Franconia Falls and Black Pond on Earth Day

Base of Franconia Falls

A short trail description for a long walk in the woods!  Friday morning, TybTangs and I took a nice meander up Lincoln Woods Trail to Franconia Falls and Black Pond.  Not knowing how the weather was going to pan out or what sort of hike we were in for the next day in terms of conditions, I thought it would be a great hike to start the weekend.  Thankfully, the dogs informed me I chose well!

So much signage...

  

Representative of the LW Trail up to the bridge over the East Branch of the Pemi

Lincoln Woods is accessed via a large parking lot, which is your first indication this is a very popular trail.  Luckily for us, I had Friday off and there was some very light rain that had recently fallen and was forecasted to occur again so it was fairly quiet.  I figured we would head up to Franconia Falls (round trip 6.2 miles) but we tacked on another 1.6 miles (or two if you go by the trail signs) when we decided to check out Black Pond on our return to the car.

Sections of the old railroad bed that are still intact along the trail

From the trailhead, we followed the path past the ranger station and over the suspension bridge that wavered subtly as we crossed.  A right turn and off we went!  The trail is very broad and flat, which is really as much as this trail description needs.  It follows the river and the noise of the water was comforting when we were out there alone.  

View from the side of the trail of the East Branch of the Pemi

The trail is also a multi-use trail and, while we didn't encounter anyone on bikes, there were  tracks in the mud.  The mud situation is minimal; the trail is so broad that the small amount of mud we encountered on LW could be walked around.  

Aforementioned bridge

We walked as far as the second bridge, where the spur to Franconia Falls is on the left.  That trail is more of a traditional nature trail - single file but not narrow, and some very minor rocks, roots, mud (at the moment) and incline.  Apparently Franconia Falls is wicked popular in the summer and I can see why.  It's super cool and for an attraction not immediately off a major route, it is very accessible.  We spent a little time wandering the rocks and making it to the official end of the trail that Tybee did not wish to acknowledge!

The signage continues... mostly about water safety at this kiosk

Franconia Falls:

Dog goes anywhere she wants til I ask her to do it on command!

Top of the falls

We scooted down the rocks for one more scenic river vista before turning around

The dogs disagree

We were making such great time and the weather was so cooperative that we also took the spur for Black Pond on the way back. This one was evidently less popular and more of the narrow hiker's path one expects.  Still, a pretty flat walk overall (some small, gentle ups and downs) and decent footing (ranging from easy to some roots and slick leaves to be cautious of, as well as mud at the moment).  The view of the pond was very pretty and it felt cool to visit such an untouched body of water.  Unlike Franconia Falls, there was no end of trail sign and I had to convince Ty that today wasn't the day to find the Black Pond Bushwhack!

Black Pond

Ty stuck her nose in some leaves and this readily popped up
from among them.  Cool find we left for the next hiker to see!

Tango approved! 

We really enjoyed this 4.25 hour walk (included random breaks and photo opps) and hope we can do it again with some less hiking-inclined folks before it gets busy for the season.  I felt good about the mileage but it was in no way taxing on my "old man."  Both dogs benefited from lots of access to water (though anything running from Black Pond is probably a bad idea due to the beavers).  It was an ideal start to our weekend and perfectly situated right down Rt 112 from Hancock Campground, where we later met up with Linda to spend the night drinking, chatting, and struggling with my new-to-me (gifted from my stepdad!) Coleman grill in preparation for the next day's hike up to Greenleaf Hut with more hiking humans and pups.  That didn't quite happen but we had a great hike anyway and finished the day on hedgehog enjoying the sunny skies outside of the notch!

Trip Report: 4/23 Greenleaf Trail

Our first official night of camping 2016!!

River behind the campground

Turning around isn't failing: our attempt at Pierce

I think this blog contains more trip reports of Pierce than anything else at this point.  Yesterday, we attempted to make another ascent but turned around somewhere just shy of the junction with the Mizpah Cutoff.  Keenly aware that most folks are probably reading this particular post to get an idea what the conditions are like for the upcoming weekend, I'll keep my summary mostly in picture form to be more helpful.

Crawford Connector

To Gibbs Falls

Dirt...Ice...Dirt...Ice  

For awhile, I did a lot of donning and removing my Hillsound Trail Crampon Pro's, as there were many sections of dry trail, a couple stretches of avoidable ice, and some icy patches.  I find the Pro's to be easier to fit to my boots than my Kahtoola's and a better choice anticipating that I would be assisting the dog(s) at some point.  During that time, much of the ice was crunchy and sort of safe to step on carefully.

But slowly the trail became more ice than not and very slippery.  The crampons stayed on and I was assisting Tango via his Ruffwear Web Master more than I wasn't.  Ty was completely fine maneuvering the ice or avoiding it in the woods alongside the trail (which was usually an option). Her only issue was that we weren't moving fast enough!

I was concerned about this turn (shortly after Gibbs Falls)
from the moment I decided on Pierce.  The dogs had barely
enough room to skirt around it but the ice flows over the edge dangerously.

Photo opp!

Do your dog a favor and buy him a harness with a handle!

