Mark Renson
New member
On Friday, I skinned up to Hermit Lake and then skied down the Sherburne Trail, finding some crusty, but manageable snow with some cat tracks - yes, it is not-so-BRUTALLY GROOMED backcountry trail skiing. At the bottom, I called my Dad to wish him a happy 73rd birthday and also check on some phone messages. <BR>After spending the night on the mountain, The next morning dawned a bit blustery with some squalls. The plan was to ski down to the Pinkham Notch lodge and grab breakfast and get a cat ride up. A powdery topping coated the surface and a magnificent 6:30AM ski run was had! That topping had greatly improved the surface and the sun poked through the clouds as it rose over Wildcat <BR>Mountain. "Now, THIS is livin' " I blurted out on the way down. "Turns for Breakfast" .... I like this idea! <BR>On Sunday, at Hermit Lake I stepped into the teeth of strong winds and squalls - the way The Presidentials should be! and I was off to the Sherburne Trail. Here I found a generous few new inches of fluff and it was till snowing hard. Any crust or cat tracks were buried. The ski descent was outstanding down the old CCC roller coaster ride. At the bottom, I considered going to the Gulf of Slides, but figured that there might be some rougher crust there and I decided to go with the sure bet of the Sherburne. <BR> The second run was even better as I floated on the sides of the trail. For an added <BR>bonus, this year, many water bars have been beefed up which means that there are some <BR>very pronounced humps in the trail for added amusement. Snow was still falling, but <BR>there were a few breaks in the clouds which let the sun in. The run was so good that I skinned up for a 3rd helping! The third was not as good as many had also jumped on the small powder party that was held. It was still worth the skin up, though. <BR> I packed it in and went home via US 2 where it was sunny and I could observe the clouds <BR>and squalls enveloping the Presidentials. <BR> Was anyone else out there as fortunate as I was to pick some plums on Sunday?