At Four Thousand Feet

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 »

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!

More Pictures Behind the Cut »

Distance: 7.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,400 feet
Trails Used: Gorge Brook

Moosilauke has been high on my list of peaks to climb at night. Its domed, bald summit is easily approached by a variety of moderate trails, and on an ideal day, one has the opportunity to wander about above treeline for about a mile or so. In other words, an excellent mountain to climb by the light of the moon.

Ever since my spectacular nighttime adventure out on the Southern Presidentials last month, I’d been itching to get out on another hike after dark. So as you can imagine, when my friend Liza proposed a last-minute trip up Moosilauke on Friday evening, I more than jumped at the opportunity. The forecast was looking just stellar – cloudless skies, an 82% full moon, and manageable wind speeds. Perfect.

A little after 9pm, and we were off. Our trail of choice was Gorge Brook, due to its proximity to Lincoln, generally good footing, and moderate grades. Furthermore, approaching the mountain from this side presented us with the opportunity to create an excellent above treeline loop if conditions were ideal. However, looking upwards, both of us were surprised to note that the sky was strangely absent of both moonlight and stars.

The trail itself was coated in a light dusting of snow, which increased in density as we cautiously made our way up the mountain. There were a few patches of ice here and there, but for the most part the footing was surprisingly good.

I was hopeful that the sky would clear by the time we reached the summit, but my optimism was unwarranted. The snow cover was not the only thing that thickened with elevation – the fog did, too.

Arriving at treeline, there was not even the slightest gleam of moonlight in sight. The winds suddenly picked up, requiring us to quickly pull on our hard shells for the last push up to the summit. The distinctive orange signs were encrusted in rime ice, and appeared downright ghostly in the absence of light.

Nonetheless, we’d made it.

The wind, the cold, the poor visibility… Not a lot of thought was required to decide which route to take back to the trailhead. We scrapped our plans for an above treeline loop and headed down in precisely the same way that we’d came. Reaching the cover of the spruces, the winds instantly ceased. The night was quiet and calm once again.

To our amusement – and slight dismay! – as we lost elevation the sky slowly started to clear. By the time we’d arrived back at the parking lot, moonlight was cascading down in thick beams, creating crisp shadows on the frozen ground.

Oh, the joys of fickle mountain weather.

Date: August 1st, 2009
Distance: 24.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 8,350 feet
Trails Used: Gorge Brook, Beaver Brook, Kinsman Ridge

One word: MUD. The Kinsman Ridge trail is currently sporting some snazzy new water bars, which (as I was soon to find out) are devilishly slick when wet. Attempting to navigate the little demons led to a couple of – shall I say “graceful” – falls right into the mud pits. Of course, being the champ that I am, I took everything right in stride…

Nevertheless, a wonderful day to be out. Challenging conditions build character.

This hike also happened to serve as a (small) milestone for me. Earlier this year I set a minor goal of traversing all of the major ridges in the Whites. As it turns out, I was able to accomplish the feat in just over 4 months:

• Franconia Ridge Traverse (3/21/2009)
• Hale/Zealand/Bonds Traverse (4/25/2009)
• Kilkenny Ridge Traverse (7/3/2009)
• Presidential Traverse (7/5/2009)
• Wildcats/Carter-Moriah Range Traverse (7/12/2009)
• Moosilauke/Kinsman Ridge Traverse (8/1/2009)

Keeping my cool on the Kinsman Ridge trail…

…and a few more pictures here.

Six 4ks, one NE Hundred Highest peak, and a glorious little mountain with an exquisite view of the Northern Presidentials. My first weekend of April hiking certainly exceeded expectations.

South Carter, Middle Carter, and Carter Dome

Date: April 11th, 2009
Distance: 14.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 4,750 feet
Trails Used: Nineteen-Mile Brook, Carter Dome, Carter-Moriah

North Kinsman, South Kinsman, NE Cannonball, and Cannon

Date: April 12th, 2009
Distance: 11.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 4,750 feet
Trails Used: Lonesome Lake, Fishin’ Jimmy, Kinsman Ridge