My Journey on the 48

                It all started on a brisk Saturday morning in August of 2010. We awoke from our campsite along the Swift River to temperatures not much above freezing. But at least the sun was out and it was not raining. My friend, Elsa, had thrown together an event for a bunch of us to hike Mt. Washington. I had previously hiked it in 2004 and at that point had decided that if I ever do it again I wanted to hike up Huntington Ravine. Our group had little hiking experience, but three of us (my friends BishopX and The Sarcastic Pharmacist, along with myself) took the “no fear” attitude and went for it with the plan to meet the others at the summit. We would then hike down as a complete group. Let me paint a quick picture of our group: the only hiking gear any of us had was hiking boots. We wore all cotton clothing, regular socks, normal backpacks, and The Sarcastic Pharmacist even managed to hike up the mountain in jeans. Off we went heading up the Huntington Ravine Trail, though. The three of us made great time to the headwall. Once we got to the headwall things got dicey fast as we crawled up the fan. From there we did the best we could to follow the otherwise poorly labeled trail. At one point we found ourselves walking up a shallow streambed, so we knew we were in the wrong spot, but we kept making our way up. Eventually we made it over the headwall and to the summit where we were welcomed with limited views, huge crowds, and a wind chill of approximately 19ºF, if I remember correctly! We fought the tourists for seats for our group, as the rest of them made it into the cafeteria shortly after us, and had lunch. After lunch we then battled the tourists again to get a group photo at the actual summit sign. We then headed down Tuckerman’s Ravine and returned to our campsite.

                The following year our group would embark on another hiking trip. This time we would head to Mt. Katahdin in Maine with the goal of hiking Baxter Peak and the Knife’s Edge. Again to show our inexperience in hiking, none of us realized that Hamlin’s Peak was another 4000 footer so we will all have to head back up to Baxter State Park at some point to peak bag that one. Since the previous year our hiking gear had improved to some extent, but there was still a lot of cotton worn and The Sarcastic Pharmacist still hiked in jeans. Anyway, this hike description is for another list at another time.

                Again, I would not return to the White Mountains until the following July in 2012. This time, Mt. Adams and Mt. Madison were the goal. We had some new people with us on this trip and we had again planned on an easier ascent for those unsure and a more challenging one for those wanting a challenge. We missed the branch trail early on so it was everyone heading up King’s Ravine Trail. The massive boulder field proved too much for four of our friends and they turned back. The remaining members of the group continued on, over the headwall, and up the summit of Mt. Adams. The Subway and Ice Caves were fun little side trips on the King Ravine Trail. As I discovered in previous hikes, though I enjoyed the company of a group, I do not hike well with others and typically found myself pretty far ahead. I tend to zone out and just go. At one point heading up the boulder field/headwall of the King Ravine, Smashlynn was racing me to the top, which made it fun and even a bit competitive. We poorly chose to descend the Star Lake Trail, which drastically slowed us down and tired us out. After an extended break at the Madison Springs Hut, we continued up the summit of Mt. Madison and then down the Watson Path/Valley Way Trail back to Appalachia.

                By this time, my friends BishopX and Smashlynn had taken the challenge to complete the 48 4000 footers and were well into their list. Personally, I enjoyed the group hikes and had little interest in chasing down the others. One or two a year was fine with me. The issue is that around the same time I hiked Mt. Adams and Mt. Madison, I also had a new four-legged friend enter my life. My girlfriend, Cupcake, and I had adopted a chocolate lab puppy who we called Boomer. Reading blog posts about people hiking with their dogs definitely excited and intrigued me, but at this point he was only three months old so I figured we shall wait and see how it played out. Near the beginning of 2013, during a slow day at work I found myself reading some blogs about hiking. I happened above a list of trails called the “Terrifying Twenty-Five”. It spiked my interest as included on this list was the Huntington Ravine Trail. If these other trails had the potential to live up to the Huntington Ravine Trail then I was all for making numerous long trips up to the White Mountains. At this point I started purchasing all the standard hiking gear. But first, off to Australia with my now fiancée for a couple weeks.

