March Haskell Hut 3 Day Trip Report
This trip report was written and shared with Friends by frequent monument visitors Eric and Elaine Hendrickson.
This trip was the fourth of the year and perhaps the last for the season. The first trip was to check on the wood supply where I had the chance to help the ranger fill the wood shed with some well-seasoned wood for the winter users. The second trip was a three day adventure in extremely cold windy weather in January. The third trip was a day trip again just to explore some beaver ponds near the hut. This latest trip was a three-day trip in what would become the warmest winter trip we have ever taken. It was the annual winter birthday trip for Elaine. Not being sure what the trail would be like we had skis, snowshoes and micro spikes. When we arrived we realized there would not be a need for either the snowshoes or micro-spikes so they stayed in the truck.
We loaded the sleds up with all that we would need for the three day adventure and headed down the trail. The snow was in great shape and the warm weather had flattened the trail making hauling the sleds easier. The blue bird sky overhead made for exceptional skiing. As we approached “Mother Nature’s Garden,” we met the folks who had stayed in the hut the night before just finishing up their trip. We finally decided to take a break at Haskell Gate where we had a snack.
The next stop was the ponds just beyond the gate, where we poked around checking out the otter signs. Back on the trail again, we once again parked the sleds on the side of the trail just before Stair Fall turn off to check out a kettlehole bog with an amazing view of Traveler Mountain. With the clear blue sky, it did not disappoint even if it did not have much snow remaining. Back through the forest to our sleds and onto the hut.
The hut was as welcoming as ever, super clean with a wood box filled with well-seasoned wood. I started a fire in the wood stove so I could bake a birthday cake and fix dinner. Soon the cake was done and it was wine o’clock, time for crackers, cheese and huckleberry wine. We have never depended on cookware in the hut and have always carried our own which makes cooking that much easier. Dinner was tortellini in sauce finished with a birthday cake baked in the pot. The only birthday candle that I had was a miners candle, but it worked. After dinner a bit of reading time before bed. We left the candle burning in a small tin, which surprisingly lasted all night.
Up early with a late start caused by the potatoes, eggs and cheese breakfast. We hit the trail at 9:30, headed for Big Spring Hut and beyond. Shortly after we left, we met the rangers coming in to check on things; Ranger Roger gave us the bad news about the weather, which was forecast to be almost 50 and perhaps 60 the next day. On the way to the hut, we had two amazing wildlife sightings. Soon after the ranger passed us, there were fresh lynx tracks over the snowsled track. We followed them to the top of the hill where we stopped to visited an area of rock formation off the trail. Heading down the hill toward Messer Pond, a little brown bat came out of the woods, circled me once then flew down the trail and circled Elaine. We were both able to watch it fly down the trail before it flew into the forest. Seeing a bat while skiing was a first for me.
The next stop was a side ski into Messer Pond where someone had nicely cut all the trees that had fallen across the pond. The plan was to ski around the pond but it was covered with several inches of water, so we continued onto Big Spring Hut. The bare spots that had been in the trail in January were now covered with snow. The last little bit into the hut was in the shade and downhill making the trip a bit faster and much more out of control than I would have liked. The hut was clean and cold inside so we ate lunch on the porch in the sun. After lunch, we decided to head for the lookout but only made it as far as the brook because the snow was much too soft and the going difficult. So we turned around headed back to Haskell before it got too hot.
We arrived back at Haskell Hut just in time to finish the wine and cheese before diving into a dinner of tacos and cake. The night brought on a howling wind storm that made sleeping difficult. We could hear branches breaking and hitting the roof of the cabin and the temperature kept getting warmer throughout the night. We woke early the next morning to fine much of the snow gone around the hut. A quick breakfast of potatoes and eggs gave us an early start. During breakfast it was a wildlife bonanza; first, there were two adult bald eagles feeding on something trapped in the ice. While I was taking a photo of the eagles I noticed a coyote in the background watching the birds feed. Out of nowhere, a golden eagle came in to feed, and the bald eagles backed off and just watched. It was amazing how much larger the golden eagle is compared to the bald eagles. After we loaded up the sleds to head out we noticed three otters feeding on the ice. We also saw a large moose feeding across the river. This was by far the best wildlife viewing we have had on any trip.
The trip out was much as expected with branches littering the trail and a tree across our path that we had to lift the sleds over to continue. The snow was a bit sloppy but the temperatures were fine considering we had very little on. About half way out, we met a couple from New Hampshire headed in, so we stopped to talk for too long. We were about a half mile from the car when the heat hit; it was like skiing into a wall of heat. The snow became super soft, and things started to slow down. We reached the truck and loaded up where the temperature on the dash read 65 which is way too hot to ski. All in all for a 75th birthday camping trip, it was great with all the wildlife and blue skies. Still hoping for the snow to remain for my birthday and a Quebec mountain camping trip.
