Gentian Pond is in the Mahoosuc Range, one of the hardest sections of the Appalachian Trail. I hiked a one-night loop up to the AT shelter there, visiting two big waterfalls called Giant Falls and Dryad Falls on the way. My friend …
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Backpacking a Speckled Mountain – Haystack Notch Loop
Most of my backpacking trips this year have turned into guidebook chapters for Backpacking the White Mountain 4000 footers, instead of personal trip reports. But my latest backpacking trip through the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness doesn’t have what it takes to be a guidebook …
Read More »Climbing Mts Pierce and Jackson in February
“These aren’t 20 mile per hour winds,” I told Eliot, as we started climbing the Crawford Path up to the Southern Presidential Range, just south of Mt Washington in New Hampshire. Our destination was Mount Pierce and Mt Jackson, two 4000 footers, …
Read More »Thirteen Falls Backpacking Loop Attempt
Late autumn/early winter conditions are notoriously tricky to forecast in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and you need to be willing to modify or abort your trip plans when conditions on the ground don’t meet your expectations. I found myself in that situation …
Read More »Hiking a Mt Flume and Mt Liberty Loop
Mt Flume and Mt Liberty are the two southernmost 4000 footers on the southern end of Franconia Ridge. Sometimes called “Fliberty”, they’re frequently hiked together in a loop since they’re only separated by a 1.2-mile walk along the top of the ridge. …
Read More »Backpacking a Hancock Notch Lollipop
When people visit the White Mountains, the two geographic features they remember the most are the mountains and the notches, which are giant mountains passes that link different regions of the area together. When you drive down the narrow two-lane roads that …
Read More »Backpacking an Owl’s Head Loop
Owl’s Head Mountain is one of the most remote 4000 footers in the White Mountains, deep in the heart of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. Feeling in need of a long hike, I decided to climb it but to take a roundabout route to …
Read More »Bushwhacking and Hiking a Passaconaway Slide Loop
The Passaconaway Slide Trail is an old “lost” trail that climbs an avalanche path to Mt Passaconaway, a 4000 footer in the Sandwich Range. While it’s no longer signed or listed in the White Mountain Guide, it is possible to find the …
Read More »Hiking a Sphinx Col – Six Husbands Loop via the Caps Ridge Trail
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 »Mt Whiteface and the Tom Wiggin/McCrillis Loop
Mt Whiteface is a 4000-footer in the Sandwich Range that’s usually climbed using the Blueberry Ledge Trail, then over to Mt Passaconaway via the Rollins Trail, and down via Dicey’s Mill Trail. I took a much different route on my last hike …
Read More »Climbing Jennings Peak in Winter
Jennings Peak (3440′) is a 52-with-a-View mountain in Waterville Valley at the top of Acteon Ridge. It has a great view of massive Sandwich Dome Mountain (shown above) which at 3993′ is just seven feet shy of being a 4000 footer. I …
Read More »Climbing Table Rock in Dixville Notch
Table Rock is a cliff that juts out into Dixville Notch, a picturesque mountain pass in New Hampshire’s north country. Bordered by Sanguinary Mountain to the north and Mt Gloriette, to the south, the sides of Dixville Notch are guarded by jagged …
Read More »Hiking the Mt Clinton Trail Loop
Mt Pierce is the second four thousand footer you encounter when hiking north in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. My buddy Ken and I climbed to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Mizpah Hut located just below the summit, hiking up the …
Read More »Hiking an Arethusa Falls Loop
Towering over 100 feet in height, the great Arethusa Falls is one of the most popular waterfalls in the White Mountains. Located in Crawford Notch, the trailhead is located off Rt 302 within easy reach of the other attractions along that scenic …
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