tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-128952082024-03-13T10:08:39.919-04:00BuddhaMouse Blogmdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.comBlogger1254125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-17573732977412998162019-08-20T20:19:00.000-04:002019-08-20T20:27:43.930-04:00Mt Pierce and Mt EisenhowerToday's hike: 10.6 mi | 6.5 h | 1.6 mph
I hiked up to Mt Pierce and Mt Eisenhower with Maggie's boy today. The forecast was about as good as it has been all summer, and it seemed like the perfect day to get the views from the summit of Eisenhower.
We started at the Crawford Connector. The hike up to Pierce is a steady, moderate, uphill climb through trees. You break out of the trees just below mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-69643246916062193842019-06-12T18:46:00.000-04:002019-06-12T18:46:54.963-04:00Mt Chocorua via Champney Falls TrailToday's hike: 7.6 mi | 4.5 h | 1.7 mph
I went for a hike up to Mt Chocorua with a friend, today. This was my first big hike of the season!
The bugs are pretty heavy, currently. It's mostly mosquitoes, but also gnats and black flies. Not being a fan of DEET, we used "Human Nature Insect Repel". It seemed to work to keep the bugs away, although we did find we had to reapply it (it was applied a mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-69809801173959558032019-02-19T16:14:00.003-05:002019-02-19T16:15:32.704-05:00the White Ledge trail againToday's hike: 4.3 mi | 3.5 h | 1.2 mph
We snowshoed around the White Ledge Loop again, this morning. It was a fabulous, blue-sky day. We'd had some light snow yesterday, and didn't expect to see any broken trail. In fact, it looked like one or two people had been around the entire loop, either yesterday or today.
White Ledge Trail sign submerged in snow
I like to break trail, so it was a mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-23515683219484368052019-02-03T16:31:00.000-05:002019-02-03T16:31:35.522-05:00Boulder Loop Trail after the snowWe got some nice snow on Tuesday of last week. So we went back to check out the Boulder Loop Trail.
The parking lot has been completely plowed, now, so there's plenty of parking, once again. Thank you, government workers!
Driving in, we noted a team of perhaps eight people hauling 3-4 sledges. We thought maybe they were going ice-climbing.
Ever optimistic, we left our snowshoes in the car, mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-82163504372391248412019-01-25T19:47:00.002-05:002019-01-25T19:47:30.404-05:00Boulder Loop Trail after the snow and rainToday's hike: 2.8 mi | 2.5 h | 1.1 mph
I hiked around the Boulder Loop Trail with Maggie's boy this morning.
We got about a foot of snow here last Sunday. Then, yesterday, the temperature got up to nearly 40 F, and it rained and rained. So we brought both snowshoes and microspikes, not sure what to expect.
We had come here early in January, only to be turned back because the parking lot mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-80110645415728977892019-01-04T17:33:00.000-05:002019-01-04T18:25:21.914-05:00another go at White LedgeToday's hike: 4.3 mi | 3.0 h | 1.4 mph
I went snowshoeing around the White Ledge Loop with Maggie's boy today. We went clockwise today, too. It was another fantastic day! It snowed earlier this week, and no one had been out on the trail yet, so we got to break trail around the whole loop. It was about as good as it gets for snowshoeing, with about 5 inches of light, fluffy snow on most of the mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-50682167611102872312018-12-25T14:33:00.003-05:002018-12-25T14:33:23.362-05:00I'm dreaming of a White Ledge Loop Trail Christmas
Today's hike: 4.3 mi | 2.9 h | 1.5 mph
Merry Christmas! It was a beautiful day for a hike in the Whites! I decided on the White Ledge Loop Trail, since I was feeling like a longer hike.
mixed conditions on the White Ledge Loop trail
I decided to go clockwise. Usually, I prefer going counterclockwise on this trail, because the first section in that direction is kind of boring, and it's mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-32134763692294694632018-09-03T20:00:00.000-04:002018-09-04T10:40:00.123-04:00wildcat aToday's hike: 8.5 mi | 6.5 h | 1.3 mph
I hiked up to Wildcat A with Maggie's boy today. This was my 24th 4000-footer, so I'm halfway done!
I decided to be clever. We would take two cars, and do an end-to-end hike, starting at the Glen Ellis Falls trailhead and ending at the Nineteen Mile Brook trailhead. We'd bag the two peaks, A and D, and not have to retrace our steps.