                Upon arriving back on USA soil on a Wednesday in June of 2013, I would hit my first 4000 footer that year on Saturday of that same week. A little under the weather, Mt. Carrigain was in the sites of BishopX, Smashlynn, and me. We choose to head to the Desolation Trail as it was on that list of “Terrifying Twenty-Five”. Well, the trail was not terrifying and just made the trip very long as you have to make your way around the entire mountain before gaining any elevation when you start at the Signal Ridge Trailhead. We got some quick views at the top before rain showers quickly moved our way, and hiked down in the rain down the Signal Ridge Trail (which was not fun in the exposed areas).

                The following month (July 2013) the government furlough would hit. My boss had come to me and said he was thinking of using all this new time off to tackle the 4000 footers. The competitive side came out of me at this point as now numerous people were doing it so just climbing a few here and there was not going to satisfy me. Boomer and I started this month and would travel up his first 4000 footer. We tackled Mr. Tecumseh. We chose to do it from the backside of the mountain as hiking up ski trails just did not interest me at all. Later that month, my hiking group would tackle Mt. Jefferson to finish out the northern Presidentials. Again, going for two “Terrifying Twenty-Five” trails, we headed up the Six Husbands Trail and then down the Sphinx Trail. The Sphinx Trail drops a lot of elevation quickly and follows along or in a brook for most it. This made it slow going for most of the group and really got me to a point where I was not hiking well with others as I got about a half hour ahead as we headed out the Great Gulf Trail. Six Husbands has some interesting exposure on the ladders, but besides that the rest of the trail was not too bad. This was also the first time the AMC’s White Mountain Online Guide was drastically wrong on descent time. To close out the month, Boomer and I headed off to Mt. Passaconaway. It was a mistake on my part as I chose to go up the non-traditional way and the Walden Trail was not very dog-friendly. It required me to pick Boomer up several times, to help him over boulders. Nevertheless we made it, and we checked out Square Ledge on the way down before ending on the Old Mast Road Trail.

                In August of 2013, I would really hit my stride. My boss, Mr. Chewbacca Defense, would join Boomer and me for a trip up the Hancock loop. The following week, Boomer and I would head up Mt. Hale for a quick morning trip before I left on a work trip for a week. Upon returning and taking advantage of a Saturday as my fiancée went out dress shopping, Boomer and I head up the Twins. The bushwhack between the first two river crossings is at a point where it should become the official trail. Following this I went for a challenge of seven peaks in two days. Boomer and I tackled the Kinsmans in the clouds on Friday and then my boss and I went for a Wildcat/Carter traverse on Saturday. This was intense and was going to push us both as I was tired and he had not hiked a 15+ mile trek yet especially with the elevation drop/gain associated when coming off of the Wildcat ridge and climbing up the Carter-Moriah ridge. The day started out beautiful with amazing views on the Wildcat Ridge Trail. Again a “Terrifying Twenty-Five” trail that besides some ledges and chimneys, was not very scary but definitely a much more tiring way than if we had just started hiking up the ski trails. After a break at the Carter Notch Hut, we headed up the steep Carter Dome Trail. After reaching the summit, the clouds moved in and the rain started. Light at first, but by the time we were at South Carter it was raining steadily. The rain would not let up until we found ourselves on the Imp Trail. The Imp Trail had stated it was old logging roads, but we found ourselves on terrible footing for a while down dry stream beds. My boss’ knees were hurting him at this point so it made for a long shuffle out of the woods.

                September of 2013 started with my fiancée, Cupcake joining Boomer and I for a trip up Mt. Waumbek. It was a beautiful late summer day and a great day for my fiancée to get her first 4000 footer. She does not have a strong hiking interest, but enjoys it much more after the hike than during. We got to the summit and then some other hikers mentioned about a viewpoint past the summit. We went to check it out and it was one of the best views I had seen so far in my hiking. The Presidential Range was crystal clear in all its glory. Sadly, my next hike was the classic Franconia Ridge loop over Mt. Lafayette and Mt. Lincoln. Boomer and I took a counterclockwise loop. We were in the clouds the entire time and after checking out Shining Rock it started to rain steadily and even heavy at times. The Falling Waters Trail turned into a slippery mess. Instead of enjoying the waterfalls, Boomer and I found ourselves slipping and sliding down slabs. Boomer had a scary moment at one point as I had made my way down a ledge, which he hesitated at and then lost his balance and slipped towards the edge. He would regain his balance, but momentum was taking him over the edge. Thankfully, the ledge was only about 8 feet high and about half way down was another small ledge so he bunny hopped onto the small ledge and then down to the bottom where I was. It was at this point that Boomer and I decided to become fair weather hikers as hiking in the rain is absolutely no fun whatsoever. I closed out the month on Cannon Mt. I headed up the Hi-Cannon Trail as it finds itself on the “Terrifying Twenty-Five” list. It has some exposure near the ladder spot. It was a clear day at the top, so I got to see a lot of those views that were hidden when I was on the Franconia Ridge the previous week. The highlight was that the summit café for the ski resort was open. I enjoyed a local Cannon Ale and then made my way down the Kinsman Ridge and Lonesome Lake Trails.

