Oh my goodness. what a day. 17.5 miles of hiking, and well over 4500' elevation gain. We really have no idea how much elevation gain there was but a loop for Whiteface and the tripyramids said 4500. And since we added Passaconaway into this day it had to been much more.
Either way, it was an extremely long and tiring day. The reason we decided to do these four peaks together was because they were so close to each other. We originally had planned to do Tripyramids Saturday and then Whiteface and Passaconaway Sunday. But we figured instead of doing two 8 hour days (rough estimate) that we could do one 12 hour day. We also ran out of time to do Tecumseh Friday night so we wanted to do it on Saturday.
So we woke up at 7am Sunday morning, June 19. That was pretty good for us to get up that early, but unfortunately it didn't matter much. We drove the 40 minutes to the trailhead, taking two cars since we would end at a different spot than we began. As soon as we got to the parking lot Tony realized he forgot his socks. Normally Tony just grinds through things like this and would hike without any, but we both agreed this long of a hike would be way to miserable without any. So back to the house we went. I think it was all a ploy for Tony to get more sleep because he passed out the entire way to the house and back, little punk!!
On sadder news I talked to my dad that morning and found out that Grandpa Bart had passed away. He had been in hospice and we knew it was very close to happening so it wasn't a shock at least, but still sad. And on Father's Day too!
We finally got to the Sabbady Falls Trailhead at 9:45 am. The falls are very popular because they're on the Kancamagus and only .3 mile walk in. Some of my favorite in NH, but we didn't stop because we wanted to get going. The Sabbady Falls trail was very gorgeous, we followed the brook most of the way and even had some little "meadows". It was very green too. The last .4 miles of the trail was very steep, about 700 feet of elevation gain. I discovered that I almost like trails like this that are so steep because then everyone is doing the zombie walk! And everyone is going very slow because you are scrambling up the trails and can only do that so fast. Rather than other trails like Hale or Tecumeh where you can just keep pushing through at a fast pass. Anyway, it did have some great lookouts, which was interesting because we could see some of the peaks we would be climbing today.
After 4.9 miles of hiking we got to the next trail which led us to the summit of North Tripyramid within half a mile. We arrived in 2 hours and 35 minutes to North Tripyramid. We enjoyed a bagel between the two of us and carried on to Middle Tripyramid, which we reached 30 minutes later (running time of 3 hours 8 minutes). The view from Middle Tripyramid was sweet because it looked right out to Waterville Valley and Mt. Tecumseh, what we had hiked the day before. It was neat to see it so far away and be able to say, less than 20 hours ago we were standing right there.
Anyway, so we continued on our path. This is where we started to get a little concerned about having taken a wrong turn. We never really saw any other turns but we ended up descending so much after the tripyramids, including some of the south slide, which was really cool because it looks exactly what you would think a slide would look like. I had heard about the slides throughout the whites and I was scared they would be really dangerous but as long as you went slow it wasn't dangerous at all. Well the reason we were so confused was because on the map it shows we cut off before the slide, but we knew we were definitely on the slide. It was confusing but right when we were about to lose hope we saw an arrow painted on the rocks signifying another trail. There was no official sign but we figured it was only possible to be Kate Sleeper trail so we took it. Eventually it leveled out like it showed on the map and we felt pretty certain it was the right trail and within a mile we were confirmed it was by two other hikers. This trail was 2.5 miles and at the end of it was an optional bail point. In case we were too exhausted to get the other two peaks we could descend Downes Brook Trail to the highway and hitch a ride back to the car. But we also knew at that point we would only be .8 miles from Mt. Whiteface and even if we were tired we would just want to carry on to get them all. It was a peace of mind for Kelli though.
During the Kate Sleeper trail we got into a good groove and it went quickly. There were a lot of moose droppings and lots of flat areas for them to be in but we never saw any. One time though, we were walking along in the middle of a conversation, feeling very isolated on this trail when we pretty much walked upon a jack rabbit. We were within a foot of it when it went flying into the trees, it scared the crap out of us. Although we probably scared it as well.
