i got up to grafton notch on sunday around 11:30am, with sue from the stratton inn picking us up around 12:30 nd shuttling us to the trailhead outside stratton on 27 around 3pm, hiked the 1.8 north to cranberry stream campsite where coach lou and i had camped the year before.it was clear and cold that night, temps in the lo 40s, but i was plenty warm. ii camped with a nobo and 2 section hikers out to do the bigelows, marvelling at our lightweight gear(their tent weighed 8 lbs).
next morning i headed south over the crockers. the clouds increased during the day. the climb over the crockers was steep with scrambles and ledges to climb that wore me out. got to crocker cirque around 4:30 in the afternoon, set up my tent and camped that night alone.coupla light showers over night, had a quick breakfast and broke camp around 7:30. another steep climb down and then stupid steep up over sugarloaf, agin both up and down spaulding mtn. then a long steep down to orbeton stream. at the top of the falls an old rr bed runs past and i found a stealth site just 20 yds from the stream crossing.it began raining as it got dark, and had wicked t storms throughout the night, which would be with me for a few more days.
at that point i knew the weather was slowing me down and i knew i had to throw my plan out the window,decided to slow down and enjoy my vacation. i headed up over poplar ridge and again negotiated a near vertical up and down over saddleback junior. saw a sign for water around 2:30 at redington stream cmpsite, not knowing it was .2 off the trail. thunder began to rumble again, and i was hesitant to go over saddleback in t storms late day, so i decided to call it a short day and set up my tent on a platform, and a while later, met up with starfail and sublime.
next morning i headed south over the crockers. the clouds increased during the day. the climb over the crockers was steep with scrambles and ledges to climb that wore me out. got to crocker cirque around 4:30 in the afternoon, set up my tent and camped that night alone.coupla light showers over night, had a quick breakfast and broke camp around 7:30. another steep climb down and then stupid steep up over sugarloaf, agin both up and down spaulding mtn. then a long steep down to orbeton stream. at the top of the falls an old rr bed runs past and i found a stealth site just 20 yds from the stream crossing.it began raining as it got dark, and had wicked t storms throughout the night, which would be with me for a few more days.
at that point i knew the weather was slowing me down and i knew i had to throw my plan out the window,decided to slow down and enjoy my vacation. i headed up over poplar ridge and again negotiated a near vertical up and down over saddleback junior. saw a sign for water around 2:30 at redington stream cmpsite, not knowing it was .2 off the trail. thunder began to rumble again, and i was hesitant to go over saddleback in t storms late day, so i decided to call it a short day and set up my tent on a platform, and a while later, met up with starfail and sublime.
its all good