A Leisurely Winter Weekend
14 Jan
Sometimes I let myself get a little too focused on the peakbagging aspect of hiking mountains. Every trip up north becomes a mission of sorts, a challenge defined not by the journey, but the numbers.
How far can I go?
How fast?
How many 4,000 foot peaks can I squeeze into the timeframe?
While I do think it’s healthy to set goals, I’ve noticed that my current peakbagging aspirations have started to (ever so slightly) detract from my enjoyment of the mountains. Consequently, last weekend I decided to take things easy for once. A leisurely 11:30am start time on the Hancocks, followed by a stellar visit to Whiteface/Passaconaway and the Sandwich Range Wilderness, made for a spectacular two days of hiking.
North and South Hancock
Distance: 9.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,650 feet
Trails Used: Hancock Notch, Cedar Brook, Hancock Loop
Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Square Ledge
Distance: ~12 miles
Elevation Gain: ~4,100 feet
Trails Used: Blueberry Ledge, Rollins, Dicey Mill, Walden, Square Ledge, Old Mast Road
Larissssss,
Love your work, love the detail, love the photos. Keep up (with) the Thoreauvian curiosity and the Emersonian enthusiasm. Now that you’ve a thirty-miler in the bag, well, they only get…harder? Cath sent me your link, by the way, so don’t think I’m one of those creepy “surfer” types; I generally stay away from computers, preferring to climb and climb. Hope you and Cath and Tim and I can do a hike together before too long. Again, love the care and precision. Be inspired.
Tim