On Late Starts and Middle Sisters

One of the few downsides of living on the Seacoast of NH is that it means, from time to time, I have to drive home from my camp in Jackson. On the way, I'll often try to work on finishing hikes in the Chocorua or Sandwich areas. Usually, I'm often time-squeezed, between packing up Jackson and obligations at home, in today's case, dinner guests to cook for.

My plan today was to hike from White Ledge Campground up Middle Sisters Trail to the "sisters", then return via Carter Ledge Trail. It had rained hard the day before, leaving the Saco River above flood stage, but a review of the hike showed no significant river crossings, so I hoped I wouldn't be scotched by trail wetness.

The Middle Sister Trail diverges from Carter Ledge about a mile in. Carter Ledge Trail is easily visible from the tip of the left campsite loop at White Ledge. 

The lower end is a gentle grade with good trail conditions. Further up, there's only one stream crossing, a bit tricky due to the high waters. Today, the trail was filled with puddles and bloated streams--often partially hidden by recent leaves falling.

In fact, the leaf coverage was so dense, together with soft soils, that I spent much of the day removing "leaf kabobs" from my hiking poles.

The middle section of the trail, before the push up to the ridge, winds through nice hemlock forests, making for some very pleasant walking. The final 1/2 mile up to the ridge is a steep push that, today, was a very active streambed.

As I got up on the ridge, the breeze from the other side, together with the sun dropping behind squall clouds, quickly cooled me down. Within minutes, I was hiking on an icy crust of snow--all that was left from the downpour two days ago. I had set a turnaround time of 1:40 p.m. By 1:20, I was at one of the first lookout ledges, still a good 1/2 mile from the Middle Sister summit. The wind was starting to pick up in earnest and the rocks had all crusted over with ice, which would require me to put on my ice creepers to continue. After a couple of photos looking out to the north from the ledges, I elected to turn around.

The temptation to finish what one sets out to do is always great--and sometimes foolish. Of course, my decision today to turn around was promptly rewarded on the first ledge down, when my feet slide out from under me and I landed on hard my butt and lower back. While my pack cushioned the blow, it was not without some chiropractic-strength 'reverse spinal wrenching'. 

In the end, my lateness means I'll be able to enjoy Carter Ledge Trail another day, with a short down hike to my last ledge to close the loop. And really, that's not so bad, is it?

Hike date: December 2, 2010

Total miles: 7.6

Miles towards "redline project": 4.0

Total miles completed: 583.4

Miles remaining: 834.4

Follow this hike on EveryTrail http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=900826