Sunday, April 28
Summits: Garfield, Galehead, North and South Twin
Start: Garfield winter parking lot
Finish: Gate at the end of Haystack Rd. Biked to connect back to start.
Miles: 18.25 (bike: 3mi)
Elevation gain/loss: 6243′
After a full Saturday, I drove up to NH, spotted my bike, and got to sleep around 11pm. It rained overnight and I didn’t sleep well. I was hiking by 5:20am. As I climbed up towards Garfield on the mostly stable snow monorail, I started hearing rumbling thunder in the valley. I made the summit of Garfield where I was buffeted by the wind and socked in clouds, and then started heading towards Galehead hut. The descent off Garfield was open rock which made for an easier descent than I’d anticipated. Very soon after, it started raining and it rained in earnest until I arrived at the hut. Until the day started to warm up, I’d been a bit worried about hypothermia. I was completed soaked to the skin, with my rain jacket wetted out. I dropped my pack on the porch and then did an out-and-back to Galehead, with a bit of additional rain. When I came back, I chatted for a few minutes with 3 inexperienced hikers dressed in cotton before pushing on up towards the summit of South Twin.
On the climb, the trees were dripping but no new rain occurred. I finally got above the clouds and had some epic views – including the rain taking place in different pockets around the valley. I took some photos and then headed over to North Twin. The snow was consolidated enough that rock spikes did the trick, and after hitting the summit, I headed down. The snow line was around 3200′ and I was glad to get onto dirt and rocks. The crossing of Little River required a bit of ingenuity, but overall, the walk out was easy enough. Once I made it to the end of Haystack Rd, I got on my bike and rode the 3mi back to my car, where I changed into dry clothes and started the long drive home.
Transcending Mountains 