This was to mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-31123373891435875092018-08-27T22:05:00.001-04:002018-09-04T10:40:46.720-04:00wildcat dToday's hike: 5.8 mi | 5.5 h | 1.1 mph
The parking lot at Pinkham Notch was filling up when I arrived shortly after 8:00 am. I chose to hike in to the Wildcat Ridge Trail via the Lost Pond Trail. It adds about one hour to the hike, but it's easy, and it gives you an extended view of the scenic, clear Ellis River.
Wildcat Ridge Trail starts out steep and rocky, and stays that way mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-16622811232120345312018-07-31T15:08:00.000-04:002018-08-02T06:35:52.596-04:00mt crawford
Today's hike: 4.4 mi | 3 h | 1.5 mph
The plan was to hike Mt Carrigain via the Signal Ridge Trail. When we arrived at Sawyer River Rd, the forest road that you're supposed to take to get to the trailhead, it was barred. So - oops. It would take an extra 4 miles of hiking if we walked in to the trailhead, so instead, we opted to hike the Davis Path to Mt Crawford, an easier hike in the area.
mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-44369719132661074212018-05-07T21:13:00.000-04:002018-05-07T21:13:51.024-04:00mt mexicoToday's hike: 5.6 mi | 3 h | 1.9 mph
Maggie's boy and I took the Big Rock Cave trail over Mt Mexico, to the Whitin Brook trail, and then returned on the Cabin trail, to make a big, triangular loop. The elevation gain is about 1500 ft.
Last year, we walked up to Mt Mexico with the intent of checking out Big Rock Cave. We got swarmed with mosquitoes along the trail. It was so bad that mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-1770475224176907672018-04-03T11:26:00.000-04:002018-04-03T12:10:49.790-04:00spring snow on the boulder loop trailToday's hike: 2.8 mi | 1.3 h | 2.1 mph
I took the loop clockwise today. It was surprisingly busy. I passed a couple of people and got passed by someone doing a very good pace with a dog.
Trail conditions are still a bit rough. Down low, I could easily avoid any snow or ice. This is a view as I headed up the trail, approaching the first significant snow.
trail on the way to the overlook
mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-31565992520124193902018-01-21T18:04:00.000-05:002018-01-21T18:04:32.951-05:00Mt ChocoruaToday's hike: 7.6 mi | 4.2 h | 1.8 mph
I hiked up the Champney Falls Trail off the Kanc to the top of Mt. Chocorua today, accompanied by a friend. This was my first hike in the Whites over a completely snow-covered trail, and it was probably as mild as it could be. The temperature at the parking lot was about 35 °F.
approach to summit of Mt Chocorua
The trail was completely mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-23082846650192104222017-09-24T18:05:00.000-04:002017-09-24T18:05:01.147-04:00Mt MonroeToday's hike: 6 mi | 5 h | 1.2 mph
Today, I hiked up to Mt. Monroe, my 22nd 4000-footer.
someone left a pair of boots at the side of the trail!
The mountains in the Presidential Range are some of the taller 4000-footers, and I've been expecting the hikes to these peaks to be more difficult than my previous 4000-footers. However, this did not turn out to be the case. It's not an mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-35872215614559666452017-08-17T21:54:00.000-04:002017-08-18T17:54:04.750-04:00Mt WhitefaceToday's hike: 8.4 mi | 5.5 h | 1.5 mph
Today I hiked Mt Whiteface, my 21st 4000-footer! I went up via the Blueberry Ledge Trail, and returned the same way. According to the AMC White Mountain Guide, the Ferncroft parking lot where the hike starts is at 1,140 ft above sea level. Mt Whiteface is 4,019 ft tall, so the elevation change was 2979 ft. It didn't seem so steep, though.
It's a mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-24795876145694726422017-02-07T13:15:00.001-05:002017-02-07T13:15:53.696-05:00peaked mountainToday's hike: 4.0 mi | 2 h | 2 mph
It snowed on and off during this hike. The trail had a light coating of 1-2 inches of snow. I climbed up the Middle Mountain Trail to about 1/2 mile below Middle Mountain, then took the Peaked Mountain Connector Trail to the top of Peaked Mountain. I descended via the Peaked Mountain Trail, which makes a nice loop.
