We don't get enough snow and cold in Virginia. That's why us
three Virginia boys went to New Hampshire to so some "real" winter camping.
That is Kevin Bohli on the left (in red) and then Keith Lewis and Lee Will.
We spent all day driving up from Virginia and arrived after dark.
Here we are ready to take off starting our hike at 6:30 PM.
Results of the 'traditional' pre trip pack weigh in: Lee in last
place with only a 46 pound pack, Kevin had 55 pounds, and Keith was the
winner with a pack that pegged the scales at 60 pounds. (What you
got in there Keith?) |
 The
start, the Lincoln Woods parking area. The snow is up to Lee's thighs.
We planned to hike in only 3 or 4 miles then camp for the night.
The trail was packed smooth and level so it was not a problem hiking after
dark. |
 That
night we found a snow cave at the Franconia Falls temporary campground.
This photo was taken in the morning. The snow cave doesn't look like
much on the outside but inside.... well.... there wasn't much room for
three people. Of course we brought all our gear in as well because
the weather forecast was for RAIN. |
 Kevin
in the snow cave. This photo makes it look big. |
 Breakfast
outside the snow cave. We set our stoves up on the snow, melted snow
for water and had our hot coffee and oatmeal. |
 First
part of our trip took us on the Wilderness Trail along the Pemgewasset
river. The trail had a little new snow and a bit of crust from the
rain. We took turns leading - not really breaking trail - every 30
minuets. |
 Map
break. We've arrived at the start of the Bond Trail that head up
into the mountains and found that no one has broken trail since the last
snow fall (about 12 inches!)
Kevin: "how far do you think we can go through that stuff?" Keith: "we are not going to make it to the top of Bond Mt. We'll just go as far as we can and camp." |
 A
well earned rest. From 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM we hiked maybe 3 miles.
We took turns, 10 minutes each at breaking trail. It was exhausting
work breaking the crust and took concentration to keep one's snowshoes
from getting caught under slabs of crust.
Quotes, Kevin "Am I done yet? What? it's only been 3 minutes? Alright! only 7 minutes to go." Lee: "10 minutes is not too short" Keith: "I need to put moleskin on my collar bone." |
 Camp.
Not much choice of spots on the steep mountainside. At 4:00 PM we
came to a spot in the trail that was perfectly flat, level and broad.
That was it, no hope of finding anything else below the tree line.
We camped right there on the trail (bad form should anyone come along the
trail - but who would!) Just enough space to put the two tents end
to end. Kevin looks tired. Finish melting snow to fill
our water bottles (6 liters) and eating dinner by 7:30 PM. |
 This
is our camp in the morning. Kevin in the background is standing behind
his tent. It got down to -6 degrees F in the night, with lots of
wind. This was a 'cold fingers' morning. We got a late start
because we thought trail breaking would be too difficult to get more than
part way up before we had to turn around. And then there was the
wind. Before we were finished packing, another lone hiker came and
passed us by. He thanked us for breaking trail. |
 On
the trail to Bond Cliff. The snow is so deep that we are hiking in
the tree tops. Lots of little branches crossing the trail frequently
snagging our packs and dumping snow on us. |
 THE
SUMMIT
Not the summit we were aiming for (Mt Bond) but a lesser summit (Mt. Bond Cliff). |
 Wind
was pretty nasty up here. Not too bad in this spot but else where,
we took measurements with our wind meter and it pegged out at 65 mph.
That, and the fact that the temperature was still below zero F, is why
we are so completely covered up with face masks and goggles! From
the left is Keith, Kevin, and Lee. Mt. Bond is just to the right
of Lee. We met the lone hiker coming back down just as we got up.
He said the wind in the saddle between Mt Bond Cliff and Mt Bond was too
strong for him to continue. |
 Keith
with Mt Lafayette in the background just to the right of him. |
 Came
down the mountain and were really hoping that no one else was in the snow
cave for that night. Left the summit at 1:15 PM and got to the cave
at 6:30 PM. That evening it was 2 degrees F outside and 42
degrees F inside. Plenty of room for everyone! |
 It
was so cold that we decided to cook in the snow cave. The cave fill
with steam when we started boiling. What's for dinner? |
 Sardines
any one? It got down to -8 deg F last night. Hoo Woo!
For 3 guys who wanted real winter camping this was it. Inside the
cave it stayed above freezing but how come we were all so cold! Kevin
complained about his sleeping bag - he slept cold even though his his bag
was rated to -20 ! |
 The
next morning was beautiful, clear and calm. A good day to go
to the summits, but we had to get home today. Behind Keith and Kevin
is the bridge over Franconia Brook. |
 Trail
end. |
 This
is where we went. Us trail junkies are probably the only ones interested
in this. |
