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In addition to ECT’s daily Morning Crafts, annual Scales ‘n Tails presentation and nightly Kid's Games & Movies, the following activities will be hosted by the Young Vikings Club: Rocket Craft – Each child that attends ECT will be able to build, paint and launch a model rocket! Each rocket is over 17 inches tall, has customizable fin patterns and can be painted or decaled in any way. The sessions will also include rocket and launch safety.
Nature walk – Behold the created world of Midgard! Let’s see how many plants, insects and animals we can identify on this journey. This walk will also focus on “Leave No Trace” principles. Poetry Writing for Kids – Egil Skallagrimsson composed his first poem at the age of three! Is this historically accurate or an exaggeration of the saga’s author? Let’s find out together, (adults welcome)! Skaldic Competition – Have your child present their poem written at the poetry workshop or sing a song or play an instrument for the folk. Most adults never overcome their fear of presenting before large audiences. Let the community judge their skill and courage! Every child that participates in the Skaldic Competition will receive the Order of the Northern Raven patch for their personal banner or sash.
Kids who participate in at least THREE events will rise to the first rank of Bandit in the club and receive their patch during the Ritual of Honor ceremony.  There will be no additional costs for these activities! We can’t wait to see you at ECT 2011! Contact the club at youngvikingsclub@yahoo.com if you have any questions regarding these events.
Hail Asgard!!!
www.eastcoastthing.com
www.youngvikingsclub.com
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Collin, Sam and I set off from the farm at approximately 530 am... and with special thanks to Carrie for seeing that we got up on time even though she wasn't joining us. We have a new expedition vehicle ... for the big red truck is no more... now replaced by the 'little black car'. The three door Yaris has just enough room for our needs. We drove north on Rt 16 and like always, cut west across the Kancamangus (Rt 112). I don't care what my GPS tries to tell me... the views while driving on the Kanc are worth the few extra miles! Soon we were heading North on I 93. We stopped at the Falling Waters trailhead (exit on the north bound side only). There is no fee - even for overnight parking.
The boys carried their packs with tent, sleeping bags, bed rolls, windpants, fleece, essentials and two liters of water (approximately 12 lbs each). I carried a few extra things more than usual because I like to ensure they stay safe and comfortable.
We crossed under I 93 through the hiker's tunnels. I remembered coming this way once before from Mount Cannon and up the Franconian Ridge. The Lonesome Lake Trail passes right through the Lafayette Campground and we were soon on our way to the lake.
North Kinsman is in the clouds as seen from Lonesome Lake (1.3 miles from the 'little black car').
Here's Collin (aka "Pathfinder X") taking it all in on one of the walkways by Lonesome Lake.
Packing up from Lonesome Lake.
We looked over at the AMC Hut but had little interest. You can buy stuff there and get snacks, etc. We wanted to summit so we didn't give it a hard look. From here we took Fishin' Jimmy Trail up to Kinsman Pond (2 miles). Below is a picture of the new Kinsman Pond shelter. 'Steph the caretaker' seemed very proud of it! We signed the book even though we didn't spend the night. Collin wrote a joke in it about a Red Sox fan pushing a Yankees fan over a cliff. We ate peanut butter sandwiches, drank water and snacked on peanut M&Ms.
Here's Sam (aka "The Slim Reaper") exploring the Kinsman Pond shoreline. Its full of pollywogs, bugs and caddis fly larvae...yummy.... and this is pretty much the last water source you'll find until you hit Eliza Brook on the southern slopes of South Kinsman unless you find some runoff between the peaks. Without a filter the water tastes like a 'tea of rotten wood' and you wont get a liter out of here without picking up some lively little hitch-hikers in your bottle.
Here's some really rough going heading up to the summits (0.6 miles to North Kinsman). All smiles though...
My boys ... happy on the ledges looking east on North Kinsman.
Everyone shoots and posts this pic below but I couldn't help it! As seen from the lookout on North Kinsman, Kinsman Pond is the closest, Lonesome Lake behind it and Mount Lafayette and Mount Lincoln behind it.
