Sunday River & Cannon!

After Saturdays hike, we still had 3 days left of our mini vacation! Usually we go away for a long weekend skiing, but this year we decided to spend a few days in North Conway. We thought it would be a good idea to try out a few different ski mtns that we usually don't get to. We always ski at Wildcat and I love it there, but after skiing the same trails over and over it gets old. So thankfully my job offers discounted ski tickets, and we were able to go to Sunday River for 66$ instead of 80$ and Cannon was two for 68$ tuesday :)

Sunday:

It was a beautiful day, sunny and no wind. We headed over to Jordan's Bowl and from there worked out way over to White Cap throughout the day. For such a beautiful day there were hardly any liftlines which was amazing! It was pretty slushy by the end of the day and very warm, around 65 degrees, but the conditions were so great, we skied until the lifts closed! Sunday River will still have snow for a while, but Cannon, where we went on Tuesday is a different story, I'll get to that in a bit!

Perfect Ski Day!

Sean and I with the Whites in the background!

Monday:

We went to breakfast (at noon!) at Stairway Cafe which is one of my favorite places in North Conway. I appreciate restaurants and places who take pride in serving organic/ natural foods and who are environmentally friendly. Restaurants have a lot of waste too and I like to see places composting and recycling! It makes me feel better about eating out, although I'm sure the calories are the same :)

That night I tried to cook a roast in the ancient 1970's crock pot that was up at the condo. It turned out a disaster haha it was burnt and completely dried out so we ended up eating out again. This time we went to a place we hadn't been too before called Margarita Grill. To my surprise, they are environmentally friendly too! Even the little salsa cups were compostable! More and more eco conscious places are popping up and I love it! After dinner, we went to Red Parka Pub for open mic night which was entertaining. Apparently thats where all the locals hang out mid-week! They must hide on the weekends because of all the tourists, which is completely understandable... I would too! 

Tuesday: 

We got up really early and packed everything into the car and drove the Kang. to Cannon for the day.  I had only been to Cannon once before a long time ago with my dad. Last time, I was able to see the Old Man of the Mountain... it now seems really bare without him. It was cold, cloudy and windy in the morning but that quickly changed to sunny skies and really warm weather! I even took off my neck warmer which is unheard of for me! The mountain itself was pretty bare too, they didn't have much snow at all which limited the amount of skiable trails. It was still a great day though, but probably the last of the ski season since the snow is melting so fast!

Lincoln and Lafayette in the background

Great ski day!

Mt. Tom and Field

Saturday morning Sean and I set out to hike Mt. Tom and Field, both of which are 4000 footers! It was a beautiful day, with weather in the 30's and mostly sunny... I couldn't wait to get out there! We parked at the Highland Center at Crawford Notch and put on our gaiters at the car since we didn't know how much snow to expect due to the snow storms the week before. Also, the night before they had gotten a dusting of snow which left the trees covered with new snow which was really pretty. We started hiking on the Avalon Trail that begins right behind the train tracks. We hiked 1.3 miles until the trail met up with the A-Z Trail that continued on to Mt. Tom.

Fresh snow on the Avalon Trail!

Hiking up the A-Z Trail

This is still on the A-Z Trail, but to get to Mt. Tom's summit you need to take this spur trail

In the guide book, it says the A-Z Trail is steep, and it definitely was! Fortunately, we were only on the trail for about a mile so it wasn't hard too hard to handle. About 2 miles into the hike, we met up with another couple who were snow shoeing up the trail. They were very nice and they had a pretty dog with them! It seems that most people you meet on the trail are really nice and friendly which is one of the reasons I love hiking. From here, we continued up to the summit of Mt. Tom which was a pretty easy ascent. At this point, clouds had started to roll in and it got pretty cold. It wasn't windy though which was good because the weather could have turned quickly. 

Sean!

Awesome views from Mt. Tom

Mt. Washington in the background

Me at the summit!

Hiking in the winter is so beautiful and so different from hiking at any other time of the year. I feel it is less difficult because you are hiking a flatter snowy path and not hiking up rocks, but at the same time it can also be very dangerous if the weather were to turn bad. Snow could quickly cover the trail and you could lose your way. It is interesting to read other peoples hiking blogs and seeing other people hike during the winter. People make a huge deal out of winter hiking! Maybe just because I have been hiking in the winter for so many years it doesn't seem so dangerous to me. If you are to fall, you probably won't get hurt as bad because your landing on soft snow not a rock! I like the quote "fear is weight", if you think about it, it's very true. If you are afraid of being cold, you will most likely bring more clothes than necessary = weight. As long as you are prepared and are smart, you will most likely be safe :) 

From Mt. Tom we continued back down to the A-Z Trail and hiked a few yards to the Willey Range Trail. This trail was about a mile and an easy grade. We reached Mt. Field summit pretty quickly, and there were a few other people up there as well. One of the women who was up there said she out for a day trip but had on a huge pack that most people would use for a week long trip. Like I said... fear is weight. She must have had everything but the kitchen sink in there! She seemed to be enjoying herself though so good for her, whatever makes you feel safe. It had started snowing by the time we reached Mt. Field so there were really no views and it was cold! My down jacket has proven itself very warm :) Except it rips easily which I am not happy about. 

Summit of Mt. Field

 

It started snowing :)

Canadian Jay... little scavengers!

We headed back down the Willey Range Trail a few hundred feet where it met back up with the Avalon Trail. This was a pretty steep descent, so we got to do some butt sledding!! Why walk down the trail when you can sled! We didn't have actual butt sleds though, which would have been really great. I saw 2 butt sleds at EMS for all of 7$ and I was kicking myself on the trail that I didn't buy them. It was still fun and a much faster way to get down the trail! In about another mile or so, we made it to the Avalon Spur Trail to the summit of Mt. Avalon. For a little mountain (3,442), it offered great views!! The quick snow showers had passed and the sun was starting to come out again. There were a bunch of people at the top who had hiked with no crampons or anything, their legs must have been burning!