Well shortly after the rabbit incident we came upon the Downes Brook trail but walked right past it on our way to the last two peaks! Which we sill had 8.9 miles so it was quite a distance left. But we figured most of it would be downhill or flat (so we thought). We reached Whiteface at 5 hours and 30 minutes of hiking. Besides Isolation we had done all the other hikes in less time than that. And we still had 8 miles left, oh my!
After enjoying our PB&J we continued on the Rollins Trail to Mt. Passaconaway. It was 2.3 miles and didn't seem to have too much elevation change. Well let me tell you, it had a lot of change. This is when we started to really lose it on the trail, including Tony. It was the longest 2.3 miles ever! At one point we did the typical, "we must have taken a wrong turn" conversation and pulled the map out. We thought it could have been possible but we were probably on the right one. We decided to go for another thirty minutes and if we hadn't hit the trail for the last mile to the summit we would go looking for our mistake. Well within 2 minutes of stopping we found the next trail. We should have known.
At this point is when we came to a small creek and decided we should fill up. We were both hesitant about this because we didn't have our water filter, it had broke a week before and was in the mail on it's way to REI. We did have water tablets (iodine) which we had been told were just as good but we were very nervous. Our desire for water won out though and we filled them up and followed the directions. We had to wait thirty minutes so it wasn't until the summit we would be able to enjoy it. The climb up to Passaconaway was typical; spurts of steep rocks to scramble over and various gradual climbs. I had been teaching Tony one of my elementary school choir songs earlier in the day and had this stuck in my head. For those of you that know those songs it was the Oreo song that goes:
Chocolate cookie, chocolate cookie, chocolate cookie yum yum yum.
repeat.
An oreo, a chocolate oreo. I love that creamy filling in a chocolate oreo.
Chocolate cookie, chocolate cookie, chocolate cookie yum yum yum.
Stand up, move over, sit down, SING.
Well somehow I was thinking about that dreadful Mt. Passaconway while I was singing and I started to make up my own version. Remember when fatigue sets in you become a little delirious and crazy. but here's my new version:
Passaconway, Passaconway, Passaconway, Oh My My.
repeat
A mountain top, I would like to see, Oh Passaconway how you'll be the death of me!
Passaconway, Passaconway, Passaconway, Oh My My.
Stand up, step forward, don't sit down, HIKE!
Okay you have to know the original song to understand the beat but either way, this was the song I sang in my head for the next couple of hours. It was pretty funny.
Well we reached the summit of Passaconaway, finally, at 7 hours and 8 minutes. We devoured our last bagel, took the picture and carried on as quickly as we could. We knew we shouldn't stop or our legs would get way to tired. So only 5 more miles to go! :)
The first 3 1/2 miles were a lot of descending and poor Tony was having a lot of trouble with his knees. He tried my poles but didn't like them very much. Eventually he found a system that worked fairly well, just go down the mountain backwards. I got a kick out of this. Eventually the trail flattened out and we knew it wouldn't be too long till the end. But that end took way longer than we thought it would. We were so tired of walking and getting bit by the most aggressive bugs ever that we decided to run. Yes after 16.5 miles of hard hiking we ran the last mile. It was very hard and awkward running but if we stopped we would be swarmed by mosquitoes, even though we had bug spray on. They were absolutely obnoxious!! Finally we made it to the end and got to Dug (our car). We had been hiking for 9 hours and 30 minutes.
Besides the bug bites and Tony's knees the hike wasn't that bad and we felt we could have carried on a little longer. Which is good to know since we have the Presi traverse in two weekends and that's 22 miles long with 8000 feet elevation gain; takes most people 16 hours. And then there is the Pemi and wildcat traverse which are even longer. Oh my lots of hiking!!
Monday, June 20, 2011
7. Mt. Tecumseh (4003')
Tony and I had already hiked Mt. Tecumseh back in the fall with Gina. So why did we do it again? Well our goal is to hike all the 48 in the one summer, and we had a wicked long hike planned for Sunday so we needed something short. Tecumseh is short, but unfortunately it's a long ways away from us so we needed a full day.
