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 planned to get the Carters & the Wildcats in June, staying at the Carter Notch hut, but had to cancel when I caught a bad cold. Then I hoped to get the Wildcats in July, but it didn't work out either, 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...
Where: Wachusett Mountain When: 3 May 2021 With: Wilma I had nothing on my schedule, everyone else was busy, and the weather was due to turn stormy later, so I grabbed Wilma for a hike at Wachusett Mountain. I had a vague goal of redlining some trails I hadn't walked before, but the primary priority was to get out and put some more miles on my new hiking boots. I didn't know how much Wilma (two months away from 14 years old) would be able to handle - she'd come up lame in the past after vigorous hikes - and figured we'd just do whatever we could. The ride to the mountain was uneventful, and I pulled into the parking area at the base of the Stage Coach Road trail. It gave us a number of options for routes, but I wasn't sure where I wanted to go. I pulled out my map and decided to continue on a bit further to the Harrington Trail trail head. I'd walked the upper portion of the Harrington before, but not the lower section. It was just a few minutes down the road, a...