Skilasnow
05-18-2003, 12:46 AM
I have just arrived home from what some might call a perfect spring day at Tucks.
We arrived in Gorham at 1:00 am and hunkered down in a motel "?" after waking up the very nice proprietor. Up at 7:15, complimentary breakfast, Pinkham by about 8:30. Unable to raise Dr Phid, Elwood, or Stooge by radio or cel. So, sadly, so very very sadly, the golf caddy on wheels stayed behind without a barrel of Oatmeal Stout :unhappyhiker: .
Hit the trail at 8:50 wearing T shirt, shorts and tear offs. Removed tearoffs before the end of the switchbacks as my legs had warmed up nicely. My hiking partner needed to adjust pack and I forged ahead to HoJos, made in record time of 1:30, then on to Lunch Rocks in :25. Surprised me more than anyone :happyhiker: .
Staked claim to a rock and inflated my throne (pic to follow whenever we can figure out why in the hell they wouldn't upload, download, email, network, fetch, burn or whateverelse we tried). {Dave - on a side note I brought a small hand pump that weighed no more than 3 oz. and worked quite well in the inflating you should get one for Kate - if she doesn't already have one}
My friend had lagged much farther behind than I thought and was at HoJos so I went for my fist run. Center Gully, traversed to under waterfall and layed claim to a wide patch of perfect sugar right down the middle of the bowl, still in T shirt and shorts. My friend had arrived and we had a bite to eat while she booted up. Center gully was getting a lot of attention by this time, left gully was looking a bit bare at the top, Chute was looking good but was on the other side of the ravine and had a rather narrow spot, sluice was sketchy due to a mondo hunk of ice the patrol and forestry peeps were expecting to come down onto Lunchrocks, any second. Right gully had no traffic and, besides the brief traverse and exposure to said Mondo hunk of ice looked quite appealing.
Heading up right gulley proved the correct choice. Only a bunch of hikers above kindly creating steps for me. Reaching a point of dwindling snow I turned to see that I was as high as was worthwhile anywhere in the bowl, except above sluice. Perfect untouched sugar all the way back to my throne and an oil can (or two) of Fosters Bitter still in T shirt and shorts.
If you closed your eyes you could have been at the beech, sunshine, the smell of sunblock, and the sluffs sounding like gentle surf - still in T shirt and shorts.
The ubiquitous nuts on sleds and saucers sliding all the way down from the waterfall, these caused several members of the patrol to jump up in brief concern as one cartwheeled after taking several feet of air and another took Mondo air and did some snowcrabatics that would have killed most people.
Photos will hopefully follow sometime tomorrow.
Cheers, John, still in T shirt and shorts, but a bit chilly back in Boston at 12:30am
We arrived in Gorham at 1:00 am and hunkered down in a motel "?" after waking up the very nice proprietor. Up at 7:15, complimentary breakfast, Pinkham by about 8:30. Unable to raise Dr Phid, Elwood, or Stooge by radio or cel. So, sadly, so very very sadly, the golf caddy on wheels stayed behind without a barrel of Oatmeal Stout :unhappyhiker: .
Hit the trail at 8:50 wearing T shirt, shorts and tear offs. Removed tearoffs before the end of the switchbacks as my legs had warmed up nicely. My hiking partner needed to adjust pack and I forged ahead to HoJos, made in record time of 1:30, then on to Lunch Rocks in :25. Surprised me more than anyone :happyhiker: .
Staked claim to a rock and inflated my throne (pic to follow whenever we can figure out why in the hell they wouldn't upload, download, email, network, fetch, burn or whateverelse we tried). {Dave - on a side note I brought a small hand pump that weighed no more than 3 oz. and worked quite well in the inflating you should get one for Kate - if she doesn't already have one}
My friend had lagged much farther behind than I thought and was at HoJos so I went for my fist run. Center Gully, traversed to under waterfall and layed claim to a wide patch of perfect sugar right down the middle of the bowl, still in T shirt and shorts. My friend had arrived and we had a bite to eat while she booted up. Center gully was getting a lot of attention by this time, left gully was looking a bit bare at the top, Chute was looking good but was on the other side of the ravine and had a rather narrow spot, sluice was sketchy due to a mondo hunk of ice the patrol and forestry peeps were expecting to come down onto Lunchrocks, any second. Right gully had no traffic and, besides the brief traverse and exposure to said Mondo hunk of ice looked quite appealing.
Heading up right gulley proved the correct choice. Only a bunch of hikers above kindly creating steps for me. Reaching a point of dwindling snow I turned to see that I was as high as was worthwhile anywhere in the bowl, except above sluice. Perfect untouched sugar all the way back to my throne and an oil can (or two) of Fosters Bitter still in T shirt and shorts.
If you closed your eyes you could have been at the beech, sunshine, the smell of sunblock, and the sluffs sounding like gentle surf - still in T shirt and shorts.
The ubiquitous nuts on sleds and saucers sliding all the way down from the waterfall, these caused several members of the patrol to jump up in brief concern as one cartwheeled after taking several feet of air and another took Mondo air and did some snowcrabatics that would have killed most people.
Photos will hopefully follow sometime tomorrow.
Cheers, John, still in T shirt and shorts, but a bit chilly back in Boston at 12:30am