The two most popular routes up Mt Washington in winter are from the east side using the Tuckerman Ravine and Lion Head Trails or from the west side of the mountain via the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail and the Crawford Path. Having climbed …
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Hiking North and South Doublehead
North and South Doublehead are two picturesque mountains located just outside Jackson, New Hampshire, on the eastern edge of the White Mountain National Forest. They’re moderate peaks to climb with special interest to skiers, because one of the trails on North Doublehead is a backcountry …
Read More »Winter Conditions on Mt Tremont
Jack Frost has arrived in the White Mountains, coating all of the peaks and big hills with a blanket of ice and snow. November can be a frustrating time for hikers here, when it’s hard to decide whether to carry full winter …
Read More »Wilderness at Stillwater Junction
This is part 2 of my trip report up the East Branch Pemigewasset River (the Pemi) to scout a second river crossing at Stillwater Junction and beginning of the Shoal Pond Trail which links Carrigan Notch to the Ethan Pond Trail. I’ll be passing through …
Read More »Heavy Lifting on Mt Liberty
What do bowling pins, 15 pound bags of rice and charcoal, cases of beer, TV sets, and water reservoirs have in common? They’re just some of the crazy ass things that hikers load into their packs to train for backpacking trips where …
Read More »Missing Cairns on Mount Moosilauke
Mount Moosilauke is the first big mountain that Appalachian Trail northbounders encounter when they climb through the White Mountains. The 10th highest four thousand footer in the White Mountain 48, it has a very different profile and personality than most of the other …
Read More »Winter’s End: Mount Moosilauke and the Wildcats
When my glasses froze over, I wasn’t sure whether I’d make it up the last 50 yards to the summit of Moosilauke. I could barely make out SG’s blue snowshoes in front of me and the wind was blowing so fiercely that …
Read More »Francona Ridge Loop: Mt Lincoln and Mt Lafayette in Winter
By the time you feel a hotspot, it’s often too late to do anything about it. That’s been my experience with hiking up steep mountains in winter. I knew we were just 300 feet below Franconia Ridge, so I said screw it, and …
Read More »Wrestling with Wildcats and Finishing the Winter White Mountain 4000 Footer List
“I think we’re headed the wrong way,” said Trey. Yep, we’d turned south instead of north when we got to the top of the Polecat Ski Trail on Wildcat Mountain, an ignominious start to our Wildcat Traverse, and further proof that ski …
Read More »Stopped in Our Tracks on Wildcat Mountain
Trey and I attempted to climb Wildcat A, B, C, and D on Friday but we were stopped in our tracks by chest high snow drifts and such deep powder that we were postholing up to our waist, even though we were …
Read More »A Winter Hiking Trip to North and Middle Tripyramid Mountains
I led an Appalachian Mountain Club hiking trip to North (4180′) and Middle Tripyramid (4140′) Mountains last weekend. These are two 4,000 footers in the southern section of the White Mountains. linked by a 0.8 mile ridge. South Tripyramid (4100′), the third …
Read More »A Winter Bonds Traverse
I completed a Winter Bonds Traverse two weeks ago,one of the toughest and most remote winter hikes in the White Mountains. I was accompanied by four other very strong hikers: Ron, Craig, Larry, and Garret, who hike together regularly and were nice …
Read More »A Winter Visit to Zealand Falls Hut
I spent my first winter overnight at a self-service Appalachian Mountain Club Hut earlier this season and had a really good time. The AMC keeps several of their White Mountains huts open in winter at reduced rates and on a self-service basis, …
Read More »The Tom, Field, and Avalon Loop in Crawford Notch
I led an Appalachian Mountain Club hike on Sunday to two White Mountain 4000 footers named Mount Tom (4051′) and Mount Field (4340′) in Crawford Notch. These peaks are fairly easy to climb and the trails leading to them are usually well …
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