Deb and I got dropped off at the Livermore Road Trailhead and headed down the trail around 7:30AM. For the first 5.7km or so, the trail is a double track road that connects the local xc ski trail network but in the summertime is used by hikers, mountain bikers and trail running events like the Jigger Johnson 100 mile Ultra.  The Livermore road hike is easy making some gradual ascent in shaded forest bliss. The temperature was still cool so we kept our pace high on this section. Finally getting to the trail, we followed a forested path for a short distance before started to ascend the slide slab and rock drainage up North Tripyramid. This slide is well known, and I was excited to tackle it as scrambles are up my alley. It didn't take long to catch up to another group of 4 climbing the slide on this sunny day. We passed them at the crux of the route, on a section that required some foot jamming and looking around for hand holds. It was apparent that Deb and I were more comfortable with these rock moves than the party we passed. Instead of rushing them, we overtook them - something I was happy about as I didn't want loose rock pummelling down towards me on this slide if they were above us. I wasn't wearing a helmet or any other rock gear so we were happy to be higher up. The slide is a mix of slab and at the upper section very loose rock including the ball bearing scree that can cause you to slip quite easily. We took our time and paid attention to our foot placements. The vistas of the ski hill and Osceolas were outstanding on this day and we soaked them up anytime we could. I realized I had forgot my phone in the car so we only had one camera to capture our hike memories.

At the top of the slide, the trail exits on the left into the forest again where in a matter of a minutes you hit the summit proper - a rocky outcropping. We drank some water here (drinking on the slide was almost impossible) and met up with a female hiker who had come up from another trail and wanted to hike down to the slide to see the view. There are no real views or lookouts off the actual summit. We took off on the ridge trail towards Middle Tripyramid and descended a few hundred feet before climbing back up. Just before the Middle Summit, we met up with a local male hiker who was on his way down. On the summit proper, we spoke to a hiker from Boston who also called us crazy for ascending the slide! 

We took a quick summit shot and headed over to South Tripyramid. Here we sat down on the summit to have lunch and to send a Garmin inReach message to my husband to coordinate a pick up time after forgetting my phone in the car. Sidebar: I got a U.S. cell phone plan and love it! Not too far of the South Tripyramind summit a rocky slide with lots of loose rock descends steeply for 1000ft. We intently paid attention to every footstep. Today I was using my husband's hiking poles which I needed for balance and jumping down off big rocks. On the slide, we got hammered by UV rays from the sun. Finally at the bottom, we entered the shaded forest and marched out the lovely dirt ramp all the way back to the Livermore Road. As we walked out, we were passed by several mountain biking parties. Deb and I were chatting and not paying attention to our footing on this easy terrain where she tripped and fell forward scraped a few body parts but wasn't injured seriously. We met up with Glenn who walked in to meet us. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this hike - the slides were so much fun! I wouldn't want to to it on a icy day but today (Friday July 19th, 2024) was perfect!

Hike Stats:
Distance: 17.75km
Elevation: 930m
Time: 6hrs, 13mins
NE115er list: Peak #93 and #94

Deb, Glenn and I drove down to the White Mountains on Wednesday July 17th for a quick 2 day trip before returning to Canada on the 20th. Unfortunately Glenn had a foot injury destined for surgery and was not able to hike so instead he brought his fly fishing rod to fish the mountain rivers instead. After a chilly but peaceful night camping along the Mad River in at the State Campground in Waterville, we drove the hour or so around to the Ferncroft trailhead to begin our hike.

Our route today was to ascend the Blueberry Ledges trail and then continue up over Whiteface Mountain via the Rollin's trail and then tee up with the Dicey Mills trail to ascend and descend Passaconway. This would create a loop to bring us back to the car. The parking lot at Ferncroft is a bit unusual in that you walk back out on the road out of the parking lot to access the trailhead. We found the Blueberry Ledges trail and quickly followed a nice gradual forest path. Not far in you meet a slab section of trail and ascend on rock. Luckily after the rain the night before the rock was dry! The cut-off trail meets the Blueberry Ledge trail in the slab section. At this point I could see why the trail got it's Blueberry name. Almost the entire length of the trail was bordered with blueberry bushes which were not quite ripe at this point in  July unfortunately. After the slab section, the next chunk of trail was a steep ascent on rock stairs. Here we could already feel the July hot air and sweat began to pour out of us. We took a few breaks to catch our breath and before we knew it we hit the ledges. The ledges were a series of short cliff scrambles followed by a fantastic lookout. I enjoyed this section of trail as it required full attention. Some of the rock had become slippery due to wear and grip was somewhat sketchy. We didn't waste any time with some of these moves. We had a sunny dry day to tackle the ledges and glad we picked that route up. The lookouts were fabulous! I used my Peak Finder App to identify a mountain I didn't know in the distance: Mount Chocura! One of the big lookouts had  a bunch of trail signs and I thought for sure it was the summit but it is not. You need to continue on the ridge to a treed summit with a cairn.  A huge let down after the beautiful vistas we saw on top of the ledges.