Here's a closer view of the pond from the same lookout. Gives you a feel of the elevation loss on that eastern face too, (and yes Collin... the bottom of the cliff is littered with Yankees fans.)
Cute little summit flowers between the stones.
The Pemigewasset Wilderness to the east really 'calls to ya' from over here. Great views and lots of ideas for more trips. We ran into a few folks and snapped pictures for couples, etc. Since this is part of the Appalacian Trail, we met a few 'longer distance' hikers. One woman had started in Vermont and was solo hiking for two weeks. She was destined for Baxter State Park in Maine.
Below is Mount Liberty and Mount Flume as seen from South Kinsman summit.
The summits are 0.9 miles apart and you can find a spot nestled between the two of them if you poke around enough, (200' off trail please). One spot was actually better than this but a moose path went right through it and there was an enormous pile of moose-flop.... so we settled here instead. Below is the new tent... they really love it. The cons are that it needs to be staked out and its a bit tight for two persons. The pros are that its only 4 pounds and packs small, quick set up. We didn't even need to use the rain fly which makes it fun ... sleeping beneath the stars so far from city lights!
The best hooch in all the known worlds.... my Byers of Maine hammock. The blackflies were pretty bad on Kinsman Ridge actually. It wouldn't be unfair to say we got eaten alive a few times over. I thought the lower elevations would be the worse and the wind swept ridge line would be tolerable but just the opposite proved to be true. We snacked on sunflower seeds and took a late afternoon nap behind the netting and they all but disappeared by sundown. We were about 0.3 miles from the South Kinsman summit and made several trips there from our camp that day. 
A line of stones marking summit paths.
Mount Moosilauke as seen from South Kinsman summit.
The Cyrs on South Kinsman - early evening. To the left you can see the tower on Mount Cannon, (it looks so tiny from here). I cooked up some angel hair pasta and added a stick of butter with some garlic, other spices and onion flakes. It was very good but food always tastes better when you're hungry. We poured a small gift from a nipper to the spirits of the land on the summit cairn.
Beautiful skies with lots of colors....
More beautiful skies. It just got better and better!
The Cyrs just before sundown on South Kinsman summit.
Next morning we await our instant oatmeal cooking behind the sleeping pad / wind screen. The boys are trying to look serious and 'cool'. I can count a few bug bites on their arms and legs from this picture.
After eating breakfast on South Kinsman summit, we headed back to North Kinsman and then down the trail to Kinsman Pond. From there we took the trail encircling it and then down the Kinsman Pond Trail for a change of scenery on the journey home (2.5 miles). This trail was extremely rough and for long stretches but we didn't want to miss the water falls on Cascade Brook Trail (for 0.5 miles) and the Basin Cascades Trail (1.0 mile to the Basin).
More falls...
In hindsight, I would rather have taken this trail up instead and maybe swam at Lonesome Lake on the return trip. Eventually we came to the Basin seen below. This 'pot hole' is formed by water churned stone over long, long peroids of time. It reminded me of formations just south of Old Speck in Maine.
The Pemi Trail led back up to the Lafayette Campground (2.0 miles) where the car was parked. All in all it was a fantastic time but I don't have any wishes of getting caught up in the blackflies anytime soon. We kept cool heads and positive attitudes through out though. I am really impressed at how those two managed - no flipping out or mad flailing of the arms. Still, we'll plan another trip when they aren't so thick!
Total miles: 13.5 - 14.0
Total Bug Bites: 42
Total Falls: 2
Total # of dead Yankees fans: 0
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Groan “Hey, ridiculous countenance Please don’t bloom in front of us.” Unembarrassed ghost of a… Brassy mendacious chimera. Lurid yellow and marooned, On the costume of the spider. The outhouse is her multi-verse, The black hole her home. I’m tightening the corners of, The garish bonnet that bimbo wears. She is the carnival and the suckling pig, At the feast of little gods. “Yeah, she’s on the table all right.” Red exterior but dun inside. Plastered on opulent silver, Everything tastes like chicken shit.
