The Mild Maine Yurt Trip
with yet another Confluence...
February 1, 2009
A few instances of hardship; otherwize a pretty cushy time for the yearly winter adventure
Four PhDs pose in the shadow of Mt. Adams
Chronicle by Charlie
Continuing a tradition, the PhDs once again embark on a mid-winter adventure; combining familiar elements of danger & daring into new settings.
A new degree confluence hunt, with all its uncertainties & challenges would be the lead off event. A new yurt, opening this season in the Frost Mountain group would be our abode for 2 nights. The Great Glen facility in Pinkham Notch would once again be the setting for skiing and shoeing.
The journey began with a reduced roster; the allegedly retired Dave
Tom & Charlie arrived at the meeting place in Milton, met with Matt; proceeded to a crowded breakfast restaurant, then set off for our first destination, slightly north of Portland, Maine.
The Confluence Hunt:
Arriving late morning, we quickly navigated to a starting point in the small town of Lisbon Falls. After studying maps & reviewing reports from previous visits, Charlie decided that an approach from the south, beginning on the east side of Ward Road would minimize the access distance.
We parked on Ward Road, at the last point visited by a snowplow, and walked west along the road, searching for a trailhead that appeared on the USGC topo map.
No obvious trailheads were in evidence, but at the approximate location there was a driveway leading to a private residence. In a departure from the usual PhD strategy of trespassing in such situations, we actually spoke with the property owner, and explained our hope of finding an access into the forest to the north. She responded with some familiarity to our problem. A geocache is also hidden at this confluence, and she has been previously asked for the same access permission.
Permission was granted in exchange for a promise to jump start the dead battery in her Kia when we returned. We donned snowshoes, and proceeded through the back yard to find a cleared path heading northeast, along the crude trail indicated on the topo map.
We followed someone else's fresh snowshoe tracks for 500m. We were wondering if we would meet another confluencer or cacher en route, but the tracks ended abruptly, and we began a bushwhack Through nearly impenetrable brush to the east.
The terrain was characterized in two different ways.
The forest parts were densely packed small tree growth; mostly hemlock & maple. There were few trees larger than 10cm diameter, the average size was 5cm or less. We were constantly breaking the smaller branches or ducking larger limbs. On a few occasions, low rock ledges appeared on the forest floor. We walked atop these ledges when possible; they were a welcome interruption from the trees.
There were also patches of wetlands along the route. At this time of year, they were well frozen & covered deeply in snow. They afforded us an open view, but were troublesome to cross, being full of low dense bushes which tangled in our snowshoes.
After 1.5 hours on the trail, we finally came to the confluence, which looked nothing like the famous Kerski had described. Could it be that Charlie’s hero was fabricating information in his reports? Or was it possible that Charlie’s GPS gadget gave erroneous readings? . The usual protocol ensued; we danced about to get the zeroes, took the directional photos,
The weather was light overcast with no wind, approx. -5C. We saw no animals, but found a tree scarred by bear scratching. At one point in the hike an odd percussive sound was heard in the near distance; possibly the drumming of a ground fowl, , but likely the sound of far off gunfire. There was also the expected collection of small mammal tracks in the snow.
We re-emerged into the private residence backyard, and helped the owner jump start her vehicle, then continued on to western Maine for the remainder of our winter adventures.
Yurt Arrival:
Leaving the confluence in early afternoon, a 90 mile trek across southwestern Maine brought us to Brownfield, near the New Hampshire line, shortly before sunset, after having made a quick stop to get capers, a necessary ingredient for the appetizers Matt planned to prepare .
Our hosts had left the key at the registration kiosk; we grabbed 2 sleds for our gear, and began the 0.4 mile trek along a groomed trail, & arrived at the Mountain View yurt in the fading light of day. The newest yurt had all the luxurious amenities expected of yurt life amenities that we have come to expect from the Frost Mountain folks. Frost Mountain definitely sets the standard for New England yurt experience.