Continuing on the Rollins trail we met two ladies who were hiking up to Whiteface and had lots of questions about the ledges. They were avoiding the ledges on purpose and thought we were crazy for ascending that way. Once we explained our rock climbing background, they understood why. The Rollins trail required some foot placement focus, but we enjoyed being up high in the breeze and shade. A few big steps up and down required the use of poles and I found out my new Black Diamond Carbon Cork Poles needed to be tightened with an Allen key I didn't have to prevent it from collapsing. Almost over to the Dicey Mills trail, we hadn't seen any other hikers in over an hour. We heard a stick snap in the distance so I assumed it was people ahead. Then it sounded like people doing trail work - the noise sounded destructive. As the noise got louder, I could identify it as a stump being ripped apart which could only mean one thing: a bear! Only 20m away, a black bear was intensely ripping apart a stump to feast on insects. The bear was so distracted it didn't hear us or smell us despite being upwind. We pulled out our cameras but couldn't get a good shot. It ended up taking off after it caught our scent so we made noise and blew whistles to shoo it off. How exciting!

Soon after the Rollin's trail intersects with the Dicey Mills trail where we had to take two left turns to stay on it and head up to the summit of Passaconway. We enjoyed the switchbacks on this trail as it was an easy ascent until the last couple hundred feet of steep rocky trail. We got to a lookout but continued past it to hit the summit proper. I find it weird in the White Mountains that most of the mountain summits don't have a sign or marker. Lots of times you have to guess! We took our obligatory summit photo and then descend down the beautiful dirt ramp that is the Dicey Mills trail. It was a great descent expecially for one of my heels that had an old blister that had been irritated on this hike. Before we knew it we were back at the trailhead where Glenn had drove in to pick us up. Another great day in the mountains!

Hike Stats:
Distance: 18.72km
Elevation Gain: 4039ft
Time: 7hrs, 16 minutes
​NE115er list: Peaks #91 and #92 for me!

A full Pemigewasset loop backpacking attempt has been in my mind for many years. As a peak bagger looking to check off 4000ft mountains, it gave me the opportunity to bag 10-12 more summits as well as a challenging backpacking route that I could test my legs and lighter weight backpacking gear on. A summer plan came together at the beginning of August 2023, and off we went over the border and down. The attempt was ultimately UNsuccessful so read on to find out why!

After a 7 hour drive plus a 1 hour border crossing delay down to the Lincoln, New Hampshire area, we found ourselves scoring the last campsite at the Hancock campground. This first come first served campground is right across from the Lincoln Woods trailhead and the trailhead we would be using to start the loop. The forecast was cooler than average for August with daytime temperatures being in the single digits celsius with partly cloudy for two days and a chance of rain for the third. 

Wednesday August 2nd, 2023

After paying our $5/day parking fee via credit card at the machine at the Lincoln Woods parking area, we headed off to start our counterclockwise loop at 7:45AM. The first 8km of trail is very easy and flat with only some old railroad ties left to lift your legs over. We walked swiftly averaging a 5km/hour pace and then finally started up a nice gradual ascent along side the Black Brook.  I left the trailhead with 23lbs on my back including water and food and Glenn at 29lbs. I had invested in lighter weight backpacking gear in recent years, and it was making a significant difference in the speed I can hike with a full pack. At the 12.5km mark, the trail rose more steeply with some rock steps to huff and puff up.

Before we knew it we scrambled up a small rock cliff and soon after recognized the alpine scrub vegetation associated with most New England summits. The summit of Bondcliff at 4625 feet is absolutely stunning - a large open rock covered area with 360 degree views of the entire Pemi Range and beyond. We decided to have lunch here. As we sat at the amazing scenery, I noticed 2 small white airplanes in the distance that didn't sound like a Cessna so I was wondering what type of aircraft it might be. Turned out we were in for a treat! Three military aircraft like the Blue Angels or Canada's Snowbirds were out on a training flight. They flew right between us on the summit of Bondcliff and the adjacent summit Mount Bond in the col and entertained us with some cool acrobatic maneuvers flying sideways and buzzing all around us!

