their poles to help dig a trench so some kids could pond skim under the Heaven's gate chair. Seriously.
Here's a shot of ski patrol using their poles to help dig a trench so some kids could pond skim under the Heaven's gate chair. Seriously.
Slushboarding paradise
Spring skiing has turned into summer skiing. It is HOT at Sugarbush. At least 75 on Friday and should hit 80 Saturday. The limitations of the Claybrook internet connection are only exceeded by my interest in computer time while here. But anyway I thought I'd throw up a quick look at the soft bumps, blazing sun, (and dirt) found on Paradise.
Obviously I need to revise the camera mounting location so viewers don't hurl (this was my on my ankle). But this was the first attempt and not too bad.
Bluebird (and clear skies)
Lunch by the river (of melting slopes)
Location, location, location
Obviously I need to revise the camera mounting location so viewers don't hurl (this was my on my ankle). But this was the first attempt and not too bad.
Bluebird (and clear skies)
Lunch by the river (of melting slopes)
Location, location, location
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
River Recon 2009
Had to rescue this one. Somehow managed to lose the actual file but found it on Jones River Ecology Blog
New Years 2010. Franconia before the 20+
Never pulled out the camera on the best powder day ever seen in the east. But things were pretty nice even before that....
Also experimenting with YouTube uploads. This same can be seen here
Also experimenting with YouTube uploads. This same can be seen here
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Double Head
A February drought in New England. But Double Head holds up well on a spring-like day. Chily-dog, MD, and AM on the old CCC trail.
Ice on the bay
It's new year. And it's dark and icy. JB and I (with visit from D. Grossman) take a long walk across the bay to explore ice, seed, and stock.
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