Garfield, South Twin, North Twin, Galehead, West Bond, Mt. Bond, and Bondcliff

Type of Hike: Overnight Hut

· Matt’s Gear:

• Base Layer: EMS TechWick 1 s/s, EMS Fleece convertible Pants
• Insulation: Patagonia Nano Puff Vest
• Shell: Marmot PreCip
• Accessories: EMS Gortex Gaitors, Microspikes,
• Pack: Osprey Atmos 65 AG

Matt also carried: Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket, EMS Glacier Down Jacket, MSR Evo Denali Acent Snowshoes, 4 pairs of SmartWool PhD socks.

· Gear: Gabrielle

• Base Layer: Lululemon Wonder Leggings/Under Armor Coldgear Leggings, Smartwool Crew, Wolds Softest Knee Hi’s
• Insulation: Patagonia Nano Puff Vest
• Shell: Marmot Minimalist Jacket
• Accessories: EMS Gortex Gaitors, Microspikes, Alpaca Art Headband
• Pack: Osprey 50 2nd Generation

Gabrielle also carried: Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket, EMS Glacier Down Jacket, MSR Evo Denali Acent Snowshoes.

Big trip planned with guest star Alden Skidd. Our plan is to hit 7 mountains in 2 days. Our first stop is Mt. Garfield. The trail was snow free until around 3,500ft, where we quickly stopped to put on our spikes. The summit of Garfield was open and windy requiring a shell to block the wind. After a quick break we were back on the trail headed toward the Galehead Hut to drop gear. The monorail was thin for the most part and our boots were soaked from the running water on the trials.

Galehead Hut seemed a bit chaotic. They were getting ready to open for full service in a week and just received a big delivery. Too top if off it was a full house that night. We claimed our bunkroom and beds before heading up the steep trail to South Twin. The mountain was in the clouds but we took a pause for the cause on the summit and inhaled some snacks. North Twin posed a challenge as no one had been on the trail in quite sometime, due to the road leading to the trailhead being closed. We had anticipated this, which we continuously reminded each other of as we post holed just about every step. Or as Gabrielle fondly refers to them sink holes. On the bright side our return trip was swifter and hopefully those hiking the trail later in the weekend enjoyed the packed trail we left behind. The views from the outlook at North Twin made the trip well worth it as we look out over a breathtaking view of the White Mountains. The sky’s continued to clear and as luck would have it we re-summited South Twin to clear sky’s.

We were all tired but the day was not over as we still had Galehead. It was a quick and easy hit. We got our summit pictures, enjoyed the views and headed down to the hut to change our socks and enjoy some fresh grub. We had  carried all the ingredients to make two delicious pizzas and waited excitedly as Gabrielle created a wonderful masterpiece. A few hut guests stared at us with a bit of jealousy and it was not long before Gabrielle asked if anyone wanted any as we had made way too much. Within second there was nothing left.

After sleeping like babies we were ready for our second day of mountain fun. We fueled up with some freshly made cinnamon buns and green tea, thanks to Gabrielle. Our boots were still wet from the previous day and we were all thankful for the amount of socks we had packed. After ascending South Twin againnnn we were off to the Bonds. The snow of the trail was very mushy and post holing was constant. We strapped our snowshoes of and BAM we were off! Snowshoes remained on until we reached Guyot. The sun came out and it was like the skies had opened, gorgeous 360 views the remainder of the day. As we approached the Bonds the pattern went as followed, snowshoes on, snowshoes off, snowshoes on, and snowshoes off. I will not go into much detail but all the summits were beautiful in their own way with 360 degree views. I think we did our 3rd or 4th sock change before we headed back.

Gale River Trail was our exit strategy so we would not have to climb Garfield again and avoid the steep, waterfall like section we had climbed the day prior. By the time we got to flat surface it was dark and our headlamps came on. Funny thing is the road walk back to the car was harder than the trails we were climbing over. Man did it do a number on our feet. Roads and boots do not match well. It was beautiful seeing the car. Our wet boots came off and fresh clothes came on. It was a prideful ride back to Boston. We had just beasted 7 mountains in 2 days.