Piper Mountain, Belknap Mountain, Gunstock Mountain, Guilford, NH. 2018-12-06 (Thursday) Piper Mountain, 2044 ft; Belknap Mountain, 2382 ft; Gunstock Mountain, 2250 ft. See map and details at http://belknaprangetrails.org. Approx 4 miles, 3 1/2 hours. 35 dF. Partly sunny and breezy. Short form is that these very low mountains (by anyone’s standards) are a true gem. That they’re parked in the Lakes Region (itself a gem) only adds to them. When you […]
Autumn Hiking
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Variety is the spice of life! Mt Monadnock, 3,165 ft. Monadnock State Park, Jaffrey, NH. 2018-11-15. Via White Dot, Cascade Link, Spellman, Pumpelly, and White Cross trails. Approx. 5 miles, 3 1/2 hours. Cloudy, 25 degrees F, approx 10 MPH winds at summit. Approximately 25 mile visibility. Ice in many places, micro spikes a necessity. It’s always good to do the familiar in a different way. One of my faves is to […]
What a view! Jennings Peak, Waterville Valley NH. 2018-11-08. (Thursday) Jennings Peak, 3,440 feet. Via Sandwich Mountain Trail, Drake’s Brook Trail.. Approx 5.5 miles, 4 1/4 hours. 40-45 dF. Sunny, then Overcast. Negligible wind. This one goes head to head with Welch Dickey. The only reason the other will win is because W-D is lower, and hence, more accessible. Fair enough. But this one isn’t that tough. Only a modestly […]
Legendary views from legendary ledges! Welch Mountain, 2,605 ft; Dickey Mountain, 2,734 feet. Thornton/Waterville Valley, NH. 2018-10-25. Via Welch-Dickey Loop Trail. Approx. 4.4 miles. 29 degrees, light breeze. Cloudy with a descending ceiling. Occasional light glaze of ice on the trail. It’s a classic. An easy loop that’s admired by so many. And when you’re in the thick of it, you know why. There’s nothing hard about this 4 mile […]
Two with a view! Mt Cardigan, 3,155 ft; Firescrew Mountain, 3,040 feet. Cardigan State Park, Alexandria, NH. 2018-10-18. Via Manning Trail, Mowglis Trail, Clark Trail, Cathedral Forest (Holt-Clark Cutoff) Trail, Holt Trail. Approx. 5 miles. Trailhead: 1400. Firescrew Summit: 1540. Cardigan Summit: 1600. Car: 1745. Sunny, approx 20 MPH winds at summit, with moderate clouds. Essentially limitless visibility. A light dusting of snow, and in the shady bits, some light […]
A perfect day for two! Mt Liberty and Mt Flume, Lincoln, NH. 2018-10-10. (Wednesday) Via Whitehouse Trail, Liberty Springs Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail. Approx 8.7 miles. 60 dF +/- at the trailhead, 70 at the summit. Clouds giving way to partial sunshine. Wind at summit was 2-4 knots. Just enough to keep the humidity in abeyance. Trailhead: 0900; Liberty Summit: 1145; Flume Summit: 1300; Liberty Summit redux: 1400; back at […]
When I started out the 48, I never knew I’d stand on Katahdin. Even when I stood on Hamlin, I wasn’t sure I’d make it to Katahdin. And when I finished Katahdin…
I need to gather my thoughts about finishing the New England 67 four thousand footers list. But in the interim, I wanted everyone to be able to at least see what I saw, because it was a very powerful experience on some of the most picturesque terrain.
Tetra? No, Solo! North Brother Mountain, Millinocket, Maine. 2018-09-27. 4,150 feet. Via Marston Trail. Trailhead: 1030. Mt Coe trail junction: 1245. Summit: 1340. Car: 1700. Sunny, light breeze (approx 5 MPH), with occasional clouds. Essentially limitless visibility. It was an audacious plan, and it would have worked, too… if it wasn’t for those meddling kids! OK, so if I’d gotten out of bed an hour earlier, maybe. I’d hoped to […]