Bushwhacks

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

Eagle Cliff in a 3,420′ peak in Franconia Notch, one of the most beautiful mountain passes in the White Mountains. Although it’s not a 4,000 footer, it commands tremendous views of the surrounding high peaks including Mt Lafayette and Mount Cannon. But …

I co-led an Osceola Ridge Traverse attempt on an Appalachian Mountain Club hike on Saturday with my friends Michael and Alex. Our goal was to traverse the West (4114′), Middle (4200′), Main (4315′) , and East Osceola (4156′) peaks from west to …

Yesterday was one on those perfect winter days in the White Mountains when it all came together – good friends, clear blue sky, gorgeous views, and a great climb. Our destination was Mt Nancy (3926′), a New England Hundred Highest Peak, which …