Saturday October 27,2012

Today was the big day! My final peak! We managed to get the last one in before the hurricane.

 I hiked Moosilauke ( 4,802 ft) as the last peak #48 with my dear friends Richard and Ed who have been there supporting me throughout this journey. Richard has hiked 21 of the 48 peaks with me and Ed has done 12 of them, so it was very fitting that they were with me today. I must say this was the easiest of all the 48 for me and it only took us 4 1/2 hours to complete the 8 mile loop. We had Rylee with us again today and she kept us at a good pace. We had beautiful sunny weather right up until 100 ft from the summit..then the clouds rolled in and the winds picked up making it hard to stand up by the sign at the top. I will now always have the utmost respect for mother nature. Even if it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day...things can change in an instant. We did a celebratory champagne toast at the summit and I took some time to reflect on how this all started and appreciate the journey to get to this point today.

This all started with an idea that I got when I was taking care of a friend after his surgery and picked a book off his shelf to help me pass the time. He encouraged me to do this and helped me get started. There are certain moments in our lives that I believe are turning points. Opportunities often come our way and we may not always take them. I am so glad I took this one! It did indeed change my life for the better.  It seems as though somehow I was meant to do this. It was alot of hard work but I had so much help along the way. It allowed me to get involved in something much bigger than myself, to help the patients and their families who are stuggling every day . They were a huge inspiration for me every step of the way. It allowed me to get closer to my friends and family in what became a common goal. They helped raise donations, helped with my hiking plan ( as I am not really a planner and didn't have one), travelled many miles to hike with me, called with support and encouragement and kept me laughing along the way. I started hiking in the snow and ice and had the same conditions towards the end. I hiked with 29 different wonderful friends, over 272 miles and 48 magnificent mountains! There were a few moments when I wondered if I would finish...but I had many guardian angles looking out for me along the way.  We raised over $10,000 for Compassionate Care ALS and I know the money will be put to good use. Thank you to everyone! I am truly very blessed to have such amazing people in my life. This final peak I would like to dedicate to my Grandfather, Michael Okronglis who was diagnosed with ALS in the 1950's and died before I was born. There's a part of him in me somewhere. He was a hard working man who put in long days working in a coal mine to provide for his family in a time where there we no organizations like CCALS available to help those in need. I'm very glad things are different today. Farewell for now.

Saturday October 13, 2012

 

 

 Today my friends Richard and Ed helped me tackle Mt Washington. At 6,288ft it is the tallest of the 48 and the "home of the world's worst weather".  I have hiked Mt Washington many times in the past but I have never hiked it in the snow and ice...so this was definitely a new experience. I knew from my hike the day before that we would need winter gear and microspikes to be able to negotiate the icy terrain. So Richard picked us up 3 pairs of spikes on his way up Friday night. When we started out the temps were in the 30's with sunny skies and a light breeze. We met many others along the way up the trail... Matt and his grandfather who hike Washington evey year in rememberence of his great grandfather. His grandfather is still quite the hiker at age 70. I hope I am as fit at his age. The weather stayed good as we made our way past the icy headwall in Tuckerman ravine. As we made our way to the top of the bowl...the clouds came in and the winds picked up until eventually we were in the cloud with no visibility and winds 50-90 miles/hour with temps minus 6 degrees at the summit. I will admit that I have not felt this tired on any of the other hikes. The wind and the cold took their toll.  We were all thankful to make it to the top and get in out of the cold and wind for a bit. Richard was trying to make me feel better on the way up by telling me that we would just take the bus down. Since the road is now covered with snow and ice...we would be waiting until spring for the bus...but it did help me to hear it at the time. Besides if we took the bus down we wouldn't have been able to try out our microspikes...which made the hike down very fun! So glad we got them. We did come across a few people throughout the day who I hope made it down ok. One guy was hiking in sneakers and  jeans with nothing but a green grocery bag over his shoulders and two other of guys who spoke only french were trying to go down the wrong side of the mountain in cotton hoodie sweatshirts. Every time I hike this mountain I gain more respect for it... it's power and wonder. Thanks to Richard and Ed for coming along for this great adventure. They were the perfect duo for this trip! I would like to dedicate this hike to Barbara Caldwell. When I asked her ( months ago now) which peak she would like dedicated to her...she asked if Washington was taken...as she had always liked that one and it is the tallest. Barbara, we hiked this one in your honor.

