"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain
It has been way too long. Way too long since I've hiked and way too long since I've posted! So what have I been doing since my last hike in January?! Apparently I've been pretty busy.
This winter, we spend a long weekend in Vermont skiing at Jay Peak, which was amazing. We got to visit some breweries along the way, including Long Trail and Harpoon, as well as Ben & Jerry's Factory! YUM :) We stayed in a log cabin mansion *amazing*. We were blessed with snow all three days, which meant we got to ski in the powdery glades all weekend long. It was a blast. Not to mention the in-door water park! Although it's a far drive, Jay Peak is so worth it, I cannot wait to go back!
I got a JOB!!! Finally, a real RN job :) I turned 24, wow how time flies by. I still go to my Barre classes 2 times a week which I love. I have been running to stay in shape. I ran a 5k in April in memory of my late uncle and set my own PR. I signed up for the Green Stride's Half Marathon on October 20. Oh and I signed up for the Spartan Race Sprint at Fenway in November!
Our next hike will be in June when we are up in NH for Laconia Bike Week!! I love that we are able to spend a weekend doing what we love, which includes hiking and biking!! Here is my post from last year's bike week when we hiked Tripyramids. I have to say, the looks we got last year with our hiking clothing and backpacks on the bike were priceless! This year, we may have some friends with us :)
This weekend, we are headed to Our Nation's Capitol for a long weekend getaway. It is supposed to be hot... really hot, a heat wave! Finally, we are getting this summer started after a long spring! I am truly excited for the up coming months and all the exciting new adventures we have planned for the future. Stay tuned!!
Saturday 1/12/13, Sean and I went on our first hike up Liberty (4459') & Flume (4328') with a group from meetup. We had been waiting for this hike for quite sometime because we wanted to go butt sledding! Last winter, when we were hiking Tom & Field, we saw a couple people with butt sleds and thought it was such a great idea. Why not utilize the snow as a way to get down the trail faster, especially since it gets dark so early.
We met at the Basin parking lot on Route 93N in Lincoln NH, and began our hike by walking .8 miles down the bike path until we reached the start of the Liberty Spring Trail. We would be on this trail for 2.9 miles until we reached the Franconia Ridge Trail that would take us to the summit of Mt. Liberty and then to the summit of Mt. Flume. We would follow the same trail in reverse back to the parking lot totaling 10.1 miles RT.
2.9 miles!
The trail was packed out for us
Crossing the first stream, none of us wanted to fall in at this point!
The Liberty Spring Trail starts out pretty gradually until the stream crossing at about 1.1 miles. It then begins to climb steadily becoming steeper, following switchbacks as elevation is gained. We all got a little tease since we thought we only had .3 miles to get to the Franconia Ridge Trail once we saw the sign for the Liberty Spring Tent site, but it actually wasn't until we saw the sign that said .3 miles to go.
Soaking wet
Carrying our butt sleds! They are very light
The actual sign that said .3 miles until the Franconia Ridge Trail
Sean loving it
Not fully drenched yet, but getting there
The night before the hike, there was freezing rain which left all of the trees covered in a layer of ice. The temperature the day of the hike was in the upper 40's, so we all got drenched from the ice melting off the trees when we were under tree line. The one time I forget my rain coat, I actually could have used it. I wore a little poncho that was ultimately useless, because it held in my body heat so I was sweating. We all had a difficult time regulating temperature because it was so warm out. Thankfully, I had extra layers and was able to change from my wet layers to dry layers at the summit of Liberty which made me feel better, although they didn't stay dry for long. If it were to have gotten really cold, we may have been in trouble since we were all soaking wet.
View of Liberty's summit
Our first view's although it was foggy
Our group at the summit of Liberty!
Sean & I at the summit of Liberty!
There were views of Moosilauke, the Kinsman's and Cannon when the fog would roll out
Liberty's geological survey
We only carry the essentials :P
There is 1.2 miles in between Liberty & Flume, so we were able to test out our butt sleds! It definitely took a little getting used it because you have to hold up your legs, which is actually a very good ab workout! I think we all took a couple of spills that were pretty funny. The hike back up Liberty was intense, and very steep. My legs were pretty spend by that point, but it was the last uphill climb of the hike!
Looking at Lincoln and Lafayette from the summit of Flume
Flume slide
Allison & I at the summit of Flume
Such pretty views when the fog rolled out
Mt. Moosilauke
Sean & I at the summit of Flume
The last uphill section back to Mt. Liberty
On the return trip down Liberty Spring Trail, we were able to start butt sledding again! If you lift your legs up, you get going really fast which can be dangerous if you aren't careful because of rocks and trees. I kind of kept my feet in the snow to control speed and used my hands to help me steer. If the person who was leading crashed off the trail a little bit, everyone following would too because of the sled path. We all had so much fun and felt like little kids!
Me sledding down the trail!
Butt sledding is so much fun!
Here's Allison's video she made of us butt sledding! It's really good :)
Overall, we had a great hike with great people who enjoy the outdoors just as much as we do. At just about the end of the trail, we noticed a little unmarked side path, so we were able to bushwack a little bit which may have shaved off some mileage, but not much. Our total trip time was about 7.5 hours, getting back to the parking lot at about 4:30 pm before it got dark.
