A Final 2015 hike: Baldpate Mountain

This is an exciting hike to write about primarily because it is on this hike that I rolled over 400 miles on my 2015 hiking odometer.  Secondly, it is a new destination, which in itself presents some excitement.  It has come to my attention that there are infinite destinations even within the state of Maine, never mind the country or the world.  So forget list-hiking for me.  I know I won't ever come close to "doing them all", whatever that means to a given person.  For me, it's more about enjoying the experience, ideally having some nice views along the way or at the summit.  (In my case, imagining a good view because I get socked in with clouds.)

Though this hike took place on December 30, I consider it a New Year's celebration for the year of 2016, a tradition I have had going with my friend Eliot for three years now.  The temperatures have steadily climbed about 20°F each year, with our first attempt up Old Speck in January of 2014 in the neighborhood of -20°F.  Twenty above is quite balmy in comparison.

The Baldpate expedition commenced at 3:11am, after a good scraping of the windshield.  Off to pick up Eliot, then heading westward to the mountains.  Baldpate Mountain is accessible via Grafton Notch State Park, exactly opposite the trail for Old Speck.  Baldpate is known for open granite faces on the summit dome, and is potentially a good observation point because of this.  We arrived at the trailhead somewhere in the 7am zone, and took a meaty amount of time to get our gear all packed and our bodies warm enough to consider venturing into a winter wonderland.

The Eyebrow of Old Speck

Both of us were unsure of the optimal footwear, with the option of mid-height shoes or boots.  I had brought my new mountaineering boots and crampons along in hopes of trying them out on a relatively tame trip.  I thought there was no harm in bringing the crampons, but it would be silly to do that without wearing the boots because the crampons install exclusively on my new boots.  So we went with the boots all around.

The trail to the summit is a section of the AT, so as per usual, the snow blown on the tree trunks made finding white blazes a good challenge. The trail was wide and easy to follow to start off, though we were first to venture out after the storm had blown through.  Not enough snow for snowshoes, so we left them in the car.  There is nothing quite like kicking into fresh powder in the mountains.  The coziness that exists because of the snow's insulating properties is unmatchable elsewhere. This is one of many reasons why I am now a four-season hiker.

There is a fair bit of up and down in the trail, as you meander between bumps on the western side of the mountain.  The AT does summit the west peak of the mountain, with views eastward toward the main summit.

The Table Rock Loop is a popular short loop that is partially congruent with the Baldpate Trail.  I have gone up to Table Rock in summertime, though it was via the much steeper Table Rock Trail, and then down the AT that we were ascending on this trip.  The trail out to the overlook is a 0.5 mile spur from the AT, and for purposes of summiting, we did not check it out...slight regrets, maybe.

In the final col between the unnamed bumps to the west and the West Peak of Baldpate, there is a lean-to, directly after which the trail ascends steeply with meager attempts at switchbacks.  It was here we first encountered ice flow along the trail, and broke out the axes for stability. Crampons seemed a bit much for here, since it was such a small section.

The lands flattens, and you can sense you are close to the top of West Peak.  The top is wooded, however a short walk past it will give phenomenal views into the upcoming saddle before East Peak.  In the wintertime, the bald granite slabs up the opposite side of the saddle are covered with ice and stand out well from the forested areas.  I was surprised at the calmness of the air around the west summit, albeit thankful since it allowed for easier munching of snacks.

Nearing West Peak

Eliot on West Peak

After seeing the first sign of ice flow on the downhill, I decided crampons were a good idea.  I struggled a little as it was my first time installing them in the field.  I had practiced inside before, and gotten the size calibrated, but in the field, everything kinda goes wrong.  Eventually, they were on, and boy, did we feel invincible with many spikes per footstep.  Any ice was completely in our control.

One of two ladders between the two peaks (just before applying crampons).

In the saddle between the peaks, there was some epic crunching of crampons on ice, perhaps one of the best sounds in mountaineering. Passing through intermittent krumholtz, we got to the base of the steeper climbs ahead to the east summit.  I was excited to try the front points on the crampons in combination with the rigid sole that allows for the front points to actually stay embedded in the ice as you climb.  The ease with which you can climb with the proper gear is staggering.  It is no harder than walking up stairs to be honest.  Even with glare ice underfoot.  I was impressed, and very excited to try another trip to get the hang of the walking style that is required by the rigid boots.

Equipped

Climbing!

The rime up near the top was thick, and made it hard to look for the summit sign that we were searching for.  The short stubby trees looked much like a rime-covered signpost.  With help of a GPS to guide us in the cloudiness, we did make it completely to the summit, which is self-advertised as 3812'.  Interestingly, this mountain has more gain than Old Speck, at 4170' feet just across the notch.  This is because of the up-down-up characteristic of Baldpate.

It was up here that the wind did make an appearance on stage.  But like semi-smart climbers, we had acted in advance and applied extra layers. There is certainly something to be said for anticipating your environment.

The descent was nearly the same, though we kept crampons on until before we had applied them on the ascent - just until the ice flow that we first saw.  Descending on rocks buried on snow was tiring and dangerous for our ankles, so we bare-booted it from there to the bottom, sliding a good portion of the way.

Just before descending the bald patches of rock and ice

Alpine Sandwich, nothing like it.

Heading back to West Peak

A final look at East Peak

It was getting quite dark as we changed out of the crampons.  The temperature oddly had risen throughout the day, so some adjustment of layers was necessary...until we stopped for snacks, and then got instantly cold.  The joys of winter hiking.

We discovered fresh tracks on the Table Rock loop, so sadly we did not encounter them, but their essence continues on until it snows again. The parking lot was soon in view, and the removal of boots was already being anticipated.  I can only speak for myself, but I found I was not overly sore in the ankle/foot department considering I was in completely new footwear.  It seems I made a good choice on boots.

Here is the elevation profile and track from Google Earth.  Eliot's GPS claims it was 8.2 miles, so perhaps that is what it is?  The map says 7.6, but I trust a GPS a bit more since it was with us the whole time.

Hike Details

Miles hiked: 8.2

Time elapsed: 10.9 hours

Total ascent: 3300'