#19 & 20 North & Middle Tripyramid

7/6/07 - Hiked with Gwen - We planned on camping out the night after this hike. We were meeting at 8:30AM at the trailhead. I got there early so I got us a camp site at Jigger Johnson campground and set up the tent before I met Gwen. It was really buggy. I had bug spray but they were going in my eyes. We kept hearing thunder but decided denial would be the best plan of action. We didn't see anybody on the trail all day until it started raining. We sat under some rocks and split a tuna sandwich while we talked about what to do. We'd been hiking for 4 hours and had another 4 to go. Should we turn around at this point? Gwen thought we should and I was so bummed but I knew she was probably right. A couple was coming down from the summit of the North Peak and they said a storm was headed for us. Just then a couple guys came up from where we just came. They were headed the same way we were going so we decided to follow them up the mountain. Gwen and I said we both felt like we had summit fever. No wonder people die on Mt. Everest. It continued to rain and thunder but no lighting thankfully. The 2 men were ministers (Middle Peak was their 40th mtn) and we hiked with them all the way back to the cars. They were from the Boston area and were history buffs. They gave us a book on the 4k footers that's a lot better than the AMC guide. The hike down was difficult because of the rain, we were all sliding down these huge flat slippery rocks on our heels and butts. We were totally soaked and muddy. The trail ended at the Sabbaday Falls. We hung out and chatted with the ministers for a little while and got back to the car at 7:00.<---"Jazz Hands" (#20)

# 18 Mt. Pierce

9/16/06 - Hiked with Gwen. Trailhead is across the street from the AMC Crawford Visitor Center on 302. Started around 9:30 on the Crawford Pass. The oldest constantly maintained trail in the White Mountains. We passed these 2 old ladies who were from the South doing parts of the Appalachian Trail. Gwen said to them "I hope were like you when we're your age, not that you're old!". It seemed like most people on the trail were headed to the Mitpah Hut. Once we passed the intersection to the summit of Pierce, we hardly saw anyone. The trail was really mossy with babbling brooks and just idealic. I told Gwen I want to move to this trail when I retire and live with the trolls and gnomes. She said she would live just down the trail at the next idealic spot. The summit was in an exposed alpine area so there were warnings to be prepared for storms. We ate some food and the fog lifted for about 2 minutes, long enough to get a quick shot of Washington. We were back to the cars at 3:45 and we joked about going outlet shopping because we never do anything but hike when we're in the whites.

#16 & 17 North & South Hancock

6/17/06 - (Hiked w/Gwen) Met Gwen at the trailhead which is at the hairpin turn on the Kancamagus. There was a couple guys starting at the same time as we were (8:15). They both had dogs heavy with gear (and booties!). We started out before them. About an hour later we had stopped for water at a river crossing. I heard really loud music (Cum On Feel The Noise) and thought we had come back to the highway or something, when those 2 guys came out of the woods. One of them had a boom box in his backpack and as they passed he said "how's it looking?". So much for the peace of the mountains. We never did see them again, but we'd occasionally hear music through the trees and start running to get away from them. There were several river crossings and the trails got confusing so I think we lost them there because their car was still in the lot when we got back. It was super buggy at the summit and we could hardly stand still for our traditional summit photo. Back to the cars at 4:30

#14 & 15 Mt. Tom & Field (& Avalon)

10/1/05 - Hiked with Gwen. We actually summited 3 mountains this day but one of them wasn't a 4k footer (Mt. Avalon). It was a nice clear day. We fed some birds (Canadian Jays) that would eat nuts right out of your hand. Nice views from the summits. There was a family on Mt. Tom that had a guide to edible plants. The boy offered us some berries that didn't taste like anything. Another 9 - 5 hike.

cobweb

#13 Mt. Wiley

Mt. Wiley 8/6/05 - Hiked with Jim & Gwen - Trailhead is near Arethusa Falls trail, off 302. Met Jim and Gwen there. I ate half my food waiting for them. Started hiking at 9:30. The first part of the trail was relatively flat, crossing railroad tracks. The second half got much steeper (I guess it would have to). There were a lot of ladders made of logs (see pic). They were so fun to climb! Gwen and I lost Jimbo at this point and we passed a couple guys who are also doing the 4k footers. When we got to the summit Jimbo was up there hanging out with these 2 other guys exchanging funny hiking stories. One of them got a call from his wife and she must have asked him who he was with because I heard him say "they're woman hikers". We could see Mt. Washington and smoke from the cog from the summit. The hike down was pretty uneventful until I fell. It was actually on a flat area; I was just walking too fast and not paying attention. Got back to the cars at 3:30. This was my favorite hike so far. The weather was beautiful and I was feeling great on the drive home.

Mt. Liberty

Tiny mushrooms on Mt. Liberty

#12 Mt. Flume

7/9/05 Hiked and camped with Gwen. We stayed at the Liberty Springs tent site. Backpacked up, set up our site on the 8th, hiked to Liberty again and then Mt. Flume on the 9th and back down the same day. There was a boysout troop staying up there the same night and the caretaker gave us a spot away from them. There was one cute little boyscout though who kept watching us and asking us what we were doing up there. Gwen told him we were looking for the McDonald's that was up there and he said "I wish there was a clothing store up here". He was like 8 years old. The scouts were eating macaroni and cheese from a can, ewwww. Gwen brought her Jetboil so we enjoyed some delicious dehydrated food (and I'm not even being sarcastic!). It started to pour the day of our summit and it just sucked the lives out of us. We went without talking for a long time. Thankfully, it stopped by the time we came back for our packs. We were totally soaked though so we changed before breaking down the tent and heading back down.

#11 Cannon Mtn.

6/12/04 Hiked with Gwen. Easiest hike yet. The trailhead was in Lafeyette campground. There's a tram that goes to the summit and we ate lunch in the tram cafeteria (we didn't take the tram though, that'd be cheating). Our most civilized meal to date while hiking. We actually sat at a table, maybe we even used a fork. Got back to the car by 4:00.