Iron Mountain

In my previous Mount Avalon post, I described how we managed to get in a 52 With A View peak during our recent trip to AL and UP's condo in the White Mountains. However, what I didn't mention in that post is that during that same trip, and on the very next day after hiking Mount Avalon, we bagged another peak! We woke up on Monday morning without too many plans, with the exception of eventually packing up and heading home after an enjoyable holiday weekend. With the sun already shining and warmer temperatures then the day before, we thought it would be fun to get in another quick hike in the morning. The trailhead for Iron Mountain was only a few minutes drive away, and the hike itself was less than a mile each way. We asked around to see if anyone from the previous day's hiking team was interested in coming along, but didn't have any takers. So we quickly got dressed and headed out the door with the smaller crew of Owen and Katy plus Toby.

The road to the trailhead was a long, narrow dirt road. It was in good shape and we made it to the trailhead with no trouble but it definitely seems like it could be tough to get two cars past eachother in some spots. When we finally reached the trailhead, there was a small little parking area with room for about 5 or 6 cars with 3 other cars already there. We squeezed in a spot and got ready for the hike. Right off the bat the trail takes you through an open field with really nice panoramic views of the Presidentials. These were probably the best views of the entire hike. We worked our way up the easy trail and navigated the .8 miles in no trouble. About halfway to the top, Toby fell sound asleep and I could hear him snoring in my ear as we worked our way up the trail.

The summit is wooded with minimal views, and we opted to skip the extended trip to the ledges on the other side which would add another mile each way to the hike. Overall, though, it was a very enjoyable morning outing, and we were finished and back to the condo in time for lunch.

Mount Avalon

Katy, Toby, and I spent this past weekend at my Aunt and Uncle's (AL and UP) condo in Bartlett, NH taking a long break from Friday to Monday. Columbus Day weekend is typically considered the peak of fall foliage season in northern NH and this year it did not disappoint. We drove up early on Friday morning surrounded by nice weather and beautiful fall colors before spending a low-key day with AL and UP. Toby got accustomed to his new surroundings which he may or may not remember from a year ago when we visited on the same weekend when he was just 4 months old. My sister Mo and her boyfriend David also arrived later on Friday evening to spend the weekend as well.

Naturally, whenever we spend time at the condo we always like to take advantage of the opportunity to get some hiking in. Since Mo and David were looking to bag some 4000 footers, and we were working on the 52 With A View list, we thought it would make sense to find a hike where those two lists intersect. We found our answer with a hike departing from Crawford Depot in Crawford Notch. The first 2 miles of the hike bring you to the top of Mount Avalon which was our destination and a 52 With A View peak. From there, Mo and David could continue on to Mounts Tom, Field, and Willey to bag those three 4000 footers and we could turn around and head back down. The plan was set for Sunday morning where we would reunite the hiking team of Owen and Katy + Mo. (And David. And Toby. And UP.)

We got up at a reasonable hour on Sunday morning, planning to be out the door of the condo at 8:30 AM. We ended up probably a few minutes behind schedule and leaving just before 9AM. Katy, Toby, UP, and I headed out in our car, while Mo and David took theirs. To make their hike more interesting, we also arranged to meet at the Willey House site and spot a car for Mo and David to turn their hike into a traverse. By the time we did the whole car drop, drive to Crawford Depot, organize our gear, and use the restrooms, it was about 9:30 AM and we were on the trail. It was quite chilly at the start, with temperatures in the 40's and the warm layers, hats, and gloves on. I made fun of Katy for having to borrow UP's hat and gloves again after we both had to do the same thing 4 years ago when we originally bagged Tom, Field, and Willey on this same weekend. Despite the mishap, we were all warm and ready to go.

The hike up Avalon is not difficult but does have a fairly steep section for the last half mile. We worked our hiking team up the mountain as Toby once again narrated what he saw. Our hike started off with some cloudiness, but as we approached the top, the clouds began to burn off. The view from Avalon is quite nice with angles looking down into Crawford Notch as well as overlooking the Crawford Depot where we started. After giving Toby some time out of the pack, snapping a number of photos, and grabbing some water and a snack, we headed back down. It was here that we wished Mo and David good luck as they had a grander destination. Katy, Toby, UP, and I headed back down to the car.

After separating from Mo and David, Toby began to protest his current situation. I can't say for certain what he was complaining about, but it was his first prolonged stretch of unhappiness that we have experienced while hiking with him. We stopped and gave him some water and a snack, and did a quick smell test for the diaper, but once we started to continue on again, he continued to cry. I think he might have gotten cold hands when his gloves fell off for a few minutes. In any case, nothing was helping, and we were a mile and half away from the car. I didn't have much choice but to just hike with a crying baby on my back. I have to say that this is probably the first time that I really felt judged for doing what we do. I know many people have varying, and perhaps very strong opinions about hiking with a baby, but I didn't really feel those opinions until that moment. I had to pass many people on the way down the mountain while Toby was very unhappy, and the looks and comments I got came in all shapes in sizes, some positive, some not so.

Not long after Toby started doing this, I at one point took a look back at Katy and she just waved her hands forward "Don't wait for me." she said. So I headed down, as swiftly and safely as I could. I started talking to Toby, asking him where the sky was, where the trees were, and where the rocks were. This in combination with the jostling of the quick pace began to calm him down. His cries got slower and he clearly was getting tired. He finally fell asleep on my back and the last 10 minutes of the hike I heard Toby snoring in my ear. I got to the bottom around 12 PM and took a seat at a picnic table. Toby woke up and was as happy as ever, and we sat there looking at the passers by and the cars until Katy arrived about a half hour later. We got Toby situated in the car at that point and then UP arrived shortly after that so we could head back to the condo and have some lunch.

