High Blue Deep Snow

I had been wanting to snowshoe to the High Blue vista, which is northeast and up, up, up from my dooryard.  I brought Evvy despite the fact that I knew I'd probably be breaking a trail nearly the entire way.  The walk would be difficult for both of us.  I wasn't into the hike for ten minutes before I was shedding my gloves, and hat. I unzipped my jacket, marched slowly upward.  We walked up through Paul Galloway's pasture, through the woods, another pasture, and back into the woods.  When I got to Cochran Rd., the deer traffic was very evident.  Very well worn deer paths everywhere.  I know that in the past, Galloway has fed the deer, with a fabulous buffet of deer favorites.  I didn't bother to look for the buffet, I was on a mission. Breaking a virgin trail uphill for the better part of an hour, was difficult for me.  But I loved that I was getting a good workout.  Evvy wasn't content to go as slowly as I was.  She bounded and walked gingerly on the crust beneath the fluffy snow.   She was eating things, I did not always see.  At one point, I though she had an animal part in her mouth.  We had gone about three quarters of the way, when thankfully we came across x-c ski tracks. The tracks provided just enough bouyancy that breaking the snowshoe trail was nearly effortless.   The trail to High Blue leaves the logging road at a ninety degree angle through lovely woods.  The tall hemlocks created some neat places suitable for shelter.  They really looked quite inviting.  My plan was to stop somewhere along the way, make a small fire, brew some tea and eat a sandwich.   I continued a short distance on this trail, when I found this privvy.  I decided to make use of the facilities, which were nicely equipped with toilet seat(which I did not sit on), and toilet paper stowed inside a coffee can.   I set to work on creating a teepee of tinder, when Evvy bounded into it thinking this was a good opportunity to play.  I was not impressed.   She went off on a game trail, and I started making the tinder pile again.   Satisfied I had enough, I took out my "light anywhere" matches.  I struck the match on my pack zipper, nothing.  After several disappointing tries, I gave it up and decided to add a butane lighter to my pack when I got home.  I was sweaty and quickly chilling down.  So off we went to the High Blue.  

The wind was blowing steady, and whistled through the trees.   I looked out toward Galloway's fields below, and further off to Vermont.   Eerie solitude reminded me of the book I'm reading, "Not Without Peril".  This book contains stories of hikers who have trekked to Mt. Washington, and area over the last 150 years.  Anyway, my imagination ran off with me, as I tried to think of how I would deal with the challenges of Mt. Washington in winter.  

I decided I wanted to eat something, but I wasn't going to sit in the wind for obvious reasons. We walked to the small pond a few steps away.  Evvy got a break from the deep snow but she continued rooting around rather than resting.  I hung my pack on some standing dead wood, and ate my pb & j sandwich.  I brought some treats for Evvy, though she had eaten plenty already.  I tried to give her some water, but she barely took a few sips.  I would pay for this later.  

After a change of gloves, and zipping up all that had been unzipped, we headed back down.  So much quicker!  When we got to Cochran Rd., I decided to take the trail which leaves off Cochran Rd. at Galloway's house.  Behind his house, the trail leads toward a beautiful ravine.  A foot-bridge crosses the deep ravine and continues up hill briefly.  The trail works it's way toward my freshly broken path at the beginning of the walk.  From there, a leisurely walk all the way down through woods, and pasture, across County Rd. to home.  

When I let Evvy in, she promptly went in and gulped her water.  I wasn't paying attention, and shouldn't have let her do that.  She went into the livingroom, and everything she had consumed was piled up on my recently shampooed rug!  Evvy headed back to her water bowl, which I took up, letting her drink alittle at a time.   The cleanup was just torture for me, nearly to the point of wretching.  I must invest in a "Spotbot". Not withstanding the nasty ending to the day, the hike was well worth the workout.  Now the deer and other folks will have an easier go on the trail from County Rd. up to the High Blue.