I had some time to burn and thought i could train my way up to being in shape enough to do Katahdin's Baxter and Hamlin peaks, and the knife's edge in September. Here's how it went.
History: Katahdin is part of Baxter state park, which was donated by a former Governor of Maine after buying 6000 acres of land including Katahdin for preservation purposes. Over time, more land was purchased and gifted to the state to what is now over 200,000 acres of state park. Katahdin has 2 main peaks and a number of other features in the area. Baxter peak is the last of the Appalachain Trail at it's northern terminus. Nearby Hamlin peak is another NE67 peak on the mountain.
Peak Elevation: Paloma peak (4919 ft)
Trail: Helon Taylor Trail
Length: 6.4mi
My intentions with this trip was to bag Katahdin's Baxter and Hamlin peaks, and maybe taking the knife's edge trail. Never was able to scrounge up a hiking buddy for the trip but met some cool people along the way. The result was me getting to the top of Paloma, where the knife's edge ridge goes to Baxter peak. I was running low on water and energy, and did not feel safe trying for Baxter on the knife's edge given my lack of physical conditioning for the hike in the first place. Also there's a bunch of open trail above treeline there and I was dehydrating fast. I don't recall why i decided to try and get the knife's edge out of the way first but that was probably a mistake. I had camped the night before and was a bit cold when I woke. I hope they gave my site to an AT hiker or something. I gave what firewood i had purchased to some other campers and a few of my beers i had with me.
Photos:
https://imgur.com/gallery/Jin8YnK
Next time I'm going up and bagging Baxter/Hamlin and probably passing on Knife's edge unless I am in better shape.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Saturday, July 28, 2018
27 July 2018: Kinsman Mountain, North peak
This hike was the first of the year and i hadn't really conditioned myself for it. I knew what to expect but still forgto some essentail day-of prep work like popping Advil in the morning to help control the swelling I have after I'm done. This trip was with BishopX and we intended to grab both Kinsman peaks. The Forecast had some possible rain in the morning and a big storm system coming up in the afternoon. Expecting to be able to get both peaks we proceeded with this plan.
History: Kinsman Mountain is named after an early resident of the area, Nathan Kinsman. The Fishin’ Jimmy trail is named after James Whitcher, a man who once lived in Franconia. I imagine he tried fishing once.
Peak Elevation: 4293 ft
Elevation Gain: 2526 ft
Trails: Lonesome Lake Tr., Cascade Brook Tr., Fishin' Jimmy Tr., Kinsman Ridge Tr.
Length: 8.8 mi
Time on Trail : 0920
Time off Trail: 1640
As previously stated in this post, the intent was get both Kinsman peaks. We got a bit later of a start than planned, but once going it got warm and humid fast, which did not help my poor conditioning. On the way up, the terrain up to the Lonesome Lake Hut was pretty steady and easy going. We took a moment for photos but kept moving on because of the forecast. The Fishin' Jimmy trail, as advised by BishopX, had lots of pointless up and downs for a good portion of it. On the return hike we tried to go from memory for how many there were and laughed when wrong. Once we made it to the Kinsman Ridge trail, my trail pains had subsided and we plowed onward to the north peak in spite of the ominous clouds to our southwest. Not long after we found the high point, we visited the viewpoint not far from there and began hearing thunder booms at increasing succession and perceived closeness. We opted to skip the South Peak, 0.9 miles away, in anticipation of potential lightning strikes. By the time we made it to the junction where you can go to the Kinsman Pond area, it had started misting a bit. We spoke to the caretaker and she kindly pointed us to the shelter, where we had lunch and chatted up 3 other hikers and the caretaker while the storm downpouring went on. we lost about an hour waiting that out but i'm glad we did so we could stay dry at that point. Navigating the trail went well after that in spite of the rain. Not long after we saw some hikers from Europe going up who marveled at our dryness, it started raining some more and we just kept pressing onwards so we could get home and dry. Intermittent downpours later and we were back at Lafayette Campground. For losing time to a storm our time was not terrible.
Photos:
https://imgur.com/a/q2ePmMF
I plan to go get the South Peak this year, probably will take another route, maybe the Mt Kinsman Trail.