                October 2013 would bring the second government furlough of the year. This time we had to report to work at the beginning of the day to receive our furlough notices. My boss, Mr. Chewbacca Defense, and I then made our way up to tackle Mt. Willey, Mt. Field, and Mt. Tom. We made our way up the Kedron Flume Trail to the Willey Range Trail. The Willey Range Trail also makes an appearance on the “Terrifying Twenty-Five” list, but besides having numerous staircases/ladders to get up the steep parts that are heavily eroded, it really is not scary at all. This trail was actually in desperate need for trail maintenance as it was badly eroded. We then made our way down the Avalon Trail to the Highland Center. That same week, BishopX and I would head up the other end of the Franconia Ridge to summit Mt. Flume and Mt. Liberty. We ascended the Flume Slide Trail, which was the first worthy trail on the “Terrifying Twenty-Five”. This slide was very steep and at times I felt like we were rock climbing. We made quick work of it, though. At the top we had a crystal clear picturesque day and could see everything (including all the way to Killington Peak in Vermont). We descended the Osseo Trail, which was another “Terrifying Twenty-Five” trail. This one has a few staircases, but besides that the trail is rather tame. To close out furlough week, Boomer and I made our way up Mt. Isolation. The Rocky Branch Trail, the Engine Hill bushwhack, and the Isolation Trail were muddy messes. These were easily the most miserable trails we had hiked as a lot of it was rock steps through bogs along with numerous river crossings. We did manage to finish the nine hour book time in five hours. Boomer and I would do his last hike of 2013 in the middle of the month as we ascended Mt. Moriah. I felt a little under the weather but we made relatively quick work of this hike. BishopX and I would finish out the month on Mt. Whiteface, and this was my first experience of hiking with snow as during the overnight hours about an inch dropped on the summit. It made the Blueberry Ledge Trail, another “Terrifying Twenty-Five” trail, a bit more treacherous as the slabs were pretty wet. As we descended the McCrillis Trail, I decided that I needed trail runners that provided better ventilation for my feet. The last handful of hikes my feet had gotten soaked with sweat.

                BishopX and I would try our hand at winter hiking in early 2014. After a quick trip up Mt. Tecumseh to test out equipment, we headed up Mt. Garfield at the end of January in 2014. It was basically a packed down monorail until about halfway up the Garfield Trail. Snowdrifts had completely removed the monorail so we found ourselves trail breaking. We only had microspikes, so this proved very laborious and we quickly dropped our plans to continue to Mt. Galehead. The weather was fairly nice, but the second we stepped off the Garfield Ridge Trail and onto the summit of Mt. Garfield the wind was whipping at 50+ mph. We took shelter in the old foundation, took some quick photos, and got back into the woods quickly.

                At the end of February in 2014 we would do our final winter hike of the year and head up Owl’s Head. I had an interest in tackling the Black Pond and Brutus bushwhacks. We made it out to the mountain quickly as the Black Pond bushwhack was a solid monorail and easy to follow. The Brutus bushwhack, though a solid monorail, was tiring as it was very steep and with only microspikes, our calves received a huge workout. Once on the ridge we followed my GPS until we found the location of the new summit. Snowdrifts had filled in any monorail on the ridge. The temperature was below zero and everything was freezing quickly from our sweat. We tried to eat food, but it was just too cold so we quickly headed back down the mountain where it was a bit warmer. We then made our way out and finished up this long hike in about six hours.

