Hiking the 4,000 Footers: Mount Carter 7.4.2013

Via Loop Hike Nineteen Mile Brook Trail,Carter Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail

After several weeks of heavy rain and hot and humid temps, we finally managed to go out for hike on the holiday weekend. We decided to tackle Carter Dome which would count for number 38 on the list for us!

With temps in the mid 90s we took it slow up this peak. We were very surprised to see how relatively uncrowded it was considering the July 4th holiday. Nineteen Mile Brook Trail is a well used trail that links Carter Hut, a popular destination for backpackers, to route 16 and Pinkham Notch. Bugs were pretty bad on the lower elevation of this trail, which we expected given the time of year and amount of rain we have seen lately.



We hit Zeta Pass fairly quickly and bumped into an old hiking friend. After catching up we continued on to Mount Hight, which adds less than a half mile to the overall hike. Hight was a spectacular addition to this hike! Wonderful views and cooling winds! We were slogging it in the humidity and almost considered skipping this peak, but we were glad we didn't.

Views from Mount Hight

View from Hight of Presidential Range

Have you ever noticed how deceiving distances are from the tops of mountains. Typically I get to the top of a neighboring peak and scope out the other peaks on our trip only to muster a "we have to still go all the way up there?" Hight was like that for me. We got to the top, enjoyed the views, then had to rally some strength to go what looked like a lot further. Turns out it was less than thirty minutes or so to hit Carter Dome. Very minimal views at the top, but side trails provided some outlooks.





We included a quick visit to Carter Hut to refill waters and cool off in the pond, which was so refreshing! Definiately a great spot to jump in- if your time allows!

Pond at Carter Hut

Carter Hut

Mount Osceola and East Osceola 6.15.2013

The wonderful thing about tackling the list of 4,000 footers- is that it has gotten us completely hooked on hiking. To start our year off- we were just as eager to rehike some of our favorites and to try other trail approaches. The Osceola's were a good bet because they weren't as far of a drive as some hikes still left on our list (like Cabot). Plus, when we hiked the Osceola's last year the peaks were shrouded in thick fog and rain, so actually getting to see the view was a pretty good motivator.

Approaching Osceola

Turns out that we missed out last year hardcore- the views are amazing!! The peaks are relatively easy ones for distances and elevation gain and you're rewarded with spectacular views.







Over the winter we hiked some, snowshoed a little, but didn't nearly keep up with the distances we hit last summer. So this year was a hard start for us. Our brains were ready for big hikes like Owl's Head, but our bodies were thinking we should stick to things like the Kinsmans. It doesn't help that the weather this year has been long stretches of brutal. When it's not hot and humid in the 90s, its hot and humid with thunderstorms in the 90s.







So Osceola was a great hike to redo. Our legs needed the work and our brains needed the views. Also I wanted to show pictures of the Chimney- a rocky stretch between Osceola and East Osceola that can be extremely difficult in the winter given the level of snow cover. It's completely manageable when dry in the summer.

Mount Liberty and Flume 6.1.2013

Via Flume Slide Trail

Our hiking season started off with a snowy bang on Memorial Day for Mount Moosilauke, where we were greeted with fresh snowfall, snowdrifts of six inches, and massive mud puddles. Truthfully-- that's the kind of crap I like-- the sort of unexpected weather (while being prepared that is!).

The following weekend we decided to trek up two other familiar favorites-- Liberty and Flume. Last year Mount Liberty and Flume were numbers 10 and 11 on our 4,000 Footer list. At that time, we had elected to do an out and back hike, mainly because it was shorter (by around .5 miles- so minuscule) but also because I'm scared to death of heights these days.

So this time, in order to try challenge ourselves we elected to hike the Flume Slide Trail, which would give us a nice loop over the two peaks. Summer weekends can have these two popular mountains packed with vacationers and day hikers, so getting back up to see the amazing views before the crowds was an excellent idea.

Flume Slide Trail is a stellar, killer hike. I've read all sorts of different trail reports-- for some people it's not that steep or challenging and for others it's a haul. For us, we found it to be rugged and a challenge, but not what I like to call "a suffer fest." Many sections of the trail were extremely wet despite the relatively dry weather prior to our hike. I would only expect with the recent tsunami-like rain we've been getting in New Hampshire that the trail conditions continue to be wet and slick.

