Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Solo Hike of Moosilauke, 7/10/2018

Sage posted about our short hike of Table Rock (on the Terrifying 25).  The ascent was very steep but brief.  In only three tenths of a mile, we were at the top.  The views from the top were gorgeous!  We took a longer route on the way down.  Check out her blog post here.

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Moosilauke
7/10/2018
Gorge Brook trail
7.4 miles round-trip
2,550 feet of elevation gain

Sage solo hiked for the first time on this day.  She did a wonderful job!  Since it was her first time hiking alone, I started solo hiking first.  Then, about 18 minutes later, Sage began her ascent.  Lastly, Mom began climbing Moosilauke after waiting another 18 minutes.  This way, it was a little safer than Sage being on a mountain completely on her own.

Gorge Brook is nice, because the trail is very wide; I didn't end up breaking that many spiderwebs.

Mom took a picture of me at the trailhead before I continued on my own.  I apologize about the picture being so tiny!  I do not know why that happened.

Photo taken by Trish Herr



There was a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon, as well as a chance of rain at 9:00 am, so we started early.



I stayed on Gorge Brook the whole time.


I arrived at the halfway point.  After this, the trail turned to the right for a while and got steeper.



I was happy when I saw the first views of the day.


There was a pretty pink glow outlining the faraway mountains.


Up I went...


I got above treeline with an adventurous spirit.


I could see the summit...


 I was excited to be at the top!  There were beautiful 360-degree views all around me.  I didn't see any clouds that appeared to be threatening.  Also, I Gridded out Moosilauke!  I no longer need to hike this mountain anymore to further my Grid progress.


Resting in one of the rock structures...



I used the Instagram space filter for this image.  I think it turned out well!


After about 15 minutes, Sage appeared on the summit.  I took some silhouette pictures of her.




Sage and I talked for a bit, and 15 minutes after Sage appeared on the summit, Mom came.


Photo taken by Trish Herr

I began to head back down the mountain.


I took a Panoramic image of my surroundings.





I had a nice time hiking down Moosilauke.  When I arrived at the Ravine Lodge, I waited for Sage and Mom.  Sage arrived around 22 minutes after I got there, and then Mom got there around 30 minutes after Sage came.

I will be away until late August, so I won't have a chance to post anything until after I get back.  I hope everyone has a great rest of the summer!

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Sage's Blog: Table Rock

Sage posted about our short hike of Table Rock (on the Terrifying 25).  The ascent was very steep but brief.  In only three tenths of a mile, we were at the top.  The views from the top were gorgeous!  We took a longer route on the way down.  Check out her blog post here.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

A Solo Hike of Madison, 7/1/2018

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Madison
7/1/2018
Valley Way, Osgood Trail
8.4 miles round-trip
4,100 feet of elevation gain

I did a solo hike of Madison on July 1st.  I was prepared for an especially hot day; I wore a T-shirt and shorts, and I put my hair up in a ponytail.  This time I solo hiked, it was different; Mom and Sage were not hiking that day, so neither of them were on the mountain.  The sun had already risen when I started my hike, and there were many cars in the parking lot (I was not surprised since it was a summer Sunday).


Mom took a picture of me at the trailhead.  After that, I didn't see her for another 4 hours and 45 minutes.


There were people on the trail ahead of me, so I didn't run into any spiderwebs!





Up I go...


After hiking up Valley Way, I was grateful to arrive at Madison Springs Hut and feel strong, cool wind.


Madison Springs Hut...


After grabbing a small snack at the hut and dropping off my pack and poles, I took a Nalgene water bottle, my phone, a jacket, and a map and compass (just in case), and headed up Madison.



As I continued hiking to the summit, the sky became cloudy and fog surrounded me.


I got to the summit of Madison!  The top was surrounded by clouds, so I had absolutely no views.  The cool wind felt amazing, though.  I never ended up needing to wear my jacket.



As I came down, the clouds briefly dispersed before surrounding everything once again.  


Once I came back down to the hut, I filled up my water bottles and started heading down.



Sunlight shining through green foliage...



I noticed a squirrel on a tree.  It stayed like it is in the picture for a while and then jumped to another tree to fuss at me.


When I arrived at the trailhead, Mom was there waiting there for me.  Before driving back home, she gave me my first driving lesson; I am 15 and a half now, which means I can start learning how to drive by New Hampshire state rules.  It was exciting!  I am looking forward to driving more.

Happy July!