Date: 2009-06-07
To: Preparation Part 2: Hiking
Miles today: 0.0

Hello!Apart from going to the Y four times a week, I have spent the last several Saturdays hiking. I have been going mostly alone with my dog Sam. We have hit up a bunch of mountains in Maine and New Hampshire since Matt left. Although they have been smaller hikes, I can't help but think that the only way to really practice is to get out there, no matter what the mountain or distance. There is only so much you can do on a treadmill or stair master. Here is a little recap of the hikes I have done:Tumbledown Mountain: I have hiked twice since April. The first time I wasn't able to actually summit because there was still a huge ice sheet 3/4 of the way to the top! It was very disappointing having to turn around and go back down the way I had come, especially since the trail is VERY steep, with lots of rock climbing involved. The trail down the other side is more gradual, and is easier for both Sam and me. Oh well. I was determined to go back, and I did a few weeks later. My experience was a memorable one, and involved meeting up with two families hiking together who ended up helping me hoist my 55 pound golden retriever up through "fat man's misery"- a hole in a cave that one must climb up through using only 3 metal rungs welded into the rock. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to go any further, for Sam would have never made it! A thunderstorm on the way back down made it even more memorable. That and I saw a cow moose in the middle of the road on the drive up!Pleasant Mountain: Matt, Heather, my mom and I hiked Pleasant Mountain in March in feet of snow. It was a nice little hike, and so I decided to do it again in the warm weather. Pleasant Mountain is neat because it involves two peaks with a cool ridge line walk, and there is a fire tower at the summit. The trail up is steeper, and the trail down has a lot of switchbacks which is nice on the knees. Samantha came with me (always) and the two of us did not come across a single person until we were about a mile from the road on the way back down. This was last weekend, the weather was GORGEOUS. I couldn't believe that we had it to ourselves. It felt good to do it in the spring, without snow, and to see the differences. It is definitely easier without the snow!!Mt. Chocorua: Years ago I hiked into Champney Falls, a waterfall on the way up this mountain about a mile off of the Kancamangus Highway in New Hampshire. I ended up seeing the sign for the mountain and continued on, and was greatly rewarded with an awesome hike. It has been a while, so I thought it would be great to do the hike once again. Sam and I took off early in the morning, made it to the trail head by 10, and spent the day hiking. The view from the top is phenomenal. the summit is bald, with 360 degree views of the Presidentials, including Mt. Washington and mountains beyond. It is amazing. The day was beautiful. People on the top fell in love with my dog and ended up taking pictures of her and me.It was nice. On the way back down we went to Champney Falls and had it all to ourselves. Samantha took a cat nap (or is it dog nap?) and I sat into a nice snack of dried pineapple. One of my favorite hikes ever.Hedgehog Mountain: Yesterday Katie, my best friend from grade school, and I went for a hike in New Hampshire. We left around 10 and made it to the trail head off of the Kancamangus Highway at 1215. I have never climbed Hedgehog Mountain before, and had found it online. It's a little higher than 2000 feet, and is a 5 mile loop trail that UNH maintains. What a great little hike! The trail up was gradual, and there were numerous little peaks with great outlooks in every direction. From the first outlook, I could see Mt. Chocorua! Katie and I enjoyed lunch on that outlook, and then continued on, walking along the ridge in the trees and up onto the actual summit. There, Samantha found the blackest mud pit I have ever seen, and so with leash in hand, we trudged on, keeping Sam a good distance away from the dozen or so people at the top! There were great views of Mount Washington on the way back down. It was really nice to have someone to hike with. Lately I have enjoyed going by myself, since I rarely do things alone normally. But having Katie come along was a good change of pace. We caught up the whole way up and down. Maybe next weekend she will come along as well!As far as next weekend goes, it is my LAST weekend before the trail! AHHH. I actually have a four day weekend to enjoy because I have two vacation days that I haven't used yet, and so I decided to take this coming Friday and Monday off, so I should be able to fit some serious hiking in. I am excited, even though I don't know exactly where I am going yet. I will keep you posted. I think another post about gear should be good, and then I am off!!!