Thursday, November 22, 2018

Pre-Thanksgiving Celebration on Cabot, 11/21/2018

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Sage and I take turns writing trip reports each week; check out her blog here.

York Pond Trail, Bunnell Notch Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail. 
9.6 miles roundtrip with 2400 feet of elevation gain

We hiked Cabot today with our friend, John (Myers).  Luckily for us, we were able to enjoy a lovely sunrise through the trees as we ascended the mountain.  We wore snowshoes, but the trail was more firm than we had expected.  We had some nearly-Thanksgiving celebratory pecan pie in Cabot Cabin after tagging the summit.  Since the holidays are here, I am not writing as much as usual for this blog post, but the pictures are below and illustrate the day.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!


































Tuesday, November 13, 2018

A Fun Hike of Whiteface and Passaconaway, 11/4/2018

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Whiteface and Passaconaway
11/4/2018
Blueberry Ledges, Rollins and Dicey's Mill Trails 
11.9 miles round-trip
3,800 feet of elevation gain

As Mom rolled into the parking lot, I groggily opened my eyes.  Every time we go hiking, we wake up early, so Sage and I usually sleep in the car on the way to the trailhead.  I drank from the water bottle we always keep in the car when we hike.  This way, we stay somewhat hydrated before we begin the morning ascent, and we don't have to use up the water we plan to carry with us on the hike to quench our thirst. 

As soon as I opened my car door, the cold air hit me and flooded the inside of the car.  I soon noticed that Samantha (Brady) had arrived.  We exchanged greetings, and we got ready to hike.  We met her adorable Shiba dog, Ricky Bobby, for the first time!






We began our ascent.  I realized that with my red hat, green shirt, pink pants, and blaze orange vest (we wear them during hunting season so hunters know we are not non-human animals), I was not having a great fashion day.




We started to see some pretty views over the trees.


The first intersection:


Trish Herr


We got momentarily lost right after we left the intersection, but we found our way soon enough.


The ascent steepened.


Trish Herr

When we became high enough, snow appeared on the ground, dusting the ground, rocks, and trees.


The higher we went, the icier the trail became.



Before we arrived at Whiteface, we went over quite a few rock scrambles.  I didn't remember them being so difficult, but then I reminded myself that the only reason they felt so challenging was due to the layer of ice coating many surfaces.





Photo by Trish Herr

Photo by Trish Herr

The farther we went, the deeper the snow became.






Ricky Bobby looking confident!


Summit picture (Whiteface).  The sun was in our eyes!


Taking a quick break at the next intersection...






We hiked over to Passaconaway and hung out on the summit of that peak.  We enjoyed some donuts on both peaks, plus Samantha brought her homemade banana bread.


Photo by Trish Herr




Ricky Bobby is so funny and cute!





Trish Herr
On our way down, we successfully crossed this log:






I had fun hiking Whiteface and Passaconaway with Samantha and Ricky Bobby!