Time To Catch Up

Hello all!  Just wanted to offer a quick update for all those who are anxiously awaiting one.  We have had a busy month since I last wrote.  Just about every weekend has provided some kind of adventure for us.  We had visits from both sets of parents.  My parents, as well as my sister and her boyfriend, Greg, were treated to a grand tour of Boston, including a visit to the Top of the Hub.  That night we had dinner at Strega in the North End, which I would highly recommend to anyone.  I've eaten in the North End several times, and this was easily the best food and the best all-around experience I've ever had (the commercials don't lie).  The weekend Sarah's parents visited we went to our favorite restaurant in Newton, The Local.  Their visit also meant that we got to see Jessie, and she was gracious enough to allow me to practice my photography skills on her.

Two weekends ago Sarah and I went up to Portsmouth, NH on Saturday night after Sarah got out of work (yes, she's been working Saturdays for the past month).  That day, while Sarah was working, I brewed my first batch of beer.  The beer making kit and ingredients for an IPA were Christmas gifts from Sarah's parents, and I had been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to brew my first batch.  Time will tell whether my first attempt is a success or not; I bottled the brew this past weekend and will not be tasting it for another three weeks.

Sarah and I had a great time in Portsmouth.  We first stopped for a quick beer and appetizer at the always excellent Portsmouth Brewery.  After doing a bit of walking, we settled on River House Restaurant for dinner.  Finally, we stopped at Portsmouth Gaslight Co. for some live music and a night cap.  The next day was beautiful, and we took full advantage of it.  We started with a walk through and around the town, then began our drive down the Seacoast.  We stopped along the way for a walk along the water at a start park in Rye (a few pictures are below).  From there, we continued south before coming across a roadside restaurant, Petey's Summertime Seafood, where we enjoyed a late lunch.  It was a fitting end to the type of weekend that makes you wish it were spring.  And from the looks of this tree in our front yard, spring is not far away.

                    

That's enough for now.  As promised, below are a couple of pictures from our walk in Rye (click to enlarge, if you so desire).  I will try to write again sooner rather than later.   The next couple of weekends should provide some material to write about, so be sure to check back soon!

Photography Workshop with Carl Heilman and a Weekend in the Adirondacks

This entry will be a bit different in that the main focus will not be a hike, but a class instead.  Despite how that sounds, this is actually a good thing, as this was certainly no ordinary class.  For Christmas this year, Sarah gave me two very special gifts.  The first of these was a new camera, along with two lenses and a couple of other accessories.  The second was a photography workshop from Carl Heilman, a nature photographer known primarily for his work in the Adirondacks.  This was really a great gift on several levels.  First of all, it gave me an opportunity to learn about my new camera.  Going from a compact “point and shoot” camera to a DSLR can be intimidating and I need all the help I can get.  Second, and most importantly, I would be learning from a professional photographer whose work I love.

In the interest of getting this blog posted so I can share my photos (which are here), I won’t go into great detail of the weekend.  A quick synopsis will have to do.  After the class, which I attended with Nick (and four other wannabe photographers), we went to Lake Placid with Sarah and Megan.  After checking in to our cabin at Cobble Mountain Lodge (an interesting place, to say the least), we took Megan and Nick to our favorite place for dinner, the Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood Co.  Of course, dinner was great, as was the company we shared it with.

The next morning we had breakfast in town before heading to the Adirondack Loj to meet our friends Andrew and Mary.  There, we did a quick hike up Mt. Jo, the little mountain with impressive views in the heart of the High Peaks.  After that, we started the long journey home, stopping along the way for lunch at the Noonmark Diner, a quick shower at my parents in Albany, and to watch the Super Bowl at the Lanigan’s in Acton.

Noon Peak, Jennings Peak, and Sandwich Dome

This Saturday provided another opportunity for Sarah and me to head to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for a hike.  After much deliberation on my part, I chose Sandwich Mountain in the Waterville Valley area to be our destination for the day.  Sandwich Mountain, also referred to as Sandwich Dome, is not on the NH 4k list (peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation), but at 3,993 feet it is darn close.  Regardless of its height, it’s a beautiful mountain with a great approach, certainly worth a climb.

