Beth and I met at the Caps Ridge Trailhead at 6:00 am. We wanted an early start to hike our 13+ mile route (with 6300′ of elevation gain), up Mt Jefferson via the Caps Ridge Trail, down Sphinx Col, and back up …
Read More »Bushwhacks
Bushwhacking Cape Horn
Cape Horn is an unusual geologic feature in New Hampshire’s north country called a ring dike. Two thousand feet in height, it’s a ring-shaped remnant of volcanic activity, bordered to the east and west by steep (note angry red and purple slope shading …
Read More »Acteon Ridge Traverse
The Acteon Ridge is a sequence of trail-less peaks in the Sandwich Range Wilderness of the White Mountains. I climbed one of the peaks on the ridge, named Sachem Peak a few years ago, but have always wanted to go back and hike …
Read More »Bushwhacking Fisher Mountain in Winter
“Fisher Mountain is the best little peak that no one’s ever heard of” said my friend Ken. West of famous Welch-Dickey Mountain Loop, Fisher Mountain is an easy bushwhack up the old Dickey Notch Trail, now renamed and signed as a mountain …
Read More »Bushwhacking North and South Huntington
Mount Huntington (North) and its three subpeaks, South, West, and East have a notorious reputation in New Hampshire’s off-trail hiking community (North and South are on the NH100 highest list) Dense spruce, blowdowns galore, steep climbs, and sheer cliffs keep most hikers away, since there …
Read More »Bushwhacking Mt Paugus in Winter
Mt Paugus is a 3000 footer in the Sandwich Range, adjacent to famous Mt Chocorua. Known as Old Shag for its shaggy, lumpish appearance, Paugus is quite a big mountain with formidable southern cliffs which make a fine resting spot in summer, providing an …
Read More »Bushwhacking Mt Bemis
Mt Bemis is a 3725′ mountain located in the White Mountain’s Crawford Notch, named for Dr Samuel Bemis, who built the stone house at its base which is now the popular Notchland B&B. Bemis was an interesting character: a denture maker turned …
Read More »Bushwhacking Sable and Chandler
“We have to climb 500 more feet in the next quarter mile”, said Kris, as we scrambled up the southeast face of Mt Chandler, a 3000 footer on the eastern side of the White Mountains just south of the Baldface Range. I put my …
Read More »Bushwhacking Middle and East Scar
I was grumpy at the end of our bushwhack up Middle and East Scar. I was soaking wet, my hands were cold, and my rain pants were shredded. We’d fallen off our line descending from the East peak and I was covered …
Read More »Bushwhacking Greens Cliff
“We should have brought our crampons” said Kris, my frequent bushwhacking partner. “Even without snow,” I replied, as we clawed and scrambled our way up an incredibly steep slope below rocky cliffs. It was unseasonably warm, this first week of November, on …
Read More »Bushwacking Mt Black (Jackson)
Dave turned to me and said “I love this!” as we passed a steaming pile of bear poop after a freezing lunch on the summit of trail-less Black Mountain, just outside of Jackson, NH. “I love the adventure,” he said, as we …
Read More »Sachem Peak and the Smarts Brook Trail
Sachem Peak is a trailless mountain near Sandwich Dome noted for its rocky visage and open summit ledges. Located on Acteon Ridge just below Jennings Peak, it’s a moderately easy bushwhack from the Smarts Brook Trail which climbs Sandwich Dome from the west. …
Read More »Four North Country Bushwhacks: Stub Hill and North Stub Hill, Diamond Ridge, and Salmon Mountain
My friend Kris and I headed into Northern New Hampshire to bushwhack some mountains on the New Hampshire 200 highest list. This area is way off the grid, largely owned by lumber companies, but accessible to outdoors folk who want to push their skills …
Read More »Bushwhackos on Mt Deception
I’ve fallen in with a delightful group of bushwhackers who enjoy hiking up trailless peaks as much as I do. Our latest conquest were the twin summits of West and East Deception (3671′), two 3000 footers that overlook the valley with the Cog …
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