I hope someday Toby looks back at the adventures that we brought him on and appreciates the way we helped him learn about the world when he was young. More likely he will probably just say, "Mom and Dad, you were crazy." I'm ok with that too.

Stinson Mountain

The weather this weekend was seasonably warm with temperatures forecast to be in the 80's and high pressure dominating the region. We couldn't pass up this chance to get in another "52 With A View" hike so on Friday I pulled up the list and took a look at our options. Keeping Toby in mind, we wanted a hike that was a reasonably close drive and to keep the round trip hiking route under 4 miles. We settled on Stinson Mountain, a moderate peak on the southern edge of the White Mountains with a 1.8 mile trail to the summit. With the decision made, on Friday evening we quickly organized our gear, snacks, and all of the other things you need to leave the house with a toddler.

We were up early on Saturday morning and with most of our stuff ready to go, it was just a matter of the three of us eating breakfast, getting dressed, and heading out. "We're oddly on schedule." Katy said at one point as we made it out the door and on the road by 7:30AM. It was a nice ride up as we noticed that many of the trees were already turning for foliage season up in NH. We made one quick pitstop on the way to use the restroom and feed Toby a quick snack and then continued on to the trailhead in Rumney, NH. It was uncharted territory for us, as this trail is 15 miles off the main interstate and not near any other trails that we've hiked before in our NH 4000 footer quest. Early fall, a warm clear New England day, and exploring the backroads and hiking trails of Rumney, NH - sounds like an episode of Chronicle!

We arrived at the small parking lot at the trailhead which was already filled to capacity with 4 cars. We parked on the side of the road and got ourselves organized before heading off, on the trail at exactly 10:00AM. As usual, Toby was very enthusiastic on this early portion of the hike and was talking the whole way up. Stinson Mountain Trail is well maintained and easy to navigate but it was definitely a climb. With 1400 feet of elevation gain over 1.8 miles, it's a little more then just a walk in the woods. We made it to the top without much issue, though, in about an hour's time, and were treated to some excellent views of the valley. We took Toby out of his pack and all had a PB & J snack while Toby tirelessly climbed on every single cement remnant of the old firetower that clearly used to be at the top of this peak but is now gone.

We were doing our usual photo-ops when Katy noticed a small plane flying in the distance and she suggested that Toby and I pose for a picture with the plane in the background before we head down. Sure why not? We got Toby in his pack and in position on a rock ledge, Katy lined up the shot, and then she tried to get a good angle. "Oh the plane is getting closer," she says. "It's coming this way." I continued to wait... "It's coming right towards us." I was still waiting at this point wondering how long I needed to stand there. "Umm, Owen I think you should get down from there." As she was saying all of these things I was continuing to wait for her to take our picture with my back to the plane until I finally turned around when she said this. To my surprise, the plane was only a few hundred yards away coming directly at us. At that moment there was no other explanation in my mind why the plane would be in that position and on that course unless it was coming in for a crash landing. We both started running off of the rock ledge and I was about 3 to 4 seconds away from diving for cover into the dirt behind the nearest rock or tree, baby on my back and all.

But then, the plane pulled up at the last second and flew straight up and over us! Katy's first reaction was to laugh while simultaneously flipping the pilot off with both hands as he looped back around and made multiple fly by's while waving at us. I was just in disbelief with adrenaline pumping and glad we were all still in one piece. It was definitely a very bizarre experience and something we will laugh about for a while. Before long, the plane had flown off and we were making our way down the trail we came up. By comparison's sake, it was an uneventful hike down and journey home, but an overall great outing for our 2nd peak on the NH 52 With A View!

Mount Pemigewasset

As I mentioned in our previous outing to Lonesome Lake, Katy and I decided to start tackling the NH 52 With A View list and bring Toby along for the ride. This past weekend, we embarked on our first of hopefully many hiking trips on this list by climbing Mount Pemigewasset.

Mount Pemigewasset is a small peak at the southern end of Franconia Notch that looks like a little nub that you can see when driving by on Interstate 93. It's an appealing hike for a small outing because of its relative driving proximity, the moderate 3 mile round trip climb, and the open ledges at the top. I've mentioned it as an option several times in the past when we've been considering a small hiking trip, but we've always opted for another alternative instead. Katy tells me that it was because she always associates the word Pemigewasset with bears because of an article we once saw about a bear encounter in the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

We got up on Sunday morning with our usual routine, still not 100% committed to making the trip. After having breakfast and getting Toby up and ready, we decided to go for it and began to get organized. It was another perfect fall day that was just not to be passed up. We were all ready to go around mid morning and headed out the door. It took a few false starts to get going though, as I think Katy and I each had to go back into the house once or twice to get something (diaper bag? sweatshirt? I don't even remember). We finally were situated though and were off. We made a stop on the way up to feed ourselves and Toby lunch, before continuing on and arriving at the large parking area for the Flume Gorge Visitor Center around 1:00PM.

There was plenty of activity at the visitor center as we got organized for the hike. Toby was excited to go in the carrier once again and we started heading up the trail. NH 52 With A View hike #1 had begun! But wait, 100 yards in and another false start. I had forgotten to put my long sleeve shirt in the pack so we had to go back to the car to get it. We recovered and were quickly back on the trail. The trail to the summit is fairly straightforward, with moderate elevation gain and is well maintained. We passed by a number of groups on the way up, and I think just about all of them had something to say to Toby or about Toby. He has a way of making friends quickly that kid! We even stopped once on the way up to take him out of the pack, and let him hike on his own with some help. We arrived at the summit ledges in just over an hour and stopped for a bit to take in the views over the notch as advertised.

We headed back down the way we came with little trouble and then spent a few minutes at the visitor center before heading home. The hike was a success and a great time was had by all of us. Looking forward to the next one!