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.
Water Crossings
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.
Spring hiking is mud season, and you need a certain resilience. But what about the trail that brings us back? Where’s the magic in the mud?
Icy conditions on Mt Moosilauke during the first week of May? Call it “A test of snow and flowers.”
Won’t pretend this was an epic hike. Indeed, it was mostly booking mileage. But there it is. At the same time, I won’t write off a mountain. So go try it yourself!
Mt Garfield (4,500 feet). Franconia/Bethlehem, NH. 2023-01-08 (Sunday.) Via Garfield and Garfield Ridge Trails. 10 miles round-trip, plus 1 1/4 mile (each way) road walk. Mid-20s throughout. Winds were hardly a whisper in the trees, a bitter 10-15 knots at the summit. Unbridled sunshine all day. Car: 1145. Trailhead: 1210. Summit: 1510. Trailhead: 1545. Car: 1735. A safe bet is to budget about half an hour to walk from the […]
What do you do when your plans get wrecked, and your backup plan becomes just a day to book miles?
Jefferson pains me. On the one hand, it has some stunning views. On the other hand, it’s frustratingly cumbersome to get to the top.
Don’t judge a kitten by its claws. Judge it instead by the fine views you get from its ledges. But don’t forget the claws.
Sometimes you don’t know whether you liked something or not, until you’ve had some time to think. And yet, you know everything was fine.