Ritzhikes

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...