Getting close to finishing my October grid, a warm, sunny outing with a sky full of stars at the end.
If you’ve done them, you know the Hancocks demand their pound of flesh.
It’s been far too long. Whether that is measured by the time spent away from the trail or from writing about it, truth. But here we are.
Worthwhile mileage doesn’t mean hard miles. Often the best is nearby, and relatively untrodden. If you’re not paying attention, you might just find something.
You can’t get what you want. But sometimes, you get what you need.
Open your mind to the idea that by doing something mindlessly easy, you might just be moving out of your comfort zone.
Sometimes you need to step away from the familiar to realize what you have, and what you don’t. Sometimes you really need the not-having. And that’s OK.
My legs were at once on fire, numb to the pain, still feeling the crush of every step. But I was in the mountains again, after a far too long hiatus.
A dash out in desperation, a marvelous odyssey, a Black Precipice, and a run-in with a porcupine. What more could happen?
Of the weather, I can only say this: it wasn’t dry. Everything else? Up for grabs.
Sometimes a hike is a challenge, sometimes a slog. Keep it all in mind that in a couple weeks, the worst will melt away and run down the mountain.
The loop over the two peaks is as strenuous as ever. But with a bit of trailside color, every steep section is eased.