Friday October 12th

Today I hiked Garfield with two of my dear friends whom I have known for 25 years now, Fran and Kathy.  We all used to work together at SRH many years ago and although they have moved out of state we have remained close friends. They flew all the way up to Boston and drove to NH to help me complete this journey. They live in Florida now, so I'm sure the irony of the weather on this day was not lost on them.  We set out early at 7:30 to drive an hour over to the trailhead. When we started it was 50 degrees and raining. The forecast was for increasing winds and dropping temps. As the hike went on we came across more and more snow on the trail and then ice! The rain turned to sleet ..then hail then ...snow. The hike was 10 miles round trip and by the time we got back to the car the temps were in the 30's. The Gator Girls did great! They stayed positive and never complained.

 I wasn't sure I would make it to the top. Being surprised by how much snow and ice there was on the trail, I did not have any crampons, spikes or even Yak traks with me. I figured I would go up as far as I could and if I couldn't get all the way to the top I would come back another day with the spikes.  I was only  .2 miles from the top when I considered turning back. But then I saw Bob ahead of me. We had met him earlier in the parking lot and he had his microspikes on the back of his pack. As I approached him I noticed they were still on his pack. I asked him why he didn't have them on as it was getting increasingly icy. He said it was not much further and I would be able to make it to the top without them. He has done the hike before and I trusted his judgement. I think he may have been a guardian angel put in the right place at the right time! Thank you Bob for helping me make it to the top!  And there are not enough words to thank Kathy and Fran for every moment shared this past weekend. Best friends evaaah! A special Thank You also to Noreen ( who surprised the heck out of me flying in from Wisconsin), Maria, Amy and KC for a fabulous celebration dinner and lots of fun surprises!!

I would like to dedicate this peak to Ernesto F who has been living with ALS for 10 years now. He lost the ability to speak years ago but has the most expressive eyes I have ever seen.

Saturday October 6th

Today I hiked Mt Cabot with my friends Maureen and Brian. they had hiked with me towards the beginning of this journey for peaks # 15 and 16 ( the Carters) back in June. The weather now is quite different...much colder and way less buggy! Cabot is the most northern of the 48 peaks and definitely remote. We saw 2 hunters with shot guns walking down Rt 110 on our way to the turnoff to the trailhead. Thank goodness the trail we were hiking is protected by the White Mountain National forest...so no hunting. We did see a moose running down the road away from the hunters...hope she made it.

We knew the forecast was calling for rain...so we got an early start and were on the trail before 9. We made it to the summit by noon and had our lunch in the cabin that needs a little TLC and a cat! We were only about 30 min heading down when it started to lightly rain. The rain turned to a steady rain for the next 2 hour hike out. We made our way slipping and sliding down a pretty trail covered by yellow leaves with deep mud holes hidden in spots underneath. Maureen and I both ended up sinking into a couple of them up over our boots. Brian managed to look good the whole way :)

I would like to dedicate this hike to Thomas Cunniff who passed away August 15th, 2012. He had served in the Army and received the Korean Service Medal. He was married for 50 years and is remembered by his family as a kind and caring man .

