Wrapping Up My Last NH Trip - The Osceolas

Here's the final video from my trip up to the Whites at the end of December.  I wasn't sure if this hike up the Osceolas was going to happen as my knee was hurting in the morning as I hiked out of the woods from my hammock attempt (see previous video).  But after resting at the car for a couple hours I decided to give it a shot.  The knee ended not being a major issue and being the first one on the trail meant I got to hike in 1-2 inches of fresh powder which was lovely.

The wind was frigid but thankfully most of the hike was sheltered from it.  There were some nice views from Mt. Osceola but unfortunately most of the footage was corrupted.  

Besides being #22-23 for my winter list the other reason I wanted to get this hike done was to wrap up my goal of 300,000 feet of elevation gain for 2020.  I didn't relish the idea of returning home and trying to grab the last 3000 feet of gain doing hill repeats over two days.  So this was a satisfying way to wrap up the year.

I've been aggravating the knee pretty much after every run since then so I've take the last week off.  Hopefully I'll get back to running this weekend.  Enjoy this short video!

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.