A Sweltering Spring Day on the Presidentials - April 10, 2021

I spent much of this past Saturday above treeline and what a day it was. I went up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail at 5:30 planning on doing a loop of Monroe, Washington and Jefferson. My stretch goal was Adams and Madison based on time/how I felt. Conditions were mixed on the way up but the I was able to bareboot the first 1.5 miles before putting on my microspikes. I had never been on the Ammo Ravine trail before and really enjoyed the amount of rushing water, especially this time of year. The trail became difficult to follow up high, there's didn't seem to be many cairns along the last stretch to the hut. Met two folks who camped against the Lake of the Clouds hut. It was funny as they actually wished they had had more wind in order to dry their stuff some. The trail from this point on was a mix of bare rock, snow and ice so I took my spikes off for what would end up being the rest of the day.

Bluebird skies at the top of Monroe and the views were incredible. It was already feeling warm with temps in the 40s and almost no wind. Foolishly I realized I didn't pack sunscreen and even more foolishly I realized I left my hat in the car. I knew it would get cloudy in the afternoon and I was hoping that maybe the clouds would roll in sooner rather than later.

Crawford Path was a stream at times leading up to Washington and I was already hot and tired when I got to the summit. Not a great sign but it was 8:30 when I got up there and I was surprised to find I had the summit to myself. Took shelter in the shade while I had a snack and then I began the long journey to Jefferson. I started to encounter people along this stretch including skiers which I found amusing. I know there was still good skiing to be had but on the Gulfside trail with so much bare rock everywhere they looked out of place.

I reached Mt. Jefferson and had a decision. The sun had been relentless to this point. I was making myself drink lots of water (thankfully no shortage of water sources on this day) and felt good overall but knew that the heat was taking its toll. It was only about 10:30 so still early in the day and I didn't want to head down yet. So I opted to continue on to Adams, knowing that I would have to backtrack to at least Jefferson in order to head down. This stretch was long and tiring so I took my time and rested when necessary. Saw a couple big groups doing the whole traverse between Jefferson and Adams. There were a goodly number of people on the Adams summit but they cleared out soon after and I enjoyed the summit to myself for a few minutes.

Madison always looks so close (and so much lower) from the summit of Adams but time was already starting to eek away from me and I thought better of pressing on. I made the correct decision to head back to Jefferson. I attempted to take the Cornice Trail to avoid summiting Jefferson again but I got confused by the sign at the Edmonds Col. Cornice Trail didn't seem to have been used recently and I was leery of venturing into its snowfield so I opted to just go up Jefferson again. A slow slog ensued. But at least the clouds had appeared in force and I was out of the sun much of the time.

Back on the summit of Jefferson. Again. Took a long break and enjoyed snacks. I decided to take Caps Ridge Trail down from Jefferson. I had never been on it before but I had just read a recent report from someone who did Caps Ridge > road walk > Border Line Trail to get back to the Ammo parking lot. It sounded interested. And so it was. Caps Ridge above treeline was wonderful. I really enjoyed the rock formations. Once in the woods, the trail was sloppy heavy snow as the report suggested. I finally was able to put on my snowshoes and was happy they got some use on this day.

The road walk was enjoyable as it's downhill and mostly bare/minimal snow. The only problem was that despite watching the distance on my watch I somehow missed the sign for the Border Line Trail and went 0.4 miles past it. That was annoying but now that I was off the mountains and out of the sun, I didn't mind. As advertised the Border Line Trail was a soggy mess. Lots of submerged bridges and flowing water. And strange microclimates - there were cool sections and then it would suddenly feel hot and humid. Wild. The short section of Jewell Trail to finish the day seemed to go forever and I was grateful when the road and parking lot seemed to appear from out of nowhere.

Overall a great day. I'm kicking myself for not being prepared for the relentless sun but I just kept up the water/food intake and made it through alright. It was nice seeing familiar faces up on the ridgeline and I'm grateful I had the opportunity to get in this quick trip and enjoy such fantastic conditions. I'm happy with how my video came out.

Mt. Moriah and Rattle River - Fall Hiking in the White Mountains

Went up to New Hampshire last weekend with my wife Amanda. It was great to get away for the weekend and the weather promised to be extremely nice for November. I wanted her to pick the hike and she poured over the map before deciding on Mt. Moriah. To my surprise she wanted to take the Rattle River Trail, figuring that this longer route probably would be quieter. She was certainly correct. We say very few people until we hit the summit.

The leaves were all but gone from the trees and made for a crunchy first few miles as they were all underfoot. The Rattle River was certainly not impressive with the general lack of rain but it's constant burbling was welcome. The rested briefly at the Rattle River shelter where an overnighter was packing up to ascend. He passed us not long after at a river crossing. When we reached the trail intersection a decision was to be made. Amanda had to choose between Mt. Moriah and Shelbourne Moriah - we knew we likely wouldn't have the time or energy for both - and she opted for Mt. Moriah. The next section of trail was lovely with more bog bridges and moderate climbs. 

I wasn't surprised that the summit was packed with people but we found a little corner to rest and enjoy our lunch. After about 15 minutes up top it was time to head back the same way. It was a long hike out - this was Amanda's longest single day hike to date and we were both ready to be done as sunset approached. We reached the car around 4:30 pm - it had taken us about 8.5 hours and we were tired but satisfied. 

In retrospect booking a hotel in Plymouth for afterwards wasn't the best choice as it made for a long ride but Amanda was able to rest and it afforded me the opportunity to hike Moosilauke the next day so it was worth it. We brought a pizza up to our hotel room and relaxed for the rest of the evening. This was Amanda's 14th 4000 footer and she did great despite the exhaustion. Always wonderful to hike with her. 

Here's the video of our hike. As always I appreciate everyone who takes the time to watch, like and subscribe!

Mt. Moosilauke - November 8, 2020

My wife and I spent the weekend in the Whites, spending Saturday hiking Mt. Moriah (separate report coming for that one). We stayed in Plymouth on Saturday night and I snuck out of the hotel in the wee hours and made the 30 minute drive to the Glencliff trailhead. I've never been up Moosilauke from this trail and figured it shouldn't be too hard to follow with a headlamp. I was correct although I still managed to go off trail once or twice as one does in the dark. Originally I didn't think I'd make it up for sunrise but I was making good time and started to push when I realized I was on target. There was a one short section of Glencliff that was fairly icy, making me regret my lack of spikes momentarily, but it was short lived.

Once I reached Carriage Rd I could see the spectacular sunrise poking through the trees. I pushed as fast as I could in order to get above treeline before the colors faded. I didn't encounter any more ice - just a lot of mud. I was able to get my look at the sunrise which was splendid. I continued on to the summit which ended up being more overcast than anything. But the weather was so warm that I was able to throw on my synthetic jacket and linger up there for twenty minutes despite the steady breeze and being in shorts. The last time on Moosilauke it was a bit of a zoo so having the summit to myself was a nice treat.

Originally I had planned to just descend Glencliff but I was doing well on time so I decided to head down Carriage Rd and take the Hurricane trail back to the car. There was one brief section of snow/ice on Carriage Rd but otherwise the trail was fairly dry. And a joy to run down. Hurricane trail had a couple peaceful streams and a partially obstructed viewpoint at height of land. This trail was marked well by blue blazes which I was thankful for as it was a little tough to follow with recent heavy leaf cover.

Happy to fit this one in before heading home. After showering and checking out we still had time for a tasty outdoor breakfast at the Main Street Diner (maybe the best homefries I've had). See below for a short video of my hike!

Round 2 of 4000 Footers Complete - Mt. Carrigain and Vose Spur

 Finished up my second round of the 4000 Footers last Saturday on Mt. Carrigain.  After hammock camping in the birch woods two miles from the summit on Friday night, I woke up early and hiked up in the dark to finish Round 2. 

Then I went around the backside and bushwhacked up Vose Spur as part of the New England Hundred Highest.  There's a fairly well defined herd path so it's not a true bushwhack but it was certainly still a lot of work.  

Pretty happy with this video which gets a little silly at times - all in remembrance of a great pair of crocs that are gone forever.