                Boomer and I would continue the 4000 footers in May of 2014, as we headed up Mt. Galehead on Memorial Day weekend. It was a nice hike to start out the year, but was pretty muddy as all the snow/ice on the trail was just melting and there were still some spots of snow/ice in shaded areas. Then in mid-June of 2014, Boomer and I took advantage of free Saturday as my fiancée headed off to her bachelorette party. We would make our way up Mt. Cabot, but this trail (Bunnell Notch Trail) made the wet trails heading up Mt. Isolation look relatively dry. By the end of the hike I stopped trying to avoid the water and just walked through it. It is one of the best parts of trailrunners, as the water just pushes out.

                I would not hike again till August of 2014, when the hiking group got back together to do a Southern Presidential Traverse over Mt. Monroe, Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce, and Mt. Jackson. BishopX, Smashlynn, and Fry (real name unknown) would start the day hiking Mt. Washington as Smashlynn needed to still summit that mountain, but due to the forecast (potential thunderstorms) I had little interest in attempting that mountain so The Sarcastic Pharmacist and I met them at Lake of the Clouds Hut later in the afternoon. The Ammonossuc Trail was beautiful and had some great waterfalls throughout it. After Mt. Monroe, we found ourselves in the clouds until just past Mt. Pierce where the clouds blew away and it was crystal clear. The group split up after Mizpah Spring Hut as the mileage was starting to wear people out and not everyone had headlamps/flashlights. When The Sarcastic Pharmacist, Fry, and I summited Mt. Jackson negativity was spreading about Mt. Webster. A true traverse includes that mountain, but the whole “it is not a 4000 footer so I do not care” argument surfaced. I convinced them to go, especially after they saw the steep initial descent off Mt. Jackson if we descended straight from there. We got some great views of the Mt. Willard cliffs and Mt. Willey/Mt. Field, but were a hurting group by the end, as it added an additional mile and half to the trip.

                Later in August of 2014, Boomer and I would make our way up Mt. Osceola and East Osceola. We started early enough that when we got to the clearing at the summit of Mt. Osceola, we had it all to ourselves and it was a picture perfect day. This is possibly one of the best views I had ever seen in the White Mountains. Prior to hiking, I had researched what I thought was an adequate amount, to see if the trail was dog safe. I knew there was the chimney between the two peaks, but it had a bypass. As we made our way over to East Osceola, it became clear that we had a tough trip ahead of us as it started descending rather steeply. Once we arrived at the chimney I knew Boomer was going to struggle at the bypass, too. So Boomer and I slid down the bypass with him on my lap. We then made it up East Osceola, and on the return I lifted him up the chimney instead of trying to hold him and crawl back up the bypass. This hike turned out tougher than anticipated just due to the amount of elevation lost/gain in the col between the mountains that was not anticipated.

                At this point in the story it is time to talk about the fiasco which is the Bonds. Those three mountains are very isolated and make for a very long in-and-out day trip. I had hoped to do it a Zealand/Bond traverse as that mapped out to the shortest for both distance and time. I tried to put together a group trip in June on the longest day of the year, but that fell through as everyone had excuses about when they wanted to do the Bonds. One person was going to go with me, but busted his knees earlier in the week on Mt. Whiteface/Mt. Passaconaway, so that trip fell through. Then in August, my mother said she would do it with me as she was intrigued by hiking and runs marathons (qualified for the Boston marathon for 2015), but a few days before she came down with a bug, so that trip fell through again. My now wife, Cupcake, knew it was important to me and even though she is not an avid hiker, said she would do it with me as long as we could go slowly. I jumped at this and we camped the night before and started bright and early heading up Zealand Trail. The only time the trail got challenging was just after the Zealand Falls Hut. Once we got to Zeacliff, the trail only had relatively gradual ascending and descending. The day was overcast, but all the mountains were out of the clouds. We summited Zealand Mountain and then made our way over Mt. Guyot and then up the West Bond spur. West Bond had amazing views as you are just in the center of the wilderness and can see for miles. Up and over Mt. Bond, we then headed down to Bondcliff. The bouldering coming off Mt. Bond was tough on my wife’s knees. We got some photos at the classic spot on Bondcliff and then made our way down the Bondcliff Trail to the Lincoln Woods Trail. My wife’s knees had taken a beating, so it was slow going coming off of Bondcliff and through Lincoln Woods, but we finished prior to sunset. We showered at Lafayette Campground and then returned to Zealand trailhead to get the other car and then went to make a late dinner at the campground.

