Ritzhikes

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...