We immediately began the necessary arrival chores; melting snow for utility water, igniting the stove, and dispersing the various provisions we brought.
Dave joined us after darkness, navigating aimlessly on the highways, then making the yurt hike in the dark, using audio navigation towards the end. . His tenacity and dedication was recognized by the group, as he had only just returned from the west coast on a red eye flight that morning. He may have been partly motivated by the real possibility that if he missed this trip, disbarment proceedings would be initiated on the grounds that one year had transpired since his last participation in one of our events. He noted that being banished from our organization would be about as low as you could go.
Wine bottles were uncorked and Gatorade bottle tops were unscrewed. Matt prepared smoked salmon appetizers much too sophisticated for the likes of our group. The evening meal main course was a seafood bisque by Matt. . Having been fed, the retiree contingent became groggy and turned in early. The rest of the night passed uneventfully in great comfort.
Snowshoeing at Great Glen:
Rising in the morning, a skillet breakfast was served by Charlie as fuel for the day's activities. Eventually we left for the 37 mile journey north to the Great Glen facilities at the base of the Mt. Washington auto road. The temperature was a surprising mid 30sF, very unlike the previous cold & windy visit here in 2007.
Our first activity was an excursion of the more civilized trails in the park. Tom & Dave used x-country skis skis and successfully negotiating a black diamond trail, leading them to conclude that they must be experts. Matt & Charlie stepped out on snowshoes. It was interesting to find that the ski trails were bilingually marked in English and French. Using the signs as aids to translation, we determined that Matt was “un homme bourru”. We met up as a group at the shelter at the far end of the trail complex. The mild climate made for a safe and effortless journey, although Charlie seemed to be suffering from "mal de raquette".
The view of the snow covered Presidential peaks was outstanding.
We returned to headquarters for lunch only mildly fatigued. On advice from the staff, we set off to find an undocumented trail to the south. Dave brought out his newly acquired snowshoes and demonstrated the function(?) of the flip-up ascender components. The utility of these gadgets was viewed with considerable skepticism. The trail was blazed, and previously visited since the last snowfall, & was therefore pretty easy to follow. Perhaps the most notable feature was a randomly located one-hole backwoods privy that Dave found intriguing.
Completing the short loop, we searched for a greater challenge, since we hadn’t yet had our obligatory brush with peril. The map showed numerous shoeing trails of varying complexity. We proceeded to the north, and were soon on an trail of unbroken snow heading to higher elevations. The map was detailed, but confusing, and clearly not up to Charlie’s demanding standards. We were conferencing often on the route. At a difficult trail intersection, we went off on a route that took us over steep terrain, full of obstacles.
We became smug, cutting corners and recklessly blazing new trails in the deep snow. On a steep downhill run, Matt fell & couldn't get up. He sank into the light fluffy snow up to his waist and still hadn’t touched solid ground underneath. The snow was at least four feet deep. The dangers of solitary shoeing became evident. Finally getting back on his shoes, we finished the trek; feeling that our taste for adventure was fulfilled.
We returned to the yurt. Dave built a fire outside. The snow covered firepit became dangerously slippery. Wine, Gatorade and hors d’oeuvres were enjoyed by the roaring fire.
Paella, a delicacy from last year's winter event, was prepared. A huge recipe, we managed to finsh half of the pot.
A business meeting was convened, in which the PhD opinion survey was compiled and discussed. The results suggest that future activities will be more of what we have been doing; outliers not withstanding.
Turning in for the night, the wood stove was fed several times, but became neglected and mismanaged, causing the yurt temperature to soar, resembling a sauna. Tom contemplated leaving to roll in the snow. A near altercation resulted in the night, when Tom experienced a fit due to hyperthermia and snoring-induced sleep deprivation, & began violently hurling sleepware in Dave's direction. Things settled down eventually.
The morning meal was a potpourri of Dave's oatmeal, part 2 of Charlie's skillet, and a sausage medley. We packed and sledded the return trail. The return trip home was complicated by a snowstorm which blanketed the South Shore as we brought this event to a close.