History: Kinsman Mountain is named after an early resident of the area, Nathan Kinsman. The Fishin’ Jimmy trail is named after James Whitcher, a man who once lived in Franconia. I imagine he tried fishing once.
Peak Elevation: 4293 ft
Elevation Gain: 2526 ft
Trails: Lonesome Lake Tr., Cascade Brook Tr., Fishin' Jimmy Tr., Kinsman Ridge Tr.
Length: 8.8 mi
Time on Trail : 0920
Time off Trail: 1640
As previously stated in this post, the intent was get both Kinsman peaks. We got a bit later of a start than planned, but once going it got warm and humid fast, which did not help my poor conditioning. On the way up, the terrain up to the Lonesome Lake Hut was pretty steady and easy going. We took a moment for photos but kept moving on because of the forecast. The Fishin' Jimmy trail, as advised by BishopX, had lots of pointless up and downs for a good portion of it. On the return hike we tried to go from memory for how many there were and laughed when wrong. Once we made it to the Kinsman Ridge trail, my trail pains had subsided and we plowed onward to the north peak in spite of the ominous clouds to our southwest. Not long after we found the high point, we visited the viewpoint not far from there and began hearing thunder booms at increasing succession and perceived closeness. We opted to skip the South Peak, 0.9 miles away, in anticipation of potential lightning strikes. By the time we made it to the junction where you can go to the Kinsman Pond area, it had started misting a bit. We spoke to the caretaker and she kindly pointed us to the shelter, where we had lunch and chatted up 3 other hikers and the caretaker while the storm downpouring went on. we lost about an hour waiting that out but i'm glad we did so we could stay dry at that point. Navigating the trail went well after that in spite of the rain. Not long after we saw some hikers from Europe going up who marveled at our dryness, it started raining some more and we just kept pressing onwards so we could get home and dry. Intermittent downpours later and we were back at Lafayette Campground. For losing time to a storm our time was not terrible.
Photos:
https://imgur.com/a/q2ePmMF
I plan to go get the South Peak this year, probably will take another route, maybe the Mt Kinsman Trail.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
2018 goals and plans
So over the past few months i have been backdating entries as my time allows - i usually do it in marathon sessions which involves some research that i do not have up front, which occupies about half the time spent. Given that this blog was started in 2017, as my season was crawling to its close, I didn't do anything like this before. So bear with me if it seems scatterbrained. My goals for hiking this year are as follows: 15 peaks from 52 WAV list, 12 peaks from NH48, and 3 or 4 from the NE67 that reside outside of NH. Here's an early projection of what my approximate plan is:
52 WAV hikes:
- Mt Crawford, Mt Resolution, Stairs Mountain 11.2 mi
- Magalloway Mountain
- Mt Hayes
- Sugarloaf Mountain (Nash Stream Forest) 4.2 mi
- Mt Shelburne Moriah
- Mt Success
- Three Sisters
- Shaw
- North and South Baldface
- Eastman
- North Doublehead
- Smarts
- West Royce
NH48 Hikes:
- West Bond, Mt Bond, Bondcliff, Zealand 19ish mi
- North and South Twin 11ish mi.
- Wildcat D, Wildcat A
- Madison and Adams 10.1 mi
- North and South Kinsman
Non-NH28 peaks from NE67:
- Katahdin (ME14) looking to do this around Septemberish
- Killington (VT5)
- Mt. Abraham (VT5)
- Mt. Ellen (VT5)
To date, i have 30/48, 30/67 and 20/52.
I hope to continue hiking with BTLG, Bishop X and some old and new work friends this year, but will never back down from doing any of these as a solo venture.
I'll probably make some edits to this with mileages and intended trails for my own tracking purposes.
52 WAV hikes:
- Mt Crawford, Mt Resolution, Stairs Mountain 11.2 mi
- Magalloway Mountain
- Mt Hayes
- Sugarloaf Mountain (Nash Stream Forest) 4.2 mi
- Mt Shelburne Moriah
- Mt Success
- Three Sisters
- Shaw
- North and South Baldface
- Eastman
- North Doublehead
- Smarts
- West Royce
NH48 Hikes:
- West Bond, Mt Bond, Bondcliff, Zealand 19ish mi
- North and South Twin 11ish mi.
