At the start of August 2025, I had 12 peaks left on my NE 111 (115) list to complete. With my hubby out with foot surgery, Deb and I made separate three trips down to the White Mountains to complete my NH48, NE67 and NE111(115) lists. This included 42 hours of driving and 6 nights of camping at campgrounds. We did a few long hikes of the Franconia Ridge and Owl's Head leading up to our final day on the Wildcat and Carter Range.

The last trip happened on Labour Day weekend, where I left work on Friday at 2:30 PM and we drove the 7 hours straight down to Gorham. The long weekend traffic through the major cities of Ottawa and Montreal was brutal, as well as the line up at the border.  Rain pounded on the drive through Vermont and we could see lightning flash in the sky as we arrived in Gorham. Arriving at Moose Brook State Park at 10PM, we set up the tents in the dark and quickly dove into bed, listening to the loud voices, dogs and babies crying in a busy campground. Rain fell on the tent overnight and we work at 5AM with our surroundings wet and damp. Deb and I had breakfast, hopped in the car, got gas and landed at the Wildcat Ski Hill after making the decision that it might be too sketchy to attempt the trail of ledges up from Glen Ellis. Deb is already a 115er, and has summited most of the 115 mountains multiple times. 

We left the ski hill parking lot at 6:50AM and found the Pole Cat ski run to ascent 2100ft up to the top of Wildcat D. Our conditioned legs and lungs made quick work of the hill and we were up at the top in an hour and 15 mins. We took some photos with the Wildcat sign, checked out a lookout over the back side and then continued on following the white blazes of the AT towards Wildcat Mountain. Not long after getting on the trail there is a wood deck platform that looks over the Presi range. Unfortunately Mt Washington was covered in clouds and the photo opportunity wasn't that great. We continued on the ridge trail that included lots of moss covered forest, rocky trail and a couple of glimpses of views.

We rolled over Wildcat C and and Wildcat B and were passed by some trail runners moving in both directions. We arrived at Wildcat A along with a few other hikers and runner and took turns at the rocky lookout overlooking Carter Dome, the hut, and the descent and ascent looming in the distance. At this point Deb and I weren't sure if we were going to do just the Wildcats and come back the next day for the Carters or try to push on towards the Carters to combine the ridge into one mega day hike. We passed by some hikers coming up from the hut in the morning. I had looked into a hut stay for this trip but there was no availability.

We descended a steep rocky trail off the Wildcat and noticed the increased traffic building on the Wildcat trail coming up from the hut and from the Nineteen brook trail. We got to the bottom and hit the junction of the Nineteen Brook trail at 10:30AM. We debated on descending the Nineteen brook trail and returning the following day to finish the Carters. Seeing as though it was still early in the day, we decided we could probably do at least one more mountain, Carter Dome and then decide later if we wanted to do a big push or not. We guesstimated we could get to the top of Carter Dome by noon, and then have time for a long descent if need be.

We walked down by the lake and took some photos before turning left up the Carter Dome trail. Initially this trail is steep with many staircase boulder sections. We cruised through this section and didn't stop to catch our breath until the grade eased - a sign our bodies were mountain conditioned. We kept going until we reached the first summit cairn arriving at 11:30 AM, a half hour earlier than we had though we would arrive. Feeling famished, we decided it was time for our first break for water and lunch which is typically a piece of cheese, breakfast cookie, and a pepperette! We donned a wind layer here and spoke to a solo female AT section hiker on her way to the Imp campsite. I have had an interest in the AT and section AT hiking so it was great to pick her brain and get some ideas. 

After our break, we got up and crossed the top of Carter Dome in what was a large clearing of sorts - possibly an old fire tower location? Light rain began to fall so we threw on our rain jackets. We kept going on the white blazed trail, and followed the trail up to the bald summit of Mt Hight. There were a few parties on the windy summit but the views were spectacular so we spent some time taking photos. We couldn't help but notice the rain cloud moving towards us from the Presidential range. It looked like our weather was tanking. Most parties began to flee the summit and we descended off Mt Hight down to a junction where we met up with more AT hikers, some who had been on the trail since the beginning of April.

We met a father with his two kids for the second time, and it seemed to be a busy intersection. The threat of rain was pushing the thru-hikers quickly towards their campsite and the day hikers were also moving in their chosen direction. Deb and I walked towards the second junction where the trail moves either down the Carter Dome Trail or up to South Carter. We assessed our energy levels, leg strength and pending weather. We felt good, but the weather was not going to be ideal but we were prepared. We crunched the mileage and elevation numbers and considered descending and returning the very next day or keep going. When we saw we were at 3900ft of elevation, we thought it was best to climb the 500ft to South Carter and the extra 200ft to Middle Carter. We had loads of daylight left so let's finish this!

