Almost Shannon…

So yeah, we just hiked over 8 miles and a thousand feet of elevation, and never even summited anything.  #UnintentionallyOverambitious

AKA, we walked all this way, and all we got was this one lousy picture.

Ok, it's not lousy at all.  But it's not a summit view. ;-)

We started out planning to hike from Alton Mt. Rd. to Shannon Mt., probably via the orange trail.  But there are several route options, so we decided to just follow Old Stage Road (the snowmobile trail) to the junctions, and decide from there.  We actually weren't even sure if we'd be able to make it that far, as there had been rumors about the "beaver pond" bridge being flooded.  But as Hummingbird said, worst case, we lose 10 minutes and have to drive to Hidden Valley scout camp.  Thankfully the bridge was in perfect condition, so we continued on along the nice, freshly groomed corridor.  We didn't even need microspikes.

At the first junction, we weighed our options.  The hiking trails were unpacked, and snow is still deep in that area, so we'd be trudging sooner or later, whether on this trail, or the next.  We decided to just go for it and not delay the misery.  That lasted approximately 75 feet.  Hummingbird and I simultaneously decided that it already sucked (along with feeling slightly guilty about postholing) and it wasn't worth trying to do actual mileage in such conditions.  And so we reversed course back to the snomo trail.  Ah, the smooth footing felt good!

I forgot I also took this pic of a logging outpost cabin along our way.

Our new goal became to hike as far as possible on Old Stage Road, then turn off on one of the camp roads, which would hopefully be in more passable condition than the hiking trails.  They weren't perfect, but they were far more walkable than the trails.  Thus, tightroping within tire tracks, we made our way to base camp where we usually begin our hike up Shannon.  (And already several miles in at this point.)  Once again we were confronted with unpacked trail on west yellow, so we chose to take the further side of the loop, extending our time on camp roads, and hoping east yellow would be a little more trafficked and packed out for us.  We had hope, as we saw a few snowshoe tracks en route to the Sunset Lake waterfront.  Unfortunately that was as far as we got.

Both Hummingbird and I were on a schedule, needing to be home by a certain time.  We checked the clock when we hit the lake, did the math, and realized we had JUST enough time to hike back the way we came if we left NOW.  No Shannon today.  That was sad, because we both really wanted a nice view.  But at least the lake was sufficiently pretty, and the hike itself, though long, was fairly nice overall.  I did momentarily think about calling my mom for a "bailout" so we could hike Shannon and just get picked up at the camp, which would save both time and miles.  Two seconds later I remembered she didn't have a vehicle today.  Damn.  So we hightailed it out of there, and made the best time we could getting back to the parking lot a town away.  

I probably pointed it out in my last blog, but man, I am definitely out of hiking shape.  Granted, this was not an easy hike altogether, if only for the total mileage.  Esp. in boots, which are less kind to my feet (and by association, the rest of my body) than my Brooks trailrunners.  I was also carrying my "big" pack, which despite being ultralight and very ergonomic, still bothers my back/hips after enough time or miles.  So I suppose, all considered, I handled it pretty well.  But I was still almost as sore as after Chocorua.  Which is just sort of ridiculous.  Of course, the difference being, I don't think I will feel this bad tomorrow, whereas I felt Choc for days.

In the end, today we literally made it to the base of Mt. Shannon, and never touched the trails that lead to the summit.  I never in my life expected I would be saying that!

On the plus side, we do at least get to see a beautiful view over the lake and mountains on the drive over Alton Mt. Rd.  Some day I really should stop and snap a pic before someone builds a house on the one remaining vacant lot at that viewpoint.


Hike 56. 12/21 AMR to Hidden Valley, 8.7 mi, 3:06 hrs, 971 ft.