Ritzhikes

Where: Mt. Monadnock, NH When: 11/23/2022 With: Solo While the ground was still bare, I took the opportunity for another test drive of my new trail runners. Today's destination was Mt. Monadnock, and the Marlboro Trail. It climbs from the west, and last year about this time I hiked the other western route , the Dublin Trail. Like the Dublin, access to the Marlboro Trail was via a rough dirt road (Shaker Road), which had a sign posted saying the road was not maintained for winter travel. As I made my way carefully along its bumps and ruts I was thinking it wasn't especially maintained for travel in ANY season, but my ground-hugging Accord made it to the parking area relatively unscathed. I arrived right at 9AM, sharing the lot with two other vehicles. After a quick pack-up, I hit the trail. Frankly, I packed a bit heavy. I'd hoped I could bring my small day pack, but I wasn't sure of the conditions, so I opted for a bigger bag and filled it with my emergency bag, microsp...

Where: Wachusett Mt. When: 11/21/2022 With: Solo This was a quick test drive of my post-Covid lungs & legs, and my new trail runner shoes. The lungs & legs did just fine, and the shoes were wonderful. Light, good grip, and very comfortable. The wide toe box was appreciated on the downhills. With winter on the doorstep, they'll likely go into hibernation until next summer, but I'm pleased with how they worked today, I parked at the park headquarters and followed the Bicentennial Trail a short distance to the Pine Hill Trail, my primary goal. It was the only trail on Wachusett that I haven't hiked (though there are still a number of roads to follow). I was immediately struck by the trail's construction - stone steps with stone sidings. I figured it would just be for a short distance, but it wound up continuing nearly the entire way to the summit. My guess is this was the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, who did a lot of work at Wachusett. It was very impre...

It was years ago, in the dead of winter, When the wanderlust chose to strike. So we kissed our wives, bid our children goodbye, And headed North, for a hike. As we started our journey, a storm formed around us...  The wind began to blow, But we laughed at the weather as we shouldered our packs And headed off into the snow. We chose for our route an old railroad bed... A ghost from days long passed, When trains hauled out trees that were torn from the mountains  By the men of the lumbering camps. The trains and the rails had long since vanished, But the way through the woods still remained. One final long scar, an insult unhealed, Which the forest had not yet reclaimed. The tempest grew worse as the hours passed by, And snow covered over the ground. From far up the valley we could hear the storm growing, And our hearts turned to ice at the sound. The howl of the wind rose along with the storm, 'Til it sounded like some kind of scream. Then out of the darkness, a bright light ap...

Where: Mt. Webster (3910'), Mt. Jackson (4052'), Mt. Pierce (4312') When: 10/6/2022 With: Solo Some time ago I put together a list of NH hikes that would summit multiple 4000 foot peaks on one trip, four hikes for nine 4K summits. This was the final hike in that series. There may be other multi-peak hikes to come (Moriah-Carters-Wildcats?), but the next round will likely be single peaks. This was a hike of opportunity. I'd been scheduled to run camera for a soccer game Thursday afternoon, but on Wednesday afternoon I got word that someone else had taken the gig. With a forecast of great weather and my schedule opened up, I put my pack together, gassed up the car, and was ready to go. After a crappy night of sleep (the usual pre-hike jitters), I rolled out of bed at 5:00 and was on the road by 5:15. I arrived at Crawford Station just about 8:00, pulling into a spot by the bridge at the end of the Saco Lake Trail. After putting on my boots and pack, I made my way to the t...