JMT Training, Peak 12 of 21: Hancock (+ Northwest Hancock attempt). July 6, 2014

This was actually an attempt at Northwest Hancock, a difficult Trailwrights bushwhack.  We failed miserably!  We tried to 'whack down from the main peak of Hancock; I dropped us too far down a northern ridge and we spent six hours 'whacking in the wrong area.  Arg.  Next week, or the week after, we will attempt the ascent via a different route.  Steve Smith recommended using the West Slide for the approach.  We were planning on using that for the descent this time around...next time, we'll try an out-and-back using the slide.

Here we are, on the main summit of Hancock, eating Heath Bars (Desserts on the 48!).

Here we are, NOT on Northwest Hancock...this is a bump about half a mile north of the main peak.  At this point, we knew we weren't in the right area, but we figured we may as well check out the summit of this little thing before bailing.

And here we are, finally back at the trailhead, happy to be out of the thick woods and determined to try again very soon...

It was a valiant attempt.  We are scratched up, bruised, and bloody (and the girls are proud of their wounds!).  I didn't bother taking photos of our ascent of Hancock, since there are other trip reports on this blog (and many others) with photos of the Hancock loop hike.  I had meant to fill this blog post with photos of the successful 'whack...but oh well, another time (soon, very soon...we're now extra determined to bag this bugger!).

JMT Training: Peak 7 (or 11) of 21: The Horn (+ The Bulge and Mt. Cabot). July 3, 2014

We hiked The Horn, The Bulge, and Mt. Cabot today.  The Horn was part of our original 21-peak quest...we picked up nearby peaks The Bulge and Cabot for fun.  Therefore, we're at 7/21 for specific, intended peaks and 11/21 (I'm counting an additional two peaks from a previous hike, Middle Osceola and Osceola) for total overall peaks.

Eating cotton candy on Cabot

The trip report for this hike (and Zealand, from a couple of days ago) will have to wait until after the 4th.  A massive thunderstorm is heading this way and I'd like to stay off the electronics.

Have a great holiday, everyone!

EDITED 7/7/2014: Trip report!

Unknown Pond Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Horn Spur Trail.  10.6 miles roundtrip with around 2800 feet of elevation gain.

Thunderstorms were in the afternoon forecast, so we had boots on trail at 6am.  This required waking at 3:30 so we could drive the two hours north to the trailhead...kudos to the girls for not complaining!

Unknown Pond Trail from the north leads one through a beautiful forest on moderately steep grades.  This time of year, however, there are plenty of bugs...we doused ourselves in DEET before beginning the hike, but we could feel the critters anyway.  That, plus the forecast, made us move quickly.

We reached the pond and checked out the view of The Horn.

The bugs were (understandably) AWFUL here, so we didn't linger.

We reached The Horn spur trail, swigged some water, and carried on.

The summit of The Horn is a big 'ole boulder.  Sage and Alex scrambled up the front-left of it...

...but I took a narrow dirt path through the trees to the far left and walked up that way.

Congrats on another 52WAV peak, Sage!

Cabot and The Bulge can be seen in the background, behind the girls.

Views!

We ate, we drank, we got a move on (I wanted to get to Cabot and back to the car before the storms rolled in).

The Bulge was less than half a mile away from The Horn, and it looked steeper than it felt, so we were at the wooded summit in short order.

It was around 0.7 miles or so from The Bulge to Cabot.  The way up Cabot's summit cone was far steeper than the path up The Bulge, and my legs protested as we climbed climbed climbed.

Eventually, we reached the summit.

Cotton candy was today's dessert (Desserts on the 48!).

We didn't visit the cabin...though the clouds looked decent, I was worried about that forecast and wanted to head down as quickly as possible.  Storms have a nasty way of showing up sooner than expected, so, to be on the safe side, we waved in the direction of the cabin and headed down.

Sage has only six more hikes to go before she finishes the 52 With a View!  Unfortunately, she won't be able to finish until September -- one of her remaining hikes, Square Ledge, is a nesting ground for peregrine falcons and the trail has restricted access from May - August.  No worries -- Sage looks forward to finishing the list as soon as she gets back from the JMT.

Alex and Sage have been published in Courageous Creativity!

The girls were honored to contribute essays about last year's Camino experience to Courageous Creativity's July 2014 issue.  Their pieces begin on page nine, but start on page one and read the whole magazine -- you'll be glad you did.

