Troop 27 takes on the White Mountains 2014!

[disney4dan 68]

Our boy scout troop's annual Labor Day weekend in the White Mountains of NH was a huge success again this year.  For the first time, we had so much interest in the trip that we actually needed three sites.  Unfortunately, only two of the adult leaders in the group decided to step up to the plate and reserve sites in advance - limiting us to a maximum of 26 people.  I reserved the youth group site early in the year by calling ahead and another adult reserved the site immediately adjacent to us.  Then, meeting after meeting through the spring we kept bringing up the topic of getting someone reserve another site (that could be cancelled if not needed.  Oh well, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink!  So disappointing to have to limit the number who could attend as our troop has been growing quickly with new scouts joining from other nearby troops.

 

Enough on the negative, Let's get this trip report going!

 

We took off mid-day on Friday with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70's.  About as good as it gets for tent camping.  Humidity was down in that comfort zone of "crisp" and dry. I couldn't wait to sit around the fire and have a cup of coffee from the vintage percolator - our most prized possession. The older kids in the troop are now 14 and have been doing this since they were 11.  They know the routine, get the tents out, set up the EZ-Ups and patrol boxes and kitchen area.

 

This was our set up on Saturday morning (I didn't get any pix on Friday night):

 

 

First night's meal was mac and cheese with hot dogs - no photos because it was dark at the time, but let me tell you that it didn't last long!  It was an early night with lights out at around 10:00 so we could go on our hike the next morning.

 

Saturday was perfect weather for the trail. Low temperatures in the 50's with a mild breeze and partly cloudy.  The best part?  Lower cloud deck at around 4,000 feet and we were headed for 5,260 feet!  Ever remember the first time you saw a cloud from above?  It is really fun to hike through them and watch them race up the mountain side.

 

Half the group with more experienced hikers headed for the taller peak of Mt. Lafayette while the newer kids were headed for a short hike to Lonesome Lake hut on the other side of Franconia notch. 

 

I was with the older kids (inlcuding my son Matt).  Here we are at the trail head with several hundred other people who were hiking that day!  I'm on the far left, Matt is 5th from the left and leaning on the kid in the yellow shirt.

 

 

What I didn't know at the time is that the boy, 4th from the left and new to our troop, had never hiked before in his life.  I suspected he might be new to this because his day pack was heavy with things he wasn't going to need (like a large flashlight that takes 6 volt batteries and weighs about two pounds). 

 

At the first trail junction:

 

 

 

And then we started the serious part of elevation gain:

 

 

Well, my PC is running as slow as molasses right now and i need to get to my chores.  So I will come back later and update with some more.  Up next, some shots along the trail and a photo showing the clouds hanging out along the ridge and taunting us to come play at the top!

 

[red...Susan 37]

It is great that you step up and help guide these kids to adulthood!

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Awesome!

Can't wait to read more. I loved being a scout, and have great memories from that time. Thanks for taking time out of your life to help create lifetime memories for those boys.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I always look forward to your scouting TR's, Dan. 

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

I'm in.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Fun!!!!!!!!!!! Z will be old enough for boy scouts next year. Can't wait to read more. 

[disney4dan 68]

It is great that you step up and help guide these kids to adulthood!

 

It is really a blast - puts a lot of things in perspective.  It is also really nice that my son still wants me around on these outings.  Not too many parents get the opportunity!  I am learning just as much from them as they are from me.

 

Awesome!

Can't wait to read more. I loved being a scout, and have great memories from that time. Thanks for taking time out of your life to help create lifetime memories for those boys.

 

There will be days for rocking chairs and lounging on the beach in the future.  I need to be in the mountains while I am still able to climb and not stare up from the base!

 

I always look forward to your scouting TR's, Dan. 

 

I appreciate that.  I hope you get to visit the White Mountains sometime soon with the family.  I think they would love the area, all the waterfalls, running brooks, steep hillsides.  And the smell of campfires and s'mores every night.

 

I'm in.

 

Then I had better get back to it!  Thanks for joining in. And here we go!

[disney4dan 68]

It is great that you step up and help guide these kids to adulthood!

 

It is really a blast - puts a lot of things in perspective.  It is also really nice that my son still wants me around on these outings.  Not too many parents get the opportunity!  I am learning just as much from them as they are from me.