So Saturday we headed out there and luckily it wasn't raining when we started.The trailhead was right at the parking lot of Wateville Valley Ski resort, which we'd rode at a couple of times. Anyway, a few minutes into the hike we got a little turned around because the trail we were on lead us right onto the ski trail. We looked around for a different trail but decided it didn't matter because we knew the trail would intersect with the ski run a little further up. (in the fall we had a break on the ski trail because it's a good viewpoint). So Tony and I decided to just hike up the ski trail, pretty steep but it was short and in no time we were back on the regular hiking trail. This part of the trail was a straight, steep shot to the summit. We remembered it well and knew we just needed to bust it out.
I of course got into my zombie mode and Tony had a mission to just get this part done so he crushed it. Once to the top we shared a bagel and peaced out because of course it was quite buggy. And we wanted to get down to go enjoy the Laconia Bike Festival.
On the way down we did the trail the entire way. About .5 mile away from the car a thunderstorm started to roll in. It's so amazing how the trees create this canopy and do'nt let any rain come through. We could see the rain when there were clearings and definitely could hear the thunder but we barely got dripped on. Either way, we were glad to get to the car even if we weren't getting wet.
The hike took us 3 hours, much slower than we were thinking. We hiked 5 miles with elevation gain of 2300 feet.
So Saturday we headed out there and luckily it wasn't raining when we started.The trailhead was right at the parking lot of Wateville Valley Ski resort, which we'd rode at a couple of times. Anyway, a few minutes into the hike we got a little turned around because the trail we were on lead us right onto the ski trail. We looked around for a different trail but decided it didn't matter because we knew the trail would intersect with the ski run a little further up. (in the fall we had a break on the ski trail because it's a good viewpoint). So Tony and I decided to just hike up the ski trail, pretty steep but it was short and in no time we were back on the regular hiking trail. This part of the trail was a straight, steep shot to the summit. We remembered it well and knew we just needed to bust it out.
I of course got into my zombie mode and Tony had a mission to just get this part done so he crushed it. Once to the top we shared a bagel and peaced out because of course it was quite buggy. And we wanted to get down to go enjoy the Laconia Bike Festival.
On the way down we did the trail the entire way. About .5 mile away from the car a thunderstorm started to roll in. It's so amazing how the trees create this canopy and do'nt let any rain come through. We could see the rain when there were clearings and definitely could hear the thunder but we barely got dripped on. Either way, we were glad to get to the car even if we weren't getting wet.
The hike took us 3 hours, much slower than we were thinking. We hiked 5 miles with elevation gain of 2300 feet.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
6. Mt. Hale (4054')
Well I ended up getting a job at the local snowboard shop right down from my house, super stoked but it might hinder our hiking plans so we're trying to fit in hikes whenever possible.
Tony was let out of work a little early today so we got ready and headed to the shortest hike we could find, Mt. Hale. It was about forty minutes away from our house so we got there and on the trail by 5pm. Book time said it would be between 4-4.5 hours so we brought head lamps just in case. But seeing as how we'd been crushing book time I figured it would take us about 3 hours giving us 30 minutes before the sunset.
We assumed it was only 4.4 miles so it should be a fairly easy hike, but we forgot to factor in the elevation gain (2300') with such a short distance, so roughly a 1000 feet per mile; pretty steep. I did go buy new hiking poles (with the new job I had to splurge a little) and they helped soooo much! I didn't do as bad a zombie walk.