- Wildcat D, Wildcat A
- Madison and Adams 10.1 mi
- North and South Kinsman
Non-NH28 peaks from NE67:
- Katahdin (ME14) looking to do this around Septemberish
- Killington (VT5)
- Mt. Abraham (VT5)
- Mt. Ellen (VT5)
To date, i have 30/48, 30/67 and 20/52.
I hope to continue hiking with BTLG, Bishop X and some old and new work friends this year, but will never back down from doing any of these as a solo venture.
I'll probably make some edits to this with mileages and intended trails for my own tracking purposes.
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
08 November 2017: Mount Roberts
This might be the last time I venture out this year. The cold weather is here and I have a winter activity that demands much of my time. I debated making a stab at nabbing a 4000 footer but opted instead for something a little bit more low mileage and elevation
History: Mt Roberts Is the westernmost peak on the Castle in the Clouds conservation trust property, which in part includes peaks on the Ossipee Range. The trust was established in 1979 to preserve the mountains and property which has a gorgeous views of the lakes and mountains in the area. Mount Roberts was named after a family which settled in the area.
Peak Elevation: 2582 ft
Elevation Gain: ~1300 ft.
Trail: Mt. Roberts Trail, roadway
Length: 5.0 mi.
Time on Trail: 1030
Time off Trail: 1315
I prked at the signage with the map and trail descriptions, which added a bit of length to the hike before I realized I could have parked at the carriage house and saved some mileage. No complaints about that though. The trail map describes this tral as “strenuous”, which would translate to Moderate anywhere else in the whites. The trail grade starts off easy, has one steeper section then it levels off to mostly moderate grades thereafter.
Along the way are a number of viewpoints and vistas, some of which seem to be “maintained” which is a change of pace for me since I am used to seeing more wilderness and blowdown viewpoints. The mountain’s vista s afford you to think that you’re almost there, but the trail follows the mountain’s many shoulders as it slopes downwards. With 1300 or so feet of gain over the 2.3 or so miles, this was a pleasant half-day hike. Once I reached the sign for the summit of Roberts I looked around and saw some higher ground, which I had to trudge through some vegetation to get to. I wish I had the time to have made the trek over to Mt. Shaw and Black Snout to do a bit of Peakbagging. I’ll definitely be back because the views of the lakes are stunning and worth revisiting.
Photos:
History: Mt Roberts Is the westernmost peak on the Castle in the Clouds conservation trust property, which in part includes peaks on the Ossipee Range. The trust was established in 1979 to preserve the mountains and property which has a gorgeous views of the lakes and mountains in the area. Mount Roberts was named after a family which settled in the area.
Peak Elevation: 2582 ft
Elevation Gain: ~1300 ft.
Trail: Mt. Roberts Trail, roadway
Length: 5.0 mi.
Time on Trail: 1030
Time off Trail: 1315
I prked at the signage with the map and trail descriptions, which added a bit of length to the hike before I realized I could have parked at the carriage house and saved some mileage. No complaints about that though. The trail map describes this tral as “strenuous”, which would translate to Moderate anywhere else in the whites. The trail grade starts off easy, has one steeper section then it levels off to mostly moderate grades thereafter.
Along the way are a number of viewpoints and vistas, some of which seem to be “maintained” which is a change of pace for me since I am used to seeing more wilderness and blowdown viewpoints. The mountain’s vista s afford you to think that you’re almost there, but the trail follows the mountain’s many shoulders as it slopes downwards. With 1300 or so feet of gain over the 2.3 or so miles, this was a pleasant half-day hike. Once I reached the sign for the summit of Roberts I looked around and saw some higher ground, which I had to trudge through some vegetation to get to. I wish I had the time to have made the trek over to Mt. Shaw and Black Snout to do a bit of Peakbagging. I’ll definitely be back because the views of the lakes are stunning and worth revisiting.
Photos:
Mount Roberts (NH) 08Nov17Tuesday, October 24, 2017
22 October 2017: Mount Cube
This past sunday, I intended to go do an aggressive in length hike for 3 52WAV peaks, but woke up a bit late. So I opted for a shorter in length hike to grab one 52WAV peak, in Mt Cube.