Sarah and I were on the trail by 11:45.  For what seemed like the first time in a while, we were blessed with cloudless skies and very little wind.  Temps were cool, but the sun helped make us comfortable.  The trail started climbing almost immediately.  Grades were moderate at first, but there were a few very steep pitches.  After about an hour of hiking we reached the first lookout, the 2,976 ft Noon Peak.  Views from here were great, especially those of the three peaks of Mount Tripyramid, as well as Mount Washington and the Presidential Range.  After I took my fill of pictures we continued on our way.

The trail descended a bit after leaving Noon Peak before soon resuming a steady climb.  Eventually we reached the very steep 0.2 mile spur trail to Jennings Peak, the second major view point on the hike.  From here we had a great view of Sandwich Dome itself.  There were also extensive views to the west, all the way to Vermont.  After we had a brief snack and some water (and I again took more pictures than necessary), we left Jennings Peak to make our way to Sandwich Dome.

Once back on the main trail, we began the climb to Sandwich.  This part of the hike wasn’t overly steep, but at this point in the day our legs were quite fatigued and every step hurt.  Finally we reached the summit.  The views from here were similar to those from Noon Peak, only more impressive.  In addition to everything we saw before, we now had a clear view of Franconia Ridge.  We stopped here to have our lunch.  For the first time, we brought along our Jetboil stove to make hot chocolate, using it to melt snow and boil the water.  Unfortunately, we lost most of the hot chocolate because it boiled over, but what we had was a nice treat.

When we had had enough and started to get cold, we packed up our “summit camp” and started our long walk back to the trailhead.  We made only one prolonged stop, and that was at noon peak to take some pictures in the late afternoon light.  The light at this time of day gave everything a reddish tint and was really quite beautiful.  We arrived back at the car shortly after sunset, completing the 8.2 mile hike in just over 5 hours (pictures from the hike are here.  Also, and I just recently discovered this myself, if you click on any picture on this page, you will see a full screen version).  Our post-hike beer (and this time dinner as well) was provided by the Mad River Tavern in Campton, NH.  From there, we headed home, and were back in Newton in less than 2 hours.  This pleased us greatly, as we love knowing that there is such great hiking so close to us here in Boston.

Mt. Moosilauke

On Saturday morning Sarah and I left Woodstock destined for Mt. Moosilauke in New Hampshire.  It was an unseasonably warm day, as the temperature at the trailhead was in the upper 30s.  We were on the trail by just before noon.  Together, we had been up Moosilauke one other time (Sarah had climbed it one other time when she was much younger).  This would be our first time climbing Mt. Moosilauke in the winter, as well as our first time using the Glencliff trail, which follows the Appalachian Trail up the mountain.  The trail rose gently from the parking lot before reaching the AT after just under a half mile.  After this junction, the trail steepened, and we began to climb.

And climb we did.  The trail was only moderately steep at first, but it seldom relented.  The snow was well-packed, though, and the weather was great, making it a delightful climb.  Of course, this wasn’t just a walk in the woods.  Eventually the trail steepened and the last mile of climbing to the ridge was considerably more difficult.  Once on the ridge we met a number of hikers at a trail junction (between the AT and the Carriage Road) who had stopped for a bite to eat on the way down.  They all advised us to bundle up before making our summit bid.  After heeding the group’s advice we continued on.

The landscape on the ridge was as if from a different world.  Every tree was covered with snow and rime ice, creating the look of a drone-like army.  When we emerged from the shelter of the trees the wind very nearly knocked us off our feet.  Out on the exposed ridge, the bright sunlight we had enjoyed on the way up was gone.  We were now in the clouds and were given only fleeting glimpses of the sun.  Finally, we reached the 4,802 ft. summit, but stayed just a second before retreating to shelter.  After having our lunch at the trail junction we made the relatively easy descent to the car, completing our 7.8 mile day in just under 5 hours.  All pictures from the hike can be found here.

Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without the requisite post-hike beer, so we stopped at the Norwich Inn on the way back to Woodstock.  There we enjoyed our rewarding beers from the Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse.  It was a delicious end to a great day.

Feeling Liberated on Mount Liberty

Hello once again!  After yet another long hiatus, I am ready to make yet another triumphant return to the blogosphere.  This time, I think I am returning for good, as there is one crucial difference between this and my previous attempts to re-kindle the blogging flame; this time I am done with my MBA.  After three and a half long years of going to school while also working full-time and trying to have a life, I am finally done.  One of the things I hope to do with my new-found free time is blog.  Lucky you.  Try not to get your hopes up too much, though, as I don’t plan to blog every weekend, or even every other weekend, but I will write more often.

Now on to the exciting stuff.  On Sunday, Sarah and I traveled north to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Our objective for the day was to summit Mount Liberty, a 4,459 foot peak on Franconia Ridge, just a bit south of the popular (and spectacular) Franconia Ridge loop I walked this summer.  In the picture below, taken from the road as we approached the mountain, Mount Liberty is on the left alongside Mount Flume.  Below that is an up close picture of Liberty's rocky summit.

When we got on the trail at 11:00, it looked as if we were going to have a great day.  It was a bit cool (about 18), but nothing extraordinary for mid-December.  The trail was well broken, making snowshoes necessary only for traction, not flotation.  The hike started very gradually, as we gained very little elevation over the initial mile plus.  Eventually we started to climb, and climb, and climb some more.  The climb was grueling (gaining 3,250 vertical feet in just over 3 miles), and my out-of-shape body was feeling it.  Despite this, I couldn’t have felt better.  I mentioned to Sarah how appropriate it was to be hiking Mt. Liberty just a few days after being forever “liberated” from the burdens of school work.  I know, I know, that is a ridiculously corny statement, but it is true.  I really did think it was fitting.

As we slowly made our way up the mountain, clouds began to blanket the sky.  Finally, we reached the ridge, only 0.3 miles from the summit.  This last part of the climb was not terribly difficult, but extremely strong winds made the exposed rocky portions of the ridge somewhat interesting.  By this time, it had started to snow.  That combined with the intense winds virtually eliminated any views we may have had earlier in the day.  So we spent very little time on the summit before retreating to the safety of the woods.

Our decent was quite fast; the snow cushioned our steps and helped us glide down the mountain.  But we were tired, and the steady downhill tested our weary legs.  The snow that had started to fall as we approached the summit continued to fall at an increased intensity.  By the time we reached the car there were a couple of inches on the ground.  We had completed the 8 mile hike in just over 5 hours.  However, the most difficult part of our trip was still ahead of us.  We were hopeful that the highway (I-93) would be cleared, but that was not the case.  The road was snow covered, and what should be an easy 2 hour trip turned into a 3.5 hour, white-knuckle drive.  It wasn’t until we reached southern New Hampshire that there was any relief, as warmer temps brought rainfall in place of the snow in the north.

Our 3.5 hour trip brought us to the Lanigans, who were nice enough to have us over for dinner to celebrate my completing the MBA program, as well as Sarah’s admittance in to her own Master’s program (congratulations to you, too!).  We were lucky to also be joined by Sarah’s uncle Ben, who would be staying with us the next two nights.  This is a good thing for two reasons.  First, we both happen to like Ben.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, Ben staying with us always means a trip to Buff’s Pub.  I’m pretty sure I’m not hurting Ben’s feelings by saying that because my guess is that he would agree with me.

Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading along.  After the holidays I plan to write again.  Until then, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

1st Anniversary Celebration in Lake Placid

Hello again! It’s been way too long since we last spoke, and again I have to blame that on just being too busy to sit down and write. Well, given the exciting weekend we just had and the fact that I actually have some time off from school this week, this is the perfect time to start up again, even if it only lasts this one entry.

