The Dukes of Firescrew

No, not some lame attempt at punning one of my favorite 80's tv shows. The Dukes trail is a backcountry trail cut off of Mt. Firescrew. It's part of the AMC's Mt. Cardigan reservation in Bristol, NH. We hiked up the Manning trail. Shawn on his snowshoes and me on my alpine trekkers and skis with skins. Shoes aren't allowed on the Dukes trail which is what skiers normally skin up to the summit. The Manning trail is real steep in some sections. I actually fell out of my bindings a few times. Shawn did great on his snowshoes. It was definitely a workout.

The snow was great up top, but my buddy had a little trouble in the powder which he worked on the following weekend at Wawawachusset. Next time we'll be able to play around a bit more on the open glades at the top of the Dukes. It was great to get out and meet a backcountry goal. I had a great time and thank Shawn for coming along.