Ever on and on

These are some of my favorite peaks from the past 4 years.

• Wheeler Mt. Absolutely my favorite hike of the past 4 years was climbing Wheeler, a short hike (about 2 miles round-trip) on a small mountain with dramatic cliffs, but it was the company that made the day. My son was with me – his 2nd or 3rd time on Wheeler – and my father – his first time hiking in years, and the first time hiking with my son when he was actually walking, and not on my back. My wife completed the team. Standing on the final outlook with them was a very special moment.
• Bondcliff, very possibly my favorite NH 4K. Positioned in the middle of the Pemigewasset Wilderness, it is hidden from most of the overt signs of civilization. It has close-up dramatic views of South Twin and the other Bonds, nearby views of Franconia Ridge, and more-distant views of the Sandwich Range and the Presidentials. And it has a luxurious summit area, very flat and broad. It’s remote, so you know you’ve earned your solitude.
• Guyot, not actually a 4K, but on the Twins/Bonds ridge. Another remote spot with awesome views. I had a full day planned and had to press on, but someday I plan to hike to Guyot by whatever route seems easiest, and have lunch.
• South Kinsman is another broad summit area, with unique views over the wall of Franconia notch into the Pemigewasset. I was so enthralled by the views I nearly missed the storm sneaking up on me from Moosilauke.
• Jefferson. It seems unfair to pick the Presidential I most recently climbed, but I think Jefferson probably is my favorite. The unique double-humped summit, with views into the headwall of the Great Gulf, and of course Adams and Washington up close, are simply awesome.

Somehow I’ve left off Franconia Ridge, and my favorites in the Sandwich Range. Some peaks get short shrift because I climbed them on busy days (South Twin, Liberty). Actually, there’s hardly a peak I’ve climbed that I wouldn’t go back to. But these are some of the ones that stand out.

As I write this entry, I have climbed 47 of the 48 4,000′ers in New Hampshire. (To make the list, a mountain has to be over 4,000′ tall, and the col – the lowest point – between it and each of its neighbors must be at least 200′ deep.) Sometime soon, I’ll climb Mt. Garfield and “complete the list”. But why did I start?

My father started me on hiking, when I was young, and I hiked with an elementary school teacher and at summer camp. But life got busier and it wasn’t something I kept up with. In my 30s I meant to find a hiking buddy and start hiking again, but somehow it never happened. Then I bought Mike Dickerman’s book, Why I’ll Never Hike the Appalachian Trail, and that reminded me again how much I loved the outdoors. (Oddly, Bill Bryson’s A Walk In The Woods was a fun read but didn’t get me outside.)

I finally realized that if I kept waiting for someone else to start me hiking, it would never happen. I decided to do a trial hike on Stratton Mt in Vermont, and see whether I still liked it. (Stratton is where both the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail were conceived.) And I decided that if it went well, I would get back into hiking – by section-hiking the Long Trail.

The day I climbed Stratton was cloudy, and I got no views. But it was great to be out in the woods again, and out-of-shape though I was I made the longer loop off the far side of Stratton and then back to the road. While I was up on the peak – after chatting with the GMC caretaker – I ran into another hiker. We got chatting and he told me that if I wanted hiking companions, I should check out this web site “Views From the Top”. I never got his name.

On Views From the Top (VFTT), I found an enthusiastic community of peakbaggers, mostly NH-based (although there’s a vocal NY contingent). And from them I learned about the 4,000′ers, and saw pictures they shared of their hikes. And I found my target shifting: when spring rolled around I went off to hike Mt Hale, one of the easiest 4,000′ers, on a soggy grey day with almost no views – and I got hooked. Since then, over about 4 years, I have climbed 46 more NH 4K peaks. I’m not exclusive – I’ve climbed in the Wapacks nearer home, and various smaller peaks, and even once or twice gone out hiking with no peaks at all. But I’ve organized around the NH 4Ks because it’s good to have a goal, and it’s mostly because of a hiker I bumped into on Stratton, and the enthusiasts on VFTT.

And the Long Trail? It’s still waiting for me.