Looking at Mount Flume

The Top of Mount Flume

Mount Liberty from Mount Flume

The trail winds through a nice forested area, crisscrossing over a small stream several times. Our hike was accompanied by humid and hot weather, so it was nice to dip our faces and heads into the cool water. The trail later turns into a rocky scramble up sheer rock. It's manageable with footholds and handholds, but really tricky when wet.

Liberty Under a Cloud Shadow From Mount Flume (this is one of those peaks that looks ridiculously far away after you just killed yourself up one mountain)

We stopped near the top to down our sandwiches and bumped into a friendly hiker with his two dogs. I think the dogs handled the scrambles better than me! It's always great to see how even the smallest amongst us can handle tough terrain. This hiker and his dogs are roughly at around the same number for 4,000 footers after just starting last year and since we both saved many of the longer hikes for last-- we may be seeing more of each other!

Hikers on Top of Flume

Mount Flume with Waterville in the Distance

The views atop Liberty and Flume are absolutely amazing. I never get over the way the clouds cast shadows on top of the mountains and while I love the feeling of isolation in the middle of the wilderness, I'll take this busy, but scenic view any day...

Hiking the Winter 4,000 Footers: Mount Tecumseh 12.24.2012

Number two on our winter list! Our summer hike of Tecumseh here. Summer list here.

The only reasonable way up Mount Tecumseh in the winter begins at the Waterville Valley Ski area. We decided to sneak a quick hike in on Christmas Eve since we had the day off and figured the trails would be relatively empty.

Fortunately, since we had already hiked this peak over the summer we knew exactly where to find the trail head. It can be slightly tricky if you haven't been to the ski area yet. Over the summer there was some sort of running/biking event going on with roads closed all over the place making it a bit tricky.





Christmas Eve was very, very cold up north. Winter hiking its tricky because nearly the whole way up your sweating like a madman carrying all that gear. Somewhere near the top some random part of your body starts to get cold- your nose, your pinky, one ear- and you have to stop and layer up some more. This is a huge reason that I prefer hiking with just one other person in the winter. Groups stop frequently and it is hard to stay warm enough while waiting and cool enough while hiking.





The trail was nicely packed down and snowshoes were not required. We wore our Microspikes which were perfect for the trail conditions. The entire way up we didn't bump into a soul although the grinding of the chair lift could be heard in the distance. Near the top the wind was humming and the temperature dropped very significantly  Views to one side of the mountain could be seen while hiking up and on the summit.







The climb overall was great. My legs screamed on the climb and my lungs cleared right out with all that freezing cold fresh air. Hikes like these make me feel so much more alive.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!! 2012 was a wonderful year full of adventure and outings. Have you built yourself any adventure lists for the New Year? If so- what 'cha scheming?

Here's some things on my list for 2013:

• Finish Hiking the White Mountain's 4,000 Footers (37 down so far!)
• Finish at least 10 of the Winter 4,000 Footers (2 down!)
• Try log rolling
• Complete Trans Presidential Hike (this goal keeps cropping up year after year- time to get it done!)
• Visit Lake Umbagog

Hiking the Winter 4,000 Footers: Cannon Mountain 12.22.2012

Via Kinsman Ridge Trail from Ski Parking Lot
Number 1 on the list!

Read all about the winter list here and check on our list from this summer here.



In stark contrast to the crowded summer months, Cannon Mountain was a quiet cold peak on the day we officially started our winter list. We parked in a practically empty parking lot and were greeted by some fairly bare ski slopes. Just south of the notch there was no snow to speak of, but looking up towards the peak of this 4,000 footer we saw plenty of white.



The trail itself was covered in snow around 4-6 inches that was already packed down. The initial climb was slippery with ice over the snow and any bare rocks. Microspikes solved this problem easily and the trail became more and more snow covered as we went up in elevation.





Sticks and branches from recent windy weather covered the trail for the beginning of the hike and was quite bothersome. Fortunately, for anyone else planning to go- we ended up clearing the way for you!

I've been digging Marmot's Driclime Jacket for climbs

Cannon Mountain was one of our first hikes this summer as we began the list and we suffered through the steep climb. While I admit to some suffering on our winter attempt it was much less!



We had wet snow falling on us throughout the hike making for challenging conditions. The top was windy and cold but manageable  Clouds limited views somewhat. One thing I love about winter hiking is that going down is always much faster. We hightailed it back down in no time and only bumped into one other person walking their dog the entire hike. SO much different than the summer months. I love winter!