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Mt Jefferson (5712') - third highest peak in the White Mountains

Mud and Blood on Mount Jefferson

Many New England hikers consider Mount Jefferson (5712′) to be the toughest peak to climb in the White Mountains. Most of the routes to the summit require miles and miles of above-treeline exposure on a rocky ridge that is constantly blasted by a stiff north westernly wind. Joe C and I led an Appalachian Mountain [...]

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MSR Reactor Stove

Gear that Worked and Gear that Didn’t in the Presidential Range

Most of  the gear I took on my Presidential Range winter backpacking trip last week performed splendidly with a few exceptions. Here’s a quick blow-by-blow account of the highs and lows, and a link to the the gear list I brought on that hike for your reference. Carrying Cold Cold World Chaos Backpack:  This is [...]

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Stony Brook Trail, Enroute to Mount Moriah

Winter’s End: Isolation, Cabot, and Moriah

One of the sure signs of spring in the White Mountains is when the snow bridges over the streams collapse and stream crossings become ‘much’ more exciting. But winter will linger on for another month or two in New Hampshire’s mountains despite the fact that calendar winter ends on Wednesday 3-20-2013 at 6:05 am. The [...]

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Appalachia Trail Head - Packed and Ready to Go

Winter Backpacking Above-Treeline Gear List

Last weekend I went on a difficult 2 night backpacking trip that involved a 19 mile traverse of the Presidential Range in New Hampshire, including 15 miles of fully-exposed, above-treeline hiking. We had great weather, but you never know what is going to happen in the vicinity of Mt Washington (the halfway point of our [...]

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Mt Washington (6288')

A Winter Presidential Traverse Attempt

This weekend I’m going to attempt a Winter Presidential Traverse, one of the big winter routes we have up here in the White Mountains. This route – 19 miles with over 10,000 feet of elevation gain – is typically hiked end-to-end in June in one calendar day when there’s maximum daylight. But hiking it in [...]

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5-Layer Insulation System

Stephenson’s Warmlite Vapor Barrier Socks

I’ve been testing a pair of Warmlite Vapor Barrier Socks since November as a replacement for the Integral Designs Vapor Barrier Socks I used last year. While they are a huge improvement in terms of effectiveness, the sewing workmanship is substandard so I really can’t recommend the product to anyone. That’s a shame because these socks [...]

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Open Avalanche Slide on East Osceola

Mount Osceola and East Osceola in February

Mount Osceola (4340′)  and its subordinate peak East Osceola (4156′) are always a challenging climb in winter.  Scarred by avalanche slides and ice encrusted cliffs, it is hard to comprehend how rugged these mountains are until you need to carry full winter gear up their steep slopes or climb them off-trail. When approached from the [...]

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Full Face Protection on Mount Moosilauke

When Should You Call Off A Winter Hike?

We called off our hike up to Mt Adams (5774′) this past Monday because conditions were just too severe. With subzero temperatures, -40 to -50 degree (f) wind chills and winds blowing over 100 miles per hour, it would have been too dangerous to climb the second highest peak in the White Mountains, which has [...]

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