Sean at Mt. Avalon

Beautiful views of the Presidential's

Sean and I <3

Mt. Webster in the background

Overall, it was a great hike on a beautiful day. RT mileage was 7.2 miles with 2,800 feet of elevation gain. Book time was 5 hours and we were out there for a little longer due to breaks. I'm terrible at remembering when we started and stopped hiking, I need to write it down or I will forget! After the hike, we had Flatbread pizza for dinner which is my favorite!!

I have a bunch more hikes planned and I can't wait to get out there again soon :) 

Spring Break!!

Today I took my Rehab final and am passing the class with an A!!! :)

Spring Break has officially started a half week early! My next and final class for nursing is Public Health, which I am dreading because we have to write a 20+ page paper and I am horrible at papers. Hopefully I will be able to get it done without too much stress!

Check out my "gear review" on the Patagonia Hi- Loft Down Jacket and let me know what you think!

Catch Up!

Since it is now March, I have missed a few adventures that I would have posted if I had started this blog earlier! I hope you enjoy them :)

1. The first is Sean and I's hike of Mt. Jackson and Mt. Pierce, both of which are 4000 footers! We did this hike on 1/7/12, the first hike of the new year!! The forecast looked good so we decided to go for it. We had done a few winter hikes before but nothing this high in mileage!

 











 

The beginning of the Webster- Jackson Trail

We began the hike at Crawford Notch without our crampons on. They were on in about 20 minutes into the hike because hiking in the snow without crampons is like walking in sand uphill. Its do-able but not very much fun and very slowww. I don't remember the exact time (which is why I wanted to start blogging!), we reached Mt. Jackson (4,052 ft.). Immediatly, we needed to put our winter gear on because it was windy and cold! Glad I packed extra clothing, you never know what you are going to need in the Whites because the weather can change instantly.  

Sean and I at the top of Mt. Jackson

Canadian Jay! They are so friendly they will eat right out of your hand

We debated going further to Mt. Pierce because the weather didn't look promising. We didn't want to take any chances, but another group of hikers came along behind us who were continuing to the next peak. Knowing there would be other people on the trail with us made us feel better about the decision. I'm glad we decided to keep on going because the weather never did anything. We passed Mizpah Hut and continued to Mt. Pierce (4,310 ft.). We even got to walk through an "Alpine Zone" where the trees are 8 feet tall or less. They are very fragile areas and need to be respected!

Sean in knee deep snow!

Top of Mt. Pierce!

I was really excited to hike from Mt. Jackson to Mt. Pierce because it follows the Appalachian Trail! I plan to hike the entire AT from Georgia to Maine in a few years, but I need to save up a lot of money because the 4-6 month journey is not cheap! Also, being on the top of Mt. Pierce was nostalgic to me because my dad took me hiking on the Presidential's as a 5th grade graduation present and right as we made it to the top of Mt. Pierce, a huge thunder and lightening storm hit. Up until that point, I was petrified of lightening! I got to face my fear first hand, outside, on the top of a mountain... I'm not afraid of lightening anymore! This trip was the first time I was back on the AT since that trip with my dad so many years ago. This summer, Sean and I are planning an extended hike of the Presidential's... details to follow!

Overall, the round trip mileage was 7.6 miles and probably took around 5 hours including rest stops.

2. Next, is Sean and I's day trip skiing Wildcat Mountain, which was yesterday! We had breakfast at Bagels Plus which is like bagel world... so good! Not sure which one I like better! The weather was perfect, absolutely no wind which is unusual for Wildcat. Also, it wasn't too crowded which is why we ski at Wildcat! I hate waiting forever in lift lines! 

Our first run of the day to warm up was on Pole Cat, and even though its a green, its one of my favorite trails at 2 & 3/4 miles long. Our second run was on Wildcat and I was sooo disappointed because it is one of my favorite trails on the mountain but they haven't groomed it at all this season. I think its absolutely fine to leave a trail ungroomed especially after a huge snow storm, but groom it a week or so later because it just turns into lopsided, uneven crusted over bumps which are not fun. I made sure to avoid that trail for the rest of the day. 

I got to test the limits of my new Patagonia hi- loft down sweater which worked great! ( I will write about this jacket in "Gear Reviews") Overall, we had a perfect day on the mountain and I can't wait to get back!

Silly.. I know! At the top of Wildcat

 

Now since I have spend all this time making this blog and not studying for my final tomorrow.. I should probably hit the books! Next weekend starts my spring break and Sean and I are headed up for a 4 day long weekend!! I will have more stories for you then I'm sure :)

Welcome!

Hi everyone!

I am Katie and I wanted to start a blog to share all of my adventures. I was looking back at all of my old photos and wished I had written down all the memories that went with them. You always remember pictures, but you might forget all the little details that go along with them. I think this will be a great way to do that and to share all the fun times with family and friends who weren’t there :) Enjoy

Heres a little bit about me…

Age: I will be turning 23 in April! 

Favorite Hobbies: Skiing, Hiking, Sailing, Reading, Rock Climbing, Traveling

Career: I am currently in my last semester of nursing school, graduating in May! So hopefully this summer I will pass my boards and become an RN :)

Goals and Aspirations: Right now, my current goal is to finish nursing school… I am so close! One of my lifelong aspirations is to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, but that won’t be for a couple of years. So in the mean time, I would like to hike as many as NH’s 48 4,000 Footers as I can. I also want to give back to my community and to the environment which is something that I will be working on. I feel that it is important to live your life helping others rather than to spend it only focusing on yourself