Anyway, it was uphill the entire way so we were getting our work done and sweating lots! Even though it was only 50 degrees or so. But we reached the summit in 1 hour and 16 minutes which we were stoked about because we were thinking probably 2 hours to the top and one down. There used to be an amazing view at the summit because there was a fire tower there at one point. But it was taken out and the trees have grown much taller. There was a clearing but with the trees all around you couldn't see unless you stood on the top of the cairn, which was rather large. After our SB&J (sunflower butter and jelly) we headed down. The decent was pretty steep so I was happy to have my hiking poles. We got down within an hour, which we thought was slow since the climb took us 1 hour and 16 minutes, but either way it was the perfect timing because right as we were coming to the parking lot I looked through the trees and saw a mother moose and her baby calf on the dirt road!! I was sooooo excited, I whispered/yelled to Tony to get the camera. As I started to walk away he asked for the keys...so he could get into the car for safety if need be :). Which I agree you don't mess with a moose when she has a baby around but they were pretty far away, saw us coming and just turned around and went into the woods. I got a pretty blurry picture though.
Anyway, as you can imagine I was soooo ecstatic and happy that I finally saw not only wildlife but a moose! We started the drive home and as I was typing into my facebook status update about my sighting we found another moose on the side of the highway eating! We were right below the silver flume falls in Crawford notch. It was even cooler seeing this guy because we pulled over and sat there for ten minutes while he ate. Most of the time moose don't care if you sit there and watch them for hours and this one definitely didn't mind. He seemed to be showing off too because each time we contemplated leaving, he'd walk up the shoulder of the road a little closer to us. Eventually he came within 3 or 4 feet of the car but then walked off. Tony was so funny each time the moose came closer and closer. If you don't know this about Tony but he doesn't like to be near wildlife. He loves to look at them but being up close and personal just ain't his thing. Which is pretty funny since I'm the complete opposite. I try to never be the idiot that gets killed by trying to feed a bear, but I probably would have pet that moose if he came up to the window. It's a good thing he didn't because he probably would have bit my fingers off and then Tony would have said, "I told you so" for life.
Anyway, we had an awesome awesome evening and I was so excited with all the moose I saw. We just love North Conway soooo much!!!
Tony was let out of work a little early today so we got ready and headed to the shortest hike we could find, Mt. Hale. It was about forty minutes away from our house so we got there and on the trail by 5pm. Book time said it would be between 4-4.5 hours so we brought head lamps just in case. But seeing as how we'd been crushing book time I figured it would take us about 3 hours giving us 30 minutes before the sunset.
We assumed it was only 4.4 miles so it should be a fairly easy hike, but we forgot to factor in the elevation gain (2300') with such a short distance, so roughly a 1000 feet per mile; pretty steep. I did go buy new hiking poles (with the new job I had to splurge a little) and they helped soooo much! I didn't do as bad a zombie walk.
Anyway, it was uphill the entire way so we were getting our work done and sweating lots! Even though it was only 50 degrees or so. But we reached the summit in 1 hour and 16 minutes which we were stoked about because we were thinking probably 2 hours to the top and one down. There used to be an amazing view at the summit because there was a fire tower there at one point. But it was taken out and the trees have grown much taller. There was a clearing but with the trees all around you couldn't see unless you stood on the top of the cairn, which was rather large. After our SB&J (sunflower butter and jelly) we headed down. The decent was pretty steep so I was happy to have my hiking poles. We got down within an hour, which we thought was slow since the climb took us 1 hour and 16 minutes, but either way it was the perfect timing because right as we were coming to the parking lot I looked through the trees and saw a mother moose and her baby calf on the dirt road!! I was sooooo excited, I whispered/yelled to Tony to get the camera. As I started to walk away he asked for the keys...so he could get into the car for safety if need be :). Which I agree you don't mess with a moose when she has a baby around but they were pretty far away, saw us coming and just turned around and went into the woods. I got a pretty blurry picture though.
