Twins and Galehead 9-15-18
North Twin 4761'/ South Twin 4902'/ Galehead 4024'
North Twin Trail/North Twin Spur/Twinway/Frost Trail/Garfield Ridge Trail/Gale River Trail
12 Miles 3900' +/- Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy, Wicket, Michael, Sabrina, Pemi & Gem
Wow! What a great hike this is! It had been over 8 years since I had last been on the Twins, taking the same route then as we took today, though in February the hike was a good deal longer than it was in September.
In winter there is/(was) an approach from 7 Dwarfs Motel that was about a mile to the trailhead, then, the usual route over the Twins, down to Galehead, and out, but then another couple of miles of walking unplowed roads and cross-country ski trails to get to Beaver Brook where our car was waiting.
This trip had none of the extra mileage, though being a Saturday, I had to park a bit up Haystack Road from the trailhead. We situated a car at Gale River Trailhead, and took my car over to North Twin Trailhead, called a "Car-spot" in hiking lingo.
Once we were off on the North Twin Trail it was quickly apparent this was going to be a gorgeous day! The dogs were bursting with energy and anticipation of what they knew would lay ahead. It is amazing to see the change in demeanor with Wicket when she gets to hike with other dogs!
She had grown to love our hikes in the mountains, but add some other dogs, and she is ecstatic! They thrash through the woods, bounding on and off the trail, and generally having the time of their lives.
I love how they live in the present, enjoying what time they have with no thought for yesterday or what may await them tomorrow. As humans we are not always afforded that luxury.
There is always something we should have done, or worse, something we should have done different, regrets of which can last years, or even a lifetime. Then there is always the forethought of tomorrow and what it will bring.
But, out here in the woods, I can become a dog! I can stop thinking about yesterday, and not even look as far as tomorrow.
I can bounce along the trail, loving every flower, every leaf, every ray of sunshine that finds its way through the forest canopy down to my waking soul that is more than glad to soak it all in...
Michael and I discuss everything from Air Force jets and bombers to ice hockey and football, and Judy and Sabrina have equally interesting discussions while we hike the first two miles to the third crossing of the Little River.
It has become common for people to skip the first two crossings, and what was once a herd path on the eastern bank is now a well worn trail.
At a spot where we know an older, unmaintained trail breaks off to head for another peak, we remove a makeshift cairn and look in disgust upon the notches hacked in the trees to mark the spot. There are no secrets in the mountains anymore...
Not that this was a secret, but anyone seeking it could have discovered its whereabouts without much difficulty, and it certainly did not need a to be marked with a cairn or damaged trees.
Enough. We were out on a beautiful day, and it was time to cross the river and start the climb. In the past, we have had different degrees of difficulty at this crossing, but today, though there was pretty good water flow, there were plenty of rocks exposed enough to make an easy crossing.
The incline from Little River to the first big rock outcrop where you pop above the trees and finally get a good look around was just as long and steep as I remembered it. Judy and I marveled again that Emma had made this hike several times, even twice in the winter!
But even more surprising to us was that not only had it been 18 years since our first hike here, fourteen years ago we had backpacked it, camping in the krumholtz near the summit of North Twin.
After barely dragging myself up on this day, stopping many times, and dropping in pack order from leader to sweep, I arrived above treeline last by several minutes. I had bonked. Just ran out of gas.
On the expanse of rock that offers the first great views, I could not imagine that years ago I had lugged close to forty pounds up to that height and beyond, to camp.
I don't know if doing that now would be easier because I had the knee fixed and the hip replaced, but considering the years that have passed since I was doing that sort of thing, I imagine my strength and stamina would be severely lacking, as it appeared to be on this day.
We spent a decent amount of time on this outcrop, sharing it with other hikers as well. I had a bite to eat and a good drink, and felt fine from there to the summit of North Twin.
We sat at the spur path that gives the great view towards Garfield and Franconia Ridge, and down over the Pemi to Galehead and Owlshead beyond. A proper meal was had by all, and I felt much better, and was able to go on at a better pace.
The in between North and South Twin always looks intimidating, but is really not that bad. When you come to the point where you pop up out of the woods on South Twin and you get the view to the summit, it always elicits a mild groan from me, but it is always the best part of the hike.
Expansive views begin to open up around us, and I am stopping now to photograph the beauty that makes up our surroundings, instead of stopping to suck wind.
I eat some more, I drink some more, and we spend a good deal of time on South Twin just basking in the sunshine and soaking up the views.
South Twin is one of many on the list of 48 that has a great 360* view, but it just might be my favorite, and Judy's, too. It is difficult to spot any sign of civilization from there, though it can certainly be detected.
We have to drag ourselves away from South Twin knowing that we still had a long hike ahead just to get back down to our car-spot.