White Mountain Weekend - June 2020

I made it up to the Whites a few weeks ago for another of my solo hiking trips.  With everything going on with the virus I wanted to minimize my impact as much as possible.  To that end I got gas at the border and avoided all shops, restaurants and gas stations while I was up there.  I drove up Friday and returned Sunday morning, sleeping in my car both nights.  The only time I wasn't hiking was Saturday afternoon when I took the opportunity to take a drive through Evans Notch, a section of the Whites I was completely unfamiliar with.  It was nice to finally get a glimpse of the Baldfaces and the other peaks over there I've yet to explore.

I want to finish Round # 2 of the NH 4000 Footers this year so I went up there with the goal of chipping away at the nine I had left.  Cannon and the Kinsmans on Friday took care of three.  Mt. Jefferson and East Osceola brought my list down to four peaks.

I've been focusing on vertical gain this year in preparation for mountain work and I think it made a difference.  While I cannot simulate the hour long climbs of the Whites down here in Rhode Island I feel like my legs were stronger from all the hill repeats,  I think it gave me the focus to run up inclines I may have previously hiked.  And I still had a good amount of pickup in the legs for Sunday's ascent of the Osceolas. 

If you'd like to see a video of the weekend here you go!

Weekly Log: 7.11.16 - 7.17.16

Monday - Charlestown, RI - 12.1 miles

Took the dog out early for a few walking miles.  I am working from home on Mondays so at lunch I went over to Green Hill.  Ran a bunch of dead-end roads I had never been on and then a bit of the beach before heading back to the car.

In the afternoon Ezri and I went over to Chariho High School for the first in their series of summer fun runs.  While I'd love to get down to WTAC's in Westerly it doesn't really jive with my hour commute.  But since I'm working from home on Monday's this one works out well.

I tried to convince Ez to run the 1 mile but she was determined to run the 3 mile instead.  So I jumped into the 1 mile and gave a solid effort.  It's a mix of track and cross country grass and I eeked out a 5:50 which I was happy with.  Then I ran the 3 mile with Ezri.  She finished in a solid 34 minutes which included scooping up the orange cones along the way.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 6 miles

I dutifully went over to the Seekonk High track for Workout Wednesday.  I must say that trying to do these workouts in the noonday sun is not much fun.  That said I ground out 8 x 400s. Average pace was 88 seconds and I was pretty wiped by the end.  Cooled down on nearby trails.  I saw a bunch of people wandering the woods for Pokemon which was pretty funny.

Thursday - Seekonk, MA - 6 miles

I planned to venture over to the Seekonk library for easy trails at lunch.  Of course it started downpouring not long before I left.  I went over anyway and had a great run in the pouring rain.  It was still very warm so I was really enjoying myself even though I was soon soaked to the bone.  Lots of standing water on the trail but I just splashed through.  A super fun time.

Friday - 0 miles

Family camping trip to New Hampshire.  After a day of driving and setting up camp there was no time for a run.

Saturday - Woodstock, NH - 13.4 miles

I set out for a morning run from our lovely campsite situated along a crick.  I found some nearby roads that went up into the hills and followed a bunch of them to their conclusion.  Big climbs!  I love New Hampshire - the houses are a mix of shanties and mansions.  Seven miles total and I felt good on the climbs.

The weather was originally going to be worse today but then this morning it looked liked Sunday would be the worse day.  So we decided to hike today - I picked Osceola as I got Ezri a 4000 passbook and I knew she's be excited to bag one.  We didn't get going until 11 AM and there were so many cars at the trailhead.  We took our time and Ezri did great.  Lots of folks at the summit.  Amanda and I were running out of steam on the way down but Ezri lead the way.  My morning running plus hiking Osceola finally caught up to me.  As we went down I saw local trail master Ryan Welts ascending on another epic 45 miler.  Makes me want to come back up here and try something longer.

Sunday - Franconia, NH - 1 mile

An easy day for us after yesterday's hike - we just wandered around the Basin in Franconia before heading over to North Conway for some food/shopping.  Then the long drive home.

Weekly Mileage: 38.5 miles
Year to Date: 517 miles

Any week that sees me in New Hampshire is a good week.  I tried to convince Amanda we should move up there but she wasn't interested.  I'll have to plan another adventure up there soon! Also finally passed 500 miles for the year!  I'm feeling healthy so now it's time to just keep extended those long runs and get in that weekly mileage.