'Twas the day after Christmas...

At the outlook, which offers amazing views of Franconia Ridge across the way. 

The day after Christmas, some friends and I met up at the base of Cannon by the aerial tram for a relaxed day hike to the summit. The weather was perfect, and it was practically balmy for Franconia Notch in December. We encountered occasional ice on the trail, which was avoidable, and our microspikes remained in our packs for the entirety of the hike. 

Part of Franconia Ridge (Lafayette & Lincoln).

The Kinsman Ridge trail was a relentless climb for the first mile or so, and the switchbacks pass through one of the glades from the ski area. At the summit, we climbed the observation deck to soak in the 360 degree views before heading to the tramway cafeteria to eat lunch out of the wind and cold.

Lafayette and Lincoln from the Cannon Mtn. observation deck.

Descending the shoulder of Cannon Mtn.

Headed back down the Kinsman Ridge trail.

Osceola & East Osceola

It's that time of year in New England: when the mountains start to get snow, and yet it's still balmy down in Massachusetts. I'll admit I love snow, though I am sure that most people in New England (especially after last winter) might not be so enthusiastic about it.

Unfortunately, the early season snow I had encountered on Cannon didn't last long. So, this past weekend I was hoping that Em would finally get a real winter hike experience. And she did!

I was slightly concerned, because there wasn't any snow on the ground in Lincoln, but as the car headed up the Kancamagus small patches started to appear, growing in size.

As we started down the Greeley Ponds trail, we were treated to a winter wonderland!

The trail up Mt. Osceola was relentlessly steep, and has a thin layer of snow in addition to large icy sections. Without a cloud in the sky, the solar radiation was impressive. Depending on what side of ridge you were on it could feel like a spring day in the sunshine, or a bitter, windy, winter day in the shade.

We passed the wooded summit of East Osceola without barely even registering it, and continued along the ridge between the two summits. After a steep scramble up the chimney, we soon came to the summit ledges of Osceola, where we sat and snacked in the sunshine before retracing our steps.

Mt. Wiley: Father-Daughter Hike

This past Christmas, I gave my father the gift of going for a hike together. He made it 11 months before he cashed in. His only requests were: 1) a 4,000 footer; 2) a 4,000 footer I had not yet hiked; and 3) to come back in one piece. Just kidding, the third qualification was my own - don't kill your father. 

So, Mt. Willey it was! At 4285 feet, it is the second highest and southernmost mountain of the Willey Range, and is situated on the western side of Crawford Notch. The route using the Ethan Pond trail and the Willey Range trail is not very long, but is notoriously steep for the last mile or so. 

We got a rather mild November day; overcast and temperatures in the high 30s. The ground was free of snow, but as we gained elevation we encountered patches of ice. 

The view from the summit isn't very impressive, but a short spur lead to an outlook with incredible views of the Presidential range to the northeast,