#12 Mount Katahdin (Baxter Peak), Maine

This past summer I took a wonderful trip up to Maine for some hiking and some down time.  I spent a few days in Acadia and decided to round out the trip with a jaunt up Baxter Peak, the highest point on Mount Katahdin.  Had I realized that Hamlin Peak, also on Katahdin, was itself a separate 4,000 footer I would have hit that one as well.  Oh well.  Another excuse to get back up to Baxter State Park.

We left mindboggling early from our campsite in Acadia and drove to Baxter, setting off on the trail at about 9:30am.  The park rangers told us we may not have enough time to make it all the way up to Baxter and back (10 miles round trip) and then to our campsite (2.5 miles from the parking lot), but we were feeling ambitious. 

It was a weird day, weather-wise.  The clouds were moving in and out so fast that we didn't have many lasting views, but a few breathtaking glimpses at the acres and acres of land within BSP was worth the trip.  The worst part?  The black flies.  Oh man, it was nearly unbearable coming down "The Saddle," a steep decent into Chimney Ponds Campground.  After that it wasn't so bad until the sun went down.  

The highlight of the hike was most definitely the Knife Edge, a mile long section of trail separating Pamola Peak and Baxter Peak.  It was essentially a rock scramble over a series of mini-peaks with unstable footing that at times made me believe I may be falling to my death.  In an odd way, it was a killer feeling.  Nothing like the fear of death to make you feel alive!

All in all, it was an awesome trip, culminating with conquering the highest peak in Maine!  Lesson learned?  Next time I go to Baxter (and there will be a next time) I won't go in late June, which apparently is the worst time of year for black flies.

# 11 Mount Mousilauke, New Hampshire

On a summer weekend last June, I trekked down to Hanover, NH and was treated to a delightful hike of Mt. Mousilauke in the southern section of the NH high peaks with some wonderful people.  The views weren't spectacular as it was a cloudy day, but fortunately the clouds were high enough above the summit that we were at least able to see west to Killington and up to the Franconia Ridge.  I can't remember the exact mileage, but it believe it was somewhere between six and seven miles.  I was also treated to a lovely dinner at the Mousilauke Ravine Lodge, staffed and operated by past and present members of the Dartmouth Outing Club.  

No pictures on this one.  As I'm chronicling these hikes I'm realizing that I need to do a better job of taking pictures.  Ah well.

#9 Giant Mountain and #10 Rocky Ridge Peak, New York

On an early June day in 2013, I got up early, drove down to Rutland, and ran a 10k with my dad.  After going out to breakfast, I started heading back up to Burlington.  However, the weather was just too good to pass up, so I dipped west and headed across the lake to the Adirondacks.  I had no plans and no particular peaks in mind, so I parked at the first high peak parking area I hit on route 73, which ended up being Giant Mountain.

I had a ton of energy and a very lightweight pack, so I kept a quick pace up the mountain.  While Giant gives an amazing panorama of the other high peaks, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a 360 view.  About .2 of a mile from the summit there is a side trail that heads over to Rocky Ridge Peak after about 1.2 miles.  The trail dips way down and then way back up.  I'm guessing it loses and then gains over 1,000 feet in that short 1.2 miles.  However, I was rewarded on Rocky Ridge with stunning 360 views, looking east across the lake to the Green Mountains and west into the high peaks.  I was also the only person on the summit, which is always a plus. 

Another killer day in the high country.

#8 Mount Jackson, New Hampshire

On Memorial Day weekend in 2013, I headed over to the White Mountains to see some friends and to get in a hike.  It happened to be the day after running my first marathon, so my legs weren't exactly fresh, but I can virtually always summon the energy for a hike.  Having not been in the Whites since 2008, it felt great to get another one in.  We ended up doing the six(ish) mile Jackson-Webster lollipop loop.  It was super windy and the ridge trail at the top was a mess of mud and snow, but the views (as you can see below) were killer.  Clear, stunning views of snow-capped Mt. Washington.  Another 4,000 foot summit tagged.

#7 Algonquin Peak, New York

After living in New York City for several years, it wasn't until May of 2013 that I got my next 4,000 footer.  I remember having this out-of-nowhere realization that I had spent so much of my life staring across the lake at the Adirondacks, but had yet to conquer any of the high peaks.  It was time to change that.  Sara and I headed across the lake on a weekend day back in March of 2013 and pulled in to the Adirondack Loj, just outside of Lake Placid.  We took the trail from Heart Lake up to Algonquin Peak, about 8 miles round trip, tagging the second highest summit in NY.  The views were minimal and unfortunately I didn't snap any photos.  However, a great day to be on the mountains, and a feeling of accomplishment, having finally conquered one of the high peaks of the Adirondacks.