 

Awesome!

Can't wait to read more. I loved being a scout, and have great memories from that time. Thanks for taking time out of your life to help create lifetime memories for those boys.

 

There will be days for rocking chairs and lounging on the beach in the future.  I need to be in the mountains while I am still able to climb and not stare up from the base!

 

I always look forward to your scouting TR's, Dan. 

 

I appreciate that.  I hope you get to visit the White Mountains sometime soon with the family.  I think they would love the area, all the waterfalls, running brooks, steep hillsides.  And the smell of campfires and s'mores every night.

 

I'm in.

 

Then I had better get back to it!  Thanks for joining in. And here we go!

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

Oh, to be that young again....:)

[disney4dan 68]

Fun!!!!!!!!!!! Z will be old enough for boy scouts next year. Can't wait to read more. 

 

Fun!!!!!!!!!!! Z will be old enough for boy scouts next year. Can't wait to read more. 

I hope you get to hang out together a lot by the camp fire!  The kids get to travel to scout camps in councils all over the place and see many places.  We had kids from Canada at Matt's summer camp this year.  Interesting to hear two flag cermonies each day.

 

Oh, to be that young again.... :)

 

I hear ya!  Although, some of these kids don't have it too easy, but they do have youth and their health.  And plenty of time to figure things out.

[Beckers 1,136]

I'm in!

[disney4dan 68]

Wow, lots of double posting on my part tonight.  Hope I can keep that to a minimum.

 

Now, when we last left off, we had just started the really steep part of the climb.  Lucky for us, it was only steep for another 3.9 miles out of the 4 miles to the top ;-)

 

Here is the gang on "Agony Ridge".  It's a fairly steep backbone that runs north-south in the Franconia Notch and usually blocks the view of the Lafayette, Lincoln and Little Haystack mountains above. 

 

 

We paused there for a while to have a snack, rehydrate and watch the clouds race up and over the mountains. At this spot, we are probably at about 2,500 or 3,000 feet and maybe a half mile to a mile from the AMC Greanleaf Hut.

 

The sun peaking through the clouds on the side of the ridge.

 

 

 

Casey hanging tough and keeping up with the rest of the kids who have a lot more experience with hiking.  I think he looks like he is having a good time.

 

 

Back at it to try and make the Greanleaf Hut for lunch.

 

 

This is some of the really dark green moss that is found along the trail near the alpine zone.  I love seeing this stuff. Won't be much longer and it will be covered in snow again for months.

 

 

And the hut!  We met some people on the trail who stayed the night at this place the day before.  All the food is brought in for you by kids with much younger legs than I have and you get a fresh cooked dinner, a comfortable cot and then breakfast as you wait for the area to start crawling with people again. They said it was $125 per person per night.  Not bad for a composting toilet and no showers.  Makes Pop Century seem like the Ritz Carlton.

 

 

And a sign welcoming us to the Alpine Zone:

 

 

We took a table in the corner and everyone noshed on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, granola bars, apples and water.  I was wishing I had packed Ibuprofen and Gatorade at this point, but sometimes you need to learn the hard way.

 

Half an hour later and we were back on our way.  Another mile, another 1,000 feet in elevation and we were going to be at the top of Mount Lafayette.  Here is Casey with his overweight pack looking back down toward the Hut.  That mountain in the distance is Cannon Mountain. It is a ski area and some of you might remember a trip report I did in 2011 when Matt first joined Boy Scouts and we summited Cannon Mountain.  But we used a high speed gondola in 2011 :-)

 

 

Finally, by 1:00 we had made the summit and our first group photo at 5,260 feet!!!

 

 

And my well deserved cup of steaming hot coffee while I stretched out in a former hut foundation to get out of the wind.

 

Edited September 7, 2014 by disney4dan

[Millermouseketeers MaryAnn 150]

How awesome for you & your son! What a great Dad you are!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

The views look spectacular!  And that coffee had to taste SO good. 

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Great pix. Awesome view. 5260 feet! 20 ft short of a mile. That's quite an accomplishment. A 1000 ft in one mile. That sounds steep.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I'm in.  Great views!