History: Some sources indicate that this peak was originally named Mt. Cuba, after a hunting dog that was killed by a bear near the summit. “Mt. Cube” was said to be a local corruption of this name. A different story going around says that “Cuba” was applied by a West Indian sailor who settled locally, presumably after the Caribbean island.
Peak Elevation: 2909 ft
Elevation Gain: ~2200 ft.
Trail:Mt Cube Trail (AT)
Length:6.6 miles
Time on Trail : 10:15
Time off Trail: 14:00
Getting to the trail is pretty easy - NH-25A in Orford NH. Set your GPS to go to Upper Bakler Pond Rd, Orford NH and the trailhead has signage viewable from the road. Parking is roadside - remember to park as well onto the shoulder as you can. You'll see a sign for Camp Moosilauke, and the trail you want is right across the road. the AT crosses the highway, resuming about 100 yards to the east.
The trail ascends gradually, making an indirect appraoch to the peak of Mt Cube. Only one true water crossing on this day, though in spring and after rain, I can ssee a few drainage paths seeming like more. There was some gnarly erosion at one drainage section that will require a bit of rerouting, which it looks as if someone has started the process as seen by the surveyors tape. The early switchbacks were kind of annoying and I can definitely agree that there is an opportunity to take a bushwack to the top here. I'd do so at risk only knowing the boggy land to the east of the mountain might mean a bad day for someone who doesn't scout this out beforehand.
The top offers great views into the Connecticut River Valley into Vermont. I did not take time to speculate which peaks were what, though i suspect I could see Camel's hump and Mt. Abraham and Mt Ellen. Mt Moosilauke is able to be seen from the peak as well.
Photos:
I opted not to go to the north side peak of Mt. Cube, as I wanted to make it home in time to watch the 4pm football games. for the same reason i opted to not take the additional 1.5 miles to the Hexacuba shelter, which its 5-sided privy.
I'll be backdating some entries hereon out as a try to recount the important stuff I did on my 4000 footers and 52WAV quest.
Useful sources used for this post:
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xMQt0PwFw8vuVwMLzVFTwI0k1TwX66AM4Ht6aeQaMiM/edit
- http://outdoors.dartmouth.edu/activities/hiking/hikes/cube.html
History: Some sources indicate that this peak was originally named Mt. Cuba, after a hunting dog that was killed by a bear near the summit. “Mt. Cube” was said to be a local corruption of this name. A different story going around says that “Cuba” was applied by a West Indian sailor who settled locally, presumably after the Caribbean island.
Peak Elevation: 2909 ft
Elevation Gain: ~2200 ft.
Trail:Mt Cube Trail (AT)
Length:6.6 miles
Time on Trail : 10:15
Time off Trail: 14:00
Getting to the trail is pretty easy - NH-25A in Orford NH. Set your GPS to go to Upper Bakler Pond Rd, Orford NH and the trailhead has signage viewable from the road. Parking is roadside - remember to park as well onto the shoulder as you can. You'll see a sign for Camp Moosilauke, and the trail you want is right across the road. the AT crosses the highway, resuming about 100 yards to the east.
The trail ascends gradually, making an indirect appraoch to the peak of Mt Cube. Only one true water crossing on this day, though in spring and after rain, I can ssee a few drainage paths seeming like more. There was some gnarly erosion at one drainage section that will require a bit of rerouting, which it looks as if someone has started the process as seen by the surveyors tape. The early switchbacks were kind of annoying and I can definitely agree that there is an opportunity to take a bushwack to the top here. I'd do so at risk only knowing the boggy land to the east of the mountain might mean a bad day for someone who doesn't scout this out beforehand.
The top offers great views into the Connecticut River Valley into Vermont. I did not take time to speculate which peaks were what, though i suspect I could see Camel's hump and Mt. Abraham and Mt Ellen. Mt Moosilauke is able to be seen from the peak as well.
Photos:
Mt Cube NH 22Oct17I opted not to go to the north side peak of Mt. Cube, as I wanted to make it home in time to watch the 4pm football games. for the same reason i opted to not take the additional 1.5 miles to the Hexacuba shelter, which its 5-sided privy.
I'll be backdating some entries hereon out as a try to recount the important stuff I did on my 4000 footers and 52WAV quest.
