Liberty, Lincoln, and Lafayette!

Lafayette, Lincoln, and Liberty are three of the most challenging, yet popular hiking destinations in New Hampshire. This is because it is unique is the sense that you are pretty much above tree level the whole time. Many photo contests have been won from the beautiful scenery and views you get from the top of the peaks. My friend Tucker and I started are hike at 11 in the morning. Originally, we were supposed to bag Flume peak also, but we missed the trail for that and continued on. The first peak we got to was Liberty. After a short lunch break we continued on to Lincoln. It was a pain to go from peak to peak because it went very steeply downhill, then very steep uphill. There were hundreds and hundreds of hikers on the top of Lincoln, and even more on the top of Lafayette. I swear Tucker and I were the fastest hikers on the whole mountain because we passed everyone. It was amazing to see Cannon Mountain, the mountain I ski at all winter, from up so high. It’s a shame that the Old Man isn’t there anymore. Finally we began the long journey down Lafayette a finished around 4 in the afternoon. It was a very long but fun day!

Hale with the Family

Today I hiked Mt. Hale with my family. It was a last bonding experience before we shipped josh off to camp. All in all it was a pretty short and plain hike. There were no views because the hike never got over tree line. An aspect of the hike that was cool was how at the top, there was the reminisce of an old fire tower. In addition, there was a huge pile of rocks that other hikers had made at the top of the hike. The weather was great so it made the day!

The Hancocks with Dad

North Hancock Mt. – 4,420
South Hancock Mt. – 4,319
Distance – 11.5 miles
Estimated Time – 7:20
Actual Time – 4:40


Today Dad and I hiked the Hancocks. We were originally planning on hiking the Garfield/Lafayette Ridge but the clouds were hanging low and I wanted to save those great views for a blue sky day. Also, the Flume Trail is particularly tough, especially on a wet day and we were having wet days.

The hike into the Hancock Loop trail was relative easy except for the water on the trail. We were constantly skirting the sides as to avoid deep wet muddy puddles in the middle of the path. The trail tested our balance as we had to walk across several narrow and slippery logs. It also tested our patience as there were three rivers that we had to cross which meant taking off our shoes and wading up to our knees. On the way down, though, the freezing cold water felt really good on our feet.

When we arrived at the loop, we met three hikers coming down who suggested that we head up the North Hancock branch and come down from South Hancock. It was good advice. The North Hancock trail was extremely steep and extremely wet. Imagine climbing 1,000 steep stairs with water pouring down from the top. By the time we reached the summit our thighs were burning. We were rewarded, though, with clearing clouds and the best views I have seen on my hikes to date. From the top of North Hancock we overlooked Osceola and the Tripyramids. Craning our necks to the right, we actually saw Flume and Walking Boss at Loon.
The hike across the ridge was all in the trees and South Hancock offered little in the way of views. We then skedaddled down, trying to run but constantly having to stop and work our way around the puddles and the rivers running across the trail. Our trip down seemed to go on forever but we knew when we arrived at the “slippery logs” we were close to the bottom.

North and South Kinsman!

Today, two Holderness friends Amanda and Emily and I, hiked North and South Kinsman. This was a long, long hike. The trail first went up to Lonesome Lake, a beautiful hidden lake in the middle of the mountains. At the lake there is a really neat AMC campsite along with cabins and a dining hall. From the lake there were a wide variety of trails we could take. We took the kinsman ridge trail. This was a long, steep, 5-mile trail. After hours on this, we arrived at yet another lake. A steep trail from this led up to North Kinsman. The top was cool because it was a cliff overlooking great views of many peaks, and even Loon Mountain. The trip from North to South Kinsman was not very hard. At the top of South Kinsman there was yet another massive pile of rocks signifying the top. We went down a shorter path to Lonesome Lake. We were so hungry; we even stopped in the AMC hut and bought some soup. The trip took us a total of 7 hours, the longest of all of the hikes I have done so far.

Waumbek with Mom

Hiking in the rain isn’t very fun. Today my mom and I hiked Waumbek. This was another fairly short hike at only 4,006 feet. This was a good hike to do in the rain because it was covered the whole way up. On the way to the top, we went over Mt. Starr King. At the top there was a very nice campsite. We met a guy who had spent the last week backpacking through the White Mountains all the way up to the border of Canada. A fun fact about this peak is that in the 1960’s, this mountain was going to be made into a ski resort, but the deal never went through. This is one hike I could truly say I was glad to get down.

Rockslide

Here is a picture of the rockslide we had to climb up!

Tecumseh

Although my body was aching from hiking The Osceola’s the day before, the next day I hiked Tecumseh. Tecumseh is the shortest of all the 4,000 footers at only 4,003 feet. I went into the hike thinking it would be really short and easy, but it turned out to be pretty difficult. The trail went up at a very steady pace so there were no breaks. Once I reached the top, I had great views of Waterville Valley and the surrounding mountains. I could also see the Tri-Pyramids, which I hiked the previous week. In order to get a workout, I ran as fast as I could back down the mountain making record time.

Osceola and East Osceola

Osceola and East Osceola was a grueling hike. My friend and I decided to attack it from the east side, the harder but shorter side. When we started the hike it was raining pretty hard, and only made the hiking harder. Unlike many of the other hikes, the trail immediately started off steep. Climbing the rocks in the rain was also not an easy task. We passed many along the way because we were going at such a fast pace up the trail. The clouds made it hard to see views from the top of East Osceola, but by the time we reached Osceola, it had cleared up and there were great views. Going down we passed many people we had passed going up. By the time we reached bottom, it had turned into a beautiful and sunny day.

My First Hike!

The TriPyramid Range
Distance: 12.1 miles
Est Time: 7.30
Completed in: 4.25

Today, my roommate Tucker and I, started my journey towards conquering the 4000 footers. Let me tell you, this was not the easiest way to start; the mixture of rocks, steeps, and rain never makes it easy. This long hike started with a 4 mile trek on a dirt path to the start of the loop. Once there, we had the option to take the north route or the south route. We chose the north, little did we know how much time and effort it would save us. After a little while in the woods, we reached the rock face. Climbing this wet slippery baldhead rock was very difficult in the rain. Inch by inch we finally made it to the top. Traversing from peak to peak was not very difficult considering how flat it was compared compared to the rock face we just climbed. I was disappointed at the top because there were NO views due to bad weather. Wet and cold, Tucker and I decided to get down the mountain as fast as we could. My legs were trembling as I reached the car. All in all ever though the weather was terrible, the hike was satisfying and I'm glad to be on my way. 46 left!

Hello!

Hi all! On this website I will be tracking my progress towards bagging all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000 foot peaks. It will be a hard journey and there will be many ups and downs along the way.

Why am I doing this? I have always wanted to make a significant difference in society and be a part of an importance cause. Growing up, I have realized how privileged and lucky I am to have such a great life. When I first noticed the brave and wonderful people in New England Disabled Sports, I knew I had to help. My goal is to raise and ambitious $48,000 to donate to NE Disabled Sports.