Mt Willey & Field Snowhike

Ripley Falls trl to Zealand rd maybe 9 miles total
Mt Willey 4285' & Mt Field 4340'
Snowed the entire time probably 5 inches

These mountains prove time and time again that they are to be respected. Unpredictable weather conditions and rough terrain do not bode well for the unprepared. Lucky for me I roll with a veteran crew ready for anything.

Didn't expect to see snow in November, Mt Willey and Field had constant precipitation from Saturday morning into the morning hours Sunday. Even into the afternoon Sunday the wind kicked snow off the trees enough where it felt like a constant dusting. We camped near the A-Z trail and hiked out near a car spot on Zealand rd., glad we hadn't planned a long journey.

Had to skip Mt Tom because of sunlight, or lack thereof anyways. The col between Field & Tom was decimated from Hurricane Sandy, ton of downed trees just added to an already slow slog through rough terrain.

Great hike with good friends to end my season, 7 peaks this year brings me to 23 total! Slow going with the new baby, once she's old enough I can show her these mountains all over again someday....

LaborDay Mountain Quest

Day1-Falling Waters to Garfield Pond
Day2-Mt Garfield to 13 Falls and camp near Owls Head
Day3-Bushwhack to Franconia Falls/Lincoln Woods
2 Automobiles - 6 Heroes - 20 miles on foot

Another adventure in the Pemigwasett Wilderness, another notch on the list this past labor day weekend. We didn't use any official campsites this time, went our own way but lugged out trash and were careful folk. Filtered water at Garfield Pond and Lincoln Brook and we did not die - ok water by me nice and cold. Getting good at these multi-day overnights isn't easy, but a few veterans and I have things down to a science.

Great weekend for weather, complete fogged out Garfield on day2 was our only real sign of clouds, kind of socked us in with no time to sit annd wait it out. :[ The Northern end of Lafayette past the Bridle Path was worth the trip alone, awesome area I'm glad to have seen. The waterfalls are the same as last time (Krypteia), cold water and spectacular views all around. Great cliff diving spot at Franconia Falls We missed Owls Head for a second time, camped at the base of the mountain and we were too drained to make an ascent. Worth a return trip, can't sweat the small stuff.

My wife and I have our newborn daughter as of !August 4th, 2 months early, so my house has been busy place lately. A 3 day adventure was exactly what I needed to unwind and map everything out, Quest at hand and the long road ahead! Dad's got a nice ring to it

 

Krypteia 2 - Mission Complete

Bondcliff 4265' | Mt Bond 4698' | S Twin 4902' | 
13 Falls | Franconia Falls
camped at Guyot and then off trail near Owl's Head

Something like 26/27 miles total, remote tour of the Pemigwasset Wilderness
Diverted from the plan heading S from Galehead Hut
Great weather with good friends, best hiking I've ever done. Ever.

Full on 3day backpack so I broke it down by the day

Thursday

Meetup in Salem early (me late by 15), breakfast at the Tiltn Diner, car at LincolnWoods by 8am.

 Old railroad bed overgrown with moss and gravel in places, the Wilderness trail had us wishing for mountain bikes the first 4 miles in. Once on the Bondcliff trl we found our elevation, slow slog with heavy packs. 4.4 miles up rough country after 4.4 flat walking is still almost 9 miles, worth every step once we arrived at the epic Bondcliff.

Breathtaking Bond Cliff. Spectacular once in a lifetime Quest BONDCLIFF! Only sign of human existence from that cliff is some of the ski slopes on Loon. Handfull of folks came & went, let us rest at the cliffs -undisturbed- probably 2hours. Steeper then it looks up that ridge then awesome views of a weather system from Mt Bond. Clouds kept moving through for 2/3 minute stretches, views and sun would come and go but all were excellent.

Camped out on the large platform at Guyot (Gee-oh) campsite after an epic day1. Killed a small bottle of Jager between the four of us, helped with the aches and pains.

Friday

After an MRE breakfast and a water refill we hiked up and out of the campsite, turned right N towards the Twinway. The trail opened up near Mt Guyot, big sky and exposed walking. Day2 would get close to 90 degrees in July, exposed walking on a clear day became a blessing for photos but a drain on our energy/water supply. Then I started being Mr Smartguy and pointed out all the peaks we had originally planned for day3. A few of us had heavier then normal packs, one of us had cut their foot the day prior, so there were thoughts of an alternative route for our journey.....

South Twin was the catalyst of change on this quest, a great decider if you will. Took us longer then expected climbing up from the south, realized we'd need an extra day at our current pace. The view from S Twin was jaw dropping, Franconia ridge on one side and Mt Washington/Presidentials on the other, put into perspective how far I've come hiking these mountains. Skipped 4 peaks total on this trip, I enjoy the journey more then the destination I think, gives me a reason to return and share the experience again. Friends were hurting on a hot day, so after lunch and some discussion at Galehead Hut, we decided to exit out Lincoln Brook after a quick swim at breathtaking 13 Falls campsite. 

Thirteen Falls is a remote waterfall park onto itself, several secluded spots for private swimming/diving. My companions needed the swim after an all afternoon descent into the valley, for we still had a hard trial ahead. 3.5 miles from the falls to our backcountry destination, the base of the remote peak Owls Head. Remote and mostly unused, this stretch was rough and unmaintained, lost our way more then once. But it was getting dark, fast. As cloud cover and canopy were killing daytime, we moved with a purpose trying to cover ground.

8:38pm, almost flashlight time, we met someone on trail that had heard us yelling, we had reached our stealth campsite at the base of Owl's Head. Nice folks who were hiking in from Lincoln Woods, showed us a great spot and we were out, all of us asleep within a few moments.

