Mt Cabot is the northernmost White Mountain 4000 footer and a 9.6 mile out and back hike with 3,000 feet of elevation gain. With spring on the horizon, I’ve started to wean myself off cross-country skiing and have begun hitting the trail …
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Backpacking a Willey Range Lollipop
Pungent. That’s the best way to describe the smell on the Zealand Trail as you approach the Beaver Ponds. They’re an essential part of the Zealand Valley ecosystem providing open space for migrating flocks of birds to land and rest while accelerating …
Read More »Backpacking a Pemigewasset Loop
A Pemigewasset Loop is a 31-mile loop hike in New Hampshire’s White Mountains that follows the ridgeline encircling the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The route climbs 8 four thousand footers with 9000 feet of elevation gain and has long stretches of above-treeline travel. You …
Read More »Great Hikes: Mt Washington, the Huntington Ravine Trail, and a Boot Spur Loop
While I enjoy hiking solo in the White Mountains in summer, there are a few trails that I won’t hike alone, in any season for that matter. The Huntington Ravine Trail is one of them. This trail, which climbs a cliff face …
Read More »Great Hikes: Climbing Mt Madison by the Pine Link Trail
When I want inspiration, I head above treeline in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. There’s something about the big views and the physical exertion of climbing a mountain that lifts my spirits and lets them soar. For this trip, I hiked up to the …
Read More »Mount Flume and Mount Liberty via the Flume Slide Trail
Mt Liberty and Mt Flume are two 4000 footers in the Franconia Notch region of the White Mountains that are usually climbed together because they’re 1.2 miles apart along the same connecting ridge. Hiking them together is so common that people often refer …
Read More »Hiker Self Rescue on the Castle Trail
If something bad happens to you on a hike and you’re alone or with a friend, would you be able to self-rescue, or would you need to contact search and rescue and request help? That is a question I ask myself whenever …
Read More »Super Tuesday in the Presidential Range
March is the best month to climb the higher peaks in New Hampshire’s Presidential Range when temperatures warm up and the days are longer, but it’s still full-on winter conditions above treeline. This is home of Mt Washington, the White Mountains highest …
Read More »Climbing Mount Moosilauke and Bushwhacking Mt Blue
Mount Moosilauke (4802′) was windy. It’s often like that. It was really cold too, registering -1*F at the trailhead at the start of our hike, with a -30*F windchill forecast at the mountain’s bald summit. That meant we’d probably need full-face protection …
Read More »Climbing Pierce and Eisenhower on the Second Day of Winter
Eliot needed Mt Eisenhower for his Winter 4000 footer list, so we decided to climb it on the second day of Winter (12/23). Eisenhower (4780′) is a bald dome in the Southern Presidentials, located about halfway up the ridge between Mt Monroe …
Read More »Climbing the Mt Washington Headwall and the Great Gulf Trail
The Great Gulf is a glacial valley that lies between Mt Washington and the Northern Presidential Range in New Hampshire. It’s ground zero for many of the toughest and steepest trails in the White Mountains, including the Great Gulf Trail which climbs …
Read More »Climbing Mt Adams on the Great Gully Trail
The Great Gully Trail is one of the steepest trails in the Whites climbing 1700 feet in one mile. It begins at the bottom of the King Ravine headwall (3700′) on the north side of Mt Adams (5774′), the second tallest peak …
Read More »Backpacking Mt Adams and the Airline Trail
Mt Adams is the second-highest peak on the White Mountain 4000 footers list, with an elevation of 5774 feet. The most direct route to the summit follows the Airline Trail, which climbs 4,500 feet in 4.3 miles. It’s a tough climb up …
Read More »Hiking a Mt Washington Loop via the Nelson Crag Trail
I spent most of this month off-trail down in Boston, helping a family member recuperate from major surgery. It was important that I be there, even though it meant leaving my beloved White Mountains for close to four weeks. I decided to …
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