Saturday September 29th

 

 Today I hiked North Kinsman ( 4,293') and South Kinsman ( 4,358') with Susie. We knew it was going to rain today so we were prepared. Without even trying we dressed exactly the same today. ( Patagonia Pants Club). That started out the giggles which just lasted all day. I don't know if it was the rain, the full moon or all the weird and wacky things that happened today, but we laughed alot and had a great day. We started out early and made the hour drive over to Franconia. We took Lonesome lake trail up to the AMC hut and Lonesome lake. Just before we got to the lake we came across a huge bull moose about 20' away in the woods and then to our great surprise when we got to the lake there were 2 more getting a drink. I have never seen a moose on the trail while hiking before. It was totally awesome and a little but un-nerving at the same time...they are really huge! We continued onto Fishin' Jimmy trail, which was not our favorite part. It had lots of steep wet ledges with wooden steps pinned into them to allow for you to climb up the steep rock face. We made it to the top of North Kinsman and weren't really sure we were at the top as there was no signage to be found. We headed onward to South Kinsman where the rain stopped long enough for us to have our lunch. We made our way down without a problem despite the wet slippery terrain. On the drive home as we were passing the mountains that we just climbed another strange moment...there was a cloud formation that started above the mountain and swept down over the sides like a waterfall and ended over the road. Thanks again to Susie for hiking with me and Rick and Ethan for coming up and having their own great adventure hiking the Frankenstein cliffs. He's becoming quite the hiker at the young age of almost 7! I would like to dedicate North Kinsman to Robert Studley who passed away 8/7/12. He graduated with an MBA in business and was a Bank Chairman for 17 years. He was also responsible for Mass legislation that helped the smaller banks.  I would like to dedicate South Kinsman to Chris Langer who passed away 8/24/12. He was a licensed massage therapist, received his Masters in pollution studies, worked in environmental protection and spent a great deal of time in China where he met his wife.

Sunday September 23rd

 Today I hiked Waumbek (4006 ft) with 11 people from an on-line hiking group. I had hiked with Badri and Dave the day before and Badri mentioned that some people had dropped out and there were some openings in the group. Since it was one I needed to hike and I had hiked with this group before in May, I figured I would join them. The leaders of the group were a little less then thrilled to have me and another girl just show up as you are supposed to sign up with the group ahead of time and we did not. It is a free country and a mountain after all so I would have hiked it anyway, but they decided to be gracious and let us join them. The hike was a relatively easy one at 7.2 miles and 2,750 elevation gain. Which was good after hiking 14 miles the day before. Badri and Dave came along on this one too. They are very dedicated hikers to show up today after getting food poisoning after the hike yesterday and having to drive all the way back to Canada tonight after the hike today. Good luck Badri on completing your 48...she has 3 left to go! I would like to dedicate this peak to Ronald Demers who passed away 7/24/12. He was an avid sports and trivia fan.

Saturday September 22nd

 Today I hiked Carrigan with Rick, Badri and her boyfriend Dave. The trail is usually 10 miles round trip but because of damage to Sawyer River Road from the Hurricane last August, the road to the trailhead is still closed. So that added an extra 4 miles for a grand total of 14 miles. Carrigan is 4,700' with 3,250 elevation gain. The day started out cold and cloudy with temps in the low 50's. We got an early start and were on the trail by 8 am. I had a hard time going up today for some reason. You would think that I would be used to climbing up and up by now but today that was not the case. Rick, Badri and Dave kept stoping to let me catch up. We had some nice views of the Hancocks from about half way up the trail. This was very appropriate at it was Rick who hiked those two with me back on a rainy Friday in May where we saw absolutely nothing due to the rain and fog.  Rick has been on 6 hikes with me now and this is the first time he actually got a great view. The clouds parted and we had clear sunny abeit windy skies at the top. We enjoyed spectacular views from the ridgeline and from the observation  tower at the summit. It pays to be persistent Rick! We could see all 48 peaks and everything in between. The trip down was much easier. Part of the trail is brand new due to the storm, they had to cut a new trail at the bottom 1/4 mile. A great spongy feeling on the tired legs!  I would like to dedicate this hike to Sheldon Landau who died 7/31/12.

Sunday September 16,2012

Today I hiked Tecumseh with the Sander's family: Rick, Gail, William, Charlie and Lilly; Susie and her son Ethan; Peggy and Evan from CCALS. Rick and Peggy and I have worked together at Spaulding for the past 12 years but we have never hiked together and Peggy hadn't hiked in a long time. I assured her she could do it and that we were hiking one of the shortest of the 4000 footers. We hiked Mt Tecumseh ( 4003') it is 5 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 2,300 feet and it was a 5 hour hike. I neglected to tell her it was going to be a long way up!  Tecumseh is home to Waterville Valley Ski Area. So... hardly easy.