Bailing

Where the trail was its iciest, it was also pretty flat, even at the point I took the photograph immediately above this line.  Although not obvious in the photo below (sorry for the quality, it's a freeze frame from a video), the boiler plate ice + incline combo bested us.  When the trail began to climb (slightly but enough to make a difference when composed of ice), I called it.  Ty went up and down a couple of times.  She even slipped once and handled it like a boss.  After a few minutes of contemplation, I tried it with Tango.  I was putting in as much effort as he was to get him up the trail.  Bummed but knowing it was the right thing to do, we turned around.

Our turnaround spot

This wasn't even the worst stretch but
it definitely looked worse on the way down!

Photo opp!

Mud! (A welcome sight!)

And a fine consolation prize: lunch at Diana's Baths

Amidst many other potential and backup plans, I chose Pierce.  Not the winning decision of the day but we still had a lot of fun and bonding experience.  I'm happy with the outcome despite not summiting and honestly, it had to happen.  Next week we planned to do a much more challenging hike.  Had I not seen the conditions for myself, I would have made the mistake of attempting it with other people and their dogs.  Don't get me wrong, Pierce is definitely doable with traction for people (though I much prefer my Trail Crampon Pro's to micros) and the right dogs, it wasn't in the cards for us.  And neither will any other 4K'er for awhile.  We'll be checking off a couple lower peaks on the "to-do list" while we wait for the ice to melt. As impatient as I am to get above treeline again, I'm excited to experience new peaks and trails!

Gear Review: Hurtta Ultimate Warmer

We've had the Hurtta Ultimate Warmer for a couple of months now and with trails of ice and disappointing weather on all my potential hike days, it's finally time to write a review.

I bought the Ultimate Warmer via Backcountry K-9 for the purpose of keeping Ty warm on the super cold (summit temps below 10*), windy, above treeline hikes I was aiming to do this winter.  While we didn't do quite as much of that as anticipated, Ty still sported the jacket enough for me to know we're both really happy with it and it will hold up to colder temperatures than she's experienced yet.

Full disclosure, we already have a Ruffwear Quinzee and we love it.  It's warm, easy to put on, ideal for layering, and durable.  However, I felt that for some hikes, Ty needed more coverage.

We got off to a rough start with sizing.  I highly recommend measuring your dog multiple times, reading Hurtta's instructions, and sizing up when in doubt.  Tybee ended up in a 22" (per Backcountry K-9's sizing conversion) after having to swap out a couple of smaller sizes that weren't long enough to button the leg flaps behind her rear end.  It looked bulky but I finally realized it is to allow full range of motion.

Very good fit - comfortable but not loose fitting from tail to chest, even with leg extension

To Ty's dismay, I was intrigued by the coat's adjustability and toyed with the options for awhile before leaving the house.  Some basic notes:

• Its interior is very soft (not that Ty can tell but I like it).
• The collar has an upper and lower bungee adjustment to make it nice and snug against the neck.
• A well designed slit in the back to attach a leash to a hidden harness or collar without compromising on its thermal or waterproof properties.
• Chest flaps that provide extra front leg coverage.
• Vest style with broad chest and upper torso coverage.
• Fantastic back leg coverage including
• Optional leg loops that were loose on Ty (in a good way; they perform their function of keeping the jacket in place without being constricting). Some dogs may take a few outings to adjust to them.
• A snap that allows the leg flaps to come together to offer complete protection around the rear end 
• If full coverage is not desired, there is a snap on each side of the interior that allows some of the fabric to be folded back and secured.  Very helpful for a dog who hasn't pottied yet!
• Waterproof exterior.  We haven't used it in the rain/snow yet but I've spilled on it and watched the liquid bead off
• Lightweight, though it is the bulkiest of Ty's jackets (not that it matters to a packrat like me with her 55L winter pack!)
• Ample, durable 3M reflective trim

Thick collar that can be squished down and tightened
as needed by the chords

Full protection that doesn't restrict movement
(be sure when fitting your pet her front legs have full range of motion too).

Lilo models the back leg straps.  I like pit butts and I cannot lie!

Back leg flaps partially folded and affixed to the interior buttons 

Ty's used the Hurtta jacket on several hikes and I have no question she is well protected from the cold.  Her feet still get chilly when we stop (she'd rather be cold than wear boots, believe me, I've tried!).  For that reason, it took a couple hikes to make sure I was accurately reading her body language and ensure her legs, torso, and neck were as toasty as I'd hoped. Ty wore this coat through weather mostly in the upper teens to 20's but the wind chills dropped to the single digits enough for me to feel confident recommending it for colder weather.

Sit down. Stay awhile!

I've also assigned this coat to camping duty due to its snuggie-like coverage and warmth, even at rest.   In the summertime, Ty is fine with her Ruffwear Highlands Bed for overnights but, given my new goal of more camping, I wanted to see if this would extend the months we can hike in, especially since I was gifted a 20* bag recently!  Over the weekend we slept in the car in New York while accompanying a friend to adopt her new pup and she got a little too warm when the outside air temperature was about 40*!

With this in mind and knowing the seasonal transition is slow in the Whites, I know this jacket has at least a few more uses in it this year.  Hopefully people looking to get a head start on collecting gear for next winter will find their way to this review and they'll still have some time to test it out before the black flies return!  (It's also on sale right now!)