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.
White Mountains
215 posts
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.”
There was delicious coffee. Some pondering. Some hiking. A lot of ice, and some nearly fell on my head. Cannon can be strange sometimes.
The weather is weirdly warm. When everywhere else is crummy posthole-ridden trail muck, Waumbek delivers. Why not?
You’re not sure what to do. Your calendar suggests one thing. Your heart another. The mountains, yet a third… Get ready, here it comes!
Tecumseh is the worn flannel shirt, of hiking in New Hampshire. Not at all glamorous. But a perfect lazy afternoon outing.
Sometimes you think you’re only booking miles. And then you get home, let it ruminate for a bit, and realize there was a lot more.
Metal breaks if stressed long and hard enough. But on a day with clean, cold, and crisp air, does it matter?
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. 2022-01-08 (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 […]