Osceola 6/22/2008

Today we decided to hike Osceola and East Osceola. We made the long drive to the trailhead and finally started on the trail at about 10:10AM. Shelby was sweet enough to take this picture of me at the trailhead. The bugs weren't that bad and we soon passed a few groups headed down the trail who obviously had camped out overnight. The footing for the first mile or so was fairly rough, but after that, the footing became easier and we were able to move a little quicker.

This picture of Shelby taking a quick drink shows what the footing was like. This whole mountain seems like big slabs of rock that are a little tough to step on and as you will see later, make for tough slippery footing when wet.

At this point, we started to hear a little thunder in the distance. It did not seem to be getting any closer over the next mile or so and we decided to not worry about it until it started to get louder. The forecast I saw called for isolated thunder showers. "Your Typical Summer day". Well with about 1 mile left to go, we started hearing the thunder get louder so we started moving a little quicker.

We met some groups on their way down and they said that it was getting darker and darker by the minute, but if we hurried, we could probably get to the top before the rain started. We ran the last mile and made it to the top in 2 hours flat. 4000 footer #11 for me and #4 for Shelby. We took one look at the gorgeous view, ate a really quick sandwich and as we were taking out the camera, the rain started. We decided we should bail on our plan to get to East Osceola, and get down the mountain as fast as possible because the lighting was obviously getting closer.

We made really good time down the mountain, and it only rained a little bit for the first half mile or so. At this point, I thought we might get off the mountain with some semblance of being dry. It down-poured and boy did that lightning get close and loud. It got really dark. Almost headlamp dark. We ended up moving really slow over the last mile due to the poor footing and took an hour and 50 minutes to go down the mountain. We got to the car and the rain stopped, and a moose ran past the trailhead.

We didn't get any pictures worth mentioning today, but this is a day we will never forget. I can't wait to go up this trail again as it was a nice easy walk to an excellent view. It also turns out that there were tornado warnings in the area. I'm glad I found out the morning after than before the hike or I would have been really worried all day.

Major & Straightback S 6/21/2008

Today, we decided to go for a smaller hike as we had the Osceola's Planned for Sunday. The Belknap range is actually quicker for us to get to as well and with gas prices as high as they are, it's tough to justify driving 220 miles for a 6 mile hike. We hit the trailhead at the Mount Major Parking lot and we were lucky enough to get a spot in this busy parking lot without having to park on the road.

Soon up the trail there was this stench that smelled like old campfire. I totally forgot the fact that this mountain was on fire just a month or two ago. There are still some areas that show the scarring of the fires, but most areas are growing up and recovering well.

**I believe that it is important to note here, that forest fires are actually a natural part of the life cycle of many forests. This may not have been the case in this particular case, as I believe it was started by accident or intentionally by humans, but it is a known fact that forest fires can help regenerate and stimulate growth in some forested areas.**

We took the same trail that I took in April in the snow and the trail looks much the same, just without all the snow. The Boulder Loop Trail is a fun trail with all the boulders and rock formations to look at. Shelby was definitely enjoying herself today.

Besides the views from the top of a hike like this, another great thing is just taking a nap at the top. We sat down at what I consider to be the best sitting rock on the mountain and ate our lunches. The top of the mountain was pretty busy, but we were able to sleep in the sun for a quite a while and take in the views as well. Seriously, there's nothing like just chillin' out at the top of a mountain with views like this.

We took a long view of Alton Bay which is actually where my Aunt and Uncle live as well as the Ossippee Mountains and much of the surrounding area while relaxing, but soon I soon decided that I wanted more. Here is the view of Alton Bay from the Summit of Mount Major.

I then decided to hike over to Mount Straightback S., and Shelby really didn't want to go. She really just wanted to keep laying out in the sun and relaxing.

She's pretty stressed out and really needs the relaxation time. It's tough to find a job these days, even with a Masters Degree. I told her that I was going with or without her and that if she wanted to come, she was welcome, but if she wanted to stay and relax I would be back in an hour.

Shelby eventually after much deliberation decided to tag along. I said that it would be worth it as there were some views from the summit of Straightback S. Before we left, we took another peek at Lake Winnepesauke.

Soon enough, we were at the summit of Straightback S. It's a really quick hike to get here from Mount Major. I might make it a regular hike from when I'm up here. We had a quick and pleasureable hike down. Here's a picture of some cool roots we encountered on the way back to Mount Major.

Eisenhower 6/7/2008

Today I am going hiking with my Wife Shelby, and her Brother Garrett Robinson. Garrett has hiked before, but I am not sure if he has done any 4000' mountains so I figured we would try to get a peak that was above treeline even with the threat of thunderstorms today. Originally we thought of doing Jackson and Webster but decided that Eisenhower would be a better fit.

By the time we made the drive to North Conway, Shelby remembered that she forgot her hiking shoes for the day. She was looking to get a new pair anyway so we stopped at EMS and hooked her up with a new pair of Boots.

We finally made it to the trailhead at about 11:00AM which is way past the time I usually start hiking, but Eisenhower being a relatively easy 4000' we had plenty of time. We put the bug dope on and found a lack of buggs at the trailhead. A good sign for the day. The first view of the day was Abenaki Brook.

There were quite a few blowdowns after Abenaki Brook, but they were all easily passable. Soon, the trail changed from relatively flat to a steady incline. We took a few breaks as it was very humid out with the forecast in the 90's. Still only a few bugs, and they were repelled by the bug dope we put on earlier.

We soon came to a spring that had formed from the snowmelt and this was a great break away from the heat. The water from the snowmelt was very cold, but felt good.

Soon after this stream, we came to the first real views of the day and within a few minutes, we were at treeline and in the Alpine Zone. I don't care what anybody says; there is nothing like being above treeline in New England. It really gives you an appreciation and a sense of awe that is hard to find every day.

The climb was starting to wear us out pretty good as we entered the final push up to Mt. Eisenhower. The humidity and the late start slowed us down quite a bit.

Today's hike isn't about speed, it's about being out in the mountains and reaching the summit. Looking towards the Presidentials, we could see that thunderstorms were building, and there was a good shot of us getting wet. We decided to head up Eisenhower without a break at the junction with the Edmonds Path and Mt. Eisenhower Loop. We did however, get to the top of Eisenhower. Here is a Summit Photo of Garrett and Shelby at the top Celebrating their achievement. This is Shelby's 3rd 4000' mountain in NH and this is Garrett's First.

At the summit, the wind was strong and in the 50 MPH range. Despite the threatening clouds, we stayed at the top for 45 minutes without any issues. I was surprised however to see people hiking to Mt. Franklin and I hope they stayed dry. The northern Presidentials had what looked to be the same weather that we had. Threatening to say the least.

We headed down the mountain and got back to the car at abuot 5:00PM. I didn't take any pictures on the way down because my Camera card was full. Next time I'll have to pay attention before I leave and make sure it's empty before starting the day.