Mike and I were cold and wet when we reached the pond. We’d both gotten soaked on the bushwhack up to Mount Anderson (3740′) and had decided to hike back down to Norcross Pond and camp out instead of continuing deeper into …
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Canister Fever: Wolf Cub and North Peak, Blue Ridge Mountain
My right leg sank knee-deep in the black sulfurous mud before I completely toppled into the stuff. As soon as my friends got a whiff, they backed away from me to escape the stench and put some distance between themselves and my mud coated clothing. I …
Read More »Climbing The Captain
The Captain is a remote 3540 foot mountain named for its resemblance to El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Located between South Hancock Mountain and Mount Carrigan in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, it’s a rugged off-trail bushwhack on the New Hampshire Hundred …
Read More »The Fourth Hitchcock
Kris and I were well on our way to sumitting West Hitchcock, our fourth Hitchcock in one day, when we let down our guard and used our eyes to navigate instead of our compasses. It’s such a simple mistake, but people do it all …
Read More »Bear Mountain Bushwhack – Sometimes the Bear Gets You!
I had a surprising experience over the summer on top of North Percy Peak, a mountain north of the White Mountain Region, in northern New Hampshire. As I sat there pondering the view, I realized that I couldn’t name any of the …
Read More »Shoal Pond Peak Bushwhack
Where is the Wilderness? Definitely off-trail. On this bushwhack, I climbed Shoal Pond Peak (3051′), a remote mountain in the eastern Pemigewasset Wilderness that took me a day to backpack into. After a pleasant evening camped along the North Fork River, several miles downstream …
Read More »Crossing the East Branch Pemigewasset River
The East Branch Pemigewasset River (the Pemi) is the huge wild river that runs through the heart of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. I spent two days this weekend hiking its length starting at Lincoln Woods all the way up to its headwaters at Stillwater Junction …
Read More »Off Trail Navigation and Compass Practice Hike to Mount Clough
The southwestern region of the White Mountains is one of the most remote and least visited portions of the White Mountain National Forest. While people frequently hike Mount Moosilauke, the rest of the trail system and woods is in the area seldom …
Read More »Bushwhacking Peak Above the Nubble
Peak Above the Nubble is a very odd name but it describes the topography of this 3813′ mountain rather well. The 3813′ Peak towers over a curious looking sub-peak called the Nubble. That’s its local name at least. On maps, The Nubble …
Read More »Bushwhacking Big Coolidge
I bushwhacked another New Hampshire 3000 footer on Saturday named Big Coolidge. It’s located just outside of Lincoln, NH, on the other side of the Kancamagus Highway from Loon Mountain Ski Resort. The summit is visible from downtown Lincoln, although you wouldn’t …
Read More »Bushwhacking Vose Spur
Vose Spur (3774′) is a sub-peak of Mt Carrigan, located in Carrigan Notch at the southern end of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. Densely wooded and trail-less, it is a bushwhack peak on the New England Hundred Highest peakbagging list. I bushwhacked Vose Spur …
Read More »Bushwhacking West Scar
I bushwhacked West Scar on Saturday which has the reputation of being one of the most difficult bushwhacks in the White Mountains. It’s not. Still I had a fun time hiking with some old friends, I got some more off-trail hiking in, …
Read More »Backpacking and Bushwhacking Southwest Twin Mountain
I am feeling sore all over today. I’m surprised because our bushwhack over to Southwest Twin Mountain turned out to be easier than we expected. Still bushwhacking is much more strenuous than regular trail hiking and we had a long hike out …
Read More »Bushwhacking Big Bickford and Scarface Mountains
I took off work on Friday and drove up to Franconia Notch in the White Mountains to bushwhack Big Bickford Mountain, a trail-less 3,000 footer that’s near the Eagle Cliff bushwhack I did in June. The weather forecast was for cool but …
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