After a quick photo shoot on Bondcliff's rock feature we continued down into the wide open col and up to Mt Bond. So far this direction of travel has worked out really well as the ascents are all fairly gradual. That said, my hiking legs were already in good shape after a backpacking and hiking trip to Iceland in July of 2023. Mt Bond's summit was very small and crowded so we only stayed long enough to find the summit marker and take a photo. The next objective of the day was to get a camp spot at the the Guyot (pronounced Ghee-oh) campsite. We arrived at 2:15PM and early enough to score a tent platform all to ourselves.  We set up the hiking pole tent (Durston Xmid 2) with some McGyvering and emptied most of our pack and downed some filtered water and snack food. The work wasn't done for the day though...we still had the summit of nearby West Bond Mtn to do. 

We took a low key stroll up the ascent from the campsite and up another hill to the junction off the main ridge trail. West Bond has a small rocky summit and is only 0.5miles off the main ridge trail. Now late afternoon, most of the traffic we had seen on it's peak all day had disappeared and we enjoyed the summit all to ourselves for about 10 minutes before a few more fellow campers came out to check it out.

Back to the campsite, we returned to find most of the 10 tent platforms and sleeping shelter full and before long they were completely full on a Wednesday night! After some socialization and dinner at the bear caches, the temperature dropped we migrated to our warm sleeping bag cocoons. The damp conditions made it feel like 3 degrees celsius!

Day 1 totals:
Distance: 23km
Elevation gain: 4685ft
Hiking time: 6 hours
Overall with rest breaks: 7.5 hours

​Thursday August 3rd, 2023

After checking the forecast the night before on my Garmin inReach, we noticed that the forecast had changed since we last checked Tuesday morning. Now calling for the chance of rain and thunderstorms on Thursday after 3PM and continuing all day Friday, we realized we may need to change our goals for the trip. The third day of our trip was supposed to be on the Franconia Ridge section of the loop which is the highest and most exposed section - a place that I don't want to be in a  thunderstorm. We decided to change our plan and try to pack in as many summits as possible before the weather tanked. We decided to get up at 5AM and were on the trail by 6:20AM.

We continued on the Pemi Ridge trail counterclockwise over Mt Guyot and decided to take a spur trail out to Zealand Mountain. The trail out to Zealand drops over 600 feet before rising again towards the summit. The rocky trail descent required some brain concentration which was a challenge for before 7AM in the morning after instant coffee! When we arrived at Zealand's treed summit at 7:40, we found a tent set up and someone still inside sleeping. Without speaking we took a couple selfies and a swig of water and headed back the way we came to the main ridge trail, taking us 2 hours to complete this side mission. Here we met a woman we had crossed paths with before doing a photo shoot with her dog, who had just completed all 48 of New Hampshire's 4000ft mountain summits.

The next hour or so was a fairly flat traverse over to the monster summit of South Twin with another ascent up to it's summit. Now on the Appalachian trail, we saw some thru-hikers on the trail headed the opposite direction as well as some hikers that had slept in the Galehead hut the night before. We got to the open rocky summit at 4902ft and we were not alone. The summit was rather crowded this morning so we took a selfie at the sign and immediately left for our second spur trail of the day to North Twin Mountain. The first half of the path over to the North Twin was much easier than the one over to Zealand earlier in the day. I called it 'mud and scrub' or full of mud puddles and scrubby alpine trees that brushed our arms as we walked by. We zoomed through this initial section and down into the col but then the paced slowed climbing up some rock scrambles and through a forested trail. I wondered if the summit was ever going to appear. Finally at the junction sign we took the very short worthwhile outlook side trail to confirm the summit only 40 minutes after we had left South Twin. From this lookout, we could see the Galehead hut and feel the wind picking up and see the clouds moving in. I doctored Glenn's second heel as he was feeling another hot spot emerge and wanted to stay ahead of it before a huge blister formed. I had taped the other one the day before. It was only 10:40 AM, but we were over 4700 feet of elevation and needed to start thinking about what our plan for the afternoon would be. 

Back over to South Twin, the summit was almost empty so we decided to sit down to re-fuel and catch our breath. The views from this summit were spectacular and we took them in for as long as we could. The wind was definitely strong and if we weren't hot from the 12.7km of hiking we had already done at that point we would have been putting on a layer. We continued on the loop down a steep rocky boulder 1000 foot descent down to the Galehead hut. We could feel our legs jittering after all the braking we had to do on the descent. At the Galehead hut our suspicions were confirmed: the weather was indeed tanking and in a matter of a couple of hours, it would be raining and possibly thunderstorming. The 'chance of rain' forecast I had read days ago had turned into a 'Flood watch' and 90% chance of thunderstorms both for Thursday afternoon and Friday. We had a few Plan B's in mind: either to camp at the Garfield camp and hike out the next day, hike down into the Thirteen falls campground and complete a version of the loop in the valley, or three, hike out the Gale River and hopefully catch a shuttle or ride back to our car. We decided on the Gale River option.

