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.