This time we got closer to alpine start. We woke up at 4 or 5. And were actually on the trail at 6:30am. What I learned is that you have to suck it up, and just get dressed in one short push, as opposed to little bit and pieces. I will admit that I was not too thrilled by the previous day 4 pop tart alpine breakfast. I mean I think pop tarts are great for winter (expedition proven), but you can only have so much. I had mini bagels and pepperoni for breakfast (I had to sleep with the bagels in order to keep them warm for the next day). The preparations ran smoothly, I think in part that we had most of the gear already packed from the day before.
Snowshoes proved invaluable again. The Dudley trail was not broken in (I think only two people had gone up in the winter before us), and the snow was deep. Again we impressed ourselves with the technical snow shoeing - using the snow shoe's claws on rocks, stemming...For this hike, steep snow shoe climbing is crucial for the first third of the hike. The trail follows the ridge leading up to Pamola. Once you leave the tree line, the trail is very aesthetic; reaching the ridge is so hypnotizing... one knows that once the ridge is reached, the rest of the hike would be on easier, thinner, packed snow; rather than the deep puffy powder snow at the basin. Slowly we make progress and reach the ridge in 30 minutes or so. Ahh, rest at last. We donned our crampons and leave the snowshoes here. Should Robert and I decide to do knife edge, then Mike and Bill would carry our snow shoes back to camp (I really like this idea, because going down the Saddle trail would be so much easier than going down this trail).
The trail was more or less what we expected, rocky, steep, and snowy. Although it had some surprises. At one point Bill decided to search his own way between blazes, little did he know we would be stepping into a huge hole. Suddenly, he was waist-deep into snow, with his legs on hard snow. He pleaded for help "Hector do not leave me here...". I proceeded to help him... no actually not really, realizing that he did not have any emergency gear (I had the emergency sleeping bag), and his gorp mix was alright... I decided to avoid the snow trap and use the Army technique to get around him and towards the next blaze; I would pretty much swim on top of the snow (and hence maximize my surface contact). Bill, as expected, freed himself in few minutes and carried on. The use of radios, clear skies, and direct line of sight visibility of each other allowed each other to move at our own pace. Secretly, Robert and I were concerned about making it to the summit by 11am, otherwise we would not commit to the knife edge traverse.
We reached the beautiful summit of Pamola at 10:30am. It is a true summit; unlike Baxter which is somewhat rounded summit, Pamola is steep and sharp until the end. The clear skies provided an unmatched panorama. I actually recall the ranger saying that in terms of visible area, Katahdin provides the maximum visible area in the lower 48 (Denali has more). The wind had picked up a bit. Robert and I decided to take a look at chimney peak and the notch in between. I at one point took off my gloves to fumble with some gear, and was greeted by a gust that picked up a lot of snow. The temperature was great is was 30. But this also meant that the snow was warm. I quickly got freezing water snow on my hands. This made me scream "Aoh Aoh Aoh Aoh, hands freezing cold Aoh..." Ok I decided to put on my full arctic attire, and went back to look. This time prepared (at least weather wise). The steep wall on the other side to chimney peak looked steep, and my tiny weenie rack seemed barely adequate. Luckily a gust of high wind, made the decision of forgoing the traverse easier. To convince myself, I did the one leg test; I was not able to stand for long on one leg. Without hesitation the "no go" decision was agreed between Robert and I.
At this time, it was getting cold, we had been at the summit for about
30 minutes. We all proceeded down the summit together. The sunlight
cast our long shadows on the land. A rock christened index rock,
because it was very protuberant and noticeable, provided the backdrop
for some award winning photography. Robert was feeling pretty good,
and even did some posing for an European eyewear company. Undoubtedly
the release of those photographs will bring paparazzi to MIT campus.
Finally we reached the point were we had left the snowshoes. I
feeling the young Hector inside of me, decided not to wear the snow
shoes and butt glissade the way down. This turned out to be really
fun, except that the downhill took sharp turns, which I did not take
(did I mention that pine trees smell great?). We were all pretty much
down by 1pm.
It was very strange being down so early, almost as if we had a rest day. We did not know what to do. Well, being one o'clock means lunch time!! we started the feast. The next day we would be in the cars, we had lots of food, little time, we had to start the consumption process. we all got extra rations of sausages, and Ramen. After a delicious lunch, we partially took down camp to save time the next day. It is important to note that our camp was beyond the minimalist just tents camps. The kitchen area was actually covered by a tarp over a structure of PVC tubing (from sleds).
To pass time and reduce testerone poisoning, Robert suggested that we tough
guys sleep outside (to prove how tough we are or something like that). At
first I dismissed the idea, thinking he was bluffing. An hour
later, as he and Mike were half way done with their snow alcoves, he
decided to take down the tent, as not to have the possibility or
temptation to cheat at night. I thought this was very cool and
courageous (and would save us 15 minutes the next day). Bill pointed
out to Robert that his grave hole with chambers on the side did not
constitute an snow cave. These are the philosophical arguments that
one is bound to have in the woods. I decided to follow on the task,
although my bourgeois background did not allow me to sleep in such
small confinement as Robert's and Mike's. I took an extra 30 minutes,
and built a very spacious snow cave, even with plants (big branch of
pine tree sticking out); it was BIG, about 9 feet by 3 feet. It is
important to note that a good small maneuverable shovel is key to
building a snow cave. I think with practice one can be built quickly
an efficiently (Next year when we go to Katahdin, we might not bring
tents and save ourselves 14 pounds!, this is Robert's idea of winter
minimalism). Bill, on the other hand, was not so eager (or rather was
eager to have his huge tent for himself).
Dinner came, and the feast continued.
Bed time came, and we all proceeded to our respective alcoves. I was slightly hesitant at first. Mike had spoiled my confidence, by saying what would happen if a moose walked over my snow cave (and mine was a certified snow cave); it would crush me!!, I worried about that for 15 minutes, and then dismissed it by the fact that our polypro smelled so bad that no moose would come near our campsite. Now I will point out the greatest advantage of snow caves!! you don't need a pee-bottle (tm). If you need to go to the candy-can, you simply unzip your bag, roll to the side, and turn on the fountain. The hole one the walls are self-sealing, and hence you practice no-trace hiking which is advocated. I had a nice warm night of sleep.