At Four Thousand Feet » Franconia Ridge

30 Is a Nice Round Number

Larisa — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:00:55 +0000

Extreme cold, frostnip, wind, and 2+ feet of new snow – week two of my vacation was certainly tough. Nonetheless, I refused to let the conditions hold me back. Heading into my winter hiking extravaganza, I didn’t have any lofty goals in mind. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to have…

Covered: 171.1 miles in distance
Gained: 55,550 vertical feet in elevation
Stood Atop: 30 4,000 footers

…in 15 days out on the trail. A quick recap of week two:

12/28 – Moriah
12/29 – Tecumseh
12/30 – Zealand
12/31 – North Twin, South Twin, and Galehead
1/1 – Liberty and Flume
1/2 – Tom, Field, and Willey
1/3 – Cannon

Not surprisingly, it was a terrible week for pictures! Here are a few of the better ones (please take that with a grain of salt)…

18 Peaks, 97 Miles

Larisa — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:03:41 +0000

Finally, a short break! I’ll keep this succinct as I have many errands to run during this brief reprise from hiking, but the past eight days have been just marvelous. Although I’ve not been half as aggressive as I was during my Thanksgiving vacation, I still managed to bag 18 peaks (14 for winter 2009/2010):

12/19 – North and South Kinsman
12/20 – Hale and Waumbek
12/21 – Cabot
12/22 – Middle Carter, South Carter, Carter Dome, and Wildcat A
12/23 – Wildcat D
12/24 – Garfield and Lafayette
12/25 – Washington, Monroe, Eisenhower, and Pierce
12/26 – Whiteface and Passaconaway

Here’s a glimpse of some of my favorite photos from the week (full album here – well worth checking out). Now, onto week two of my vacation!

A Seasonal Transition

Larisa — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:15:56 +0000

I’ve finally sorted through the pictures from my Thanksgiving vacation. What strikes me the most about this particular set of images is the wonderfully apparent transitioning of the seasons. Since my previous post on the topic shamefully did not admit the mountains that I climbed, here’s a brief synopsis:

11/21 – North Twin, South Twin, Galehead, and Garfield
11/22 – North and South Hancock
11/23 – Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, and Flume
11/24 – Tom, Field, and Willey
11/25 – Zealand, West Bond, Bond, and Bondcliff
11/26 – Pierce, Eisenhower, and Jackson
11/27 – Waumbek
11/28 – Moriah
11/29 – East Osceola, Osceola, and Tecumseh

It certainly was a week of milestones for me. Not only did I reach my halfway point – and my 300th peak! – on the grid, but also ended November with a total of 44 4,000 footers climbed.

Below are a handful of my favorite images. The entire gallery may be viewed here…

Snow on Garfield

Larisa — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:06:50 +0000

Distance: 10 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,100 feet
Trails Used: Mount Garfield, Garfield Ridge

The forecast for 10/18 called for terrible conditions (which strangely never materialized), so Adam and I decided that a shorter hike was in order. Garfield it was. There is something truly marvelous about this peak – it resonates with me deeply in a way that few other mountains do. The high cloud deck, coupled with the snow-dusted summits of the Pemi, made for utterly spectacular views. Unfortunately, my pictures don’t do them justice.

Clockwise Pemi Loop + Galehead and West Bond

Larisa — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:33:00 +0000

Date: July 25th, 2009
Distance: 33.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 9,750 feet
Trails Used: Wilderness, Osseo, Franconia Ridge, Garfield Ridge, Frost, Twinway, Bondcliff, West Bond Spur

In certain instances, pictures tell the story far better than words…

…and a few more pictures here.