JMT Training: Peak 6 (or 8*) of 21: Zealand (Trailwrights & Desserts on the 48). July 1, 2014

The girls and I got up early and tagged Zealand for Trailwrights (and Desserts on the 48) this morning.  The girls had karate afterward, and we're getting up early again tomorrow, so the trip report will have to wait until Thursday evening.  I'm off to bed!  EDIT -- TRIP REPORT IS NOW BELOW.

Zebra cakes on Zealand!

EDIT 7/4/2014 -- Trip Report:

*We would like to bag 21 specific peaks before we leave for the John Muir Trail in August (Sage's remaining 52WAV peaks and most of Alex's remaining Trailwrights peaks).  We are picking up additional peaks with our hikes, so if we don't get all of those specific, intended peaks, then we will assuredly get over 21 peaks total if you include our extra, for-the-fun-of-it peaks.

Zealand Trail, Twinway, Zealand Spur Trail.  11 miles roundtrip, 2300 feet of elevation gain.  This peak was to check another item off Alex's Trailwrights 72 list and our Desserts on the 48 quest.

We had boots on trail at 6:30 and quickly walked the relatively flat 2.2 miles to Zealand Hut.  It was going to be a hot and humid day, and the girls had karate in the afternoon, so our goal was to knock this one out as fast as we safely could.  We packed light -- the girls and I had the bare essentials.  At this point, we usually want to carry full JMT packs on our hikes -- our exceptions are bushwhacks (when gear and clothing tend to get torn) and days like this one, when the main goal is to see how fast we can safely tag the peak and get back down to the car.

The walk to the hut is always enjoyable.  The ponds and bridges are a special treat.  It's the perfect hike for a beginner or a small child -- the hut itself makes a fine destination for those who are not yet ready to trek up the mountain.

The only steep section between the parking lot and the hut is the final tenth of a mile.

We arrived at the hut at 7:30.  A group of what looked like Boy Scouts were gearing up outside the hut, having just finished their breakfasts.  The girls and I refilled our water bottles quickly and got a move-on -- we did not want to get stuck behind a large group.  Two of the crew began just before we did...Alex asked politely if we could pass.  They obligingly stepped aside and we started the long and steep 1.2 mile slog up the Twinway toward the Zeacliff look-out.

The heat was beginning to settle in, so I made sure to monitor the girls on the way up...I did not want their zeal for a fast summit to negatively affect their health...the humidity was nasty and I did not want either of them (or me!) to succumb to heat exhaustion.  We made frequent hydration breaks.

Life became much easier once we reached the Zeacliff look-out.  The heat was still there, but at least we weren't climbing the steeps anymore.

We met two happy and kind Appalachian Trail southbounders on the ledge.  We exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before they continued on their way.  They went ahead of us and were gone in a flash...I explained to the girls that weeks and weeks of walking will make you a superfast hiker, and I reminded them of how quickly we walked during the last leg of our Camino last year.

Onward, toward the summit of Zealand.

We caught some views through the trees every once in a while...

The trail from Zeacliff to Zealand is relatively easy, with a few moderate ups and downs here and there.  There are only one or two steep bits, and they're over before you know it.

 Spur trail!

We walked to the summit...

...and broke out our Zebra Cakes!  Zebra Cakes on Zealand.  Yum!

We ate, we drank, we began our descent.

On the way down, we passed the Boy Scouts we had seen at the hut, plus another group that looked like they were part of an outing club. I have to hand it to all of them -- by this time, the day felt so hot and humid that there is no way I would have been able to ascend.  Descending at this time of day was fine  Ascending..?  Nope, not me.  Not in that heat and humidity.

At the Zeacliff look-out, we met a group of girls ages 10-12 who were part of the Waukeela girls' camp.  They were a great group of kids and we had fun talking with them.  After a pleasant chat, we continued our descent.  Once we reached the hut, we checked the time -- 11:00 -- and decided we had half an hour to soak ourselves in the delightfully cool falls.

That water felt soooo good!

We pulled ourselves away around 11:30 and got back down to the car by 12:30.  We had enough time to make it home, shower, and head to karate.

Congratulations to Alex on another Trailwrights peak.  This was her fourth time visiting Zealand (and Sage's second), but she's always done it as a combination hike with other peaks (the Bonds and Guyot).  Trailwrights rules dictate that only one peak per hike can be counted for the list...checking off multiple peaks in one hike for Trailwrights is not allowed.  Hence, this special hike for Zealand alone.

Hope everyone is having a great 4th (in spite of the rain).  I'll post the trip report for The Horn, The Bulge, and Cabot by late tomorrow evening.