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 …
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Six Feet Deep on the Appalachian Trail – Hiking Middle and South Carter in April
JoeC and I led a Carter Loop hike for the Appalachian Mountain Club hike on Sunday, climbing up to the Appalachian Trail/Carter-Moriah Trail via the Imp and North Carter Trails. From there, we headed south bagging Middle Carter (4610′) and South Carter …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Blue Bird Weekend in the Presidential Range
We made it to the Applachia trail head at the base of Mount Madison about 6 hours behind schedule on Friday night due to bad winter driving conditions on the road from Boston. Still, we decided we wanted to camp on the …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Breaking Triail to Mount Carrigan
Climbing Mount Carrigan (4700′) in winter is an ambitious quest requiring 14 miles of hiking or snowshoeing and 3900 feet of elevation gain. Route finding and bushwhacking skills are also useful, as the trail reroutes resulting from Hurricane Irene washouts are poorly …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Mount Monroe and Mount Washington in February
I have always admired the long sweeping ridge between Mount Washington (6288′) and Mount Monroe (5372′) and wondered what it would be like to hike it in winter. While I have hiked the route a half dozen times during the warmer months …
Read More »Mount Field and Mount Willey in February
My friend David and I popped up to New Hampshire mid-week to hike two winter 4,000 footers, Mount Field (4340′) and Mount Willey (4285′) in Crawford Notch. While I’ve climbed these peaks many times, I’d never climbed them during the winter peakbagging …
Read More »Leading Winter Hikes for the Appalachian Mountain Club
Last night was a big moment for me because my application to become a full 4 season winter leader for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) was approved. This is not an easy qualification to get and builds on the 3 season leader qualification …
Read More »Mt Nancy Bushwhack
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 …
Read More »Mount Garfield in February
The anvil-shaped spire of Mount Garfield stands an isolated sentinel at the north-western end of the Pemigewasset Wilderness with excellent views of the other peaks that ring the 182 square mile forest. Blasted by winds, its rocky summit provides meager protection to …
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