My friend John completed his New Hampshire 4000 Footer list with Mount Carrigain. Our friend Michael and I joined him, his two daughters and his dog for the hike. John, Michael and I started hiking together seven years ago with their first 4000 Footer, Wildcat D. John and Michael joined me for the completion of my 4000 Footer list in 2017, and John and I joined Michael for his in 2018, so it was only fitting that we were there for John as well.
ROUTE
Parked at Signal Ridge Trail parking on Sawyer River Road
Hiked Signal Ridge Trail to the summit of Mount Carrigain
Continued down Desolation Trail to Carrigain Notch Trail
Turned right on Carrigain Notch Trail looping back to Signal Ridge Trail
Stayed straight on Carrigain Notch Trail at intersection with Nancy Pond Trail
Turned left on Signal Ridge Trail and followed back to parking
PHOTOS
STATS
Date: 28 August 2020 Distance: 13.5 miles Moving Time: 05:06 Pace: 22:44/mile Elevation Gain: 3737′
I got up early on a Monday morning to get in a mountain run before picking up my kids for a vacation day. I try to stick to the rule of running or hiking at least as long as the total drive time. Sometimes the pull to the mountains is greater than arbitrary rules. On the summit I met a guy who spent the previous couple days hiking and camping in the Caribou/Speckled Mountains, and that morning made the long drive home. When he got there he realized he had lost his false front teeth. Amazingly, he made the drive back up to the mountains, hiked back up Speckled Mountain to where he had camped over night, and found his teeth on the ground!
ROUTE
Parked near Evergreen Link Trail on Mountain Road in Stoneham, ME
Ran up Evergreen Link Trail to Cold Brook Trail
Left on Cold Brook Trail to summit of Speckled Mountain
Back same route to parking
PHOTOS
STATS
Date: 25 May 2020 Distance: 6.9 miles Moving Time: 01:58:55 Pace: 17:18/mile Elevation Gain: 2246′
A few weeks before traveling out to California to complete our three-year section hike of the John Muir Trail, Jeff and I did a single-day Presi Traverse. It was Jeff’s first time doing a Presi, and though I had attempted it a few times I had yet to complete a single-day for my Northeast Ultra 8 list. The day started out cloudy, but cleared up by the time we hit Mount Washington.
Coming down Mount Washington toward Lakes of the Cloud there were some shirtless bros flexing in the trail. Since I was cruising, I hopped up on some rocks off the trail to get around them. When I jumped down to the trail again I rolled my right ankle, heard a pop, and collapsed to the ground. To their credit, the bros asked if I was okay. I mumbled I was fine, recovered and acted like I’d just walk it off. In truth I was worried about the pop and the amount of pain. By Lake of the Clouds I was thinking about possibly bailing or getting a rescue. But after stopping to take a load of ibuprofen and drinking a bunch of water, I was feeling like it would be possible to complete the hike, despite how quickly my ankle swelled up.
I grinded the remaining 9 miles of the hike, softening each step with lots of help from my trekking poles. I considered bailing again at Mount Pierce, which would still have been a full Presi Traverse. But at that point the pain was gone, so Jeff and I completed the traverse with Jackson tacked on. I just hoped that my ankle would recover in time for our JMT hike. Since it was hard to diagnose fleshy injuries from an x-ray, my doctor believed that I tore a ligament on the front of my ankle and suggested I stay off my feet as much as possible for the next few months. Of course I still went on our JMT trip.
ROUTE
Dropped vehicle at Webster-Jackson Trail parking off Route 302 in Hart’s Location, NH
Parked at Appalachia Trailhead parking off Route 2 in Randolph, NH
Hiked Valley Way Trail to intersection with Watson Path
Left on Watson Path to Madison summit
Right on Osgood Trail to Madison Spring Hut
Left on Star Lake Trail to Adams summit
Left on Lowes Path to intersection with Gulfside Trail
Left on Gulfside Trail to intersection with Mount Jefferson Loop Trail
Right on Mount Jefferson Loop Trail to Jefferson summit and to intersection with Gulfside Trail
Right on Gulfside Trail to intersection with Mount Clay Loop Trail
Left on Mount Clay Loop Trail to Clay summit and to intersection with Gulfside Trail
Left on Gulfside Trail to intersection with Trinity Heights Connector
Left on Trinity Heights Connector to Washington summit
Right on Crawford Path to intersection with Mount Monroe Loop Trail
Right on Mount Monroe Loop Trail to Monroe summit and to intersection with Crawford Path
Right on Crawford Path to intersection with Franklin Spur Trail
Left on Franklin Spur Trail to Franklin summit and to intersection with Crawford Path
Left on Crawford Path to intersection with Mount Eisenhower Loop Trail
Right on Mount Eisenhower Loop Trail to Eisenhower summit and to intersection with Crawford Path
Right on Crawford Path to intersection with Webster Cliff Trail
Left on Webster Cliff Trail to Pierce summit and to Jackson summit
Right on Webster-Jackson Trail to parked car
PHOTOS
STATS
Date: 20 July 2019 Distance: 20.0 miles Moving Time: 09:55:35 Pace: 29:46/mile Elevation Gain: 8831′
It was the final weekend of the winter season, so some friends and I climbed Galehead Mountain for our Winter New Hampshire 4000 Footer list and our Grids.
Map of hike
Read after the jump for a summary, photos and stats.
I have been trail running for a year or so but on mostly flat trails near my house. After a few excursions to small mountains in my area, I decided I wanted to try out a long run with more serious climb. I picked out an area on my White Mountain National Forest maps that looked good (I had heard Blueberry Mountain was nice) and headed out.
After having some trouble finding the trail head (pro-tip: the road is called Stone House Road, Google Maps says Shell Pond Road) I parked in the lot by the Stone House gate and started my run.
In early 2017 my friend Michael and hike snowshoed a loop of Mount Whiteface and Mount Passaconaway. I was grabbing them for my Grid and Winter New Hampshire 4000 Footers lists, and he was getting them for his New Hampshire 4000 Footers list.
ROUTE
Parked at Ferncroft Parking of Ferncroft Road
Walked down Ferncroft Road to Blueberry Ledge Trail
Snowshoed up Blueberry Ledge Trail to intersection with Rollins Trail
Continued up Rollins Trail to Mount Whiteface summit and along the ridge to Dicey’s Mill Trail
Turned left at Dicey’s Mill Trail and hiked up to Passaconaway summit and to Walden Trail
Turned right on Walden Trail and down to Wonalancet Ridge Trail
Turned right on Wonalancet Ridge Trail to Hibbard Mountain and Mount Wonalancet, and then down to Old Mast Road
Turned right on Old Mast Road and returned to Ferncroft parking
STATS
Date Hiked: 04 February 2017 Elevation Gain: 4500′ Distance: 11.0 miles Book Time: 7:45
The first day of winter brought me and a friend to the southern Presidentials to bag Mount Pierce and Mount Eisenhower for our New Hampshire Winter 48 list.
Map of hike
Read after the jump for a summary, photos and stats.
Maine Wanderlust 