I carefully checked the weather, looking for cool periods during the week. This first week of August made an overnight on Liberty Spring Trail ideal. Packed my pack, packed Sierra’s pack, bid adieu to my beautiful wife and the puppy. And we were off.
DAY 1
Left early Wednesday so I would not have any trouble getting a tent platform at Liberty Spring. We parked at the Flume Gorge parking area and walked the bike path to the trail head — an anxious 9/10 mile. We found the trail head, took a pic or two, and started our ascent. The trail was fairly easy at first. Sierra was doing great with her own water and supplies in her pack. After the “Mt. Washington Incident” [i.e.: carrying too much water/cramping], I decided that maybe Sierra could make things a smidgen easier on me. She seemed happy to oblige. “Good dog!”
6/10 mile in, we hit the Flume Trail split. This trail is a rock scramble: not ideal for dogs. We turned left and knew we had 2 miles until the tent sites. Maybe 4/10 mile in, the true ascent started, and it really was pretty steady all the way up. The rocks were good stepping stones for much of the trail, and we met two thru-hikers going up. They seemed smitten with: 1) the cooler temperature & 2) the White Mountains in general. They blazed past us as I consumed some food and hydrated Sierra. At this point, I am pouring sweat. Covered. My shirts, a dish towel. My shorts, a sponge. I glanced at Sierra and wondered if evolution gave dogs the upper hand on cooling themselves.
We pushed forward, more rocks, steeper, more rocks. Then a white tarp. It was the caretaker’s shelter for the tent sites. I was thrilled. We pushed forward another 50 yards, and come to a three-way: left--the tent sites; straight--Mt. Liberty after 3/10 mile; and right--the water spring. I hoist off my pack and secure Sierra to a tree. I place my water bottle under the dripping spring and wait, noticing my own sweat pooling in the dirt near-by. I am hot, but thrilled to be here. After getting fresh water, we head into the tenting area. It is one long trail with offshoots for the privy, dishwashing station, and 10 different areas to camp. The tent platforms are well built and many of the first sites say “Large groups only” so Sierra and I keep heading in. I had pondered a certain site or two for privacy, and to my pleasure, site 10 at the end of the trail was empty — and now our home for the afternoon and evening.
Someone had left rope for a drying station. Excellent, shirt goes off and on to the rope. Next, comes the tent. I use much of the left over rope for helping to secure the tent and rainfly to the platform. Once setup, the tent area looks great. We’re spilling over the left side, but who cares. All the while, Sierra is investigating a nearby patch of roots. Next, the bear bag. Rope went up and over two trees; carabiner secured; food goes up [the tent caretaker later told me I had the best bear bag hang he’d ever seen in the campsite. Score].
After camp is set up, I decide we should make our way to the top of Mt. Liberty. It is 3/10 mile to a trail juncture, then another 1/2 mile to the peak. We start hauling. Everyone is thrilled to see Sierra and her pack. We reach a nice area to view the peak — being only 2/10 mile out. Snap some pics, and then over to the peak. Wind blowing and feeling great. I collect myself, we both get some water, and then back down to camp.
Once down, I decide it’s time for dinner — as I am ravenous. Rice and chicken one-pot meal. Things go off without a hitch, and I feed Sierra while my water is boiling. We sit for a bit, relax, take in the cool temperature and fading sunlight through the trees. A chill settles on the west side of the mountain where we’re camping. The caretaker, Flamingo, comes in. We chat about my plans, hikes to do in the Whites, his job, my job, and I pay the overnight fee. Once he leaves, I feel tired. We head in to the tent, and both human and dog fall to sleep.
DAY 2
Sierra awakes at 5 am. I am not ready to be awake. I settle her back down and rest until 5:45, when I hear others stirring in nearby sites. I feed Sierra, grab my food bag, pack the water, and we start another ascent. I decided to let Sierra slack-pack this morning, as I only carry two water bottles for us both and decide to take it easy on her. As opposed to bagging Liberty again, I head left/north at the juncture up from the tent platforms ... following Franconia Ridge trail over to Falling Waters Trail. It is a “down-then up again.” Part nature walk, part knee busting rock scramble. Sierra preforms like a professional. The clouds are low. Much of the fog in the valley hasn’t burnt off either. The sun leaks through the low conifers. Clouds bleed through the branches, and a nice chill keeps up cool. We reach Mt. Haystack, and I fire up my oatmeal. I check Sierra’s feet, and there are two exposed areas on both front paws. She appears to be unfazed by the peeling though, so I assume she’s doing OK. Out come the booties, as this is becoming “old hat” for us [see Mt. Washington blog entry].
I finish breakfast, pack up, and head back from where we came. Would’ve liked to get Mount Lincoln [the 4000-footer before Mt. Lafyette] in, but Sierra’s feet had me feeling cautious. And to be honest, the trip had been great so far. No reason to needlessly push it. We had back for the “down-then up” again. This time, it feels much easier. Sierra has trouble with one descent so decides to “slide” down a rock, using her booties as skis. I am amazed at her gumption for blazing trail. The ascent this time around is nice: woodsy, balsam in the air, stronger sun, and the dying breeze. We hit the junction and say hello to some kids [one who remarked of Sierra: “She’s a pro!”; I couldn’t agree more]. We descend back to the camp site. I pack up while Sierra naps in the tent with the door open. Finally, I give her the proverbial “boot,” pack the tent, and we’re ready to leave.