​The hike up to South Carter wasn't technical so we covered ground quite quickly. We passed a family of backpackers, who were heading to the hut for the evening. We ascended through a stand of dead standing trees and made it to a small rocky summit area with a cairn. The rain had returned so we donned the Gore-tex another time and the pack cover. This wasn't shaping up to be an ideal finish up on Middle Carter, but I have been with other hikers on their finishing climbs in rain, clouds and gale force winds. The mountains tend to teach you life lessons all the time and having picture perfect endings isn't always the case.

The ascent up to Middle Carter from South is so gradual you don't even feel like you are gaining ground. The trail continues to be fairly easy, so you can walk quickly. This was a good thing, as the weather started to really turn foul with driving rain, wind, and cloud cover. By the time we reached Middle and saw the small rocky cairn, we knew we wouldn't have much time to celebrate. It was 2:30PM. Not only did our cameras get soaked but our hands started to freeze. A few other hikers in a hurry passed us in both directions, everyone wearing Gore-tex and not lingering, except us. Deb had a celebratory sign for me but had left it at the campground thinking we were going to split up the ridge into two day hikes. She did bring some fun party noisemakers we blew to celebrate, gave each other hugs, and took a few photos. This wasn't the finish I imagined with more people, beautiful views, and celebratory signs. I did call my husband, who was home post foot surgery to share the joy but the call dropped 30 seconds in. Even though it was the 115 finish, I knew we still needed to boogie to get off the summit and down into the tree cover quickly to finish the day. We had ascended almost 6000 feet of elevation, and still had miles to go to back to the highway.

We pulled on our Montbell wind gloves over our wet hands and continued over Middle Carter over some open rocky spots where we almost lost Deb in a wind gust. As I looked at cloud moving quickly from left to right I imagined what the views might look like on a nice day....or even hours earlier. If I had come up the next day, it was supposed to be sunny! It took what seemed like forever to get to the junction to descend down. By now the entire landscape was saturated with rain and I had to repeat the mantra "secure footing" to myself on every step on the descent as every rock and root was wet and slippery. This extra concentration after a long day on the trail was crucial. We made it to the Imp trail and near the end caught up with the father and kids we had seen a couple of times already. Near the highway we turned left on a path towards Camp Dodge and asked Paul if he could drop us off at the ski hill. He agreed. His truck was parked at the Nineteen Brook trailhead a short distance away. We had a ride! A very nice family that were great to meet.

Finishing the 115 felt amazing - a goal that has been in my thoughts since I summited Katahdin in 2016. This goal has been a huge motivating driver for my strength and cardio training at home -  I have walked up and down my 700ft local ski hill doing laps countless times readying myself for mountains.  I had a 3 year absence of summits from summer 2019 to summer 2022 due to Covid and border restrictions which stalled my progress, but bit by bit I chipped away at it and finished.  I am somewhat sad this journey has come to an end but now know which mountains I would like to come back to. I still have my Adirondack Winter 46 list to finish, an AT section hike and JMT hike to think about, and a few mountains I would like to go back to and try different routes. On the list is Katahdin Knife Edge, Mt Washington up Huntington Ravine, and the Glen Ellis steepest mile of the AT. Onward and Upward! :)

I'd like to thank my friend Deb and my husband Glenn for accompanying me on most of these hikes and always keen to saying "Yes!". Deb is 73 years old, works hard on her fitness, and is still my most reliable hiking companion! I hope I have decades of hiking left in me as well.

By completing the NE 111(115), I have completed the following 4000ft peaks in:
48 in New York 
5 in Vermont
14 in Maine
48 in New Hampshire

Stats:
Time: 10hrs, 6 mins
Distance: 23.5km
Elevation: 5908ft
Weather: Sun, wind, cloud, rain, cold
​Date: Saturday August 30th, 2025

Peaks: Wildcat D #111, Wildcat #112, Carter Dome #113, South Carter #114, Middle Carter #115!

Mount Moosilauke is a stand alone mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire near the town of Lincoln. With it's bald summit and 360 degree views, I had been thinking of saving this peak for my final 115 peak. After a hike of Owl's Head the day before, Moosilauke was the best choice for a shorter day so I decided to trash the idea of finishing on it.

