I asked my brother to join me on this overnight trip. We have only seen each other twice in 10
years and I knew it would be a good way to reconnect.
I pulled my pack together taking everything I would need for
an overnight hike. My pack, on average,
weighs between 15 - 20 lbs, today it weighed 30 lbs including 86 ounces of water
for myself and the ERD (my Chihuahua).
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| My brother ready to go |
My brother looks very fit, however he has never hiked a
mountain, ever…not even once. He arrived
at my house in jeans, work boots, a ‘school-like’ backpack and 3 cans of seltzer
water.
Uh oh..
I couldn’t convince him to borrow my husband’s hiking pants
or a hiking backpack but I did switch out his water. He was now carrying 64 ounces of
noncarbonated water.
I decided to take him up the New Path trail. I knew it was steep but didn’t realize the
trail climbs 1500 feet in one mile. There
is also a long section of loose shale adding to the challenge. This was not a good choice for someone who
has never hiked! When we reached the
steep section of the trail my brother told me he didn’t think he could do
it. He was very shaky. I encouraged him to drink water, eat dried
cranberries and pecans. He felt better
and we continued slowly up the trail.
The heat and humidity started to take its toll on him. His pack weighed 25 pounds. I took his pack, sliding my arms through and
comfortably balanced it on my pack. My
intent was to take it for 5 or 10 minutes but it was surprisingly doable so I
kept it. Taking the pack was a big help to
him and with frequent stops, lots of water and trail food, I knew he would make
it.
When we reached the summit of South Doublehead the look of
relief, joy and sense of accomplishment on my brother’s face was incredible! We took some celebratory photos and set off
to the North Doublehead cabin. Staying
in a log cabin on a mountain summit overnight, enjoying a sunset and sunrise,
was a great way to get to know my brother again. It was even more special knowing how much it
meant to him. We spent some time reading the log books and
he was happy to point out that he wasn’t the only one who thought it was a ‘crazy
difficult’ hike. He also pointed out
that it would have been nice if I had chosen an easier ‘1st
mountain’ hike. Point well taken.
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| My brother on South Doublehead |
After drinking coffee, watching the sunrise, and
photographing orb spiders the size of small dogs, we descended the Doublehead Ski
Trail. On the way down my brother became dehydrated. He had finished the last
of his water at breakfast and needed more. I had some extra water but I
always carry a Sawyer Mini Water Filter in my pack. I never needed it
until now. After two bottles of nice, cold, filtered water from the brook, he
was a new person!
I often think about
the things I carry in my pack and say to myself, “I’ll probably never need this but I’ll carry it anyway”. Today I realized it’s better than ever
having to say, “I wish I brought it”.
We got back to the
car and swung over to the East Pasture XC Trail for a quick peak bag of Black
Mountain-Middle Peak. On the drive over we saw a
mother bear and two cubs cross the road ahead of us. My first cub sighting!
The East Pasture XC trailhead is
located on an unpaved section of Black Mountain Road. At the start of the dirt road there is a sign
that says, ‘Unmaintained road. Travel at
your own risk”. If you don’t have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, I
don’t recommend driving up this road. Just park at the beginning of the dirt road
and hike in. We drove down the dirt road and parked at a
small pull-off area large enough for 2 cars - directly across from the XC trails sign. Do not block the gates.
My brother stayed
back in the car to get some much needed sleep while the ERD and I set off. East Pasture trail is a very easy, seldom
used trail. Although it is overgrown in
some sections, it is a nice beginner trail. I told my brother this when I got back to the
car but quickly added the views were much better on South Doublehead ! ;).
35 down 17- 52WAVs to
go.
Will need a redo on South Doublehead - apparently the official summit has 2 cairns, not one.
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| Me and the ERD on South Doublehead |
The cast iron stove in need of a flue cleaning!
 Sunlight reflecting off the ERD's fur    |
| Eka Pada Urdhva dhanurasana |
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| Sunset on North Doublehead |
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| Moonrise on North Doublehead |
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| Amazing Sunrise on North Doublehead |
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| North Doublehead Cabin |
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| Sunset reflecting off the window of North Doublehead cabin |
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| Inside of North Doublehead Cabin |
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| giant orb spider living on the outside walls of the cabin! |
.JPG) |
| Doll's Eyes, White Baneberry (poisonous) |
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| North and South Doublehead seen from the East Pasture XC Trail |
.JPG)
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| ERD on East Pasture XC Trail |
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| Black Mountain Middle Peak Views "The recognized highpoint is atop a large rock in a fairly open area." Logs indicate 360 views but this time of year, that's definitely not the case. |
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| Vertical profile for Black Mountain Middle Peak |
Yoga practice on North Doublehead summit
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