[disney4dan 68]

How awesome for you & your son! What a great Dad you are!

 

Thanks! He makes it pretty easy to be his Dad. 

 

The views look spectacular!  And that coffee had to taste SO good. 

 

I was pretty tired by the time I got to the top and so focused on getting my coffee and keeping the kids in group.  I forgot to take a while and check out the view to the east.  In the group photo behind us is an area known as the Pemigewassett Wilderness (the "Pemi") and is some of the most remote hiking areas in the state.  People climb these mountains all year round, including in the middle of winter.  Not sure if I want to be there in February!

 

And that coffee was REALLLLLY good!

 

Great pix. Awesome view. 5260 feet! 20 ft short of a mile. That's quite an accomplishment. A 1000 ft in one mile. That sounds steep.

 

It is a very steep climb, I'll have to find a trail map and get it posted to show the contours.  But steep trails lead to great views!

 

By Tuesday my thighs were burning from the stress of hiking down that steep trail.  I really need to lose that extra 30 pounds I have been carrying

 

 

I'm in.  Great views!

 

Nice to have you along! This will be fairly short, but it was a fun weekend.

 

I need to upload a few photos from other people (I didn't take too many this trip) and get right back.

[disney4dan 68]

Me thinks it is time to consider a replacement PC.  So far, 0 of 4 photos have uploaded.  Connection speeds are fine, maybe it's Photobucket?

 

I'll have to try something else next time.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Love the pic from the summit!  Awesome view; looks like you 'all had a lot fun :)   Our daughter joined AHG (American Heritage Girls) this year and we have our first camping trip coming up in a couple of weeks... of course, there will not be any long strenuous hikes, but there also won't be those amazing views  

[disney4dan 68]

Love the pic from the summit!  Awesome view; looks like you 'all had a lot fun :)   Our daughter joined AHG (American Heritage Girls) this year and we have our first camping trip coming up in a couple of weeks... of course, there will not be any long strenuous hikes, but there also won't be those amazing views

 

And there will be campouts and coffee I hope?!

 

Can't wait to see the trip report from this and hear how she enjoys it. 

[disney4dan 68]

So I finally got the photos to upload this morning.  Took a little detour yesterday and hiked a local mountain with Rachel - four hours in the sun with 70 degree temps and dry air was a perfect way to spend a day.  From what I hear, we can expect lots of snow this winter, starting with cold weather this fall, so I am making the most of this nice weather!

 

I wanted to post a photo of a topography map showing the trail we took:

 

 

I would recommend this trail to anyone who wants from great scenery and a chance to see some waterfalls.  Take lots of Ibuprofen!

 

Later that night we had a spaghetti and meatball dinner. It's always a challenge to cook that much pasta, but they only burned about one pound on the bottom of the aluminum pot !  For desert we got a surprise visit from Casey's family with a birthday cake for him:

 

 

The kids were happy to see this, but it was a challenge to keep them quiet after the sugar and the surprise.

 

While we are on the subject of food, can you imagine what it's like to cook eggs for 23 people?  Imagine no more!

 

 

And breakfast sausage:

 

 

Need to get to work, more photos later from our trip to a river to swim and pan for gold.  Then off to a 4H fair in Lancaster, NH.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great report so far, Dan.

 

Seeing those patrol boxes and that ancient Coleman stove in the last photo brings me back to my own Scouting days.

 

The awesome thing about all of this is that you and your son will be sharing these memories for the rest of your lives!

 

It's still hot and humid here in Florida, and we're fresh out of mountains.  It's strange to me to see the boys dressed in warm clothes.

 

TCD

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Wow that was a steep climb.

Feeding 23 hungry young men is probably like cooking for 43 normal people. I bet those boys put away some food. Lol

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

Dan,

What a treat to see and read your trip report tonight!! I live in NH and have spent SO MUCH time in the White Mountains!! We haven't camped in the mountains for three years now, but for seven years straight my boys and I would drive up and camp EVERY SINGLE week of the entire summer!!! We would stay for either two or three nights, then drive home to go to our place on the Lake for the weekend. Those were the days and I miss them so much....... now that my kids are 18 and 21 and work all summer and want to hang out with their buddies, those days are long gone!!!

