At Four Thousand Feet

…once again, rethinking. It would really be nice if I could make up my mind on this whole grid situation.

Trail runners and MSR snowshoes? I’ll admit, at first I was a little wary. As a rather clumsy individual prone to excessive ankle rolling, I grimaced at the thought of teetering along an unstable spring snow monorail, my delicate ankles just begging for an injury. But with the coming of warm weather, my shiny new pair of Inov-8 Rocklite 312 GTXs were just itching to get out. I must say, wrapped up in winter gaiters they looked positively adorable:

How wonderful it felt to finally be out of winter boots. So wonderful, in fact, that my friend Eric and I decided to go on a spring hiking rampage. Over the course of a single April weekend, we tore up the Willey Range, the Wildcats, the Hancocks, and Garfield – 41 miles in total (thanks to the Gale River road walk). Not an ambitious distance by a long stretch, but I was quite pleased by our effort given the tough conditions that we faced.

What of the trail runners? Well, I’m glad to report that they held up fantastically, as did my ankles. Dare I say I’m wildly excited to have discovered this combination?

Unfortunately, picture taking conditions were sub-par. Nevertheless, here are a few photos:

…more here.

On Sunday April 4th I stood atop Mount Osceola for the 12th time, marking my first completion of a single grid peak. Initially, I was absolutely thrilled. Although the hike up was slightly trying (given the oh-so-wonderful spring conditions), the summit itself was lovely as usual. Now a week out from the hike, however, I find myself in a bit of a puzzling situation. While I still am (and always will be) tremendously passionate about the White Mountains, I’m not entirely sure if I want to continue pursuing the 48 x 12 list.

The truth of the matter is, grid hiking has become too restrictive for me. I have goals for the summer that simply will not come to fruition if I continue to hike in such a grid-obsessed manner. I’m in the best shape of my life right now, and I’d like to take complete advantage of my current fitness level. I want to hike harder, longer, and farther than I ever have. For all I know, the extent of my physical endurance might never amount to much. Nonetheless, I’ll never truly know what I’m capable of achieving unless I head out there and push myself as hard as I possibly can.

I’m sure I’ll continue picking away at the grid in some capacity. Yet for the time being, I’ve decided that the list will no longer be my focus.

I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from Osceola…

More Behind the Cut »

There is something truly magical about experiencing the Northern Presidentials on a windless, perfect winter day… in shorts and gaiters, no less. I’m now one peak away from wrapping up my 2009/2010 single season winter 48.

For a few weeks, I had my doubts about whether or not I’d complete the list this year. After a few tough hikes, my morale and determination were running rather low. Nevertheless, I’m not one to give up without a fight. Yesterday’s hike above treeline most certainly lifted my spirits.

Fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow…

A few pictures:

More Behind the Cut »

Last year on Presidents Day Weekend I (rather fittingly) hiked to the top of Mount Washington. This year it wasn’t meant to be. Three days of achingly grey and windy weather kept me well below treeline. There were few views to be had, and I have few stories to tell. Heck, I couldn’t even come up with an interesting title for this post.

A few pictures:

Perhaps Not Worth Your Time »