A word of warning to those hoping to hike the Adirondacks in the winter: bring skis or snowshoes!  Hikers greatly frown upon post-holers, even when the trail is so packed down that post-holing is impossible.  Lesson learned.

#6 Killington Mountain, Vermont

Hard to believe that I grew up in Rutland and didn't hike Killington until 2009, when I was 23 years old.  Oh well.  At least I got to it.

My first trip over Killington was an end-to-end hike over Killington and Pico with Bill.  The weather was so cloudy and rainy that we didn't bother taking any pictures.  We went up the Bucklin trail, the backside of the mountain, joined up with the AT near the top, tagged the summit, then took the AT three or four miles over to Pico, then down to Route 4, making for a 10-11 mile hike.  I realized about halfway through the hike that I didn't have the keys we needed for the car at the other end.  Thankfully we had cell service at the top of the mountain to solve the problem.  What did we do before cell phones?  Weird.

On Christmas Eve day in 2012 I went up and down the Bucklin trail, just over 7.5 miles, in breathtakingly beautiful weather.  I almost didn't make it to the summit because of all the ice, but I powered through.  My dad and I did the same hike this past Christmas, though we were not rewarded with nice weather, or good trail conditions.  The entire trail was an absolute mess; basically a sheet of ice.  The way down was significantly more harrowing than the way up.

Here are some pictures of the Christmas Eve 2012 hike.

#5 Mt. Carter Dome, New Hampshire

On Columbus Day weekend back in 2008, Christian and I traveled to northeastern New Hampshire to hit the Carter-Moriah range, giving me my first 4,000 footer in NH.  Even though foliage typically comes to NH a bit earlier than in VT, the leaves were still killer and we had some awesome views looking southwest in Tuckerman Ravine on Mt. Washington.  It was so clear we could see all the way up to Maine.

We primarily used the 19-Mile Brook Trail, past the AMC hut and up to Carter Dome.  We continued along the ridge for a mile to Mt. Hight, where the views were even better.  Although Mt. Hight is above 4,000 feet, it's lack of prominence in comparison to nearby Carter Dome does not qualify it for 4,000 footer status. 

A ten mile loop hike in beautiful fall weather made for a killer Columbus Day weekend.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to scrounge up any pictures.  Dang.

#3 Mt. Abraham and #4 Mt. Ellen, Vermont

Come to think of it, the three times I've hiked Mt. Ellen have been in some sort of ridge traverse including a hike up Mt. Abraham.  I've never hiked it alone.  But what a wonderful ridge it is!  Once you get up to Mt. Abe, you basically just roll over the tops of some less significant peaks until you climb back up to Mt. Ellen.  Ellen has okay views, looking east, but the best views of the ridge are from Mt. Abe, where you can see in all directions on a clear day.

In September of 2008 I did a gap-to-gap hike, starting at the Lincoln gap and ending at the Appalachian gap for a total of just under 12 miles.  Another summit of Abe and Ellen was during an overnight Long Trail trip with Dave in 2009, and my most recent summit was on a 14 mile day hike with Sam last month.  We took the Battell trail up Mt. Abe, took the long trail across the top to Mt. Ellen, and then backtracked to our car.  It made for a long one, particularly in the snow, but it was gorgeous. 

Along with Camel's Hump and Mansfield, Mt. Abe is starting to become another "go-to" hike for me.  A nice easy, accessible 6 mile hike that gets you to the wonderful little town of Bristol, VT.  Nothing better!

Here are some pictures of some Mt. Abe and Mt. Ellen hikes...

 

#2 Mt. Mansfield, Vermont

Just like with Camel's Hump, I've hiked Mt. Mansfield countless times.  The first was in June of 2008, taking the Sunset Ride trail up and back.  Although most of my hikes nowadays still come from the Underhill side, I've traversed just about every trail on the mountain.  My favorite loop to do is to go up the Maple Ridge trail to the forehead, head north on the Long Trial to the chin, and fly down the Sunset Ridge trail.  A great way to conquer the mountain.

I'd say Mt. Mansfield and Camel's Hump are my "go-to" hikes.  If I'm in great need of a hike but don't have the time to get to the Adirondacks or the Whites, they are the mountains I turn to.  I never get sick of the views, and never get sick of the trails.  It's therapeutic.

Here are some pictures of Mansfield hikes from 2008 until now...