# 22 Mt. Passaconaway

6/7/08 – Hiked with Gwen – I was meeting Gwen at the Ferncroft parking area at 8:30. The ride up to the Whites was really foggy (it always seems to be foggy on the ride up). I got there at 7:30 so I drove to Conway to my favorite Irving Blue Canoe station for food. Got to the parking area at 8:20 and Gwen was already there. We loaded up on bug spray and left at 8:45. The forecast was calling for hot muggy weather so we brought a lot of water and I asked Gwen to bring her water filter in case we needed it (we ended up needing it). We were taking the Dicey’s Mill Trail which is the same trail we took back from Whiteface so I was able to see that house by the river again that I fell in love with. (see pic) We also walked up that driveway that’s part of the trail. The AMC guide said this was once a logging road. We crossed a river that had logs laying over it to make the crossing easier. Once you get to the other side you go by this enormous boulder that’s like the size of a whale! The AMC guide even mentions it. It didn’t take long to start feeling the heat and the bugs were out in full force. Even though we used OFF they were going in our eyes and ears.
Sometimes we would walk through a pocket of cool air that would make me think “but sometimes there’s hot pockets” which made me think about “Hot Pockets” which made me think about that new Hot Pockets commercial where this guy is pulling a stack of Hot Pockets out a freezer and he looks at his friend and sings “Hot Pockets” in a kind of high voice and that made me laugh and I had to explain the whole thing to Gwen. Sad to say, but, if someone had asked me “whaddya gonna pick!?” I’d have to say, Cold Pockets. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovFhEgNXBp4
We stopped often for water. I brought 2 big bottles and Gwen had a North Face hydration system but we ended up needing to stop to filter more near the top. I was pretty miserable from the heat but tried to not think about it. Gwen and I never complain to each other which I think is what makes us such good hiking companions. We might mention something that’s hurting but we never whine!
I couldn’t figure out where we were on the map because one of the trails that intersected with ours wasn’t marked (at least I didn’t see a sign). It started getting cooler and less humid the higher we went. Gwen spotted a patch of snow! It was in the 80’s and we were wiping our heads off with snow balls. Crazy... man.
When we got to the intersection of the Rollins trail which is the trail to Whiteface, we realized we were close to the summit and surprised we made it so quickly. There was a part of the trail that was like walking up a Zen fountain. It was like a rock path lined with moss with water gently trickling down. It was gorgeous and it energized me.
We found the sign that pointed the way to the summit and were on the trail for not very long when we came across a cairn and the trail split. We each took a path to try to find the way but they both dead ended. We realized we must be at the summit. It just seemed too easy. Summiting is usually more of a battle. It was so easy, it was a bit anti-climatic. We summited at 12:45.
The way back down was pretty easy because there weren’t a lot of big rocks to negotiate. We stopped at that river again and cooled off a bit. We were both covered in bug bites. Got back to the cars at 4:20 and stopped at the Yankee Smoke House for dinner. Not a great choice for a vegetarian but there’s not much else around there. The drive home was awesome. It was really hot but I had all the windows down and by the time I reached Dover, the sea breeze knocked the temperature down by at least 10 degrees.
Yay Us! Next Mountain/s will be Wilcat probably and hopefully before June is over.

#21 Whiteface

9/22/07 - Hiked w/ Gwen - Met at Sabbaday Falls. We realized we were on the wrong side of the mountain so we had to drive 45 minutes to the right trailhead. We didn't start hiking until 10. Stayed in the hardwoods longer than usual. When we got closer to the top of Whiteface there was a lot of rock climbing to do. It was fun and I was glad it wasn't raining. Rain was forecasted for later in the afternoon. The rocky climb just seemed to go on and on. We only saw 3 people on the trail even though the parking lot was packed (they were probably all in front of us). We stopped at this really steep cliff to eat something. I was a little nervous watching this guy walk around the edge (the guy in the pic). We were really high up. Finally summited around 2. We were doing a loop and wanted to hike Passaconaway as well but the hike was so long, and we didn't get to the trailhead to Passaconaway until 4:30 that we decided against it. Oh well, we'll have to come back for that one. It was starting to get dark on our hike back down. When we came out of the woods we had to walk these dirt roads that had some houses on them. I would love to live here. There was one little cabin right on a river with a fireplace. There was someone inside, I could smell food and I was hoping they'd come out and offer us a meal! Got to the cars at 6:30.

#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