Here comes summer!

Friday night sunset cruise on Little Ossipee Lake

Memorial Day weekend always starts off the summer…and if my summer is going to be anything like my Memorial Day weekend, then I have lots to look forward to!

Post barefoot 5k at Pineland Farms

The majority of Saturday was spent at a trail running festival in southern Maine, where my friend and I ran a barefoot 5k. We made sure to get there early for the 5k canine cross, in which dogs run with their owners. Shout out to the corgi, the dachshund and all the other little dogs that defied expectations and crushed the 3.1 miles of rolling hills.

Go, doggies, go!

Saturday afternoon, we headed back to the lake and had a relaxing evening complete with a kayak/SUP around the lake.

Out for an evening paddle

Sunday, we hiked Morgan & Percival, two mountains along a ridge over by Squam Lake in NH. The weather was perfect and we met up (though somewhat later than expected) with a geology classmate of mine that I hadn’t seen in two years!

Looking out onto Squam Lake from the rocky outcrops of Mt. Morgan

Welch-Dickey Loop

I haven't been doing much hiking lately due to marathon training. I've been itching to get up to the mountains, so I decided to get a short hike in during my taper. This past Sunday, I meet a couple of friends and we drove up to Waterville Valley, NH to hike Welch-Dickey. Despite being only 4.5 miles long, this loop has great views and packs a variety of terrain into just a few hours.

The trail was a little muddy in a few spots and a few small patches of snow lingered in the shade, but overall the trail was in great condition after the long winter. It was a gorgeous spring day with the warmth of the sun, no bugs, views for miles and, of course, great company. We had an absolute blast out there!

The first set of open ledges you come to as you head up Welch.

Squeezing between the split rock on the way up Welch.

Approaching the summit of Welch.

The view from Dickey with a snow-capped Franconia Ridge in the far distance.

Headed down the open ledges of Dickey with a snowy Mt. Moosilauke in the distance.

Rain moving in over the Sandwich Range.