The descent is tiring. Very fast, thanks to Sierra’s pace. Again, I am pouring sweat, but it all feels good. We pass several hikers. I notice the vegetation changing, and we can hear the traffic on 93 near Franconia Notch. After a brook crossing, I know we’re almost there. Sierra, sensing that our hike is coming to a close, turns on the after burners. This exhausts me. It is hard keeping up with her, but her joy for coming down rubs off on me. We turn a corner and notice the bike path. Joyous day. Only the 9/10 mile walk back to the car. It is paved, but I am spent. Sierra also seems to be spent, as indicated by her totally slack leash. We make it back. I grab a pic of us at the bottom, collect myself, give Sierra water, and we pack up in the car. Sierra is asleep in 2 seconds. Ah, to be a dog.
I stop for food on the way home. Tunes on, the sun out, and a sleeping pup in the back. We make it home. I am happy to see Mel, Nia ... and our big soft bed.
Happy hiking.
Pictures
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Hiking Mt. Killington in Vermont
We decided to camp in Mt. Ascutney this weekend. Sierra had been here once before, during the fall of 2009 - age, 5 months. She had a rough time then, shivering through the night & her stomach was upset. This time around though she was a pro camper: sitting quietly watching the other dogs in the site “across the way” & napping after our hike.
When we left for the hike, it was cloudy all morning, so we had faith that the hike wasn’t going to be too hot. If anything, we were hoping to avoid any rain storms. Hiking Killington started with a nice drive into the woods. The trailhead wasn’t too crowded, & we started out at a good clip. The first 1.5-2 miles of this hike is pretty level — or at least a very, very subtle grade: more of a walk in the woods than anything else.
Then began the ascent: a soul-crushing, thigh-burning, heart-exploding 1.5 miles. There were many bugs when we stopped to hydrate, but they weren’t really biting. About 1/2 way up, we started getting some of the winds cutting through the trees. That cooled us off and about that time our pace was tempered by a more level climb too the top of the mountain.
We hit Cooper Lodge just before the peak. It seems to be viciously vandalized by hoodlums ... fairly regularly. Next, a rocky ascent for maybe .2 miles, and then the summit in the clouds (see pic above). We got some snacks, water, cooled off, and started making our descent — as it was a bit chilly up top.
Heading down the same trail we ascended, the sun came out. The temperature climbed, and we were pretty thankful that we did not have to ascend the 1.5 miles in that sort of sun/heat. We reached the level part of the trail and enjoyed the rest of our walk in the woods. Shortly before getting back, we all took a moment to cool ourselves in the stream paralleling the trail as we returned to the trailhead.
Another 4000-footer in the bag. BAM.
Happy hiking.
Pictures
When we left for the hike, it was cloudy all morning, so we had faith that the hike wasn’t going to be too hot. If anything, we were hoping to avoid any rain storms. Hiking Killington started with a nice drive into the woods. The trailhead wasn’t too crowded, & we started out at a good clip. The first 1.5-2 miles of this hike is pretty level — or at least a very, very subtle grade: more of a walk in the woods than anything else.
Then began the ascent: a soul-crushing, thigh-burning, heart-exploding 1.5 miles. There were many bugs when we stopped to hydrate, but they weren’t really biting. About 1/2 way up, we started getting some of the winds cutting through the trees. That cooled us off and about that time our pace was tempered by a more level climb too the top of the mountain.
We hit Cooper Lodge just before the peak. It seems to be viciously vandalized by hoodlums ... fairly regularly. Next, a rocky ascent for maybe .2 miles, and then the summit in the clouds (see pic above). We got some snacks, water, cooled off, and started making our descent — as it was a bit chilly up top.
Heading down the same trail we ascended, the sun came out. The temperature climbed, and we were pretty thankful that we did not have to ascend the 1.5 miles in that sort of sun/heat. We reached the level part of the trail and enjoyed the rest of our walk in the woods. Shortly before getting back, we all took a moment to cool ourselves in the stream paralleling the trail as we returned to the trailhead.
Another 4000-footer in the bag. BAM.
Happy hiking.
Pictures
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Mt. Morgan & Mt. Perceval
Back in 2010, we made it to the top of Mt. Morgan. Sierra, as always, was a pro. Second time around, we headed to the northwest area of Squam Lake in NH to bag both Mt. Morgan and Mt. Perceval. We left our house pretty early to get up north and get on the trail to “beat the crowds.” In characteristic over-doing-it fashion, we see barely anyone. It was, however, a crystal clear day. Things were looking good for a great hike all around. We also were sure to bring Sierra’s backpack, so she could get a bit of “working” in during the hike.