This part of the hike included a difficult retreat down from the summit of South Twin to Galehead Hut, aptly dubbed "Jacob's Ladder," a descent of 1150' in 8/10ths of a mile.
At the hut I stashed my pack, and joined the others for a quick jog up to Galehead, our last summit for the day. Wicket had gotten it a few weeks previously, so didn't need it for her list, but Gem did, and counting the Twins she was up to 45!
The Twins made number's 28 & 29 for Wicket's list, but now with another trip to Galehead, 30 in all. I really don' think she cares. Like Emma, she is content to be with us on the trail, and if there are other dogs, all the better!
After summit pics at Galehead, we stopped briefly at the outlook on the way back down to the hut, such a great little view.
Back at the hut we ate again, drank some more, and I refilled my water bottle twice, draining it once in between refills into my parched body. I felt much better on the hike out.
I'm usually very good about hydrating and eating on the trail, but I think the hot humid weather in the previous days had set me up for a tough time on this hike, and I probably started out a bit dehydrated, then didn't drink or eat enough causing me to bonk on the way up North Twin.
I am glad Autumn is just around the corner, and hopefully an end to this heat and humidity! The older I get, the less tolerant of the extremes I become. Days above 70* with 80 to 100% humidity are about as appealing to me as days at -10* .
The hike out along the Garfield Ridge Trail and the Gale River Trail always seems long and boring to me, but at least we were in the shade and the heat of the day was not an issue anymore.
The dogs did amazingly well all day, but there was one incident with Wicket on the way out. I stopped to take a picture, and Wicket was ahead. A woman was running the trail, and passed me, putting herself between me and Wicket.
Wicket turned to see where I was and saw the woman running towards her, instead of me being behind her. This brought about some big barks and nervous behavior, and stopped the poor woman dead in her tracks.
I quickly retrieved Wicket and held her until the woman was well past us. I'll take it, only one incident on a twelve mile hike where we passed dozens of other hikers.
The situation was unusual for Wicket, and she became defensive, but perhaps she will learn from this experience and be better able to cope when this inevitably happens again.
We finished out the hike with nothing much to report, except what a slog it feels like walking what feel like endless miles of woods that there is no escape from.
We piled into Sabrina's car and made the quick trip back to get ours on Haystack Road, then went our separate ways. It was a great hike, but I was glad to be done and on my way to eat again...
Read MoreNorth Twin Trail/North Twin Spur/Twinway/Frost Trail/Garfield Ridge Trail/Gale River Trail
12 Miles 3900' +/- Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy, Wicket, Michael, Sabrina, Pemi & Gem
Wow! What a great hike this is! It had been over 8 years since I had last been on the Twins, taking the same route then as we took today, though in February the hike was a good deal longer than it was in September.
In winter there is/(was) an approach from 7 Dwarfs Motel that was about a mile to the trailhead, then, the usual route over the Twins, down to Galehead, and out, but then another couple of miles of walking unplowed roads and cross-country ski trails to get to Beaver Brook where our car was waiting.
This trip had none of the extra mileage, though being a Saturday, I had to park a bit up Haystack Road from the trailhead. We situated a car at Gale River Trailhead, and took my car over to North Twin Trailhead, called a "Car-spot" in hiking lingo.
Once we were off on the North Twin Trail it was quickly apparent this was going to be a gorgeous day! The dogs were bursting with energy and anticipation of what they knew would lay ahead. It is amazing to see the change in demeanor with Wicket when she gets to hike with other dogs!
She had grown to love our hikes in the mountains, but add some other dogs, and she is ecstatic! They thrash through the woods, bounding on and off the trail, and generally having the time of their lives.
I love how they live in the present, enjoying what time they have with no thought for yesterday or what may await them tomorrow. As humans we are not always afforded that luxury.
There is always something we should have done, or worse, something we should have done different, regrets of which can last years, or even a lifetime. Then there is always the forethought of tomorrow and what it will bring.
But, out here in the woods, I can become a dog! I can stop thinking about yesterday, and not even look as far as tomorrow.
I can bounce along the trail, loving every flower, every leaf, every ray of sunshine that finds its way through the forest canopy down to my waking soul that is more than glad to soak it all in...
Michael and I discuss everything from Air Force jets and bombers to ice hockey and football, and Judy and Sabrina have equally interesting discussions while we hike the first two miles to the third crossing of the Little River.
It has become common for people to skip the first two crossings, and what was once a herd path on the eastern bank is now a well worn trail.
At a spot where we know an older, unmaintained trail breaks off to head for another peak, we remove a makeshift cairn and look in disgust upon the notches hacked in the trees to mark the spot. There are no secrets in the mountains anymore...