 Rick's boys: William and Charlie lead the way at what seemed to the rest of us to be running up the trail. Ethan tried valliantly to keep up with the older boys and the rest of us made our way up at a more reasonable pace. We got a great view part way up where you can go out onto the ski trail. There are only partial views from the actual summit. But it was a beautiful autumn sunny day with just enough of a nip in the air to remind us that winter is right around the corner. Lilly and Ethan are only 7 years old and they both made it to the top!...their very first 4,000 footer! Congratulations Ethan and Lilly...great job! We had the pleasure of having Evan Fairmont with us from CCALS and had the opportunity to hear from him directly about the great work they are doing to help those with ALS. He has a very easy going way about him and it was great to have him along today. He kept us all entertained with stories of his travels and adventures. All the kids got along and it was fun to have them, they made it into a fun adventure for all of us! Thanks to everyone in the group for making today a great day and taking the time out to help raise money for CCALS. I would like to dedicate today's hike to Anne D. who passed a few weeks ago. She was an extremely intelligent woman with her own unique sense of style. She would have been delighted with today.

Saturday September 15, 2012

Today I hiked Cannon ( 4,100'), this was my second attempt at climbing this peak. I had driven out to try it last weekend but thunderstorms were headed into the area and the entire peak was in a black cloud and the winds were over 50 mph. So I returned today to try again. The trail up to the top was fairly easy and the cool temperatures helped. The mileage was only 4.4 round trip and I was able to make it up and down in less than 3 hours.

Cannon was home to the Old Man of the Mountain until it fell off in May of 2003, I remember on family vacations looking through on of those machines that you put the quarter in to see farther and looking at that landmark. The machines are still there and you can still see a great view of the entire Franconia Range. I am used to being at the top of a peak with only a handful of people around. There is a Tram to the top of Cannon, so to my surprise there were alot of people at the top when I got there and the clouds parted just long enough for all to get a view of the amazing Layfayette Ridge across the highway.

This peak I would like to dedicate to Mitch Gart who died 1/19/2012 

There was a quote on a stone bench at the top of Cannon that read:

" If you love someone...tell them

Most importantly stay close to your friends

 Let it make a difference in your day and theirs"

Saturday September 1, 2012

 

  I had last week off for a very nice vacation in Squaw Valley and Napa Valley, California and came back with only a little bit of jet lag. This weekend was a special one for me and my close friends Ed and Jane MacKenzie and their family. Also joining us were Kathy ( Jane's sister), Erin and Emma, Richard and of course...Riley. Riley is the sweetest dog I have ever met. As a puppy she lost a leg and is still the best little hiker. She hiked 3 peaks with us this past Saturday. We hiked Mt Monroe ( 5,372'), Mt Eisenhower ( 4760') and Pierce ( 4,312') for a total of 10.1 miles. It was misty and cloudy when we headed out and we were actually in a cloud when we reached the top of Monroe. I was thinking that I just wanted it to be a beautiful day as we were dedicating this hike to Wayne Harris who is the Mackenzie's brother-in law. I wanted it to be a special day for his dedication. Just as I thought this the clouds parted and you could see the top of Washington and as we moved across towards Eisenhower it completely cleared and was gorgeous. It was as if God heard my request. We made our way across Eisenhower and onto Pierce. We almost missed Pierce as the signage was not good. Thank you Richard for keeping us on track and saving us from having to go a long way back. We finished the day at the Mt Washington Hotel for a toast with all our friends. This hike we are dedicating to Wayne Harris, OT who is this years Evening of Hope Spirit Award recipiant and beloved family of the MacKenzie's. I had the pleasure to hear Wayne speak at the MDA/ALS dinner and his passion and humor brought us all to tears. It was an honor to hike with you in mind today.