31 August 2017: Mount Pemigewasset (Indian Head)

This was a real treat of a day. I bagged a quick peak with good sights, and got to venture out with a friend from work and her dog, who is an unstoppable bundle of energy. I will dub my friend "Zoey", for references henceforth.

History: The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki (language used by tribes of the Algonquin nation of the northeast US) word for "where side (entering) current is". This peak is also known as Indian Head Mountain, which I imagine is less favored in current times.


Peak Elevation: 2557 ft.
Elevation Gain: ~ 1300 ft
Trail: Mt. Pemigewasset Trail
Length: 3.3 mi
Time on Trail : 0830
Time off Trail: 1230

The hike starts at the Flume Gorge Visitors Center, taking the paved bike path for a few hundred feet before taking a hard left to begin walking under a few underpasses below the roadways. Somewhat marshy, I imagine this section can be bad during the bug season. Once past the roadways, it ascends at a moderate grade on a not-perfectly-marked trail to the peak. Going up we stopped once or twice to get our bearings as it was not perfectly evident where the actual trail was. But once we hit the top it opened up pretty nicely to a good sized ledge with a gnarly drop-off.

While not a blue-sky day it was a good day to be out, as it wasn't raining but rather overcast while we were up there. I imagine if we hung out there a while the sun would have burned off much of the cloud cover. The descent was fun because LOGAN kept stopped to sniff/eat/roll in everything. Zoey let his leash go a few times to let him do his thing well off trail, which resulted in me getting entertainment for the day as he refused to listen. As a Catahoula Lepoard, he was in his element on this mountainside. We got back in the car by noonish, after fighting with LOGAN who didn't want to go home yet.



Not many photos today - I was spending most of my time trying to keep the pace with Zoey and LOGAN.

Photos:

Mt Pemigewasset 31AUG17

Another slightly backdated entry....

25 August 2017: Carter Dome, Mount Hight

This was my first trip out with Bob The Lovegoat this season. we had tried a few times to plan this hike but the weather or my headaches kept interfering. Mr Lovegoat had not yet done Hight, if i recall correctly, as he skipped it on his trek to do the NH48 List since it is not an official 4000 foot peak per the AMC standard. You can see Lovegoat's trip report here

History: Carter dome is the pinnacle of the Carter-Moriah Range. The range is name for a homesteading family in the early settling years of the area. Mt. Hight is a sub-peak of Carter Dome, touted to offer the best views on this range. One source i found attributes the name of this peak to a man named James Hight from Jefferson NH. Another tells a more folky story of a pair of hunters - named Hight and Carter - who get separated and ascend two different peaks to find one another. These peaks were named after each man. The peak Hight is said to have ascended was renamed by Guyot to what we now know as Wildcat (A), but to preserve the name the northern subpeak of Carter Dome was named in Hight's honor.


Peak Elevation: 4832 ft (Carter Dome); 4675 ft (Mt. Hight)
Elevation Gain: 3400 ft
Trail: 19 Mile Brook Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Zeta Pass, Carter-Moriah Trail.
Length: 11.9 mi.
Time on Trail : 0930
Time off Trail: 1630

I showed up around the same time as Lovegoat, and we go since he had some childcare time conflict he needed to avoid at the end of the day. Boomer was with us. The Nineteen Mile brook was pleasant but eventually mundane trail to ascend and descend. The weather was supposed to be OK but was overcast with some rain drops during the day. Finicky weather patterns off the Presi's sometimes. Once we got to the Carter Dome Trail, we found some rougher terrain as we worked towards Zeta Pass to head to Mt. Hight first. The views from Hight are phenomenal:

via GIPHY

After this we saw some of the looming clouds in the higher peaks nearby, and moved on to Carter Dome in case there was some stronger winds inbound. making quick work of the col between the two peaks we found Carter Dome populated with a few groups when we arrived. Ok, when I arrive,d because Boomer and Lovegoat are faster than I am on inclines. I found him trying to entice Boomer into taking some photos.After a snack and some time chatting with some people, I snapped a quick set of pictures up there to commemorate the peaks bagged, and we began descending towards Carter Notch Hut. We saw Carter Lake and a handful of fast-moving AT kids after their descent from Wildcat. Making no time for stops we trucked on to finsihe the day returning to the Nineteen Mile Brook TH.


Photos:

Carter Dome, Mt Hight 25AUG17

Slightly backdated entry from later in 2017

17 June 2017: Mt. Cabot, The Bulge, The Horn

This was a venture I made with a friend from high school, whom i hiked Mt. Laffayette, Lincoln, and Little Haystack back in 2016 - Lady Bee Wild. Today we went to get some of the more out-of-the-way summits - Mt Cabot, The Bulge and the Horn.

History: Mt Cabot is named for Italian Explorer Sebastian Cabot, known for seeking the Northwest Passage. I imagine the Bulge and the Horn are physical descriptors which stuck in the naming scheme of the area.

Peak Elevation: Mt Cabot 4170 ft; The Horn 3905 ft.; The Bulge 3950 ft
Elevation Gain: 2422 ft (net)
Trail: Unknown Pond Tr., Kilkenny Ridge Tr.
Length: 10.4 mi
Time on Trail : 0900 ish
Time off Trail: 1500 ish

We got on trail by mid-morning, after my Jeep almost killed us with a series of death wobbles. But we made it there and back in one piece! The day looked like it would be clear, but warm and muggy. This did not prepare me for the swath of flies that resided on the mid-to-upper elevations. We also saw wildlife signs on the trail - after much debate i decided it was probably moose scat on trail in 2-3 locations. No actual sightings though.

I knew that the wooded summit of Cabot was not going to offer much to look at aside from maybe some side trails to outlooks, so we made a point to hit the Horn and spend some time taking in the views before moving on. We chatted with a couple of hikers up there while taking in the views, the sun, and some fuel. On our way off the Horn, Lady B. Wild had a spill that luckily did not damage her or her camera. We moved briskly towards the Bulge and Cabot before making headway back to the car - the bugs were bad and the heat index was climbing. We wanted to be done sooner than later and the Jeep was a welcome sight.

Not many photos from this one, the wooded summits of Cabot and the Bulge just encouraged us to keep moving. The Horn was worth the trip to all peaks though.

Photos:

Mt Cabot, The Horn, the Bulge 17June17

Would I do this one again? maybe, just to see the Horn again. Looking forward to more hikes with Lady B. Wild - she's good people!

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.