Not that this was a secret, but anyone seeking it could have discovered its whereabouts without much difficulty, and it certainly did not need a to be marked with a cairn or damaged trees.
Enough. We were out on a beautiful day, and it was time to cross the river and start the climb. In the past, we have had different degrees of difficulty at this crossing, but today, though there was pretty good water flow, there were plenty of rocks exposed enough to make an easy crossing.
The incline from Little River to the first big rock outcrop where you pop above the trees and finally get a good look around was just as long and steep as I remembered it. Judy and I marveled again that Emma had made this hike several times, even twice in the winter!
But even more surprising to us was that not only had it been 18 years since our first hike here, fourteen years ago we had backpacked it, camping in the krumholtz near the summit of North Twin.
After barely dragging myself up on this day, stopping many times, and dropping in pack order from leader to sweep, I arrived above treeline last by several minutes. I had bonked. Just ran out of gas.
On the expanse of rock that offers the first great views, I could not imagine that years ago I had lugged close to forty pounds up to that height and beyond, to camp.
I don't know if doing that now would be easier because I had the knee fixed and the hip replaced, but considering the years that have passed since I was doing that sort of thing, I imagine my strength and stamina would be severely lacking, as it appeared to be on this day.
We spent a decent amount of time on this outcrop, sharing it with other hikers as well. I had a bite to eat and a good drink, and felt fine from there to the summit of North Twin.
We sat at the spur path that gives the great view towards Garfield and Franconia Ridge, and down over the Pemi to Galehead and Owlshead beyond. A proper meal was had by all, and I felt much better, and was able to go on at a better pace.
The in between North and South Twin always looks intimidating, but is really not that bad. When you come to the point where you pop up out of the woods on South Twin and you get the view to the summit, it always elicits a mild groan from me, but it is always the best part of the hike.
Expansive views begin to open up around us, and I am stopping now to photograph the beauty that makes up our surroundings, instead of stopping to suck wind.
I eat some more, I drink some more, and we spend a good deal of time on South Twin just basking in the sunshine and soaking up the views.
South Twin is one of many on the list of 48 that has a great 360* view, but it just might be my favorite, and Judy's, too. It is difficult to spot any sign of civilization from there, though it can certainly be detected.
We have to drag ourselves away from South Twin knowing that we still had a long hike ahead just to get back down to our car-spot.
This part of the hike included a difficult retreat down from the summit of South Twin to Galehead Hut, aptly dubbed "Jacob's Ladder," a descent of 1150' in 8/10ths of a mile.
At the hut I stashed my pack, and joined the others for a quick jog up to Galehead, our last summit for the day. Wicket had gotten it a few weeks previously, so didn't need it for her list, but Gem did, and counting the Twins she was up to 45!
The Twins made number's 28 & 29 for Wicket's list, but now with another trip to Galehead, 30 in all. I really don' think she cares. Like Emma, she is content to be with us on the trail, and if there are other dogs, all the better!
After summit pics at Galehead, we stopped briefly at the outlook on the way back down to the hut, such a great little view.
Back at the hut we ate again, drank some more, and I refilled my water bottle twice, draining it once in between refills into my parched body. I felt much better on the hike out.
I'm usually very good about hydrating and eating on the trail, but I think the hot humid weather in the previous days had set me up for a tough time on this hike, and I probably started out a bit dehydrated, then didn't drink or eat enough causing me to bonk on the way up North Twin.
I am glad Autumn is just around the corner, and hopefully an end to this heat and humidity! The older I get, the less tolerant of the extremes I become. Days above 70* with 80 to 100% humidity are about as appealing to me as days at -10* .
The hike out along the Garfield Ridge Trail and the Gale River Trail always seems long and boring to me, but at least we were in the shade and the heat of the day was not an issue anymore.
The dogs did amazingly well all day, but there was one incident with Wicket on the way out. I stopped to take a picture, and Wicket was ahead. A woman was running the trail, and passed me, putting herself between me and Wicket.
Wicket turned to see where I was and saw the woman running towards her, instead of me being behind her. This brought about some big barks and nervous behavior, and stopped the poor woman dead in her tracks.
I quickly retrieved Wicket and held her until the woman was well past us. I'll take it, only one incident on a twelve mile hike where we passed dozens of other hikers.
The situation was unusual for Wicket, and she became defensive, but perhaps she will learn from this experience and be better able to cope when this inevitably happens again.
We finished out the hike with nothing much to report, except what a slog it feels like walking what feel like endless miles of woods that there is no escape from.
We piled into Sabrina's car and made the quick trip back to get ours on Haystack Road, then went our separate ways. It was a great hike, but I was glad to be done and on my way to eat again...
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