The rain started to hit the tent fly around 2 AM at Hancock campground and continued on and off until we rose at 5AM. The forecast and radar showed rain, but the probability of precipitation was low and the accumulations were manageable so we packed up and drove over to the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge trailhead. In the summer, you can drive up the gravel road and park before the lodge area along the side of the road. The lodge is owned and run by Darmouth College and the public can stay there in one of their bunk rooms and eat 5 course dinners. The lodge is beautiful, and I would consider staying here in the future.

We started our hike at 7AM, and headed up the Gorge Trail. The trail is rocky to start and the rocks we damp and wet after the drizzle overnight. We hit a couple of trail junctions early and continued up the Gorge trail path. A few kilometers up the trail, we bumped into the student trail crew. The trail is maintained and landscaped by this crew. You can tell all the way up a lot of work has but put into the trailbuilding process with multiple staircases, water run off pathways, and rocks turned flat side up. The trail itself ascends gradually and I thoroughly enjoyed the effort these students have put into it. 

Further up the trail we passed a minecraft fox stuffy, and then entered into the alpine scrub where we saw a couple of views into the distance despite being a cloudy day with a threat of rain. As we trees thinned the winds picked up and the temperature dropped. The alpine zone on Mount Moosilauke is a wide expanse of grass. It is very open and cairns are there to navigate (helpful even in the summer in the clouds) an the summit is a rocky area with a large handmade sign. I could tell the views would probably be amazing on a clear day but by the time we had summited we were in a cloud. We quickly added 2 layers and took photos and descended to the trees to have a breatk. It had taken us 2 hours and 19 minutes to get to the summit ascending 2500 feet.

We took a snack and water break and then hiked down the same trail we came up, enjoying the flat rocks and staircases on the way down. We hiked by multiple parties coming up and returned back to our car before noon. I think I will have to return to this summit to check it out on a clear day!

Stats:
Date: Wednesday August 20th, 2025
Distance: 12.39km
Time: 4 hours 18 minutes
Ascent: 2589ft
Peak 110 of the 115er list

Owl's Head Mountain is a stand alone 4000+ foot mountain located in the middle of the Pemigewasset Mountain range horseshoe. This treed summit has a longer approach than most objectives in the White Mountains. Due to it's viewless summit, it is dreaded among peak baggers as a large effort with little reward.

Deb and I rose around 5AM at the Hancock campground and ate breakfast. We hopped in the car and drove over to Lincoln Woods and paid the $5 parking fee. We left the parking lot around 6:30AM, and marched down the old rail trail towards the Black Pond turnoff. After a very hot July and August so far, the temperatures had dipped down in the 9C range overnight and the forecast called for sun and a pleasant 22C day - perfect for hiking. By the time we had walked onto the Black Pond trail, we were warmed up and needed to de-layer.  Here we were passed by a trio of trail runners also attempting Owl's Head Peak. We met up with them at Black Pond as they were taking some photos of the view across the pond, one of the few views of the day. Here we exchanged phones and took photos and off they left. The most common way to Owl's Head is taking the Black Pond Bushwhack. Not on any official trail map, this bushwhack is an unmarked trail that connects Black Pond to the Lincoln Woods trail near a river crossing. It was a well trod trail with some blowdown and was easy to navigate - no compass or map required. I could see the trail labelled on my  Garmin watch map. Once we were dumped onto the Lincoln Woods trail, we turned left and handrailed the Lincoln Brook all the way to the turn off.  We originally wanted to climb the slide to the top, but by mistake ended up taking the Brutus Bushwhack up instead.  This is another unmarked trail that is easy to follow and you miss the slide completely. It connects back up to the official trail just below the summit ridge. We got to the height of land pretty quickly and easily and felt pretty happy with our efforts. We were passed by a single male hiker as we traversed the ridge over to the summit proper. The pitiful cairn and word "Owl" carved into a tree was not much reward. In the distance between the trees, you could see some glimpses of the Pemi range but that's it. After a few summit shots we put on a layer and pulled our lunches for a break. 

We found it odd that the trio of trail runners were no where to be seen. As we were eating, they showed up! They had taken the slide up, but we "slow hikers" as they called us had beat them up! We chatted away again, and got invited to be a guest on one of their podcasts! The energy was great and we all left the summit at the same time. We let them go ahead on the bushwhack and realized at the switchback that they had gone the wrong way and were coming back. We got ahead of them again! We met up at the bottom of the bushwhack at the river, taking a break. We kept going, and so they passed us yet again on the Lincoln Brook Trail. Thinking we would never see them again we said our goodbyes. We turned right  before the river crossing and took the Black Pond Bushwhack back, but they continued on the Lincoln Brook trail back as it was more runnable. We marched out the last few miles and ended up meeting up with them in the parking lot. It had taken us 8 hours but them just under 7 hours.  So much fun!

