March
10 - Day 5 - Carrigain and The Willey Range
Low pressure to the west, along with a southwesterly flow, will continue to push warm, moist air into the region today. Expect the chance for rain showers throughout the state before a cold front pushes through and begins to drop the temperatures. Any lingering rain showers this evening will change to snow showers in the northern half of the state. It will also become breezy behind the front tonight. High pressure will bring plenty of sunshine and another shot of mild air into the region for Saturday.
Tim
Markle
Staff Meteorologist, Mount
Washington Observatory
The
weather Gods had been kind to us - despite the rather grim forecast, we
had been spared the worst of the precipitation events of the past day. A
few inches of snow fell on our Owl's Head hike, but the dreaded "wintry
mix" of freezing rain, hail, and downpours never materialized, at least
where we happened to be hiking. Back in Vermont, my wife reported heavy
rain and sleet on the same day.
We
started up the Sawyer River Road at about 6:20 am, finding a few inches
of fresh snow on the road. A warm, bright and fairly dry fog would accompany
us all the way to the summit, lending an unexpectedly cheery atmosphere
to what I expected to be a long slog in a wet mist.The smell of the warm spring-like air wafting through the paper birches and snow-dusted spruce was wonderful, and the quiet stillness invited the kind of conversations that help melt away the miles.
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Cath
in the Birches
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Jeff
Forges Ahead
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 Drewski's Favorite Part! |
We summited at about 10:30. By now the winds had picked up a bit and were decidedly of the wetter variety. We didn't tarry, and zipped down the mountain at a good clip.  We were treated to a brief blast of sunshine and blue skies as we neared 302, just the thing our soggy spirits needed! On to the Willey Range! |
 Whale Watch Wait |
Meeting
up again near the Crawford Hilton after spotting a car at our Willey Range
exit, Jeff joined Cath and I for the hike up to Tom, where he would return
to the road as Cath and I made our way over the Willey Range. We stopped
for the traditional "here we are at the trailhead" shot, when
I realized I left my camera in my car. I scampered back to get it, returning
to capture the pic-of-the-day,
which I have titled "Patience".
The
sunshine we experienced leaving Carrigain was short lived, and a heavy grey
blanket of clouds swept overhead.The curious swirling patterns in their
underbelly didn't seem to suggest that good weather was imminent.Summiting Tom in a thick mist at 4:17, Jeff bolted back for the road on a well packed trail while Cath and I shoed up for the increasingly wet trudge over Field and Willey.
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We never saw rain that night, but the shoeing was difficult and
tiring in the cement like snow, particularly coming down the steeps
off Willey, which we summited at 6:01 pm.
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Field
Summit
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Nightfall
on the Willey Range
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Willey
Summit
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Tomorrow...Garfield,
Galehead, and the Twins
.
All
images Copyright Tim
Seaver © 2006