Before we hiked out, we took the 0.5mile trail up to the unspectacular Galehead Mtn summit. This short trail was one of the shortest and quickest hikes I have done to a 4000ft mountain. With no views, we spent about 10 seconds at the rocky summit cairn! Back down to the hut, we treated ourselves to a piece of berry crumble cake for $2 a slice and then headed back to the ridge trail. We saw a few groups and families coming to the hut for the night. Turning off the ridge trail I was sad to let go of my goal of doing the entire loop and knocking off 10-12 summits, but it was the safest decision and one I know I won't regret when I finally am up on Franconia Ridge on day that is sunny. The Gale River trail starts out steep and rocky descending quickly but then mellows out to a soft dirt trail which was a welcome change for our knees and feet that had been pounding on rocks all day. 

We arrived at the parking lot at 4PM and knew we had missed the last shuttle at 2:20PM.  We found a couple in a car that knew of some potential shuttle drivers. As I was getting phone numbers, Glenn was talking to a couple of university aged girls that had finished the trail and one was willing to drive us around to the other side of the loop! We were elated we found a drive within 5 minutes of arriving at the trailhead! We enjoyed a outdoorsy convo on the road and paid her for her time and promised to pay it forward. As it turned out it did rain and thunderstorm all evening and overnight and into Friday morning and we were comforted that we made the right decision. It won't be hard to return to this beautiful part of the world to finish the Pemi range at some point in the future.

Day 2 Total:
Distance: 23.3km (watch battery died exactly 1km before parking)
Elevation Gain: 3323
Time: 9:34hrs including rest time

Combined total: 45km, 8008 ft elevation gain, 17 hours of hiking.
Now up to 80/115 NE list and 28/48 NH summits

On Saturday November 19th 2022, my hiking partner Deb and I decided our objective would be the Hancock mountains off Hwy 112. We were initially considering a different objective but the ice and snow conditions made us change our minds. The Hancocks would fit the bill for today.

We ate our continental breakfast at 7AM and drove through Lincoln to the Kancamagus Highway to the hairpin turn where the parking lot for the Hancocks are. The weather for today was supposed to be sunny and clear; much different than yesterday's clouds. I started my watch at 7:49AM.

We crossed the highway and put on our microspikes right away. We hiked in a seemingly flat snow covered well trod and broken path for the first hour or so until the grade rose every so slightly. Traffic on the trails today was noticeably busier than yesterday and we seemed to bump into people every half hour or so. 

We hit the beginning of the Hancock loop in just about an hour and a half after starting our hike. We met a couple coming down already with their energetic dog. Deciding to go towards Mount Hancock or the north and highest summit first we initially downclimbed before hitting a steep 1000ft steep climb straight up that made us feel like our hearts were pounding out of our chests. The hiker in front of me was not wearing microspikes and made a bit of mess of the trail. Instead of nice snow steps. there were snow smears making me have to re-step out the staircase up. We hit the summit about 2.5 hours in. Initially when you finish the ascent you hit the junction with the ridge trail. If you turn left, less than a minute of walking will take you to a nice lookout. The Gray Jays showed up here instantly and Deb got a great photo of one flying by me on the summit (see above). 

We didn't take a break here as we were pretty warm from the ascent and wanted to keep walking along the ridge to dry out our thermo-regulating garments (OR Refuge Air Jacket) and get back to being warm and dry. The ridge trail was covered with loads of rime ice and snow and on this sunny clear day was quite stunning. 

We climbed up over the Middle Hancock bump and passed a few people going the opposite direction. We got to the South Hancock summit where a few other people were lingering at the sunny lookout point. Standing in the direct sun was instantly warming and so we went over to the lookout to join in and have some tea and a bite to eat. Two young guys were there and we exchanged hiking stories and tried to identify peaks in the distance. The Gray Jays were also hovering here and one time when I pointed to one of the peaks with a pepperette in my hand it swooped down and tried to steal the food! It was unsuccessful but it sure made us eager to pack up and move on. We descended down the South Hancock trail (which is steep in places but not as steep as the ascent we came up) and joined back onto the trail we came in on. 

We kept seeing many parties coming in after us including solo and small groups. One small group of youngsters had only running shoes and city clothes on which was concerning. I didn't say anything at the time, but I wish I did now. Only a day later a 19 year old girl Emily Soreto attempted to hike Lafayette Mountain and perished wearing only running shoes and not having proper winter hiking gear. I think our hiking community needs to do a better job at education, and I need to speak up more when on trail. It is so easy in the winter to get into trouble.