After dreading and putting off this mountain hike for a long time, I didn't find it hard. The trails are easier than most trails (mainly dirt) and the steep ascent doesn't seem to last for very long. The hardest part is definitely the mileage, but your speed is faster than most hikes in the the NorthEast. Also, we didn't see the infamous Pemi bear of 2025, but carried bear spray just in case.

Stats:
Date: Tuesday August 19th, 2025
Distance: 26.2km
Time: 8 hours
Elevation gain: 3100ft
Peak #109 of 115

After our big day yesterday bagging 4 summits along the Franconia Ridge, we decided on a smaller objective for today, Sunday August 10th, 2025. We chose Garfield, a single peak that will complete my Pemi Loop peak bagging mission.

We had a late start of 9AM in the parking lot and headed up a dirt trail through nicely shaded forest. The forecast again today was calling for hot sunny weather 30C with no wind. The trail to Garfield is a 5 mile/8km consistent ramp that starts as a dirt trail and becomes more rocky as you ascend. Footstep cadence can kept quite high on this approach as the trail was nicely constructed with switchbacks towards the top. We got passed by a few groups of hikers with fresher legs than ours and passed other groups that had made some concerning attire choices (jeans!). After reaching the junction of the ridge trail, the rhythm changes as large chunky boulders requires more high steps and turnover slows down. Luckily this doesn't last long, and the Garfield summit offers excellent views of the Pemi Range on one side and down into the valley on the other. It took us 2.5 hours to get to the top. The sun's rays were intense on the summit, so after a 30 min break, we decided to descend. The trail down was pretty easy but we were getting passed as the toll from the previous day and today were starting to take effect. With the hot sweaty weather, I was developing 6 blisters on my feet and the ones on the bottom of my big toes were tender and my pace slowed down. All in all a nice trail with great views. 

Stats:
Distance: 15.8km
Time: 5 hours
Elevation 3100ft
Weather: Hot!

This is peak #108 on my  Northeast115er journey

Despite sleeping at the Lafayette campground, Deb and I decided to drive to the Basin Parking area to begin our hike up the Flume Slide Trail. We started at 6:40AM on Saturday August 9th, 2025. After a brief march on the paved bike trail, we got onto the Liberty Spring Hiking Trail and took the right hand turn at the junction to start the Flume trail. This trail ascends more steeply as you approach the slide - we were glad we started early as sweat was already dripping down our faces. We passed a mother and son and another group of 3 guys before getting to the slide. I like being first up the slide, as there is much less risk for rock fall if there are no parties above you. The  slide climbs 1500feet in a half mile, and is comprised of  a series of rocky scrambles and steep rooted trail. There seemed to be many side trails to opt out any risky moves. I did have to use my hands and feet multiple times, but I didn't feel like I needed to put my rock climbing skills to use. I did however have to stop a few times to lessen my heart rate which allowed one solo male hiker to pass us and sent a rock flying down at our heads. Luckily he yelled 'Rock!' and I was able to put my body behind a tree that shielded it from being hit.

By 10:45AM we hit the summit of Flume and enjoyed the views with a family who had been backpacking the Pemi range over the past few days. There was a father and his triplets (2 sons and 1 daughter). We had a snack and water and took a few photos of each other and carried on. Down into shaded forested trail, we enjoyed walking downhill for a change. That didn't last long as we started a gradual ascent up to the top of Liberty. The ridge was getting busy with a number of day hikers, backpackers, and thru-hikers. We reached the rocky summit of Liberty and could feel the sun's heat starting to hit us like a wall. There was little wind (a rarity), even above treeline to relieve us of our sweat and hot bodies. I had brought 2L of water with me and was well into my first bottle. The summit of Liberty has a marker, and some great viewpoints. We took some photos here and carried on.