The footing was not bad. Microspikes were mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-60639214984571951042017-02-04T17:50:00.001-05:002018-04-03T12:11:15.539-04:00boulder loop trailToday's hike: 2.8 mi | 1.5 h | 1.9 mph
Went clockwise around the Boulder Loop Trail. This area is very nice, going through a few areas that are quiet and filled with big pines. It was kind of busy due to it being Saturday.
View of the Swift River and ledges beyond from the Covered Bridge at the parking area
mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-45152801443457415002017-01-28T17:36:00.002-05:002017-01-28T17:36:55.881-05:00a hike to the summit of White LedgeToday's hike: 2 h | 3.4 mi | 1.7 mph with an elevation gain of about 1400 feet.
I hiked to the summit of White Ledge in Albany, NH, starting from the White Ledge campground. The gate is closed, but parking is possible just off the road. The trail is still completely covered in snow, and it's pretty deep, at least a foot in most places.
I used my Kahtoola microspikes the entire way. Some form ofmdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-17819223038603199022017-01-14T16:40:00.000-05:002017-01-14T16:40:02.325-05:00Mt StantonToday, I hiked up the Mount Stanton Trail, to the summit of Mt Stanton. The round trip distance was 3 miles, with an elevation gain of 1000 feet. It took a total of 2 hours, averaging 1.5 mph. This was very good, considering the trail conditions were pretty icy. I wore Kahtoola MICROspikes. I wouldn't have wanted to hike this trail without them, especially the steep bits.
It was below 20ºF, mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-34462041344934074142017-01-11T17:54:00.000-05:002017-01-11T17:54:22.914-05:00snowshoeing up Middle Mountain TrailLast night, it got unseasonably warm. Snow turned to rain. And then the skies cleared, and we got a beautiful, pleasant day for a change.
I went hiking up Middle Mountain Trail, where I've been snowshoeing before. The trail is pretty beaten down, and the rain has made the snow soft and a bit slushy. I started out without traction, then put on snowshoes as the trail steepened. This kind of snow mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-35858432463712517882016-10-31T16:28:00.000-04:002016-10-31T17:19:57.117-04:00Black Cap MountainToday, I hiked the Black Cap Mountain trail in the Green Hills Preserve. The last few days have been rainy. This fairly short hike seemed a safe bet.
The trailhead is located on the south side of Hurricane Mountain Rd, in Conway, NH. Hurricane Mountain Rd is reportedly not maintained in the winter. It's gated at some point in November, but I couldn't figure out when. It looks like you have to mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-70524882632111193372015-11-10T13:09:00.000-05:002015-11-10T13:09:58.304-05:00Mt ChocoruaYesterday's hike: 5 h 30 min | 7.4 mi | 1.4 mph.
Mt Chocorua, at 3,490 feet, is not quite a 4000-footer. But in hiking up it, you experience an elevation change of about 2500 feet, similar to many of the 4000-footers. For example, the hike up Mt Osceola is only about 2000 feet.
Jim Liberty cabin is wrapped in chains to prevent the roof from flying off
Yesterday I did this hike via the mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-82915543212121523102015-04-28T11:46:00.002-04:002015-04-28T11:46:45.881-04:00another look at the cross of questioningSomeone recently asked about the "cross of questioning" over at Crow Hill Ledges.
I passed by there recently. It is very faded in comparison to my last photo. I don't know what to make of that. I wonder why it was so clearly marked when I saw it. I don't think I'd notice it these days. Here's the way it looks now:
cross of questioning in 2015
mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-43399221887309313242014-07-07T12:15:00.000-04:002014-07-07T12:15:25.717-04:00taping stamps to an envelopeSeveral times a year, there's a charity that sends me a self-addressed stamped envelope - I guess they think that they can prompt me to send them money because of the free postage? I do sometimes give them money (not because of that!), but generally I do not. It may be silly, but I hate the idea of throwing away those unused stamps. So I cut the stamps off the envelope using a pair of scissors, mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12895208.post-12077817531700828652013-09-03T20:22:00.000-04:002013-09-03T20:22:33.582-04:00waumbekYesterday's hike: 4 h 5 min | 7.2 mi | 1.7 mph.
I hiked my twentieth 4000-footer, Mt Waumbek!
There's not much exciting about this hike, except for the fact that it's got to be the easiest trail I've taken to a 4000-footer so far. No struggle to get yourself over giant boulders at the top, and as you near the peak it doesn't get significantly steeper. Probably a good thing, since I'm severely mdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12842816027350461409noreply@blogger.com0