Ritzhikes

Where: Mt. Wachusett When: 12/23/2023 With: Wilma I stopped taking Wilma on climbs like this after she came up lame following a trip. She spent several days hobbling around and getting sympathy, and I figured that mountain days were over for this 16+ year old dog. Best to stick to long walks on level trails.  Now, I'd been thinking of a hike up Wachusett for some time - maybe redline a few more trails - and when the weather and my schedule lined up nicely, I decided to go. I mentioned it to my sister on a phone call and said Wilma wouldn't be going along. "Oh take her," she said, and I thought, why not? Wilma hadn't been showing any signs of aging lately. Just the opposite, in fact. On our walks around the neighborhood, she'd break into a trot sometimes, often on the uphill section. So I bundled her into the car and off we went. I drove to Wachusett without the usual navigation assistance, and found I knew the way just fine. Today's starting point was the ...

Where: Mt. Monroe (5372'), Mt. Washington (6288') NH When: 9/1/2023 With: Solo I've had this hike in my mind for some time now. The primary objective was to climb Mt. Monroe and check another peak off my NH 48 4K list. Monroe rises next to the AMC's Lakes of the Clouds hut, which is at the top of a tough but direct (and relatively short) trail. And on the other side of the hut is Mt. Washington. I'd climbed it back in 1992 , so a revisit wouldn't advance the progress on my list, but hey...it was right there. Climbing it would correct an omission from my last visit. In those pre-digital days, I carried a film camera and had used the last shot on the roll before I got a shot of myself at the summit. This time I resolved to get a summit photo. In addition to Monroe & Washington, I had a thought of trying to summit Mt. Jefferson, another NH 4K peak. There was a trail junction after Washington where I could continue to the Jefferson summit trails, or just head ba...

Where: Mt. Lincoln, Pelham MA When: 8/16/2023 With: Solo I check the trail reports on the New England Trail Conditions website from time to time. I mostly look at the New Hampshire reports, especially when I'm planning a trip north, but I make a point of checking the Massachusetts reports as well to look for new places to explore. I checked the MA page yesterday, and saw a report from the previous day for a peak I hadn't heard of - Mt. Lincoln in Pelham MA. I did a quick search and found it was just west of the Quabbin Reservoir, near Amherst. Intrigued, I opened the report and found this note in the Lost & Found section of the post: I lost my beloved walking stick at the summit, I put it aside to take a picture and then had a senior moment and walked away. It was polished brown with black hockey tape on the handle with a leather strap. If anyone finds it I would like to get it back or at least know someone else is enjoying it... Forsooth! A quest! I'm familiar with ha...

Where: Callicoon NY When: 8/12-13/2023 With: Xeth & Chip On June 11, Xeth sent out this message: Hey, you boys have any interest in kayaking on the Upper Delaware this summer? I know it's a bit of a schlep. But  there's a cushy campsite in my backyard... Beeyooteeful river... There was general agreement, and about a month later we'd confirmed the weekend of August 12 & 13 for the gathering. Chip announced he'd be arriving a day early, in part because of the length of his drive, and Dave planned on a Friday evening arrival. I said I'd be there by mid-morning Saturday, figuring on leaving Hopkinton by 6AM. Both Chip & I mentioned early departures on Sunday, to get back for previous commitments. Friday night I got my car all packed up - changing my mind on several items over the course of the evening - and I pulled out of the driveway at 5:50AM. It was a 240 mile ride to Xeth's, but the majority of it was highway driving, mostly on Route 84 through Conn...

Not a trip report... I've been thinking about the emergency gear I bring on my hikes. I recently purchased yet another day pack because the one I've been using can barely hold all of the gear I bring. I don't know if it's my Boy Scout background (Be Prepared) or my borderline OCD, but I carry a lot of stuff that rarely gets used. For example, on a recent day hike,  I carried 2 liters of water, a somewhat excessive emergency kit that goes on every day hike (details below), a head net, a silk shirt and skull cap (overnight clothing), a neck gaiter (Buff), a head lamp, a water filter, a solar power cell & charging cable for my phone, trail maps, and an FRS radio. Also, a bagel, an apple, and two packets of fruit gummies.  Out of all of that, I drank perhaps half a liter of the water and that's it. The food wasn't eaten until I was done with the hike and back in my car, and nothing else in the pack was touched. The only time I opened the pack was to stow a long ...

Where: Mt. Starr King (3907') & Mt. Waumbek (4006'), Jefferson NH When: 8/1/2023 With: Solo The winter was a bust for hiking (too little snow), and the summer's not been great either (too much rain), so it's been quite some time since my last significant hike. I ran up Mt. Monadnock last November, and my last NH 48 peak was last October. Since Mt. Waumbek has a reputation as an easy 4K peak hike, it was a good choice to get me back into the game. Some new stuff on this hike, starting with a new day pack, an REI Flash 22. I've finally found the right size pack for my warm-weather hikes.  I'd been using an REI Stoke 9, but it's just barely big enough (550 cu. in.) to hold everything I bring ( I tend to overpack emergency gear ). The next size up in my packs is my REI North Dome, a great pack, but too big (1600 cu. in.) for these hikes. It's better suited for fall/winter hikes, where I'm carrying extra gear (warm clothing, etc.). At 1300 cu. in., th...