Where: Owlshead (4025 ft.), Pemigewassett Wildness, Lincoln NH When: August 26, 2025 With: Solo After a 40 year journey climbing the 48 NH 4000 Footers, finally there was just one left - Owlshead. Originally planned as a multi-day hike, for a number of reasons I decided to claim it with a day trip. I was out the door at 5AM and at the Lincoln Woods parking area on the Kancamagus Highway by 7:30. It had been the starting point for many of my adventures in the past, but I haven't been back there since 2003. I was on my way within minutes of arriving, crossing a suspension bridge over the Pemigewassett River to get to the Lincoln Woods trail, which runs along a former lumber railroad bed. When I'd first walked it 40 years ago, it was named the Wilderness Trail. It followed the river upstream 5 miles to the Bondcliff Trail, then crossed the river on a second suspension bridge and continued another 4 miles upstream to Stillwater Junction Things have changed since then. The ...
Where: Carter Range (Middle Carter, South Carter, Mt. Hight, Carter Dome), NH When: August 4, 2025 With: Steve In my quest to climb the 48 NH 4000' peaks, I needed the two Wildcats and the three Carters (I'm saving Owlshead for last). My neighbor, Steve, has been working on The Grid (each of the 48 peaks in every month), and he needed the Carters in August. I'd hoped to get the Wildcats in July, but it didn't work out, so the Carters moved to the front of the line and I asked if he wanted company for the hike. Our original plan was to go in two cars, leaving one at the 19 Mile Brook trailhead and driving the other to the Imp Trail. The day before the hike, Steve suggested taking just one car. We'd park at 19 Mile Brook, walk a short distance north on the highway, then cut through the Joe Dodge camp to the Imp Trail. That was the route I'd planned to take if I was doing it as a solo hike, and it cut a couple of miles off the Imp Trail. Steve picked me up at 5AM...
Where: Mt. Surprise (2159 ft.), Mt. Moriah (4049 ft.) - Gorham NH When: May 13, 2025 With: Solo 40 years ago, on the Pemi Loop hike when I summited my first 4000' NH peaks, I renamed Mt. Lafayette as "Soul Killer", because it kept offering false summits. Today I transferred that name to Mt. Moriah, for much the same reason, along with tough trail conditions. But I'm getting ahead of myself... I've had Moriah as my next NH 4000 footer to tackle for awhile now. At one point I was considering a multi-day traverse from Gorham to Pinkham Notch to claim six peaks (Moriah, the Carters, and the Wildcats), but I couldn't work out the logistics. Then the AMC offered a $99 deal for hut stays in June, so I booked space at the Carter Notch hut, figuring I could knock off the Wildcats and the Carters over the course of two days. If I could get Moriah done before then, I'd wind up with 47 of the 48 peaks climbed, with just Owlshead left. With June fast approaching, I ne...