Monday, April 30, 2012

Saturday April 28th





So I " bagged" 2 more peaks this past weekend thanks to the help of my friend Sara. If I was hiking with anyone else today we probably would not have gone... as the conditions were a bit challenging to say the least. It had rained 2 days during the week and then the temps went down to the 20's...so yes that means ice. It was snowing as we drove into North Conway. Although it never amounted to much accumulation it did make for slippery conditions. I met Sara at 7am. It was 24 degrees and wind gusts were to 50 mph and there was a light coating of snow even at the bottom of the trail head. It was great to hike with Sara, we had lost touch until we ran into each other about a month ago. When I told her about the hiking I was doing as a fundraiser for CCALS she volunteered to do a couple with me before starting a new adventure of her own. We had plenty of time to catch up over the climb and it turned out to be a beautiful day. We hiked up to Carter Hut and onto our first peak Wildcat A at 4,422 feet, there is a lookout at the top with a view of the hike we still had ahead...Carter Dome. It looked a bit daunting. We made our way down 1,000 ft to the notch and the lake with beautiful views of both peaks surrounding the lake. Onward and upward we went another 1,300 or so feet up to Carter Dome. There is no view to speak of from the top of Carter Dome unless you are over 6 ft tall, which neither of us were. It was beautiful and peaceful as no surprise we were the only ones there and we were standing in the middle of a circle of evergreens covered in snow...well worth the climb!Carter Dome is 4,832 feet, which is in the top ten of the 48  4,000 footers, so it felt great to get one if the taller ones in. The mileage for the day was 11.4 miles in 8 hours. Thanks to Sara for a great day and good luck at school! This hike I am dedicating to Darryl Goss who passed a week ago.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Saturday March 21, 2011

I hiked Mt East Osceola and Mt Osceola with my friend Richard this past weekend. He picked me up at 6:30 am and we made the drive just over 2 hours up to Lincoln NH. The Greeley Ponds Trailhead off the Kancamagus was our starting point for this adventure. If I look a little dazed in the picture (which I definitley do)  it was because I was trying to explain to Richard how to work the camera on my phone. We followed the Greeley Ponds trail for 1.3 miles before turning onto the Osceola trail for 1.5 miles to get to the top of East Osceola at 4,156 feet. There were many snow/ice covered areas that we had to get around and that slowed us down a bit. Microspikes would have been helpful but the trail was doable without them. The only way you know you are at the top of East Osceola is that there is a huge pile of rocks (cairn) to let you know as there is no view to speak of. As it says in the book...the top is completely coniferous. The sun did come out however for a nice picture of Richard. We then made our way another 1.0 miles to the top of Mt Osceola 4, 338 ft where the clouds did clear a bit for a nice view of Tecumseh and the Tripyramids ( yet to be done on the list of 48).  We did not stay at the top for long as we were trying to make it down in time to catch part of the Bruins game on the radio. We passed a few hikers on the way down who were sporting very interesting footwear...or lack thereof...hope they made it! The trip took us 6 hours and 20 min for the 7.6 miles. Richard was underwhelmed with our time but I think considering the slick conditions and the fact that he just had a birthday that we did very well. Happy Birthday Richard! And many thanks for spending your birthday weekend hiking with me. Looking forward to the next time.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

So we had to cancel our plans to hike Moosilauke last weekend due to ice and not having " microspikes" available. This weekend was beautiful and hiked Mt Moriah which is 4049 feet. Even though Wildcat "D" was a wee bit higher this one took me longer to hike...alot longer. It was 10 miles round trip which took 5 1/2 hours but made it down in time to watch the Bruins game. Mt Moriah is said to be named after a hill in Jerusalem. I don't know if that is true but it certainly did look like God's country from the breath taking 360 degree views from the top.  I would like to dedicate this peak to Sharon Appelman who passed about month ago now. She had an amazing spirit. Hiking with her in mind helped me get through the 10 miles. This coming weekend rain is in the forecast...so I'm planning to get wet! 


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Saturday March 31st



Well my Journey has officially begun. Saturday I headed out and hiked up Polecat trail on Wildcat Mountain to summit Wildcat "D" Elevation 4050 feet. The trail is 3 miles up to the summit. It started out as an overcast day but by the time I got half way up it was clearing and sunny with no clouds by the time I reached the top. Hiking up the ski trail was an interesting trip. I definitely needed the snowshoes as it was icy in many areas. I never think of Polecat as a steep trail, but it seemed so in certain sections from the bottom looking up! There where a couple spots where it seemed a little precarious from a safety standpoint. The skiers who shared the trail with me were very considerate and friendly. There were a few areas that were barely wide enough to fit a skier through and too icy on the edge for me to safely snowshoe up, so I held my breath and walked up hugging as close to the side as possible. I stayed safe and luckily was not hit by a skier. Everyone who passed me, ( some past several times) offered cheers and words of encouragement. My friend  Kathy kept track of my progress and was a huge help bringing my ski's up the chair lift for me so I could ski down. I made it to the top in 1 hour and 20 mins. I don't think that's record breaking by any means but I was happy with the time. I thoroughly enjoyed the hike up and stopped many times to take in the view and reflect on what this journey means to me. I am dedicating this first of many hikes to Dr. Lisa Krivickas who was an inspiration and mentor to me. She embodied the meaning of the word compassion with every patient, family member and co-worker that she encountered. Many of her patients have benefited from the services provided by CCALS. I hope she would be pleased with this adventure. This coming weekend I hope to hike Moosilauke which will be 4802 feet with my friend Richard and his son. Stay tuned.