We finished the hike on the flat snowy path and were eager for xc ski season to begin. Winter has just arrived, and there is more hiking and skiing to be had. With these 4 summits bagged this trip, I am up to 73/115 for my NE list. Getting there!

Stats:
Time: 6 hours 20 mins
Distance: 16km
​Elevation: 3000ft

I took advantage of a rare school board holiday to head down to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. After a 6 hour long drive, we settled into our hotel looking out a snow covered mountains ready to be hiked. On Friday November 18th, 2022, we decided our objective for the day would be the North and South Kinsman mountains. 

Our free continental breakfast at the hotel didn't open up on this day until 8AM so we waited around for it to open and finally got into the car around 8:15AM. We drove the short distance up Hwy 3 to the I-93 to the Basin parking lot and walked through a tunnel under the highway to start our hike.

The hike begins in a maze of trails at the bottom which could be quite confusing at first. Without a mistake we found the correct trail and started hiking up the Basin-Cascade trail which joins onto the Cascade Brook Trail. This section of trail was absolutely beautiful. Several waterfalls and moving water made me want to stop and take a photo of every one! It would be a perfect short hike for the aspiring photographer or even a great place to spend an afternoon on a hot summer day. Today was not the best trail conditions, as the trail was covered by snow, and iced over puddles were not supporting our weight leading to many soakers. Good thing we put on our gaiters as we luckily didn't get wet. We crossed the brook a few times but before we did we put on our microspikes as there was more grip on the ice and snow covered rocks with them on. We never took them off for the rest of the day! Up on the Cascade Brook and Kinsman Pond Trails I was the first to break since the snowfall two days before. We were delighted to see fresh tracks of pine martens, hare, squirrels and even a bear track on the way up!

Continuing on to the Kinsman Pond trail, we were still breaking trail and hopping on boulders on what the trail was apparently created on....an old stream bed. The snow, water and ice created very moist conditions on this day and required full concentration for each step. We were moving slower than normal, and I realized that this trail would be much better suited for summer travel. We reached the Kinsman Pond and finally caught a glimpse of the summit of North Kinsman. The pond was iced over and the snow depths rose to over ankle depth. Temperatures dropped here so we took a moment to put on heavier mittens and pull up our hoods. We reached the Kinsman campsite and made a left turn to head up to the Kinsman ridge trail.

Here we finally caught up to footprints and noticed that two people were ahead of us on the trail. We turned a corner and found a fellow hiker who had come up from the opposite side than we did and startled him to the point he shouted out loud! He was standing on the North Kinsman summit. I am glad he was there, as I don't think I would have realized it was the summit. It was a snow covered chunk of rock. If you downclimb a couple of steps from here it leads to a nice lookout. We were getting some glimpses of views of the Franconia ridge in the distance but the summits today were mainly obscured. We decided to keep going on to the South Summmit.

Off we went to South, which includes downclimbing a couple hundred feet and then climbing back up to the summit. The South summit is somewhat confusing as there are two locations: The lookout point at the highest point and then a large open area with a rock cairn a few minutes further and slightly below it. Luckily my hiking partner remembered the cairn so we hit both spots in order to make it official. Here again the views were not ideal and we didn't waste too much time before turning around and heading back along the ridge to the North summit. 

On the way back we met two fast-moving 30-something guys that were heading to the South summit. In what seemed like no time at all, they were back behind us so we asked which summit they went to and it was only the lookout they reached. My hiking partner Deb turned them around and sent them back to the cairn in order to make it official. We stopped for lunch on the North Kinsman summit lookout where it was snowing lightly and we were mainly in a cloud. After our break we descended back down but instead of taking the Kinsman Pond trail we took the Fishin' Jimmy Trail. This trail was much easier going as it wasn't a boulder ridden and did not involve creek crossings like the Kinsman Pond Trail does. It also has more infrastructure (boardwalks, etc) as it is part of the Appalachian Trail system. The two guys we saw up on the ridge caught up to us again and blew by us mentioning that they would be finishing their NH 48 on Carragain the next day. 

We reached the Lonesome Lake Hut to see that it was open and functional and met a father and daughter duo outside working on some map and compass skills. We were chatting with the at the corner of our right turn and missed it initially as we were distracted with our conversation. We realized our mistake quickly and turned around and got back on path breaking trail on the connector back to the Cascade Brook Trail and Basin Cascade Trail. 

Just before we finished we lost daylight and had to don our headlamps in order to cross the last brook and head down to the parking lot. We got to the tunnel, took off our microspikes and gave each other a high-five. It felt great to be back in the White Mountains after a 3 year hiatus! 