On 12/23/12, we set out for our first winter hike of the season! At only 4,003 feet, Mt. Tecumseh is the shortest of the 4,000 footers and at only 5 miles RT, its perfect for a late morning hike (I like to sleep).
I had been waiting a long time to finally hike in the snow. I love snow. People think I am crazy. I also have a small obsession with hiking gear, but I like to be prepared. My dad and Sean are the luckiest ones, they usually get to come shopping with me :) I am pretty sure that I solely keep EMS and REI in business.
The trail head is in the Waterville Valley parking lot on the right hand side of the road. This hike would be the first hike with my new Vasque hiking boots. I know, another pair? Turns out the Keen's I got this summer are just a "fad", at least that's what the sales associate at REI said. I knew they were not going to last because I never had to break them in and I could bend them in half. They felt like a sneaker. These new boots are their polar opposite. They are so stiff I can't bend them at all. Once I break these boots in, I hope they are able to do what I expect of them.
We started hiking around 11am, and only saw a handful of other hikers. We met a tiny Shiba Inu puppy who was out for her first 4000 footer hike! That made my day, I love little dogs. The dogs owners told us that the trail was mostly packed down but we would still need some sort of traction. So of course, I didn't use my brand new Kahtoola microspikes on this hike... I used my trusty old Kahtoola crampons. Honestly, I probably don't need both, but I like to have options.
The humming sound of the chairlifts was a different sound to hear while hiking. We saw one couple who were hiking up with their ski's and planned to ski down. Genious. And much less stressful than skiing Tuckerman's.
It had to have only been in the single digits at the summit with the wind chill. It was freezing! I think it would be a great idea to carry a little thermometer on your backpack to see the temperature. I took a risk too by using my hydration bladder because the tubing really wanted to freeze. It tried really hard but I just wouldn't let it. I kept drinking and moving the tubing around to keep the water from freezing. Sean didn't do so well and his froze. Next hike we will use nalgenes.
This would have been a great hike to butt sled down the trail on since it wasn't too steep. I had gotten Sean butt sleds for Christmas and didn't even think to give them to him a couple days early. Next time we will be able to use them!
Overall, this was a great short hike, perfect for the start of winter :)
Ready for the hike!
Only 2.5 miles
Snowy trail
The trees and the sky were beautiful
Snack time!
This little lookout is right on the edge of a ski trail!
Me and my new fleece headband
My favorite picture from the trip! The trees are so magical in the winter
Our original plan for this weekend was to hike the Wildcats and Carters with an overnight stay at the Carter Notch Hut... but when I called to make reservations for the hut, they only had 1 spot left! Change of plans. Instead we decided to hike Mt. Moriah, which is in the same range as the Wildcats and Carters along the Appalachian Trail, just farther north.
It was a freezing morning at only 25 degrees at 7am but by the time we reached the trailhead at 9am, it had warmed up to 40 degrees. I think that 40 degrees was the warmest it was all day due to the elevation change and the wind chill factor. We chose to hike the Carter-Moriah trail because it was a direct route to the summit with the shortest distance, 9 miles RT. The Carter-Moriah trail is easily reached by taking route 16 to route 2 in Gorham.
Snow covered Mt. Washington from the scenic vista just passed North Conway!
The trailhead
4.5 miles to the summit!
First snow we saw of the season!
I was so happy to see snow
The trail started out moderately steep, but it was wide and flat since it used to be a logging trail. It flattened out and we were able to hike pretty quickly for the first few miles. We were wondering if we would see any snow and we did! I was so excited, but didn't expect to see ice farther up the trail.
Incredible view of the Presidential's
Zoomed in peak of Mt. Washington and the auto road
Little bit of ice in front of Sean, the trail got much more ice covered later on
Before the 2 mile mark, the trail changed and we were hiking on huge rock slabs. They looked like they were formed from a volcano. This is where the ice began, small patches at first and then the entire trail being covered towards the summit.
At the top of Mt. Surprise, a peak along the way
Stunning views
We watched the planes pull the gliders up and then let them go all day
Gliding on its own! I don't know if I would be brave enough to every go in a glider
Sean on a steep section of the trail
The last section of the trail was completely covered in ice, so we had to bushwhack a little bit to avoid the trail. We were told by a few other hikers that there were already tracks off to the side of the trail which made it easier to pass by the ice. It was about 20 more minutes passed that point to the summit. The 360 degree views at the peak were extremely rewarding.
At the summit!
Mt. Moriah, 4049 feet
View of the Wildcats and Carters to the south
Clouds rolling in
The snow covered trees were so pretty
This hike is definitely one of my favorites! I loved everything about the trail, especially how it changed so many times to keep it exciting. I was able to relax and not anticipate when we would reach the summit because there were no signs telling us how many miles were left.
Since the trail was very muddy and icy, I would recommend the safest time to hike this trail is in the summer. If you are going to hike it in the winter, make sure you are prepared with micro-spikes/crampons and possibly an ice ax. If you slip down one of the rock slabs on the ice, you could get really hurt. On the way down, I actually slipped on a root on a flat section of the trail and landed in a split, smashing my knee on a rock. I was fine, but my patagonia wasn't so lucky, ripping near my wrist :( I still recommend this trail, just make sure to take proper precautions depending on the weather!
Overall, our total hiking time was 5 hours and 45 minutes. Not too shabby :)