Anyway, as you can imagine I was soooo ecstatic and happy that I finally saw not only wildlife but a moose! We started the drive home and as I was typing into my facebook status update about my sighting we found another moose on the side of the highway eating! We were right below the silver flume falls in Crawford notch. It was even cooler seeing this guy because we pulled over and sat there for ten minutes while he ate. Most of the time moose don't care if you sit there and watch them for hours and this one definitely didn't mind. He seemed to be showing off too because each time we contemplated leaving, he'd walk up the shoulder of the road a little closer to us. Eventually he came within 3 or 4 feet of the car but then walked off. Tony was so funny each time the moose came closer and closer. If you don't know this about Tony but he doesn't like to be near wildlife. He loves to look at them but being up close and personal just ain't his thing. Which is pretty funny since I'm the complete opposite. I try to never be the idiot that gets killed by trying to feed a bear, but I probably would have pet that moose if he came up to the window. It's a good thing he didn't because he probably would have bit my fingers off and then Tony would have said, "I told you so" for life.
Anyway, we had an awesome awesome evening and I was so excited with all the moose I saw. We just love North Conway soooo much!!!
5. Isolation (4003')
June 12th, 2011
My oh my, how long a hike this was!! It was our longest hike so far and our favorite as well! We stopped by for our tasty bagels and then got to the trail head pretty quickly since it was only fifteen minutes away.
The first 1.8 miles were a very tedious and exhausting climb. I decided I was going to buy hiking poles after this uphill. But we eventually made it to the top and then we only had 14 more miles to go! Most of the hike was relatively flat but by no means easy. A good chunk of the hike we were going through small streams or creeks full of rocks to hop along. We quickly discovered that damp rocks are very dangerous, Joust you are so correct!! We slipped, rolled our ankles, almost face-planted hundreds of times. It was very tedious trying to stay on our feet but luckily we never got too hurt. And eventually we got through the creeks and came to a real river. We had 5 different river crossings on the way to the summit and we never fell in! Although there were a few close calls. Even if we would have slipped it wouldn't have been dangerous, just very very wet. Which at this point our boots and pants were pretty soaked so it wouldn't have mattered much. Either way it was a fun adventure having to cross the river.
Along the trail we saw at least 20 different piles of moose droppings. Although at one point we stopped and asked each other if they could possibly be bear droppings and quickly dismissed the thought. It would be neat to see a bear but a little scary at the same time. Anyway, we got to the summit in 3 hours and 44 minutes and couldn't wait to eat our bagels. I made us take a picture at the top with a sign I made saying, "Happy Birthday Mom" since it was her birthday.
As we started the descent I couldn't help think of how far out we were from civilization, and that we hadn't seen anyone on the trail, so we better not get hurt. And lucky for us we didn't. Although at the first river crossing on the way back we decided to pump some water because we both were almost out. Unfortunately our pump broke, uh oh! But we had back up Gatorade and we were fine for the hike back.
It was even more tedious going back because we were more fatigued and it started to lightly rain so the rocks were more slippery. We did get super freaked out when this type of grouse would fly through the woods, the flapping of the wings were so loud! And we felt so isolated and in our own world that it took us completely by surprise. So did this dog and two hikers we saw near the end of the trail. They were hiking in to camp at the shelter.
Well we finished the hike in 6 hours and 50 minutes. We had hiked 14.6 miles and climbed 3600 feet. It was a book time of 8 hours and 45 minutes so we were happy with the time it took us. The last mile and half were so exhausting because it was the steep downhill and our legs/ankles were shot. It seemed like the never ending trail. We were very exhausted so I begged Tony for a slice of pizza as a treat. Yup I know I'm a fool for working so hard and then ruining it with pizza, but it was so worth it!
My oh my, how long a hike this was!! It was our longest hike so far and our favorite as well! We stopped by for our tasty bagels and then got to the trail head pretty quickly since it was only fifteen minutes away.
The first 1.8 miles were a very tedious and exhausting climb. I decided I was going to buy hiking poles after this uphill. But we eventually made it to the top and then we only had 14 more miles to go! Most of the hike was relatively flat but by no means easy. A good chunk of the hike we were going through small streams or creeks full of rocks to hop along. We quickly discovered that damp rocks are very dangerous, Joust you are so correct!! We slipped, rolled our ankles, almost face-planted hundreds of times. It was very tedious trying to stay on our feet but luckily we never got too hurt. And eventually we got through the creeks and came to a real river. We had 5 different river crossings on the way to the summit and we never fell in! Although there were a few close calls. Even if we would have slipped it wouldn't have been dangerous, just very very wet. Which at this point our boots and pants were pretty soaked so it wouldn't have mattered much. Either way it was a fun adventure having to cross the river.
