STOMPMACHINE: Nighttime Winter ascent of the Watcher

Nighttime Winter ascent of the Watcher

February 2nd, 2017

If at first you don't succeed, recruit a good friend.....

Once hikers learn of The Watcher," also known as "The Old Lady," or "The Witch," a certain spell sets in. An obsession if you will. The haunting rock profile, easily seen from the rt. 93 as you gaze north, sits above the famed Eaglet Spire, an hour-long hike up in good weather.

Nighttime Winter ascent of the Watcher, Franconia Notch State Park

Over the past few years I've had the opportunity to hike and view the Watcher, mostly in good, warm, and dry weather. Typically in the fall, after the clock change plunges us into premature darkness, I try to do hikes that can be done after work, such Cannon, Lincoln, Lafayette, Indian Head, etc.

In early 2017 I realized that The Watcher would be a lot of fun to try at night. It had just the right mixture of challenge that I generally gravitate toward. It was steep, and sketchy with loose rock a-plenty. Adding the prospect dark night, thick ice, cold temps and deep snow to the mix would make it that much more challenging.

But why stop there? Why not be the first person to snowboard down The Watcher?

Over the course of several weeks, beginning in January, 2017 I made a number of unsuccessful nighttime attempts to reach The Watcher. Each attempt, though unsuccessful, provided important learning moments. Each failure taught me one simple lesson......

BE PREPARED FOR EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!

The first attempt:
The first attempt began by following a broken trail marked by a single strip of flagging tape. This trail began within 30 feet of the start of the Greenleaf Trail proper. With my snowboard strapped onto the back of my pack, I made the ascent. The trail, previously broken by snowshoes, steeply rose straight to the base of a large, looming wall of ledge. I decided that I would try to follow the base of this ledge southeast, knowing that I would eventually reach the Eaglet, then head straight up the final slide. After breaking waist-deep snow for an hour and a half, circumventing large cliff-drops, and battling spruce-traps, fatigue set in so I reluctantly made the smart call to bail.

The second attempt:
The second attempt began at the proper historical cairn-marked start of the un-maintained climber trail leading up to the Eaglet. The problem again was waist-deep snow. To my frustration, I had neglected to bring my snowshoes. Simple oversight... failed to pack them as I left for work. All I had was a pair of micro-spikes. Bail number two!!!!!!!!

The third attempt:
On the third attempt, also at night, I finally reached the base of the final slide. This slide eventually splits left and right toward the height of land where one can turn to the south in order witness the iconic Watcher image that so many of us have seen.

I had snowshoes this time. The snowshoes helped a great deal, but the ascent was very difficult, with many dead-ends to navigate and deeper snow than anticipated. I also brought my microspikes, but not my hybrid Hillsound crampons. The failure not to bring my crampons proved to be my next and final mistake.

The ascent of the slide reached a point where microspikes just didn't safely cut it. I knew that if I continued I would would be putting my life in danger. So, I bailed.....again. Crampons would've provided the much needed traction to climb a handful of very steep, vegetation-free sections of the slide.

On the way back down, I decided to drop my snowboard off in a patch of vegetation just above the Eaglet for the next attempt. I figured no one would be crazy enough to steal my board here, at this time of the year.

The final successful attempt happened on February 2nd, 2017. Jimmy Olson agreed to join me after work to finally bag this elusive ascent. We got a late start, perhaps closer to 8 or 9pm. I had previously broken the ascent out so that saved us a good deal of time. We did ultimately reach the height of land, saw the Watcher, and made it safely back down.

It was a great night, and an important night, that would prove to be the springboard to many bigger, sketchier, and more challenging free-hike/climb ascents blurring the line between traditional hiking and climbing.

Although I strapped into my snowboard, the second I laid my edge into the thick ice of the slide I knew it wasn't going to happen.....my edge had nothing to grab but thick, steep ice. I may be stupid, but I'm not THAT stupid!

I'm not the first person to snowboard The Watcher, but am the first person to strap into a snowboard on The Watcher. ;)

The trailhead for the Greenleaf Trail

A selfie from one of my several failed attempts to reach the Watcher

The cairn marking the traditional climber route up to the Eaglet Spire, then subsequently The Watcher

The icy ledge encountered on my first unsuccessful attempt

Failed ascent number 3. Thick snow managed well with snowshoes, but the upper slide required crampons

Ice-beard. The temps were always in the 20's or lower during these attempts

My board was left just above the Eaglet Spire during one of my failed attempts. On the final attempt this is what she looked like when I returned with Jimmy Olson