17 October 2016: Galehead Mountain

I was itching for a less intendse hike on this day, and BishopX agreed to come with me to do Galehead as a solo shot. The weather was supposed to be cloudy and not too bad temperature wise.

History: The name behind this seems to have some obscurity - the Gale river, named for some local person in the 1850s, originates from this area so i'll guess it's origin is tied to that.

Peak Elevation: 4024 ft
Elevation Gain: 2700ish ft.
Trail: Gale River Tr., Garfield Ridge Tr., Frost Tr.
Length: 10.2 mi.
Time on Trail : 0909
Time off Trail: 1430ish


We got out a bit later than usual, we wasted no time getting on trail to try and crush the friendly grades that are part of the beginning of the Gale River trail. I do not recall much else about this until we broke through to the Galehead Hut, which appeared to be closed for the year. We took in a bit of the view there before scooting up the Frost Trail to find our cairn. After that we walked back to a small overlook into the Pemi Wilderness, and then walked back to the hut to have a food break before our descent. A nice day with not too much sun exposure, is a total win for me.


Photos:

Galehead Mountain 17OCT16

07 October 2016: Mount Eisenhower, Mount Pierce

Today Bob The Lovegoat and I were finally able to get out for a hike in 2016. His blog post about this hike will be more detailed than mine, as I am still backdating entries here and his account will be more accurate than my memory.

History: Mt. Eisenhower, formerly known as Mt. Pleasant, is named for a former president. As is Mt Pierce, who is named for NH's only elected president.

Peak Elevation: Eisenhower - 4760 ft.; Pierce - 4310 ft.
Elevation Gain: ~2300 ft.
Trail: Edmand's Path, Crawford Path
Length: 7.9 mi
Time on Trail : 0850
Time off Trail: 1420

I'll preface this by saying to check and heed weather reports, especially on the Presidential range. We had a clear day and still had some gnarly winds to contend with.

We started by parking one car by US302 and then driving in on a not-great-condition road to get to the Edmand's Path trailhead. We saw some cars there but not many people on trail, which is only noteworthy because of how many cars were still there when we came back for this car at the end of the day. BTLG, Boomer and I ascended the rocky but manageable path toward Eisenhower first. There was a sign that warned of the open nature of the ridge that spans much of the presidential range, which can have quickly changing weather that can lead to tragic outcomes. Once out in the open we experienced a number of strong gusts but nothing looked like it would snow or precipitate with blue skies on all sides of us. The peak of Eisenhower is very unique, a broad dome with a large cairn marking it's apex. we snapped a few pictures and move onward to Pierce, a wooded peak that still had some view to it but nothing like Eisenhower. The descent to our cars took us down to the Crawford Path trailhead. Doing this hike this way saved us some mileage and exposure.


Photos:

Mt Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce 07OCT16

10 September 2016: Mount Lincoln, Mount Lafayette, Mount Truman, Little Haystack Mountain

This was a fine day for a great hike on Franconia Ridge with my friend Lady Bee Wild.

History: Mt Lincoln is named for President Abe Lincoln. Mt. Lafayette is named for a notable French General during the American Revolutionary War. The unofficial name of the "south peak" of Lincoln is known as Mt. Truman. Not a NH48 peak, by far, but worth noting nonetheless. Little Haystack, also not a NH48, still offers plenty to hikers on this section of the AT.

Peak Elevation: Mt. Lafayette 5249 ft.; Mt. Lincoln 5089 ft.; Little Haystack 4780 ft.; Mt. Truman 5000 ft.
Elevation Gain:
Trail: The "Franconia Ridge Loop" - Falling Waters Tr., Franconia Ridge Tr., Old Bridle Path.
Length: 8.8 mi
Time on Trail : 0800ish
Time off Trail: 1400ish

The weather looked like it may turn sour as we departed but we went onward up the trail anyway. A popular and often crowded loop, we wanted to get an early start and keep moving whenever possible, hoping the weather would clear off and provide good photo ops. We ascended the Falling Waters side first, hitting Little Haystack's overcast and cloud-covered peak. We kept moving in hopes it would clear off soon enough to more or less no avail. I walked by and gave the rocky summit of Mt. Truman, or Lincoln South, a nod in passing. Shortly after that, I had to stop and stretch - hamstring cramps from tightness or electrolyte imbalance. I watered up, stretched, and got a move on. Once we continued to ascend to Lincoln it looked as if the cloud cover might burn off after all, but we kept rolling because we knew that the weather could be teasing us and we didn't want to be up there in the event of lightning.

We triumphantly got to Lafayette's summit as the clouds broke out a bit and i snapped off a few pics before we kept moving to descend to the greenleaf hut, where we topped off our water, hit the rest room and had a snack. The sun shone for a bit and we decided to move on, as it seemed like the clouds still might show rain. And we got sprinkled on a bit as we descended but were in the treeline at that point. timely as that was, there were downpours as we hit the highway to head south back home.

Photos:

Mt Lafayette, Mt Lincoln,  Mt. Truman,  Little Haystack mountain, 10SEP16

I'd like to hike the ridge line again, maybe doing Flume through Garfield as a traverse could be fun as a Pemi-Half. Or that would be a Pemi-Third, wouldn't it, maybe?

16 July 2016: North and South Hancock

Middle of July seemed like a great time to go out hiking, and I wanted to grab a quick set of peaks today. Mt Hancock's North and South peaks are located just off the Kanc, and the reports made it sound like a good hike to try solo.

History: Mt Hancock is named for John Hancock, a founding father of this country. Technically, the south peak is "unnamed".

Peak Elevation: North peak 4420ft.; South peak 4319 ft.
Elevation Gain: 2575 ft
Trail: Hancock Notch Tr., Hancock Loop Tr.
Length: 9.8 mi.
Time on Trail : 0750
Time off Trail: 1330

Rolling out that morning the heat index was supposed to be moderate to high, so i figured starting earlier would be best. On trail before 0800 was a good idea as the heat index did indeed get to the high 80's. I had plenty of water and coverage for my head and arms, but did remember to put on sunscreen. The trail started out kind of like a nature walk, nice and flat with even ups and downs. lots of roots. minor stream crossings. the uphill wasn't all that bad getting to where the loop trail forks off to the north and south. I went south and quickly ascended both peaks, and kept moving as the heat was only going to get worse. I passed a number of people on my way back to my car, and encountered another hiker i chatted with on the way through who was having some foot pain. I regret not offering to assist, but i kept moving after catching my breath. they were on a flat portion and only had about 1.5 miles back to the trailhead so i am sure they were fine.

Photos:

Mt. Hancock, North and South peak  16JUL16

I wrapped up around 1330 and was pretty stoked at the pace i had done in the heat.

26 June 2016: Mt Moriah

Today we were supposed to hike one of the Carters, but got sidetracked when the GPS didnt have us turn due to signal loss so we called an audible and hiked Mount Moriah instead.

History: I am unsure of the origins of the name, but I believe this could be a Biblical reference.

Peak Elevation: 4049 ft
Elevation Gain: 3250 ft
Trail: Carter-Moriah Tr.
Length: 9.0 mi
Time on Trail : 0930
Time off Trail: 1600

Given the late hour in which we started, i didnt take much time to get photos snapped. I dont recall much of this trip, given it's backdated status nearly 2 years later. I recall the hike not being too awful and the weather was nice for June - not too muggy or buggy. Along the way we hit Mt. Surprise, which had some viewpoints along the trail. Mt Moriah is along the AT's route.

Photos:

Mt. Moriah 26JUN16