Before I get into this past weekend, I’d like to spend a few words on some of our other summer adventures. The first big hike of the summer was Memorial Day weekend, when Sarah, Susan, Ben and I went up Lyon Mountain in the Northern Adirondacks. After that, we hiked (in no particular order)

• Camel’s Hump - Sarah, Jessie, and I
• A shelter on the Long Trail, the name of which escapes me now – Sarah, Peter, Ben, Elizabeth, Sierra, Jessie, and I
• Blue Mt. – Sarah and Susan
• Franconia Ridge – Peter, John (friend of Peter’s), and I (pics here)

We also mixed in a mountain bike ride through the Pack Demonstration Forest and up Ben Wood Mt. in the Southeastern Adirondacks with my parents (Nancy and Dom). So, while some of these were more spectacular than others (Franconia Ridge comes to mind), we certainly have had an exciting summer.

Which brings me to this past weekend. As many of our readers know, Sarah and I were celebrating our first wedding anniversary this weekend. Of course, we celebrated the only way we know how and headed for the mountains of our beloved Adirondacks. The original plan was to backpack and spend a night camping in the backcountry. However, with Hurricane Bill threatening to dump all sorts of rain on us, we nixed those plans and booked two beds at the Adirondack Loj (pronounced “lodge”) at Heart Lake. The Loj is owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) and is spelled as it is in honor of its builder, Melville Dewey (he of the Dewey Decimal System), who was a proponent of “simplified spelling” (this according to the ADK Trail Guide). More on the Loj later.

So with our new plans all set we made our way up to the mountains on Friday morning. We reached Keene Valley by about 11:30 and set out to hike Blueberry Mountain. The mountain is quite small, standing at less than 2900 feet, but it still offered impressive views of Giant Mt, Keene Valley, and part of the Lower Great Range (pics here). We finished the 4.8 mile hike in about 2.5 hours, managing to only get a little wet, and went right to the Noonmark Diner for lunch. After our lunch, we wandered around Keene Valley a bit before finally heading to the Loj.

The Adirondack Loj is an experience in itself. The building is what one would expect of an Adirondack lodge, just about as rustic as can be. There is a great room filled with Adirondack furniture and literature. Next to the great room is the dining area where the meals are served. Off of a hallway behind the great room are all the bedrooms; a combination of private rooms, four and six person bunkrooms, and a twelve-person loft. Sarah and I were to spend the first night of our first anniversary celebration in bunk beds in a four-person bunkroom. If that’s not romantic, well then I’m just not sure what is.

After getting settled in our room and checking out the property a bit, we went to Lake Placid for dinner. We grabbed a quick drink before going to Lisa G’s to eat and were back at the Loj by 9. The evening atmosphere at the Loj is quite special. It’s very quiet, while also being social. Most guests are reading, whether it be a trail guide or one of the many old Adirondack books or magazines provided. Folks tend to turn in early, so we followed suit and were in bed by 11.

Saturday morning we were up by 7, just 15 minutes before a staff member parades around the lodge ringing a triangle to wake the guests for breakfast. After enjoying a delicious and hearty breakfast and picking up our trail lunch that the staff packed for us (that’s right, they packed our lunch!) we hit the trail. The original plan for the day was to at least get to Algonquin Peak and nearby Wright Peak, and maybe add Iroquois as well. With the weather calling for possible showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, we decided to forgo Iroquois (and the additional 2+ miles of hiking it would have required) and settle for just the two peaks.