Stats: 
Time: 8:42 hrs
Distance: 20km
​Elevation: 4000ft

The forecast for August 8th, 2019 wasn't optimal. After a full night of hard rain and thundershowers we opted against the possible ridge walks and slide hikes on our list. With rain in the forecast for the day, we chose a short hike up Cannon Mountain in the Franconia area of the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

Cannon Mountain stands at 4080' and is  known for it's ski hill and tramway. The summit has a viewing tower that I wasn't aware of when I started this hike and apparently has awesome views of the Franoconia area on a clear day.

We started late at 10:15 AM after changing our plan and attempting to wait out rain storms. We parked at the Lafayette Campground hiker parking (1900') and walked up through the campground following the signs to the Lonesome Lake Trailhead. Quickly after the hiking trail begins, it splits and we took the right hand option: Hi Cannon Trail. The 2.8 mile trail up begins with a severely eroded section that is covered in a small granules akin to kitty litter. The trail takes no time to become steep and remind you that if you wore too many layers you will want to take them off ASAP. 

The middle third of the trail is the most challenging. Boulders become larger and larger and require more hand and foot actions. The skies opened up on us here and before we knew it every foot hole became a deep puddle and water streamed down the steep slope. The final third of the trail opens up to more slab friction hiking which I will note is tricky when a river of water is flowing on top of them. At about 3500' the slabs apparently offer views of the Franconia ridge that we unfortunately weren't able to see on this day.  A mixture of sweat and rain entered my mouth and soon every square inch of my body was soaking wet.

By the time we reached the ridge, every flat spot had become enormous puddle and water started to squish out of my boots as it had flowed hard down my legs soaking my socks for the past hour. We dodged puddles despite having soaking wet feet and found two more junctions to head up to the tower at the summit. 

Upon arrival the summit tower is completely enormous and impossible to miss. We hadn't taken a single photo of the hike before this point because of the rain so we raced under the roof after the first set of stairs and pulled out the camera for some summit shots. There was no point going up to the top with this weather so we packed up and ran down the trail. Our bodies were chilled from being wet and not moving for a few minutes at the summit. About 20 minutes into our descent the rain slackened and the sun started to break through. 

The return trip down the Hi Cannon trail is nothing to shake a stick at. It's steep, slippery when wet, and requires focus and attention. We barely spoke and concentrated on our footing. I was hoping we would have some views on the way down but we didn't. A old well-used ladder takes you up and down a steep section and there was one slab section that could be consequential if you lost your footing as it seems like you might just go off the edge!

We finished the hike at 1:45 PM and definitely thought that even though it was the shortest hike we had done this trip, it was the toughest in terms of trail conditions. It reminded us of a 'normal' Adirondack hike. I may have to do this hike again in nicer weather...I am sure the views are worth it! 

Stats:
Elevation gain: 2309 feet
Distance: 8.5km
Time: 3 hours, 30 mins

Up to 67/115!

Mount Tecumseh is a ski hill peak in the Sandwich Range in the southern White Mountains. The formerly 4003' peak has been re-measured in 2019 to read 3997'. As a peakbagger looking at completing the NE 111 (115er) list, I bagged this peak on August 7th, 2019. There are rumours that this peak might be taken off the NH 48 list but I hope it stays on the NE 111 (115) list. Fingers crossed my hiking efforts count!

Today's plan was altered due to a strong forecast that was to include rain and severe thunderstorms.  We decided instead to head up Mount Tecumseh from the longer Mount Tecumseh trail from Tripoli Road. Today we started at 9:30 AM, expecting a shorter hike than yesterday. The 6.2 mile round trip hike would be a perfect day out.

The trail from the parking lots jumps over two small brooks and then heads straight up. The grade is consistent and unrelenting. As it was hours before thunderstorms, the humidity levels were peaking and then wind was non-existent. Sweat dripped off our chins and flowed out of all our pours and we put one step in front of the other on this trail. That combined with numerous cobwebs made for a sticky mess on my skin. The trail was a soft soil slope with rocky boulders throughout. The trail is dense with forest cover and offers little to no views to gauge your progress.

After a 1700' slog up we were at 3700' an hit our first peak. The trail then drops into a col and hits a final ascent to the summit proper. We hit the summit 1 hour and 45 minutes after leaving the parking lot and were very grateful to feel the breeze at the summit ledge. A family of 5 were also at the summit (had come up from the ski hill side) that were lovely to talk to. We were surprised that the daughter had forgotten her shoes and had hiked up barefoot! 