Saturday

Our adventure concluded with a march out on the Lincoln Brook trail after breakfast. We were all beat up but motivated, decided with no planned elevation for the day we could try to accomplish some of-trail hiking, or "bushwacking". Followed the left side of the river South about 1.5, ended up right at Franconia Falls. Easy. Barley a trail for a while there but following the river we were able to track footprints from folks we jhad passed hiking in, made for a fun experience, it was a little a little stressful there trying to find your way with 3 friends behind you.

Franconia Falls made that all better. Hot Day? Pfst.Try some icy mountain water. Epic waterpark just off trail made 13 Falls look like a kids party. Spent the remainder of the trip jumping off rocks and soaking feet in cold mountain water. After a quick railroad walk we were back at the car with a mission complete.

Awesome variety on this hike; exposed ridgeline, epic mountain views, cliffs, Galehead Hut, the waterfalls, the bushwhack, all of it awesome. And I feel great, no injurys and minor aches. Three days in the mountains culminating in an all-time great hike, it'll be tough to out do this one....

Krypteia 2 - The Pemi Loop

Spartan men, after finishing their brutal adolescent training period known as "The Agogi" could then prove themselv's worty of military service by participating in the Krypteia. Armed with a knife and their wits, they were allowed to descend on the outlying villages of Sparta and terrorize the slave or "helot" population that lived there. The ultimate test of survival, killing and pillaging for food reward, the elite were singled out for leadership roles later in life.

The Pemi Loop is kind of like that for me. When I started hiking these mountains I always said the goal was to have it all wrapped up before I turned 30. That was obvioulsy a younger, less experienced hiker boasting hubris, as these peaks have turned out to be no small endeavor indeed. I can however, meet that goal 1/2 way @ 24 peaks, if I can pull it off the hike of a lifetime that is.

This thursday a few friends and I will attempt a 33 mile 3 day adventure in the Pemigwasset Wilderness within the White Mountain National Forest. An epic journey across 10 mountains above 4000 feet, breathtaking 360 views from large sections of exposed ridgline.

Mt Liberty, Franconia Ridge, Mt Garfield, Galehead Hut, Guyot & the Bonds w/legendary Bondcliff. Lincoln Woods trailhead - there and back again. Staying at Liberty Spring or Garfield Ridge depending on how early we start, try to get a spot @ Guyot for Night 2. Its a dream if a hike and I can't believe we are actually doing it. I have my hammock and some MREs, full trip report to follow....

Mt Waumbek 4006'

-7.2 miles roundtrip, Trailhead on Starr King rd in Jefferson, NH
-Constant but non-technical inclines (forest walk)
-Dog friendly hike no water crossings or tough jumps

 Well maintained trails in Jefferson, NH found a familiar band of heros searching for the elusive Mt Waumbeck, with Mt Starr King also falling under our boots on a clear Sunday afternoon. Starr King trail is gradual all day, minor steep spots Zelda afforded with no assistance necessary. The walk to Waumbek after had very little elevation change, made for a nice stroll with my brother & dog trailing behind me most of the day.

 Although most of the trails were secluded by a high canopy, there isn't alot of water on the trail. Dogs with winter coats can fill their canteens at a spring shortly before the summit area on Starr King, but on a hot day like today Zelda might've been pushing her limits.

Awesome old fireplace on Starr King is the remnants of an old cabin that was once there, blackflys in the area prevented us from loitering too long. Great view (only one all day) of the Presidentials, belittled somewhat by the majority of the region sharing a similar view from there front lawns.

Waumbeck and Starr King have dream easy trail grades and the old north woods is certainly scenery I enjoyed. Not the place to find exposed rock and spanning vistas, but great hike for the dog and another peak off my list. Great day - lets see what the summer brings...

Mt Welch 2605' & Mt Dickey 2734'

4.5 miles 2.5 hours- Dog Friendly if they can jump 3 feet or be carried maybe twice
Zelda held up traffic momentarily, hopped most spots with little help

The black flies in Waterville Valley had Erick & Zelda on the menu last weekend, hit a quick dayhike before lunch on Memorial Day. And when I say before lunch, I mean we got home at 2pm. Awesome solo adventure with the dog and I managed to mow the lawn after.

Meant to hike Mt. Cannon, got as far as the 293/93 split and realized I had no cash or cellphone, ended up heading back home. Zelda was looking sad with a potential day stuck in the house, so I decided to take her with me when I went back out. The Welch/Dickey loop is only about 4.5 miles total, open rock faces with great views, very little effort. Monday was clear all day, so we were bouncing in between shady spots to avoid the princess from overheating. Stopping for more then 60 seconds in late May means you're an appetizer for like 30 bugs however, so we kept a brisk pace most of the morning. Zelda was awesome and happy to be out. She wasn't keen on all the exposed rock, slight overcast ended up saving the day for us.

A short hike has its pros and cons for me right now. For some context - my wife is a pregosaurus right now. As any of the pregopotomai will tell you, Pregos do no chores. Prego sits and watches her some shows on MTV about other younger pregos and laughs/eats. Getting back early meant my lawn finaally got some attention, floors swept, cat litter, laundry etc etc. WTF.
Prego and I both will be happier in October when everything calms down again (hopefully).
Man up time at home, shrugging off the small shit and moving forward.

Spending this weekend at the Notchland Inn, an awesome B&B a 1/2 mile north of the 4th Iron tentsite on 302. Trying to sneak out early for a hike tomorrow, rainy weather or not I can't be this close and not take advantage.