And two impressive peaks they were. Algonquin is the second highest peak in New York, standing at 5,114 feet tall. The 4.3 mile trail to the summit is well eroded and quite rocky, save for some smooth, bare rock near the top. The climb is quite steady, as the trail gains almost 3,000 feet in elevation over the last 3 miles or so. Once on the summit we were rewarded with panoramic views of the Adirondack High Peaks. Clouds limited the views in some directions, but to some extent they actually enhanced it as well (pics here).
After lingering for a bit on the summit, we headed back down to the junction with the trail to Wright. The climb up from the junction to the 4,580 foot summit was steep, but short. Again, the views were spectacular. We stayed only briefly, however, as we felt raindrops for the first time of the day. So we made our way back down the mountain, stopping for one prolonged break at the base of a waterfall. We reached the trailhead again after having covered 9.6 miles in 7 hours. Thankfully, those few drops of rain on Wright’s summit were the only ones we felt all day.

Now that we were back at Heart Lake, its water never looked so enticing. So we took a quick dip in the lake, much to the delight of our weary muscles. It was quite rewarding to soak in the lake while gazing up at the mountains that we stood on just a few hours prior. When we were finally able to drag ourselves out of the water, we went to our real favorite watering hole, the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery. After grabbing a post-hike beer and appetizer we went to the Golden Arrow Resort and checked in to our room. Dinner that night was at the Moose Lodge Boathouse Restaurant at the Whiteface Club & Resort on the west shore of Lake Placid.

Sunday morning we spent some time hanging around Lake Placid. We checked out around 11 and left town shortly thereafter. As is always Sarah’s preference, we took a meandering route home. We made stops at a farmers' market in Keene Valley, the beautiful Elk Lake Lodge, and had lunch at Once Upon a Moose Café in Minerva before reluctantly setting our course for Newton (pics here). We arrived home shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday evening. And so concluded a wonderful weekend, and also a wonderful first year of marriage. Here's to many more of both. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your week!

Camp Peggy O'Brien Trip

And we’re back! Sorry for the delay in entries. It’s not that we haven’t had anything exciting to write about; quite the opposite, actually. We’ve just been too busy to take the time to blog about any of it. Well, I spent this past weekend (March 27-29) in a cabin in the middle of the Adirondack High Peaks, so I just had to make time to write this week.

Before I get to the most recent weekend adventure, allow me a few quick words on how we’ve been keeping busy. For the most part, we’ve been relatively stationary over the last several weeks (that tends to happen when Sarah is in the middle of application reading season). We did mix in a one night get-away in Portland, ME, complete with a dinner at the American Flatbread Co. and a short hike up Douglas Mountain near Sebago Lake the next day (pics here). Other than that, we’ve welcomed a couple guests, none more welcome than my parents (hi Mom and Dad!). When my parents visited they treated us to a delectable dinner at Henrietta’s Table in Cambridge, then we treated them to cannolis at Mike’s Pastry. We also took a trip up to Mt. Monadnock in south-central New Hampshire one beautiful Sunday in March (pics here). Desperate for our after-hike beer, we went to the only place we knew wouldn’t let us down…Wachusett Mountain. Who said you could only enjoy an après-ski party after you skied?

Now, on to the main event. As I already mentioned, I spent this weekend in one of my favorite places on earth; the Adirondacks. The only problem, I was there without Sarah. This visit to the Dacks was courtesy of a backpacking trip with my good friend Andrew, and 12 other guys that I did not know. For Andrew, this trip is a yearly event. For me, it was my first time. We stayed at Camp Peggy O’Brien on Johns Brook. It truly is in the heart of the High Peaks. The camp is about a 3.5 mile hike from the Garden trailhead in Keene Valley. We hiked in on Friday under sunny skies and very mild temperatures. The hike was difficult as we were carrying packs with clothing, food, and drinks for the weekend (turns out you can’t get beer or whiskey from the brook, only water). The camp itself is quite rustic, but it does provide some comfort in the form of propane heating and lighting.

Once we were settled in at the cabin, seven of us headed out for a small hike to a ledge called Short Job. At the lookout we officially kicked the weekend off with cheese and crackers topped with artichoke hearts and smoked trout and meat (courtesy of Oscar’s Adirondack Smokehouse in Warrensburg), all of which we washed down with some adult beverages. Dinner that night was not your typical back-country fare, as we enjoyed pasta with a chicken meat sauce along with broccoli rabe and garlic bread. It was quite a treat.

