Better Outside Than In

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Mansfield - The Slow Way

It was supposed to be hot (90) and humid in the valley today. I thought it would be pretty hot in the mountains also but it wasn't too bad. Maybe 70 for a high and cloudy most of the day. The route was Wampahoofus->Ridge->Subway->Top Mansfield->Cliff. Cliff is slow going. Lots of narrow slots and small caves to go through. There is a point where it is so narrow that you need to take off your pack. Good place to be on a hot day and nice loop. Trails were pretty dry finally although the rivers were still moving along.

Sunday, September 3, 2023

Two Peaks - Whiteface, Madonna

A nice loop starting from the base of Madonna, up the ski trails, and onto the Long Trail North. Went up White face via Morse mountain and the Long Trail. Then down to Beaver meadow. The lodge at Beaver Meadow is pretty nice. Something to keep in mind for skiing in the winter? It has a wood stove and a pretty nice stream next to it. Nicer than most. Then a steep up to re-connect with the LT and go South up Madonna. It started out cool and cloudy and stayed that way until about 12:00. Maybe 60-70 until 12:00 and then near 80 by the time we got back down to the base. 3700 elevation gain over the course of the day. Still some mud here and there even though it has been dry for the last few days.

This is a Holiday weekend. We saw no one for the entire loop around Whiteface. We did see someone going down Madonna. We noticed that the trail was very quiet. No road noise or anything but bird sounds down to Beaver Meadows and back up to the LT. There was a world disc golf championship at Smugglers Notch so the parking lots were pretty much full when we got down. Luckily that is no where near Madonna so no issues.