Hermit Lake: First backpack of 2016!

This past weekend was the first backpacking trip of the year. Pinkham Notch was busy, but luckily for us most of the people out that day were day trippers who were either making the pilgrimage to Tuckerman Ravine to get a few turns in or going up to soak in the sunshine on this bluebird day. We got our overnight permit, packed our food, and headed up the trail in a leisurely fashion. Brittany and I planned to spend the night at the Hermit Lake shelters. The dry trail soon turned icy and we put on our Microspikes to keep from slipping and sliding.

Upon arriving at the shelters, we picked out a lean-to, dropped our packs and ate a quick snack before scampering up to Tuckerman Ravine to watch the skiers. Due to the rather tame winter here in New England, it was impossible to ski down from the bowl, and only the left gully and the bottom half of the headwall were skiable.  Skiers, boarders, and dogs were all out; people were sledding, skiing, drinking beers, and having a grand old time. As the sun dropped lower in the sky, shadows crept across the bowl turning the soft spring corn into an icy, unforgivable slope. We hiked back down to the shelters, played a few rounds of rummy, made dinner, and were in our sleeping bags as dusk fell.

The next morning neither of us really wanted to get out of our cozy sleeping bags, but our desire for breakfast was greater than our desire to stay in bed, so we got up and donned our down jackets, winter hats, and warmest layers. After a nice hot breakfast, we hit the trail. We decided to go down a different way via the Boott Spur Link trail and Boott Spur trail, which meant we first had to ascend quite steeply to the top of a nearby ridge. It was quite the adventure! The trail was incredibly steep and slick with snow; slowly, but surely we gained elevation as we skirted around the icy patches, clinging onto tree branches. Once above treeline, the condition of the trail improved, and we pushed onwards and upwards.

The view from the ridge was impressive: below us lay Hermit Lake and the shelters scattered through the trees, across the way the summit was clearly visible, and beneath the summit cone wind-loaded snow clung to the steep sides of Tuckerman Ravine.

The next couple miles down the Boott Spur trail had a little bit of everything: sweeping views, rock hopping on top of boulders, icy patches, bog bridges, a cool glacial erratic (Split Rock), and a ladder. By the time we reached we made it back down to Pinkham Notch, we were exhausted. The first overnight was a blast, and left us wanting more mountain adventures!

And on the last day of Winter...

New England had an extremely mellow winter this year, which has its pros and cons. In terms of hiking, it means the trails will be free of snow and ice much earlier this year than most years.

Last weekend, a friend and I drove up to the Waterville Valley area to hike Welch-Dickey, a short loop complete with ledges, rock scrambles and views galore. It's a great early season warm-up hike. We were blessed with blue skies and pleasant temperatures. We took our time and enjoyed the beautiful day. There were a few small patches of ice still lingering in the shade, but the slabs were dry enough to scramble up.

February: Short, but sweet!

The past couple of weekends have been a little busy, so I've been trying to squeeze in a hike when I can. This means that early on Saturday mornings, Em & I have been driving up to New Hampshire and ticking of some smaller mountains from 52 with a View, a list of mountains under 4,000ft with rewarding views.

New Year's Adventures

I am happy to say that I got to start 2016 off with a couple of hikes in the first few days...

Em headed to the summit of Mt. Liberty.

On New Year's Day, Em and I hiked Mt. Liberty from Franconia Notch. Despite a sunny start, by the time we reached the ridge we were socked in and it was snowing. There were a few people out on the trail, but we had the summit to ourselves.

Franconia Ridge trail.

The next day, my parents, some family friends, and I did a traverse of Mt. Pisgah which overlooks Lake Willoughby in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. It was a gorgeous hike made all the more beautiful by the freshly fallen snow, which blanketed the trees.

Walking in a winter wonderland!

With the parents on the ledges of Mt. Pisgah overlooking Lake Willoughby.

Headed down from the summit to the southern trailhead. 

'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,