                With only a few summits left, it got to the point where BishopX and I had to stop canceling our plans to hike up Mt. Moosilauke via Beaver Brook Trail, which is another “Terrifying Twenty-Five”. Our friend Mr. No Pants joined us for his first 4000 footer as he started out tackling the list. I had always wanted to see an undercast since I had seen photos of one from back in September of 2013. It just looked amazing to stand on a summit with a sea of clouds beneath you. This particular trip was looking like we would reach the summit of Mt. Moosilauke with wind speeds of 40 mph and stuck in the clouds. Shortly, after arriving at the summit (in those conditions) the clouds blew away to reveal an undercast! The Franconia Ridge, South Twin, Bonds, and the Presidential Range were standing high above the sea of clouds and when you looked in the other direction all you saw were a sea of clouds as nothing was high enough to peak above. It was amazing, but sadly only intermittent as Mt. Moosilauke was in and out of the clouds so you had to enjoy it whenever the clouds were blown away.

                BishopX and I had also been trying since 2013 to put together a trip up the Tripyramids via the Tripyramid Loop Trail and the slides, which also find themselves on that “Terrifying Twenty-Five” list. Finally, at the point of Smashlynn and him with only a few left to finish their list and myself with only one hike left it was time to pull the trigger. We also understood that if we pushed much further we ran the issue to snow falling and making the slides too dangerous. So at the end of September in 2014, the three of us went for it. We got to the slide quickly, but noticed people turning around (one couple had a dog so it made sense). Then after climbing the lower part of the north slide, we met a gentleman who said he was turning around as it was too dangerous today. The mountain was socked in the clouds and it was putting moisture on the slabs. We were at a point where turning around would require us to descend part of the slide, which we did not want to do either. So, we pushed forward. The further up we went, the tougher it became. Smashlynn quickly made her way for the brush and pushed her way up the slide that way. I tried to stay on the trail as best as possible, but as the slabs go steeper I was pushed to the scrub and eventually found myself following a beaten down bath in the woods with a cairn and everything. Eventually I popped back out on the slide and saw some giant cairns, which indicated we went off trail at some point. We stayed on the trail the rest of the way, which slowly became loose gravel that gave much better traction. At the top of North Tripyramid, the wind was whipping all the dew off the trails, which made it very wet and cold. We did not stay long and continued on to Middle Tripyramid where I took my finished photo. Interestingly enough, another group had a member that finished on the same summit I had just finished only a few minutes prior (they arrived at North Tripyramid via a much safer trail just before we left it). Since it was windy and cold at the top, we did not stay long and continued on towards the south slide. The south slide was completely dry so about halfway down we stopped for lunch where BishopX gave me my victory pumpkin muffin. Besides finishing, the other highlight was exiting via the Cascade Path which has some amazing swimming holes that I hope to return to in 2015.

                It seems fitting that I would start with the top contender for the hardest trail in the White Mountains (Huntington Ravine Trail) and then end on another trail (Tripyramid Loop Trail) that easily ranks at the higher difficulty range especially in less than ideal conditions. I have learned a lot from hiking over the past few years. I pack much more efficiently, I hike better with others now, my feet are much more comfortable, and most importantly I have learned to appreciate my time out in the woods. Even when trails lead to a viewless summit or a non-4000 footer, there is always an adventure for those willing to try and find it. I know people who are just pushing through the list to get it done. Though I was eager to complete my list and my competitive side wanted me to finish it prior to my friends who had started before me, I tried to always make sure I was taking a fun trail up, making sure I was in good company, or really appreciating the summit view. I look at hiking as an easy activity (not everyone will agree with that) with huge rewards.

                What’s next, you ask? By no means would I say my journey and adventures are over. There are plenty of reasons to head back up the New Hampshire 4000 footers (e.g., trying to complete the “Terrifying Twenty-Five”), Maine and Vermont both have 4000 footers, and if I am feeling really ambitious there is always the New England 100 highest and the Adirondacks. I try not to forget that just because a mountain is not 4000 feet high does not mean it is not a good hike as I have hiked a few mountains on the “52 with a View” list and had a great time. I hope to continue venturing out into the woods for as long as possible.