With our snowshoes on, we blazed through the woods. Sierra was doing great. There were quite a few shallow streams from early spring runoff. Nothing like the soothing sounds of crampon teeth against granite. A bit of the ways in, we reach a bridge. Let me nix that. We reached what used to be a bridge. Winter had not been kind to the logs, and we had to find our way around the rushing water and deep drifts at the lip of the rushing water. Sierra, like a champion, did great.
We continued on. The thing about hiking with Sierra when she’s doing great is her pace ... as in, she doesn’t have one. It is more like a steady sprint to the top of the mountain. End result: Sierra gets to practice her “Wait” command quite a bit. Not a horrible thing all-in-all. After Sierra broke through some of the deep snow with her skinny legs, we started the final ascent. We all took it like the true Sherpas we aspire to be like.
After 10-15 more minutes, we make to the top of Mt. Perceval. We snap some pics, eat some more goodies, get some water and take in the amazing views: mountains to the north, lakes to the east [Squam & Winnipesaukee], and stately looking conifers to the west.
In time, we pack up and keep pushing on the loop to Mt. Morgan. Writing this from memory: I am not sure of the mileage for many of the details heading down. But I remember truly enjoying the hike up. The hike down was only challenging with Sierra pulling a bit — as we tried to balance ourselves on steep snowy hills.
We stop once to snap some more pics and then decide to push on ahead, back to the trailhead. With about .5 miles to go, Sierra catches scent of the fact that we’re almost back to the car. So began her showing off with Olympic-like strength. In time, we got to the bottom: tired but not so tired that we couldn’t enjoy the drive home through a stellar area in NH.
A beautiful winter hike for us.
Happy snowshoeing.
Pictures
With our snowshoes on, we blazed through the woods. Sierra was doing great. There were quite a few shallow streams from early spring runoff. Nothing like the soothing sounds of crampon teeth against granite. A bit of the ways in, we reach a bridge. Let me nix that. We reached what used to be a bridge. Winter had not been kind to the logs, and we had to find our way around the rushing water and deep drifts at the lip of the rushing water. Sierra, like a champion, did great.
We continued on. The thing about hiking with Sierra when she’s doing great is her pace ... as in, she doesn’t have one. It is more like a steady sprint to the top of the mountain. End result: Sierra gets to practice her “Wait” command quite a bit. Not a horrible thing all-in-all. After Sierra broke through some of the deep snow with her skinny legs, we started the final ascent. We all took it like the true Sherpas we aspire to be like.
After 10-15 more minutes, we make to the top of Mt. Perceval. We snap some pics, eat some more goodies, get some water and take in the amazing views: mountains to the north, lakes to the east [Squam & Winnipesaukee], and stately looking conifers to the west.
In time, we pack up and keep pushing on the loop to Mt. Morgan. Writing this from memory: I am not sure of the mileage for many of the details heading down. But I remember truly enjoying the hike up. The hike down was only challenging with Sierra pulling a bit — as we tried to balance ourselves on steep snowy hills.
We stop once to snap some more pics and then decide to push on ahead, back to the trailhead. With about .5 miles to go, Sierra catches scent of the fact that we’re almost back to the car. So began her showing off with Olympic-like strength. In time, we got to the bottom: tired but not so tired that we couldn’t enjoy the drive home through a stellar area in NH.
A beautiful winter hike for us.
Happy snowshoeing.
Pictures
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Skijoring & Snowshoeing
Beaver Brook, just west of Nashua, is one of our favorite local areas to walk Sierra. A myriad of trails. Perfect for cross-country skiing/skijoring, some light sledding, hiking, or snowshoeing. Or simply taking a walk. After a hefty winter storm this past January, we headed out into the wilderness on both Saturday and Sunday morning to get our outdoor fix.
Day 1: Skijoring. Sierra has caught on pretty quick this winter. She still struggles with stopping to take in the smells of the area. But hey, we love her anyways. Mel and I both took turns hooking up the belt to get some time in with “dog power” — which makes skiing all the more difficult for the person without a dog. We had good runs both into the woods and on our way out.
Day 2: Snowshoeing. Taking our favorite trails ... but this time in some unspoiled areas of fresh snow. On a day like this, it is easy to see that Sierra loves being outdoors and working.
At the end of the weekend, we were tired — but in that good way. A classic (and ideal) winter weekend for us. We loved every second of it.
Happy winter trails!
Pictures
Day 1: Skijoring. Sierra has caught on pretty quick this winter. She still struggles with stopping to take in the smells of the area. But hey, we love her anyways. Mel and I both took turns hooking up the belt to get some time in with “dog power” — which makes skiing all the more difficult for the person without a dog. We had good runs both into the woods and on our way out.
Day 2: Snowshoeing. Taking our favorite trails ... but this time in some unspoiled areas of fresh snow. On a day like this, it is easy to see that Sierra loves being outdoors and working.
At the end of the weekend, we were tired — but in that good way. A classic (and ideal) winter weekend for us. We loved every second of it.
Happy winter trails!
Pictures
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