Down again into forest trail, we lost some elevation gain and spent some time traversing a bushy flat section of trail. There didn't seem to be the same volume of hikers in this stretch. It must be more popular to hike 2 peaks in one day (Flume + Liberty, Lincoln + Lafayette). We were in the 'no man's land'. The flat traverse was a nice section where we could pick up the pace and move quickly. We then began to feel the path ascent again up towards Little Haystack. Still forested, the trail is a mix of boulders with big and little steps but wasn't that steep which we were grateful for being the third 'up' of the day. This would be the last long ascent of the day as we were moving from Mount Flume at 4200' to Lafayette at 5200'. We popped out of the trees to find Mt Haystack's summit area packed with people. There is a large area that was obviously busy with people who had come up the Falling Waters trail. From here on, we would be above tree line. We took another break here, and had a discussion about Ty Gagne's book "The Last Traverse" that told the a rescue story of two men who were caught up in a winter storm near Little Haystack and had to hide in a cave. We started looking around as we left the summit area and found what we think was where they had to hide during the storm. It looked like the only place that 2 bodies could shelter inside albeit barely. 

We continued above treeline enjoying the magnificent views of the Pemi Range and Cannon Cliffs up to Lincoln. The scenery is absolutely stunning. On Lincoln we ate and drank a bit more and lingered a bit longer than usual. It's rare to hang out at the summits but with all the people, it' was hard to get a summit shot in that didn't have other people in the way. We left Lincoln's summit, and traversed the ridge over some rocky outcroppings and found many photogenic spots and areas that one could enjoy the views. We looked at the Lincoln Slide and discussed the possibilities of descending it to access Owl's Head. We yo-yo'd our hike up to Lafayette with a very positive and non-pushy parent of a 9 year old girl that was enjoying her day. It was definitely an interesting experience from a people watching perspective: We had everything from influencer like models, to dogs that looked like that had heat stroke, people that had no sense of trail etiquette, to mostly naked hikers to completely covered up. Many people were staying at the hut, and had only come up with a water bottle! Up on Lafayette there must have been 60 people. Deb drank the last of her 1L of water, while I was about 1.5L in (I had brought 2). We were eager to get down to the Greenleaf Hut to get more water. We descended a rocky path with cairns off the top of Lafayette and dropped over 1000 ft to get to the hut. We found the drinking water tap and filled our bottles up and took another break. I added some electrolytes to my bottle and it perked me right up. There was a group of about 8 women on an AMC hike, and about 20 other lingering around the hut. Still over 3miles/5km to the end of the Old Bridle Path trail. We passed a few groups on the way down this trail, but were mindful of our foot placements in places on the tricky polished rock on the descent. We see polished rock in rock climbing where rock becomes slippery due to overuse. It was easy to spot the polished rock places as it was black. On the way down 5 of the hut workers passed us going up with heavy loads. We passed by some view points of the ridge we were just on and as you get closer to the parking lot, the trail becomes more manicured and steps have been built like a stair case. Upon finishing, we walked through the tunnel and found a hiker in the Lafayette parking lot to drive us over to the Basin parking to get our car. 

Stats:
Ascent: 5330ft/1638ft
Distance: 22.47km
Time: 9 hours, 45 mins (lots of breaks on this hot day!)
Temperature: 30C
Wind: None

Peaks # 104, #105, #106, and #107 of my NorthEast 115er journey.

The Riviere Mistassibi Nord-Est is a whitewater canoe tripping river located north of Lac St-Jean, Quebec. It falls 1200ft over 108km and has long continuous sections of rapids. The number of rapids added to the stunning scenery makes this trip spectacular. I would say it's a 'medium' river in terms of difficulty. After leaving Dolbeau-Mistassini, the town on north end of the lake, it's another 250km north via logging road to get to the start. Information on the the river and how to get there can be found here. For reference, the river gauge was at 219 cms when we left cell range on July 28th, 2025, and when we returned August 4th, 2025 the level was at 143 cms. 

Day 0 Monday July 28th, 2025

We travelled by truck 12 hours (~1000km) to get to the take-out area of the river. This doesn't include the extra 113km up to the put-in. When we arrived at the town of Dolbeau-Mistassini, we made sure to fuel up (including an extra jerry can) and ate a fast food dinner as it was raining and no one felt like cooking. We met our friends in a separate vehicle here in order to do our own shuttle. The logging road is very wide for the most part and is in good condition compared to most logging roads. They even mark the wash outs on the road so you know to slow down.  We stayed in a make-shift campsite near the take-out and set up in the rain. Everyone was tired from long journeys, so we all headed to bed early around dusk. 