The summit has a brand new summit marker and some beautiful views of the Tripyramids and Osceolas. Some longer distance views were obscured by clouds on this day as the storm clouds were building in the sky. After a drink, snack and obligatory summit photo shoot, we turned around and made our way back to the car.

Stats:
Distance: 9.5km/6 miles
Elevation: 2592 feet
Time: 3.5 hours

Mount Osceola (4320') and East Osceola (4156') are two peaks that lie in the southern part of the White Mountains near the Sandwich Range.  These two peaks are on the NE 111 (115er) list  which I am working on and so we planned to hike these two peaks in one day on August 6th, 2019.

Our group decided to stay at Russell Pond Campground located on Tripoli Road just off the I93. This campground offers flush toilets, showers, waterfront and quiet private camping. The short commute to many hikes from this campground is also an attractive reason to stay at this campground. Tripoli road also offers road side camping for cheaper but with limited facilities. 

Four months prior to this hike I had knee surgery and was eager to test out my new and improved knee. That said, being uncertain of how the knee would react (especially on the descents) made me a bit nervous on this hike.

Starting at 8:15 AM from the parking lot on Tripoli Road, ($5 day parking fee), at a elevation of around 2200' . We set off up the gradual but rocky ascent up to Mount Osceola. The trail is well shaded and has a manageable grade the entire distance. My husband Glenn was part of our group and begun the hike at a slow pace due to an ankle injury. After 1600' of climbing and dodging rock boulders, he threw in the towel and turned around. That left two of us to head the rest of the way to the summit which we reached at 10:15 AM. The summit ledge from this peak is outstanding with beautiful views on sunny days like we had. We quickly identified our next objective from this summit and went on our way. 

The trail over to East Osceola is fairly straight forward except for one section called the Chimney. I hadn't read any trip reports or trail descriptions for this hike so I was surprised to hear the nervousness in many hiker's voices as they approached this section and asked us about how treacherous it was. The section is steep rocky section that can be up or downclimbed in about 4 moves.  Being a climber this section wasn't even an issue for me but for others I can see it might be scary. We chose the left route when coming from Mount Osceola.

The summit of East Osceola is treed and there is a rock cairn to indicate the summit. A trail coming from Greely ponds comes up from North side. We took a snack break here with a mother and daughter group before our 40 minute return trip back to Mount Osceola. On the return trip we chatted with a young woman who is a nurse from Long Lake area in the Adirondacks and we had a good chat about Adirondack hiking.

Crowds were starting to build on the summit of Mount Osceola upon our return with many people enjoying the views in various states of dress. Many were fully clothed but some were airing out their footwear and one had even taken off her pants! We took a quick drink break and headed down the trail to meet up with Glenn who was waiting in the car. My knee had no problem with this descent and I was pleased that I could be fully confident hiking mountains once again. We met a few more characters on the way down an saw some unprepared groups hiking with little to no gear or water on a hot summer's day. We returned to parking lot at 1:15 PM making it a 5 hour day.

Stats:
Distance: 12.93km/8.0 miles
Elevation gain: 2862 ft
Time: 5 hours

The easiest way to get to the trailhead for Mt Carrigain is to drive on Sawyer River Road. This road is not open in the winter so it's best to check here to confirm it's still open. The 3.5km/2.2mile drive in on this gravel road was very easy in the fall of 2018. The road is narrow but smooth and good for any type of vehicle. The parking lot can hold about 20 cars and can get busy as it was on the day we chose to hike it: October 20th, 2018.

We arrived at the parking lot and as we were collecting our gear for the day I realized I couldn't find my hiking poles. After tearing the car apart, I used some creative visualization and realized I hadn't seen the poles since the end of our hike the day before. Hopping back in the car we drove 20 minutes back to Crawford Notch, expecting to find nothing in the parking lot from the day before. When we pulled in we found that some wonderful soul had stuck my poles in the grass beside the parking lot! We found them! I almost cried - these poles have been with me for thousands of miles on them. It's amazing how attached you can get to your gear! We quickly drove back to the Carrigain trailhead and begun our hike at 8:45AM.

Leaving the parking lot and for the next 4km (2.5miles), the trail ascends only 700ft. This fairly flat trail follows and crosses the Whiteface brook. During the fall season, the trail winds through deciduous forest which is a delight to walk through. On our hike day the wind was up and the skies opened up with a mixture of snow and rain. Our quick pace moved us around a few groups (one group had 16 people in it!) and found us spending most of the hike with no one around!

