Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Current issue of Catalyst (Union of Concerned Scientists)


**This is Trish -- Alex and Sage are on vacation with their dad for a couple of weeks, so Alex said it was okay if I posted this notification for her.  Also, I'll post the next GraniteGals episode, which the girls recorded a few weeks ago for release this weekend.  (By the way, I am recovering well from my latest DVT and am already back on the hiking trails.  The girls and I will hike another 4K or two the week they return in mid-June.)**

Happy and honored to see Alex and Sage featured in the Union of Concerned Scientists' current issue of Catalyst (Volume 16, Spring 2017).  Click here to read not only about Alex and Sage, but about many other determined folks raising money for UCS!  UCS is an important organization that is dedicated to securing a clean and healthy environment for our future generations.  Please donate to UCS here.



Sunday, May 21, 2017

Samantha Brady on the GraniteGals podcast


Our new podcast episode is up!  Click here to access the GraniteGals interview with Samantha Brady.  Besides being a cool person in general, Samantha is a Search and Rescue Volunteer, a former representative of Backpacker Magazine's Get Out More Women's Tour, and a Mt. Washington Observatory employee.  Thanks for speaking with us, Samantha!

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

New GraniteGals Episode Coming Soon!

I hope everyone had a fun Mother's Day!  I am so grateful to be a daughter of such an amazing  and inspirational woman, my mom.  Kudos to all the mothers out there who are there for their children.

We unfortunately did not hike last week because Mom was not feeling well.  She drove to the trailhead with us but then felt dizzy and wanted to go back home.  We were not sure why she felt this way, but six days later, on Mother's Day, Mom felt a bit of cramping in her leg.  She didn't let us know this until the next morning, when her leg pain was much worse and she needed to go into the hospital.  It turns out she has a large DVT (this is the second time in her life this has happened).  We cannot hike for a few weeks because she needs time to recover.  I will keep posting about UCS and the GraniteGals podcast in the meantime.

Speaking of the GraniteGals podcast, we will release a new episode this weekend!  It will be on iTunes and GooglePlay in about a month because we need to wait for technical details to be worked out; we have to switch blog hosts but cannot for another 30 days.  In the meantime, the link for all GraniteGals episodes (downloadable MP3 format) are available on our GraniteGals blog.

**Please read about these grim arctic findings (damage due to climate change) from the blog of Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).  This is very worrisome!  Donate to UCS and keep reading their blog for more information on climate change effects.  Thank you so much!**

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Madison and Adams. April 30, 2017

Madison and Adams
4/30/2017
Valley Way, Gulfside Trail, Lowe's Path
About 10.4 miles round-trip
About 5000 feet of elevation gain

The sun was coming up when we began the hike.  John came with us and we all put on our gear in the Appalachia parking lot before ascending Valley Way.  The sunrise was beautiful!  I felt cool but not cold; the temperature was perfect for early morning hiking.


We have been starting so many hikes in the dark lately...it was nice to start when it was light outside this time!



There were many leaves on the ground.  


Intersection with Brookside





A stream crossing we reached:



Blue sky...


We found ourselves on a monorail when we got up a significant part of the trail.  The monorail began a few tenths of a mile before the tentsite.




STOP sign:





The clouds looked amazing up there.  The weather was perfect; we could sit without getting too cold, which allowed us to really take in and appreciate the amazing sights surrounding us.


Ice patterns...


Airline Cutoff intersection:


There was an icy path leading straight to Madison Springs Hut.



Different perspectives...




Sage and Mom at the hut:


Looking at Adams...


The sky was just spectacular.  I couldn't stop taking pictures!



We took a small break at the hut before continuing to Mt. Madison.


Sage taking a picture of the scenery...








Going up Madison...




The views were amazing when we got to Madison.  



John's silhouette:


Cairn and sky...



Sage looking at the views with the breeze tousling her hair:





It was lovely up there!


Back at the hut:





Snack break...


We headed up Adams next.


We decided to go up Gulfside Trail and then Lowe's Path instead of going over Airline.

















Summit of Adams!


This was a nice hike, though it hailed on us a bit while we were on Adams and rained slightly as we headed back down Valley Way (mountain weather).  Looking forward to another hike next week.

Also, we'll have another episode of GraniteGals ready this weekend!