​Day 1 Tuesday July 29th, 2025

​After packing up, we left one vehicle at the takeout and then loaded 6 people, 3 canoes and gear in the back of Mark's pick up truck. We left the take-out around 8:10 AM and travelled another 113km up to the put-in taking another 2 hours of travel. This put us at the 158km mark of the river. The put-in area has short trees (are we that far north?) and logs of boggy lichen. Trees are mainly black spruce and evidence of logging and wildfires were evident. We were on the water by 11 AM and noticed that the water levels looked low-ish. In many places you needed to follow where the most water is flowing, and there were many rocks to hit both in the whitewater and flatwater - a theme that would continue for the rest of the trip. Lots of boat scrapes and bumps. The first notable rapid was a class 3 rapid that had a big ledge that we all ran successfully. The next class 3 we lined the top and and ran the bottom. The last class 3 before the campsite our first canoe got caught and took on some water but quick action prevented it from getting worse. We decided to line it instead. The first group campsite on river right at the 144.5km mark was large, flat, and had multiple tentsites. It even had a thunderbox! The weather was sunny and warm and we noticed quite quickly that blackfly season wasn't over in this neck of the woods. The boggy ground was perfect for these creatures. Luckily we had brought a group sized bug shelter that came in handy all trip. We retreated to the tents at 9PM when the dampness set in and the bugs came out in hoards.

For my third and final peak for this trip I chose Mount Wambek. The shortest of the three in terms of distance, it is the perfect peak to pick before sitting for 7 hours on the long drive home. Glenn turned into the Starr King Road and dropped me off where the plow stops 130m before the actual trailhead. Later on, I would meet him at the winter trailhead to pick me up.

I started on Starr King Trail early just after 7AM with a lovely yellow glow rising behind the Presidential range in the distance. I started in microspikes on the well trod snow path and noticed the  consistent ramp that kept ascending through a lovely hardwood forest. Lower down there wasn't many views but through the trees I could see glimpses of distant mountains. It didn't look like anyone had hiked Waumbek the day before on Monday, so for the third day in a row I was the first one on the trail and breaking the trail. Both Cabot and Waumbek's trails were in much better condition than Moriah's with less post holes and more even trail paths. Waumbek's trails was the best marked of the three which came in handy at the higher elevations.

The trail is essentially a long ramp all the way to the top of Starr King with out any break or reprieve. I fell into a sustainable 'all day pace' and kept my feet moving and my heart pumping. I had dropped some of my weight from usual - no snowshoes, less food and less liquid which allowed me to move a bit quicker than the last two days. After a hairpin turn, you rise up to what feels like should be the summit, but it's actually the summit of Starr King. Here there is a beautiful view of the Presidential range and a brick fireplace that is the only remains left from a old cabin. The trail continues to the right side of the fireplace where it descends down into a col. The alpine scrub dumped snow on me so I pulled my hood up to avoid getting soaked. Here the snow drifts erased the trail and I was twisting my neck side to side trying to find any faint trace. Up high, I found some new friends on the trail. The snowshoe hare population were abundant in alpine zone on Waumbek and seemed to always be travelling along the human footpaths. I never saw any of the furry creatures, but their tracks made my day much easier. Between the hare tracks and the yellow tree blazes, I was able to find my way to Waumbek's summit a short distance away after ascending one last incline. 

I checked online this time and saw that Waumbek's summit is marked with a large rock cairn. I couldn't find one with the deep snow depth, but found two junction signs that marked the summit. I took swig of water and a few selfies and left. There are no views from this summit. I re-traced my tracks down and up again back to Starr King and then began the descent down the ramp. Not too far down I found another solo female hiker who stopped me and asked me a whole bunch of questions. She had figured out by my track that the hiker ahead was a female, and made many inquiries about my hiking training and the number of breaks I took. She was impressed I had never stopped until I reached the summit and she had had been trying to match my footprints all up from the the trailhead. I found it entertaining on the way down to see her footprints right on top of mine - see photo below. She was working on her 48 and was on #29. I later saw a lone solo male hiker. The weather today was above freezing and all of us had light layers on. I was happy that on the way back down we were on the shaded side of the mountain which allowed my microspikes to scamper along down the path without balling up. The Gray Jays and Chickadees sang as I hiked on my way down. Today's hike felt like spring is around the corner! Big thanks to Glenn for coming down with me and being my shuttle driver to the trailheads. Fingers crossed my next trip down he will be able to hike with me.