After a night spent tossing and turning in my sauna-like third level bunk, I was up early Saturday morning to get ready for the big hike that day. We left the cabin just short of 9 a.m. and hit the trail on our way to Upper Wolfjaw (UWJ), Armstrong, and Gothics, three of the High Peaks. (Only nine of the fourteen guys attempted the three-peak hike. The other five choose to do a somewhat less demanding hike). The trail climbed gradually at first, then descended briefly before beginning a long, arduous climb to the col between Upper and Lower Wolfjaw mountains. From there the trail continued upwards to a false summit (which had us all fooled), dropped again, then ascended to the real summit (yep, we all thought we were climbing the second peak at this point). Here, we took a short break on the 4,185 foot high summit of UWJ.

After our rest we got back on the trail which dropped very steeply off the summit. Although Armstrong’s summit is only a bit more than 200 feet higher than UWJ, the net elevation gain ends up being at least a couple hundred feet more. The ascent up Armstrong was easily the hardest part of the day for me. There were several very steep pitches that were sheer ice. When climbing one of the steeper and longer icy pitches I dropped one of my poles, and though it was just out of my reach, I was in too precarious of a position to go back down for it. A bit later on a different (and thankfully much shorter) icy patch I lost my footing and fell about ten feet before being stopped by the trees lining the trail. Tired and frustrated, I trudged upward until finally reaching the 4,400 foot summit of Armstrong.

We rested briefly on Armstrong before pressing on to the ultimate goal, the 4,736 foot summit of the majestic Gothics Mountain. (The picture above is of Gothics from Armstrong. It really is an awesome mountain). Of course, in order to climb up, we first had to go down. We left Armstrong’s rocky summit and headed back into the trees. Much sooner than I expected we emerged from the trees and were ready to make the final climb to the summit. The climb up the open ridge was exhilarating. With each step the views got better and better, culminating with absolutely stunning summit vistas. It seems like a good time to mention the weather; sunny skies, temperatures near 60ْ , little to no wind. In short, it was perfect. Even in mid-summer you would be lucky to have weather that pleasant on the summit of a mountain like Gothics.

Taking advantage of the brilliant weather, we all got comfortable on the summit to eat and take some pictures. Here, the decision was made by some of the more daring members of the group to bushwhack off the mountain. That group left the mountain first. I decided I’d rather stick to the trail, so I lingered on the summit a bit longer (actually falling asleep briefly) before heading down with the two senior members of the group. (That’s right, everyone under 50 years old decided to bushwhack except for me. That’s what I call making smart decisions). Once back on the trail, I realized that completing the loop over Gothics was not going to be easy either. The trail down the West face of the mountain is so steep in parts that permanent cables have been installed to assist hikers. (The cables are there more to protect the fragile vegetation on the mountain than assist hikers, but those two things often go hand in hand. You can read more on that here if you feel so inclined). After the steep descent off the mountain, the rest of the hike out was nothing more than a leisurely stroll along (and sometimes in) the Orebed Brook.

I arrived back at the cabin over 8 hours after I had left. The hike covered 8.5 miles and a total elevation gain of over 3000 feet. I quickly cracked open a well deserved beer (unfortunately, there would be no trip to the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery this time) and enjoyed a fun but relaxing evening. Dinner that night was even better than the first, as we were treated to a Sri Lankan beef stew. We hiked out in light rain the next morning and immediately went to the Noonmark Diner, where we splurged on burgers and soda (and I never drink soda).

All in all it was a splendid weekend. Good people, good food, and great hiking (with a huge assist from the weather) made for a great time. I have every intention of making this an annual event and am already looking forward to next year’s trip. With that, I should stop writing now. Pictures from the weekend are here, and many more are still to follow. Bob, the trip organizer, is a bit trigger happy with the camera and he will be sharing his shots soon. Sorry for the length of this entry. I hope to be writing again soon, but given my recent track record, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Thanks for reading and enjoy your week!