Agamenticus 5/29/2008

Today I just flat out needed to get outdoors. I asked Shelby if she wanted to go and catch the Sunset at Mt. A. and she said yes so we hopped in the car at the last minute and parked at the base of the mountain. We could have driven up but we both could use the exercise.

We hiked up really quick and I snapped a few shots of the sunset and then hiked the auto road down as it was too dark to see in the woods. Fun little hike at the last minute.

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Morgan & Percival 5/25/08

Last night Shelby and I stayed at the Hobgood's Cabin in Wonalancet and I was excited for a nice hike on a hot day with Shelby and Van. Van's Brother in Law Jeff also joined us today. I met him a few months ago, but have never hiked with him. We were looking for a nice hike out of the snow and we found it on Morgan and Percival. These peaks are just over 2200' tall a piece and the loop itself is 5.4 miles.

We took the Morgan trail up and I was surprised at how rugged this little mountain turned out to be. There was some pretty steep sections on the way up. In addition to the rugged terrain which I have come to expect everywhere in the Whites, there were some Lady slippers growing along the side of the trail. I couldn't remember the last time I saw a Lady Slipper.

We decided to take the "Ladders Route" up the trail and it took us all a second to take a breath and go up and Van Showed us the easiest way to go up. I was so busy looking at the ladders that I never took a picture.

Soon enough we were at the top of mount Morgan where we saw Squam Lake and parts of Lake Winnipesaukee (Pictured above). The view from the top was amazing. You can also see the belknap range way off in the distance.

We did not stick around too long due to the abundance of black flies, but I was able to Click a picture of the Ossippee Range. It's not too often you can see a whole mountain range like the Ossippee's and catch them in one photo.

We then hiked over the ridge to Mount Percival. The view from Percival is pretty much the same as Morgan. We sat down ate some lunch, and then hiked down. Here's a picture of Shelby and Me on Mount Morgan Courtesy of Van Hobgood.

After chowing down on some food, we took the caves route down to the bottom and drove home. Another great day on a little but rugged mountain in New Hampshire in the books.

Banuneg Beg 5/18/2008

After going to a wedding yesterday and getting home at 1:30 in the morning, I thought a nice short hike would be fun today. After going out to breakfast we put the hiking boots on and drove up to Bauneg Beg Mountain in North Berwick, Maine. I've hiked it once before this winter, but have yet to see it without snow. Shelby and I took off on up the trail and we soon arrived at the massive pile of rocks near the top. We did not hang out long as the bugs were out in force.

2 Minutes later we were at the top. From the top, there are views of the town of Sanford.

If you look around the trees a little bit, you can even see the Sanford Airport which is where the Bush family lands when visiting the Kennebunkport home.

You can also see Mt. Washington through all of the towers on Mt. Hope way off in the distance.

Also, you can pick out Mt. Chocoroua and some of the other mountains on a clear day. I've been up Mt. Chocoroua once and it is on the top of my favorites list for sure. You can see it in this picture fairly clearly as it is the sharp peak a little right of center.

Today was not real clear, but I was able to pick out a few peaks. We stayed at the top long enough to take a few pictures, but the the bugs drove us back towards the car. This trip is about 1.5 miles if I had to guess with about 200 feet of elevation gain. A nice easy close hike to the people of Southern Maine that not a lot of people know about. Great hike.