Date: March 11th, 2025
Distance:11.39km
Time: 3 hours, 23 minutes
Elevation: 878m or 2880ft

Peak #103 of 115

After reading a trip report from another hiker from 2 days before, I wasn't sure whether or not to keep Mount Cabot as my objective for day 2. The hiker hadn't had any issues hiking but the road conditions into the trailhead on York Pond Road had been the issue. The description called the road a 'sheet of ice'. We eventually made the decision to check it out as it had snowed overnight and we did bring our 4WD truck with us. We went for it and it paid off. Glenn had to drive the road twice though to drop me off and pick me up. It was sheer ice under some sticky snow.

Starting around 9AM, I was the first on the trail again. The trail was supposed to be hard packed but today was also coated with an inch or so of new snow. I brought my snowshoes with me just in case the depth became too much to manage in microspikes but I decided that spikes seemed to work for the conditions. The trail starts out flat and then as it goes up the Bunnel Notch trail it follows this lovely ravine with a brook that ramps up very gradually. The about 4 km the trail ascends up this ramp until the hardwood trees fade to conifers and you find yourself at the Kilkenny ridge junction sign.

There wasn't any more snow here so I kept going on in microspikes. After this junction, the trail is flat and even descends a bit before turning up and making some switchbacks towards the final approach. The alpine firs become more and more closed in the closer you reach the summit. I had put my hood up so I didn't get constantly showered with snow and I swapped out my mitts as the first pair became we with sweat and snowmelt. I also  added a Gore-tex shell jacket to keep me protected from snow and wind.

I eventually reached a wooden sign pointing towards an outhouse and the cabin. The cabin near Cabot's summit used to be used when they had a fire tower up there. I am happy they have left it as it's a great refuge in the winter. It was here that I lost the trail...I could see very faint paths and trusted my gut to keep following it. The trail goes behind the cabin and up and every 10 meters or so I had to stop and look for clues to where it goes. I went by what may have been two summit cairns as they look like pyramids but there was so much snow and ice coverage I had no idea if there were rocks underneath them. I had made the mistake of forgetting to look online at what the marker is on the summit of Cabot. In the ADKs most summits have a sign or marker but in New Hampshire many summits don't have anything. I kept following the faint trail falling off the snow spine a couple times until I found a sign post and no hints of trails past it. This must be it! I took some photos and double checked my GPS watch and it the summit was 0 meters away. Yippeee! I then looked at my All Trails App which showed the summit behind me possibly at those cairns? Regardless I was happy and headed back down to the cabin for a drink and snack break. I had made it up in 3 hours. The clouded summit hadn't offered many views but I didn't care - I have been to many treed clouded summits before.

My pack was covered in snow from hitting branches and so after a quick break to re-fuel I headed down. About 10 minutes down the soft ramp a couple was coming up and soon after a solo male hiker. I was flying down the trail as my microspikes slid slightly and my knees liked the grade of the slope. It was less than an hour and I was back at the junction. All morning I had been looking for fresh animal track in the newly fallen snow. There wasn't much to see...until the way back! There is a family of otters that live in the creek along the Bunnell Notch trail and it looked like they were having a ball sliding around on the new snow. I also saw snowshoe hare tracks, squirrel and vole. I kept going down the ravine and hopped over about 12 open water crossings before the sun started shining and the snow started to really soften. Luckily I finished before it my spikes started balling. When I returned to the road, there were some melted parts and it looked like a plow and sander had been through. I met Glenn in the hiker parking lot and we went and checked out the Fish Hatchery on the way out. Very cool!

​Date: March 10th, 2025
Distance: 15.55km
Time: 5 hours, 10 minutes
Elevation: 932m or 3057 ft

​Peak #102 of 115

Ever since I returned from my October 2024 trip from the White Mountains I have been wanting to return. I had hit the big milestone of hitting 100 peaks of my NE111 (115) list and it was beginning to feel close to finishing. All of my remaining peaks are in New Hampshire, and so I know I will become a 115er in the Whites! Unfortunately it wasn't until March of 2025 that I was able to return, after the re-election of Trump and brewing trade war between Canada and the United States. The 7 hour drive to Gorham was a bit different this time - my car had been having some issues so my husband and I opted to take his truck. A much more comfortable ride but the gas mileage might not have have made up for it! We travelled down on our anniversary and it felt right to be back surrounded by mountains as 17 years prior we had gotten married in the Canadian Rockies. Unfortunately due to a foot injury that he is going to get surgery on he was not able to hike on this trip leaving 3 days and 3 peaks of hiking to me solo!