At the 2100ft mark, the slope angle begins to change and ascends at a steeper incline. For the next 2650ft the slope angle stays relatively the same and the trail makes a few switchbacks climbing gradually up the mountain. The skies dried up but the winds sounded fierce and we knew that the summit would require us to add a few layers to the one baselayer we were currently wearing. At 4400ft you arrive at the Signal Ridge - a flat exposed ridge with alpine scrub bordering each side of the trail. We layered up just before entering here and moved quickly through the wind and cloudy weather we found ourselves in. 

We scampered up the last few hundred feet to the summit and found it at 4757ft (I think the official height is 4700, but the firetower brings you to 4757!). We climbed the fire tower and took our summit photo with some fellow hikers celebrating a second NH round. Just below the fire tower we found a sheltered flat area that we used to fuel up and socialize. 

As we descended back to the ridge, the clouds broke apart and the sun came out. We got some views! Out came the camera and we snapped a few photos before descended down the trail again. Peeling off one layer at a time, we started with 5 layers at the summit and finished with one baselayer at the bottom. Taking one more lunch break at the brook crossing, we took in the fall colours and warm temps and enjoyed the natural surroundings. A short time later we were back at the parking lot - temperature in the parking lot was +14C as opposed to near freezing at the top with the windchill! Another great hike in the Whites! 

Hike Totals:
Distance: 10 miles or 16km
Time: 6 hours
Total Ascent: 4144ft
​.gpx track
Accommodations: Dry River Campground

After completing all of the Adirondack 46 peaks over 4000 feet, I am now hoping to complete the NorthEast 111 (115er) list including all of the 4000 footers in New Hampshire.On this trip,  I decided to tackle three summits in one day in Crawford Notch State Park: Mount Tom, Mount Field, and Mount Willey. 

​After a chilly night in a tent at the Dry River Campground, we woke up to find the temperatures still below freezing and a blanket of snow on the ground. Winter sleeping bags and down mats kept us warm overnight, but it always a bit difficult to leave the warm cocoon come daybreak. After a quick cup of warm coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, we drove off to the trailhead (look for the yellow building below) and begun our snowy trek up to our first summit of the day: Mt Tom.  We began our hike at 8:20AM with snow in the parking lot!

The Avalon trail begins ascending a gentle slope through a beautiful deciduous forest. We stayed right at the first two trail junctions continuing up a ravine in the shade. Continuing up to a col we found the spur trail for Tom's summit. An hour and 40 mins after we left the parking lot, we had ascended the 2100ft of trail and made it to summit #1 of the day. Tom's summit is treed and a rock cairn indicates the summit point. We enjoyed seeing a few small views of Mount Field and embraced the sun's rays as they reflected off the snow covered fir trees. After a couple of summit photos, we scampered down the trail passing a few groups still on their way up. Back at the junction with the Avalon trail, we turned right and 80yds later turned left to continue on the ridge trail up to Mt Field.

The ascent up the Willey Ridge Trail up to Mt Field is gradual. At this point there was about 2 inches of snow covering everything in sight, making for a very picturesque hike. I focused my footing onto untouched snow areas as the fluffy white stuff made for good grip. 1 hour after leaving the summit of Tom, we found ourselves on the summit of Field. A small lookout gave us a great view of the snow-capped Mount Washington, but our ooooooing and aweing were soon over after 2 Gray Jays started swooping in looking for a free snack. That reminded me that I hadn't eaten yet so I grabbed a snack and luckily was able to eat while keeping one eye on the feathery predator nearby. We took a few summit photos at the cairn and in the field (photo above)  and tried some timer shot fun poses that didn't work out but were a great way to keep warm!

The trail off the far side of Field was being hit by the sun and starting to get slushy and wet. We carefully placed our feet down a few steeper sections - there was a mixed bag of ice and slush - easy to slip on. After a 300 ft descent we continued on a fairly flattish trail before gradually increasing again up to the top of Willey. It took us 50 mins to get to this summit - another rock cairn in a treed forest summit. Here we took a good lunch break drinking and eating hot tea and home-baked goods. We decided to complete the loop by returning to Field amongst wet rock, slushy and iced trail. Back on the summit of Field, we turned right and descended a different trail back.

We descended a connector trail called the Avalon Trail from Mount Field's summit. This steep, shaded icy trail is a shortcut back to the parking lot.  On this trail I decided to don my microspikes. We passed multiple groups who were obviously not prepared for the winter-like conditions on the trail and who were moving very slowly unsure of their footing. I took the microspikes on and off a few times on this trail, but took them off for good once hitting the main Avalon Trail. The temperature from here on down continued to climb rapidly and once we hit the parking lot it was well above freezing and had no sign of snow like it had in the morning when we left. 3 more summits in the bag!

Time: 6 hours 15 mins
Ascent: 3782 feet
Distance: 15.3km or 9.5miles