Taking Flight

The four thousand footers were out for this weekend due to high winds, so that meant finishing up the White Mountains or continuing on the Maine high peaks was a non-starter. I really needed to get out for a hike, though. I haven't hiked in a couple weeks, and I am nowhere near prime hiking shape. An individual recently created a hiking patch for the Winter Ossipees, so I decided to start working on that this weekend. I had an ambitious plan for this hike; I wanted to summit four peaks: Roberts, Faraway, Turtleback, and Bald Knob. Of the ten Ossipee peaks needed for the patch, five of them lie within the Castle in the Clouds area in New Hampshire. My girlfriend Dragonfly and I already hiked all the Castle in the Clouds peaks last spring, so I had some familiarity with the area. The two most popular peaks in that area are Shaw and Roberts, both of which offer great views without only a mildly strenuous hike. After the equipment difficulties I had last hike on the Bigelows, I had to ...

This weekend it was time to tackle another couple Maine peaks, the Bigelows. This was actually the second time that I had hiked the Bigelows. The first time I did so was back in August 2018. At that time I hiked with a casual hiking group. However, there is nothing casual about the Bigelows. The Stratton Brook Trailhead for the Bigelows. Many of the hikers who were on that hike were not prepared for just how strenuous the Bigelows can be. Several hikers turned back early, but many of the ones who did not turn back were unready for what was coming. There is a very steep section of the Bigelows which is right below the col, and the unprepared hikers were asking for a break every three steps. I wanted to summit before Christmas, so a couple other in-shape hikers and I broke off and climbed up to the col ourselves, waiting for the group after we got there. It took about half an hour for them to reach us. The entire experience taught me a valuable lesson about group hikes - make sure they a...

 My quest to complete the winter four thousand footers in NH is temporarily on hold until the weather lines up perfectly, so today I decided to expand my winter peaks and start hiking some Maine four thousand footers instead. The last time I decided to hike the Maine four thousands (for my all season list), I started with Saddleback and its Horn, and I completed that list, so I decided not to mess with what worked. I opted to start with Saddleback again. Unfortunately, the day did not get off to an auspicious start. I wasn't feeling great last night and didn't sleep all that well, so I wasn't as rested as I would have liked to be. The good news is that it got me up early so that I could get an early start, which is important because the Maine four thousand footers are all long drives. Funny enough, even though I live in Maine, the NH four thousands are much closer to me than the Maine four thousands are, on account of just how friggin' big a state Maine is. It's act...

I didn't get a chance to get a hike in this past weekend, so I thought I would put up a blog post about a hike I did a month ago. The hike was to Owl's Head, which is probably the most remote mountain in the White Mountains. I had been looking forward to this hike because it was a chance for a few firsts for me. It was my first chance to do a winter backpacking trip with a tent, and it was my first chance to test out a new backpack I got for Christmas, the Xenith 105. The Xenith 105 is the largest backpack that Osprey (the most popular backpack manufacturer) makes, and it is one of the largest packs that you can buy, period. In fact, it's the largest that I have seen. Its true purpose is for long-term expeditions. Why did I need it? My winter sleeping bag wouldn't fit in my current largest pack, the Atmos 65, without taking up half the pack! Thus, I needed a bigger pack just to carry the sleeping bag, which is massive. The Xenith seemed to be just what the doctor ordere...