On Sunday March 9th 2025, Glenn dropped me off at the Carter-Moriah trailhead just before 8AM. As I was jumping out of a the truck, a local resident began yelling at us citing we were blocking his property (which appeared to be an empty lot with a fire hydrant in front of the opening). We explained that we weren't parking there for the day, I was getting dropped off, and Glenn was just turning around in the cul-de-sac but he didn't seem to care. He had obviously had run-ins with hikers in the past and was overreacting to a harmless situation. It didn't feel good to start off the hike like this and I was shocked at how this man and his dog were acting. We had never even been to this trailhead before and there were no signs to say hikers couldn't be dropped off!

I put on my microspikes and quickly headed up the hard packed icy trail. The first 637 feet go straight up before a short break in the terrain before ramping up again. The thaw that had happened a few days before was quite evident in the trail as there were thousands of footprints and snowshoe prints frozen in the snow. Yesterday's winds had blown snow over the trail the higher you went, and the thousands of deep post holes became booby traps. About half way up I became uncomfortable....worried that as a solo hiker and first person on the trail I might fall into a post hole and injury myself. I decided to change into snowshoes to allow a bit more of a safety net with the wider platform.

There are a couple of open look outs on the way up and I could see some nice views of Mount Madison of the Presidential range. There were a couple places that the trail had become erased due to the wind scouring and I had to look around to find it. It wasn't long before I found it again and was back on track. The climbing raised quickly on this hike and seeming to include lots of ups and downs and rolls. The temperature was below freezing which helped me control my temperature I got closer and closer to the summit.

At one point I saw a faint junction, or what I thought might be two directions to travel too. I chose the one that looked more well used and glad I did as it as the spur trail to Moriah's summit. I made it out to the rocky perch and drank in views of the Carters and Presi's. There were clouds building over the Presi's but still beautiful to look at. I had never visited the Whites in winter so the views were quite spectacular. I took some video and photos off the summit and some selfies with the summit marker. I had the summit to myself!

The wind was blowing hard so it didn't take much convincing to get off the open summit and back down into the trees. I texted Glenn and started to go down to find a sheltered spot to have a break. I looked at my watch and had climbed 3400 feet to get to this summit! I passed a couple of guys and a dog heading to the summit in running shoes and ankle socks (brrrr!) and found a place I could eat and drink. I put my hood up while on break and when I re-started again had to duck under a arm-sized branch hanging perpendicular across the trail. With my hood still down I didn't see a spikey branch that was poking out of it and stabbed my scalp with it's sharp spike. I didn't damage myself badly but there was some blood!

On the descent I ran into 20 people in small groups. 16 were women and 4 were men. I was stopped by one group of experienced women in particular who had all sorts of questions for me. One had done the 115 in winter, and so we swapped stories. I love seeing women on the trail!

The rest of the way down was quite treacherous. There were thousands of post holes and uneven ground to negotiate which took quite a lot of concentration.  I took my snowshoes off to find skinnier foot placements and I am not sure if that was a good idea or not because I did fall into 2 post holes. A mess of a trail but we got it done!

Distance: 14.3km
Time: 5 hours 22 minutes
Elevation: 1102m or 3615ft

Peak #101 out of 115

Sunday October 27th: We woke up at 5:30AM and packed up our lean-to at Moose Brook State Campground. We ate a quick breakfast and made instant coffee to go and hit the road. We drove from Gorham over to the Zealand-Hale access road, lucky to find the gate still open. We knew it closed for winter, but was unsure of when that could be. We drove in to the Hale Brook Trailhead and set off of the trail at 7AM. 

The trail walks up a nice ramp through deciduous forest before entering the coniferous forest and walking up a few switchbacks. It was here something was different. We saw hoar frost on the ground, and noticed that the seeps of wet areas were now frozen. Bits of styrofoam-like snow were covering the ground but not enough to make it white. We could see in the distance some peaks that looked more snow covered. We continued up the alpine scrub making sure our foot placements were on rock, not ice and quickly made it up to the summit area. A large pile of rocks creates a summit cairn here but no views from the summit proper. The summit area  is large and looks like it might have been home to a fire tower back in the day. I was very excited as this was summit #100 of the 115!

We made it up in 1.5. hours and had the summit to ourselves. The temperatures today were much colder than previous days: around freezing with a windchill. We donned another layer for the descent and made our way down. We passed several parties on the descent: solo hikers, young families, an older couple. It was great to see so many people out hiking. We arrived back at the parking lot before 10AM and could then start the long 5.5 hour drive home. 

Hike Stats:
Distance: 7km
Time: 2 hrs, 50 mins
Elevation: 692m or 2270ft

NE 111 (115): #100