Along the trail we saw at least 20 different piles of moose droppings. Although at one point we stopped and asked each other if they could possibly be bear droppings and quickly dismissed the thought. It would be neat to see a bear but a little scary at the same time. Anyway, we got to the summit in 3 hours and 44 minutes and couldn't wait to eat our bagels. I made us take a picture at the top with a sign I made saying, "Happy Birthday Mom" since it was her birthday.
As we started the descent I couldn't help think of how far out we were from civilization, and that we hadn't seen anyone on the trail, so we better not get hurt. And lucky for us we didn't. Although at the first river crossing on the way back we decided to pump some water because we both were almost out. Unfortunately our pump broke, uh oh! But we had back up Gatorade and we were fine for the hike back.
It was even more tedious going back because we were more fatigued and it started to lightly rain so the rocks were more slippery. We did get super freaked out when this type of grouse would fly through the woods, the flapping of the wings were so loud! And we felt so isolated and in our own world that it took us completely by surprise. So did this dog and two hikers we saw near the end of the trail. They were hiking in to camp at the shelter.
Well we finished the hike in 6 hours and 50 minutes. We had hiked 14.6 miles and climbed 3600 feet. It was a book time of 8 hours and 45 minutes so we were happy with the time it took us. The last mile and half were so exhausting because it was the steep downhill and our legs/ankles were shot. It seemed like the never ending trail. We were very exhausted so I begged Tony for a slice of pizza as a treat. Yup I know I'm a fool for working so hard and then ruining it with pizza, but it was so worth it!
Monday, June 13, 2011
3. North Hancock (4421') and 4. South Hancock (4319')
The lovely Hancocks, and we weren't alone this time! I had my super good friend from Flagstaff, Kayla, come visit with her boyfriend Ross. We had a late night Friday so we didn't get on the trail till eleven or noon. And we had to stop by Bagel's Plus for our new tradition of yummy bagels from Barbara. The trail head was located on the Kanc so that was nice to show Kayla and Ross the famous highway. As we were layering on the rain gear and our boots we met Ray, a 77 year old man who was a little quirky. He had biked all the way from Massachusetts and was training to participate in the Mt. Washington bike race (which he'd already completed 13 times before). He was quite a character and of course Tony got stuck in conversation with him. But once we were able to pull Mr. Day away we started the hike.
It was a very gradual climb for most of the hike which made Tony and I worried because we knew at some point we'd have to start climbing somewhere. And eventually (3.6 miles in) we did start the climb. We decided to take the Hancock loop clockwise which meant we would summit North Hancock first. It was .7 miles and very steep. Because we had other people with us I was trying to not get into my zombie state, but I definitely have found out that I'm a slow uphill hiker. I was entertained by sweet stories of Korea (where Kayla and Ross taught English for two years), Africa (where Ross is from and Kayla is going to visit) and Ross's medieval looking poncho/red dress. Sorry Ross but it's true, it was quite funny on you!
It took us about 45 minutes to reach the summit and once there we wanted to enjoy our bagels but it was chilly and there was no view because of fog so we quickly scarfed down our food and carried on. To the South summit there wasn't much climbing or descending, which I was quite content with :). After we got some fun pictures at the cairn (summit marker) we headed on the descent back towards the car. It was fairly steep at parts but we could stay on our feet the entire time. We enjoyed the last few bites of our gummy bears and discussed what we'd have for dinner. Ross handily had a menu in his pocket for the Two Black Dogs bar we went to the night before so we spent time on the hike and in the car planning our dinner.
The hike was 9.8 miles and an elevation gain of 2700' which put book time at about 6 hours and 30 minutes. But it took us 4 hours and 40 minutes, we're getting faster! It was the easiest hike we had done so far but still a good time with our company.