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Curling and wide,
His crown of power,
Guarded in wool,
The wide muscled chest.
Holding his head,
Both high and proud,
A noble beast,
Now borne away.
The one dethroned,
Though worthy still,
The guardian strong,
Gone to the knife.
I’ll miss those eyes,
Always watching,
Bright golden orbs,
Brilliantly staring.
The coveted locks,
By crafters wanted,
His coat of warmth,
The weavers’ desire.
Deep bellied voice,
Valiant and pure,
No longer the song,
Sung to his ewes.
I cannot conceive,
Or call to mind,
A better way,
This one to thank.
Gods and Goddess,
Gifted with feast,
A tribute to Ottar,
To honor the lord.
Evergreen sprig,
Dipped into the bowl,
His regal blood,
Around the horg.
On God-staves flecked,
And gathered folk,
Luck you will bring,
Lending us strength.
I’ll toast my kin,
And call the names,
Of Ancestors gone,
To All-father’s halls.
The mead so sweet,
The memory drink,
In twisted horns,
Of hallowed ram. | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
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Old Speck Mountain - (elevation 4,180')
Grafton Notch - Maine
September 1st, 2010.
The planing phase of this adventure started several months ago with conversations with my coworker, Steve Palmer. Steve often related many of his fond memories hiking Old Speck Mountain and the Appalachian Trail as a boy scout and many other times with his family. One notable feature of Old Speck Mountain was the Fire Warden's Trail. When Steve was a child, this was part of the Applachian Trail that led through hikers down from the summit and onward towards Katahdin. That leg of the Appalachian Trail was re-routed and now leads down over 'The Eyebrow', an approximately 800' tall cliff face. Our intentions were to climb the historic Fire Warden's Trail to the summit of Old Speck Mountain. My two boys, Collin and Sam rounded out our party.
( click here for the rest of this thrilling tale with copious amounts of photos!!! )
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Here are some prime condition wild Chanterelle Mushrooms I just picked an hour ago with Dave in the woods nearby. These are also called golden chanterelles for their color. They are super tasty and delicious. We picked only half of them... but I'll be back for more. These weighed in at almost 4 ounces and if you tried to buy them from an on line gourmet mushroom dealer (dried and packaged) you would pay over 40 dollars for these little fellows! I don't know the technical terms for mushroom parts but they dont have uniformly spaced sharp edged gills. Rather, they are thick and rounded and run from the cap's edge down the stem and are the same orangey - yellow as the rest of the mushroom. (I tried to emphasize this in the photo shot by showing the bottoms rather than the top of the caps.) That's how I can tell them apart from others... the color alone is not an indicator. There are few look-a-likes and at least one dangerous one... but these are definitely 'Golden' Chanterelles. I will saute them with a bit of garlic and onion in a couple of Ravenstead Farm eggs - fresh from the chicken's you-know-what!
As always, I will enter the plant and mushroom disclaimer here: Do not take my word for it. I am not a certified or professionally trained mushroom hunter. Don't eat wild mushrooms unless under the supervision of an expert. I will end this entry with a warning my father Henry used to say whenever we talked about surviving in the woods, "Jon, you can eat any animal or bug you can kill in Maine. They may taste horrible, but you can survive on them. There are plants and mushrooms out there however, that even just a little bit can kill a man - dead." | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
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The plan for this two day trip was to begin at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, NH and hike over the Wildcats, down into Carter Notch, over Carter Dome, Mount Hight, South, Middle and North Carter, Imp and Mount Moriah before hiking back out to Route 2 Gorham, NH. Here was a chance to knock out seven of the big forty-eight (AMC’s official 4,000+ footers list). Considering the overall mileage involved (20+ miles and all with my turtle-like cardio), I needed to go light but without sacrificing safety or photographic opportunities. I was very excited to bring some new gear for field testing. I was feeling very spiritual too; after having attended a beautiful wedding the day before.
( Tons of photos and words and stuff... )
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