 

What campground were you at?  Our favorite and the one we stayed at the most was Hancock. It is just a couple of miles past Loon and is a National Forest campground. Its right on the river and we could spend an entire day playing in the river! Our other big activity was biking and we practically "owned" the bike trail from Cannon to the Flume! We have biked that trail literally hundreds of times!!

 

I love, love, LOVE the White Mountains and am looking forward to reading more about your trip!!

 

Heidi

[disney4dan 68]

Great report so far, Dan.

 

Seeing those patrol boxes and that ancient Coleman stove in the last photo brings me back to my own Scouting days.

 

The awesome thing about all of this is that you and your son will be sharing these memories for the rest of your lives!

 

It's still hot and humid here in Florida, and we're fresh out of mountains.  It's strange to me to see the boys dressed in warm clothes.

 

TCD

 

It was perfect camping weather - temperatures in the low 50's at night and 70's during the day.  AND NO BUGS!

 

That Coleman stove has had some miles on it, lots of propane has chugged through those three burners, probably mostly to heat up that vintage 28 cup percolator on top of the patrol box.  I have to say, that percolator is probably the most prized item in the trailer.

 

Wow that was a steep climb.

Feeding 23 hungry young men is probably like cooking for 43 normal people. I bet those boys put away some food. Lol

 

Those kids can eat a lot, but they do eat pretty healthy - Sunday night's meal was grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast with rice and broccoli.  And those guys chose the whole grain, cook for 30 minutes, bag of rice.  Although, there are always packages of Ramen Noodles in the trailer for a quick snack when someone didn't get enough lunch or dinner.  No microwaves in the troop trailer!

 

Dan,

What a treat to see and read your trip report tonight!! I live in NH and have spent SO MUCH time in the White Mountains!! We haven't camped in the mountains for three years now, but for seven years straight my boys and I would drive up and camp EVERY SINGLE week of the entire summer!!! We would stay for either two or three nights, then drive home to go to our place on the Lake for the weekend. Those were the days and I miss them so much....... now that my kids are 18 and 21 and work all summer and want to hang out with their buddies, those days are long gone!!!

 

What campground were you at?  Our favorite and the one we stayed at the most was Hancock. It is just a couple of miles past Loon and is a National Forest campground. Its right on the river and we could spend an entire day playing in the river! Our other big activity was biking and we practically "owned" the bike trail from Cannon to the Flume! We have biked that trail literally hundreds of times!!

 

I love, love, LOVE the White Mountains and am looking forward to reading more about your trip!!

 

Heidi

 

We love the White Mountains as well.  We are from north central Massachusetts and have some decent trails in our area (North Quabbin Trail Association has been working really hard to expand the network), but the kids love getting up in those mountains. Plenty of water and lots of peaks to climb.

 

We stayed at Lafayette Place this time, right next to the trailhead.  Spent a night in Jigger Johnson campground in July and hiked into Sawyer Pond campground from the Kancamangus - nice area, but so many mosquitoes.  And leeches in the pond, but it was still better than hanging around the house while everyone does chores :)  Your comment about missing the camping and the age of your kids hits right at home; Matt is 14 now and I know that window is closing soon.  I never really took good care of my body and only exercised infrequently.  Now, I wish I had done better so I can keep up as he takes on more challenging hikes.  I've made it this far, hope to make all the rest (like Mount Washington, maybe Owls Head and the ultimate goal "the Presidential Traverse".  The difference I see between scouting and most other activities for the kids is that I'm not just sitting on the sidelines watching.  I'm sitting around the campfire at night, loading up camping gear with a group of kids that are like a pack of puppies on a Friday and completely worn out and tired come Sunday afternoon or Monday, or setting up a tent in the snow and figuring out how to sleep comfortably when the temperature drops down to the single digits at night.

 

I have one more update to go (a little later today when I take a break) that I think you will like - we go to our usual swimming spot near Loon Mountain and then to the Lancaster fair.

 

I've got some older trip reports on FF.net from our earlier camping adventures.  One to Zealand Hut, some up Chocorua, etc. and our trips to Washington DC and Gettysburg.  A lot of people on these boards helped with information on how to do those trips for less money (we spent a week in Washington DC for $155 per kid in 2011 - not per night, the whole week).