It was a very gradual climb for most of the hike which made Tony and I worried because we knew at some point we'd have to start climbing somewhere. And eventually (3.6 miles in) we did start the climb. We decided to take the Hancock loop clockwise which meant we would summit North Hancock first. It was .7 miles and very steep. Because we had other people with us I was trying to not get into my zombie state, but I definitely have found out that I'm a slow uphill hiker. I was entertained by sweet stories of Korea (where Kayla and Ross taught English for two years), Africa (where Ross is from and Kayla is going to visit) and Ross's medieval looking poncho/red dress. Sorry Ross but it's true, it was quite funny on you!
It took us about 45 minutes to reach the summit and once there we wanted to enjoy our bagels but it was chilly and there was no view because of fog so we quickly scarfed down our food and carried on. To the South summit there wasn't much climbing or descending, which I was quite content with :). After we got some fun pictures at the cairn (summit marker) we headed on the descent back towards the car. It was fairly steep at parts but we could stay on our feet the entire time. We enjoyed the last few bites of our gummy bears and discussed what we'd have for dinner. Ross handily had a menu in his pocket for the Two Black Dogs bar we went to the night before so we spent time on the hike and in the car planning our dinner.
The hike was 9.8 miles and an elevation gain of 2700' which put book time at about 6 hours and 30 minutes. But it took us 4 hours and 40 minutes, we're getting faster! It was the easiest hike we had done so far but still a good time with our company.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
1. Mt. Osceola ( 4340') and 2.East Osceola (4156')
Tony and I have taken it upon ourselves to spend our summer hiking the white mountains. New Hampshire has this "challenge" of hiking all 48 peaks that are over 4000 feet. So of course we thought it would be fun to try to hike them all by the end of the summer.
We flew home from Idaho on June 4th and got into our brand new place that night. On June 5th we should have spent the day unpacking but instead we opted to start our hiking adventures.
We got a late start...typical of us and didn't get to the trailhead till the afternoon. But it was an absolutely gorgeous day and we even saw a black bear up on the hill at Canon Mountain.
The start of our hikes would be with Osceola and East Osceola. We decided to take the Greeley Pond Trail (located off the kancamagus highway) which has a total distance of 7.6 miles and 3116 feet of elevation gain. If you do the calculation we have been told (1 hour for every two miles plus 30 min for every 1000 feet elevation gain) then the book time would be about 5 hours and 20 minutes. We better get moving!
The trail started out nice and smooth. Not too difficult at first but it was a NH trail and had lots of roots and rocks to hike over. Tony and I both were feeling great and so excited to start all this hiking! But eventually it got steep. And stayed steep for quite a while. I was definitely huffing and puffing, and sweating in the 75 degree heat! Tony was his happy go self as always, perhaps it was the mantra he kept repeating: "we're here to have fun!" to calm himself when I would stop for a break. We got into the swing of things and learned that I like to lead, except on really steep parts because Tony doesn't like to rest in the middle of a hill; he prefers to get to the top and rest. I try to get to the top but if I feel the need to stop in the middle it's not the end of the world. :).
We made lists of things we needed to start to carry, like a handkerchief to catch all the sweat, tweezers in case of ticks :(, and various other items. We both had 2 liters of water in our camelbacks but we learned later on the trek it was not enough. And I was wishing we had brought some delicious gummy bears! It's the one time I can chow down on candy and not feel to guilty, so I take advantage of it.
We didn't see much wildlife (pretty typical when you're surrounded by tons of thick trees). But we did see a cute frog, a squirrel that is red and goofy compared to most, and a woodpecker.
