Bonds Traverse (10-26-2019)

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Yesterday we did an amazing Bonds Traverse! It was tiring, but we got some beautiful views and great memories! It was also my Trailwrights 72 finish! Here is the link to the YouTube video!

Night Hike of South Carter and Carter Dome, 9/8/2019

South Carter and Carter Dome

9/8/2019

11.6 miles round trip

Around 4000 feet of elevation gain

Hey there, everyone!  I know it's been a while since I have posted a standard blog post with pictures and comments.  I would like to start doing that again in addition to the YouTube videos because I enjoy writing up these reports and I missed regularly making them.

When we can, we night hike on the weekend now, which is helpful since I have so much work this year already.  I was excited to start but also nervous thinking about the possibility of getting out too late; I had this image in my head of us arriving at the second summit while the sky was pitch black.  This did not happen, though, and we reached Carter Dome (our second and final summit for the day) around the time of sunset.  Unfortunately, it was cloudy, so we didn't see as much as we expected.  I hope the view is better next time, but I still enjoyed the hike and how adventurous it felt.

Sage and me on South Carter!

Carter Dome pics ahead!

Pumpkin-flavored Whoopie Pies are truly heaven...

Coming down in headlamps the whole way was an experience!  We have hiked in the dark before, though, so we are used to it by now.  Occasionally I think I see Slenderman in the woods, but I guess my imagination will never turn off when I have to be somewhere dark.

The bright moon through the trees...

The pond by the hut looking mysterious at night... 

Done!

A car was passing by...

I had a great time on the hike!  We got back to the car at 10:30 pm.

Some July Hikes and Long Hiking Expedition

Check out the videos I made of a couple hikes I’ve done this July!  I hiked Carter Dome, Willey, Field, and Tom, and the Tripyramids.

After these hikes, I did a solo multiple-day hiking expedition.  It was a great experience for me, and I enjoyed the adventure.  On my expedition, I peakbagged Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, Flume, Carrigain, and then the Kinsmans.

Day 1:

I hiked around 1.5 miles up to Lonesome Lake Hut and stayed there for the day.  Unfortunately, there were storms forecasted for that day, so I decided not to hike the Kinsmans, which I was going to do according to my original plan.  During this first day of my expedition, I attended a presentation about the hut and what the hut croo (that's how they spell it) does.  For example, the presenter talked about the pack they use to carry food and other supplies to and from the valley.  Later that day, I also participated in a fun and informative game of White Mountain trivia.

Day 2:

I hiked around 1.5 miles down Lonesome Lake trail and then I hiked 2.9 miles up Old Bridle Path to Greenleaf Hut.  I spent the day there and enjoyed the view and the company.  Also, I attended a presentation which included information about the area (nearby peaks and trails) and how the White Mountain National Forest, botanists, etc. are trying to conserve plant life and protect the environment from hikers who step off the trail.  One detail the presenter, Miles, gave, was about how they are trying to build the scree wall to make it look more unappealing to prevent hikers from walking over it and trampling fragile alpine flowers.  For example, the trail maintainers sort the rocks in an upward, jarring fashion now.

Day 3:

I hiked 11.5 miles all in all that day.  My route was hiking up to Lafayette from Greenleaf Hut, then hiking over Lincoln, Little Haystack, Liberty, and Flume.  From there, I went down Flume, hiked on Lincoln Woods Trail to the parking lot, and then I walked to Franconia Brook Campsite from there.  I set up my own tent with help from my sister, Sage.  I asked her to hold things in place when needed, but I directed the setting up of the tent.  I put my pack in my tent when I finished and put my smelly belongings in the bear box provided at the campsite.  This was my longest day.

Day 4: 

I hiked 7 miles that day.  Day 4 consisted of a mostly flat route to my destination.  After around a few hours, I arrived at Stillwater Junction.  After that, I hiked 0.8 miles to the next intersection with Desolation Trail and camped around there, again setting up my own tent, situating my belongings, hanging up the Ursack, etc.  My hiking party, which used a different tent and camped in a different but nearby site, hiked Carrigain (Desolation Trail) and came back while I stayed at the tentsite.

Day 5:

On my last day, I hiked 7.1 miles.  I hiked Carrigain and went down the other side.  My mom and my sister, my hiking party, greeted me at the car (they hiked out a different route, and then drove to me) and picked me up from the trailhead.

Day 6 (not officially part of my expedition):  I went back and got the Kinsmans, completing my July Grid.

Here are some pictures from my expedition and summit photos from the Kinsmans: