The not-so-easy Mt. Galehead and Garfield

Galehead and Garfield was one of the more challenging hikes I completed. It was an early morning start and the weather looked very promising. I started off the hike on the Garfield Ridge Trail. The trail was very pretty and parealled the Gale River for quite a ways. After around an hour or so of easy hiking, the trail got consistently steeper and steeper. Before I knew it I had summated Galehead. Along the way I met a hiker from France. Although he didn’t speak much English, he talked about how it was cool to go from hiking the huge peaks of the French Alps to hiking the Appalachian Trail of the US. The ridge hike from the top of Galehead to Garfield was very difficult. The weather had gotten worse and it had started to drizzle. As I’ve learned through this process, whenever you think you’re close to the top…your not. This was the story of this ridge it never seemed to end. Eventually, when I got to the top of Garfield, it was very cold and raining so I didn’t stay long to enjoy the fabulous views it had to offer. There were great views of the nearby Lafayette Ridge. The hike down was very long and steady; by the end of the hike it was warm and sunny again. The hike finished off nicely with a 2-mile traverse to where the parking lot was. Overall it was a good hike, bad weather.

Carrigan

My friend Amanda and I decided to hike Mt. Carrigan together. It was a picture perfect day, with no clouds and temperatures in the 70s. This hike was especially interesting for Amanda because she had done the very same hike 4 months earlier during our school’s “outback”. Throughout the trip she would point out the places where her group had set up campsite or gathered water. It was nice going up with someone who had done the climb before because they knew the easy and tough spots. The hike was a very constant climb, never too easy or too steep. We made great time and were at the summit in a little over 2 hours. On the top of the mountain was a storm tower that we climbed. From there the views of all New Hampshire were incredible. Since the weather was great we stayed atop the mountain for a quick lunch. All in all this was a great hike on a beautiful day.

B-E-Autiful hike up Mt. Moosilauke

The hike up Mt. Moosilauke was a wonderful experience. Since Dartmouth College owned the trials, they were in very good condition with nice bridge crossings and clear signing. The hike started off very easy with a nice river weaving around the trail. After about a mile and a half, there is a little beach with a sign saying “last know water”. From this point the hike got more and more challenging. After a scenic ridge I arrived at what I though was the top. From there trail went to a hill which marked the actual summit. There were wildflowers and cool grass fields on the bare peak of the summit. Also, there was stack and stacks of rocks that Dartmouth Students and climbers alike had stacked at the top. For Dartmouths orientation, all freshman take a hike up Moosilauke so it is a very popular destination. On my way down there was a flash storm for about 10 minutes where it rained extremely hard. It was a nice cool off after a satisfying hike.