Along the hike we saw about four different groups of people and it's always so encouraging....or humbling when they're goofballs in jeans and converse shoes. It makes feel better about being able to complete the hike, but once completed I don't feel so accomplished when I think of the others that have done it as well. Tony and I decided they must have two cars so they only have to go half the distance rather than the out and back we were doing. ;)
Well the trail was safe and enjoyable at most spots except one, a "chimney" rock wall that we had to rock climb up. It was fun and different going up it but thinking about the descent wasn't too enjoyable. Luckily on the way back we found a side trail that wasn't as treacherous. It was an educational find as well because we weren't sure how Roxi would ever make it up or down the chimney and Tony and I contemplated this for some time until we found the side route.
The view at both summits were polar opposites; East osceola had no view but Osceola had a gorgeous one. So we ate our bagels (Tony found his favorite kind ever, honey nut) on top of Osceola. After a few minutes, yup only a few because we had to unpack a house, we decided to start the descent.
The trail took us 4 hours and 17 minutes, which includes all the rests and food breaks. Not too shabby for the first hike out! The first thing we did once we reached the car was pull this muggy hiking boots off and throw on our lovely reefs.
If my stolen internet cooperates I'll try to post some pictures later on!
We flew home from Idaho on June 4th and got into our brand new place that night. On June 5th we should have spent the day unpacking but instead we opted to start our hiking adventures.
We got a late start...typical of us and didn't get to the trailhead till the afternoon. But it was an absolutely gorgeous day and we even saw a black bear up on the hill at Canon Mountain.
The start of our hikes would be with Osceola and East Osceola. We decided to take the Greeley Pond Trail (located off the kancamagus highway) which has a total distance of 7.6 miles and 3116 feet of elevation gain. If you do the calculation we have been told (1 hour for every two miles plus 30 min for every 1000 feet elevation gain) then the book time would be about 5 hours and 20 minutes. We better get moving!
The trail started out nice and smooth. Not too difficult at first but it was a NH trail and had lots of roots and rocks to hike over. Tony and I both were feeling great and so excited to start all this hiking! But eventually it got steep. And stayed steep for quite a while. I was definitely huffing and puffing, and sweating in the 75 degree heat! Tony was his happy go self as always, perhaps it was the mantra he kept repeating: "we're here to have fun!" to calm himself when I would stop for a break. We got into the swing of things and learned that I like to lead, except on really steep parts because Tony doesn't like to rest in the middle of a hill; he prefers to get to the top and rest. I try to get to the top but if I feel the need to stop in the middle it's not the end of the world. :).
We made lists of things we needed to start to carry, like a handkerchief to catch all the sweat, tweezers in case of ticks :(, and various other items. We both had 2 liters of water in our camelbacks but we learned later on the trek it was not enough. And I was wishing we had brought some delicious gummy bears! It's the one time I can chow down on candy and not feel to guilty, so I take advantage of it.
We didn't see much wildlife (pretty typical when you're surrounded by tons of thick trees). But we did see a cute frog, a squirrel that is red and goofy compared to most, and a woodpecker.
Along the hike we saw about four different groups of people and it's always so encouraging....or humbling when they're goofballs in jeans and converse shoes. It makes feel better about being able to complete the hike, but once completed I don't feel so accomplished when I think of the others that have done it as well. Tony and I decided they must have two cars so they only have to go half the distance rather than the out and back we were doing. ;)
Well the trail was safe and enjoyable at most spots except one, a "chimney" rock wall that we had to rock climb up. It was fun and different going up it but thinking about the descent wasn't too enjoyable. Luckily on the way back we found a side trail that wasn't as treacherous. It was an educational find as well because we weren't sure how Roxi would ever make it up or down the chimney and Tony and I contemplated this for some time until we found the side route.
The view at both summits were polar opposites; East osceola had no view but Osceola had a gorgeous one. So we ate our bagels (Tony found his favorite kind ever, honey nut) on top of Osceola. After a few minutes, yup only a few because we had to unpack a house, we decided to start the descent.
The trail took us 4 hours and 17 minutes, which includes all the rests and food breaks. Not too shabby for the first hike out! The first thing we did once we reached the car was pull this muggy hiking boots off and throw on our lovely reefs.
If my stolen internet cooperates I'll try to post some pictures later on!
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