Redline Wrap-up, Belknap Mt. & The Crash

And that's a wrap!  Hummingbird and I have officially hiked every trail in the Belknap Range, and qualified for the Redlining patch! 🏅 It was a relatively short finish hike, however it was definitely not quick…

Round Pond redlining loop

We are now one hike away from the Belknap redlining patch!  We’re super excited to finish.  This has been a long time coming.

10 Things I Hate About Camping

The summer season is wrapping up, and Hawk wanted to get in a camping trip this year.  Not backpacking, which I literally cannot do, but loading up the car and tenting at a campground.  It's been a while, between the pandemic and our busy schedules.  Which was entirely fine by me!  But I agreed to go.  The trip did not improve my opinion of camping.

Local Hiking Challenge - 7 Trails in 1 Day!

Well, this certainly would have been an epic hike #52 if I was officially doing the 52 Hike Challenge this year!  I've been keeping track, but not with the intention of getting another patch I already have.  At least just yet.  Maybe if I hit 104 hikes (52x2) before the calendar turns, I'll commemorate it…  Not sure I'll make it, but we'll see.  The real goal this year is just hiking when we can.

If you follow my blog, you also know that Hummingbird and I are very close to finishing the Belknap Redlining patch, so that's a definite 2023 goal.  We had every intention of doing our second to last trail loop this weekend, which I slated for a big productive day hike some time ago, when I learned Hawk was going to be away.  Funny how plans change…

Family Hike: Indian Head and Flume Gorge

Parched, Sondra (who still needs a trail name), Hummingbird, Hawk, and Dragonfly

The last time we hiked Mt. Pemigewasset, aka Indian Head, it was completely socked in.  And rainy.  The only view we saw was the edge of the cliff and a thick wall of cloud.  Which was still kind of cool, but not what we hoped for.  I knew the reputation of the panorama on that peak (there’s a reason it’s on the 52 With a View list), so I wanted to return some day in fairer conditions.

Conditions in Oct. 2020.

Belknap Redlining - final stretch

We're so close!  Only two hikes to go!  
It was another hot and humid day, but it finally stopped raining, so we hit the trails for a big productive hike.

Two Notches, One Day

It’s officially backpacking season, and I was carspotting Hawk for an AT section hike, so he could clean up some pieces he previously missed.  I figured while I was in the White Mts, I would do some hiking of my own.  Thankfully it’s not all 4000 footers; there are many easy-moderate trails as well.  And I had a list of spots I wanted to check out.  Hummingbird was able to meet me up there to join in a hike, so I had company - and accountability.  We ended up accomplishing quite a bit!

Saging it up on Mt. Shannon

Summer solstice hike! 🌞 And of course I threw in a little shamanic ceremony at the summit. 🔥  

But it was only slightly overambitious! (Gunstock redlining)

So maybe it wasn’t the greatest idea to do another sizable hike only 4 days after the “definitely too big” section of the MSG.  I did know that, despite feeling back to normal, I didn’t want to push my body too hard.  I mapped out several options, so I knew the estimated stats.  The route Hummingbird and I agreed on seemed reasonable, and within my range, but compared to my norm of late, the elevation gain was still significant.  The distance was nothing to sneeze at either.  But of course the truth is, my body wouldn’t necessarily have handled it any better or worse on a later day when I felt the same.  And it was such a gorgeous day for a hike!

MSG Section 2, a.k.a. Another Time My Fiancé Tried to Kill Me

I swear this happens every time.  I knew it was going to be too much.  But with mild annoyance, I went along with it.  Heck, it was my idea to begin with.  Although I would have made it shorter if I had my way.  But still, I can only blame myself.  I knew what I was getting into.