Useful sources used for this post:
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xMQt0PwFw8vuVwMLzVFTwI0k1TwX66AM4Ht6aeQaMiM/edit
- http://outdoors.dartmouth.edu/activities/hiking/hikes/cube.html
Friday, October 20, 2017
20 October 2017: Mount Kearsarge North
Work has slowed down a bit so I opted for a farther north hike than normal while we had the prolonged nice weather during this fall season.
History: Located along the eastern edge of NH, Mt Kearsarge North is a real gem as far as views go. On a clear day you can see into the Presidential range and far into the interior of Maine. Originally named Mt. Pequawket, after a local Native tribe, it was renamed to Kearsarge North in 1957. The fire tower up there started out as an inn run by the AMC, which subsequently burned down a few times before being granted to the state for use as a fire tower.
Peak Elevation: 3268 ft
Elevation Gain: ~2600 ft
Trail: Mt Kearsarge North Trail
Length: 6.2 mi
Time on Trail: 1015
Time off Trail: 1400
The parking situation is pretty easy to see - there isn’t much here but the roadway has some decent shoulders you can pull off of. Just don't block people's driveways - some have it marked.
The trail is pretty gradual with pretty clearly marked headings. Some areas I needed to stop and look around as I crossed rock faces to determine next course but all in all, this well-traveled path requires no special guidance. I saw many dogs on this warmer-than-expected sunny day. clear views from the fire tower, which was seeing some pretty gnarly gusts when I was up there. I'm glad i carried an extra shirt in my pack, otherwise i would have been chilled for a while.
This is somehow not on the firetower quest list.
Photos:
This made it #17 for me on the 52 WAV list. I would gladly do it again.
History: Located along the eastern edge of NH, Mt Kearsarge North is a real gem as far as views go. On a clear day you can see into the Presidential range and far into the interior of Maine. Originally named Mt. Pequawket, after a local Native tribe, it was renamed to Kearsarge North in 1957. The fire tower up there started out as an inn run by the AMC, which subsequently burned down a few times before being granted to the state for use as a fire tower.
Peak Elevation: 3268 ft
Elevation Gain: ~2600 ft
Trail: Mt Kearsarge North Trail
Length: 6.2 mi
Time on Trail: 1015
Time off Trail: 1400
The parking situation is pretty easy to see - there isn’t much here but the roadway has some decent shoulders you can pull off of. Just don't block people's driveways - some have it marked.
The trail is pretty gradual with pretty clearly marked headings. Some areas I needed to stop and look around as I crossed rock faces to determine next course but all in all, this well-traveled path requires no special guidance. I saw many dogs on this warmer-than-expected sunny day. clear views from the fire tower, which was seeing some pretty gnarly gusts when I was up there. I'm glad i carried an extra shirt in my pack, otherwise i would have been chilled for a while.
This is somehow not on the firetower quest list.
Photos:
Mt Kearsarge North, 20Oct17This made it #17 for me on the 52 WAV list. I would gladly do it again.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
17 October 2017: Mount Willard
It being peak foliage in this section of NH I wanted to go and crush a quick hike up Mt Willard near Crawford Notch. I knew this one would be amazing as I have been on this ridge before when I did Tom / Field / Willey / Avalon some time ago.
Peak Elevation: 2865 ft.
Elevation Gain: 1100 ft.
Trail: Mt Willard Trail
Length: 4.0 mi
Time on Trail: 1015
Time off Trail: 1200
The trail is not very long but has some moderate steepness to certain sections. The work to get to the top is absolutely worth the effort. Doable for people of many abilities - I did see someone who was probably in her 60's walking up with her husband. Dogs all over the place - I saw 3 Bernese Mountain dogs on this trail! I had a little snack at the top and then descended.
Photos:
Peak Elevation: 2865 ft.
Elevation Gain: 1100 ft.
Trail: Mt Willard Trail
Length: 4.0 mi
Time on Trail: 1015
Time off Trail: 1200
The trail is not very long but has some moderate steepness to certain sections. The work to get to the top is absolutely worth the effort. Doable for people of many abilities - I did see someone who was probably in her 60's walking up with her husband. Dogs all over the place - I saw 3 Bernese Mountain dogs on this trail! I had a little snack at the top and then descended.
Photos:
Mt Willard (NH), 17OCT17
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