#9 Mt Moriah - my first solo winter 4K

8:00 AM on Tuesday, December 27, 2016

I got up early and drove up to NH for a quickie hike up Mt Moriah before my family joined me for three days in the mountains. I'd be staying for 10 days during Teradyne's shutdown, but they had to get back to work and school. Not much to say about this hike; it was just a checkmark on my SSW48.

Stats:

• Peaks: Mt Moriah
• Weather: ~20F, calm and cloudy with bouts of sunshine
• Parked: Carter-Moriah Trailhead on Bangor St in Gorham
• Trails: Carter-Moriah Trail, Mt Moriah Spur, and back
• Time: 4h51m, 8:00am-12:51pm
• Distance: 8.5mi
• Track: GaiaGps

An overview of my Single Season Winter 48 with links to all the trip reports is here.


I wasn't really in to the hike as much as usual, so I put on an audiobook and just logged the miles.


The Carter-Moriah Trail has a couple of places where it breaks out of the woods and you can see down to the valley.




On the summit of Moriah.


This ice floe on the trail would be tricky to down hike, so I took the icy bypass to the side of the main trail.

Zoom in and you can see the wind turbines on Jeriho Mtn in Berlin, NH.
Here is a video of 2015 construction.


Julie, Michael, and Nick joined me for a late lunch at Flatbread Co in N Conway.


After settling in at our Airbnb townhouse in Intervale, we had an even later dinner at Moat Mountain Smoke House and Brewery. Michael had to try the Iron Mike Pale Ale in their signature big can.

Christmas Break from Hiking

Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes

Our annual Christmas Eve "Feast of the Seven Fishes" was another delicious success.

Nick, Alexa, and Michael are all graduates of Cornell's FDSC 1104 - Introduction to Wines and Vines, so they served as sommeliers for The Feast.
We also drank the Hottenroth Berliner Weisse from The Bruery between courses. It was very well received. Thanks, Mobo.

The wine and beer probably fueled our lively discussion on whether life is a prerequisite for consciousness. What is a soul? What happens to the soul when you die?
This all started when Michael opined that Alexa's job would be obsolete before AI programmers' jobs would disappear.

The feasters.

Christmas Day at Bubba's

The Sellews hosted our Secret Santa gift exchange and Christmas feast. (Of course there was another feast.)

 
The Mass crew. We missed the Cali crew.

 
The clan leaders.

Time to feed the dog.

Julie shows off her new Uggs.

#7 & #8 Osceolas w Ripper Steve H

7:03 AM on Friday, December 23, 2016

Day 3 of winter and two more peaks. It was a grand start but now I'm home for the holidays (and planning my hikes for next week).

• Descending E Osceola involved long, twisty seated glissades, a.k.a. butt sliding. 
• We had to bypass the chimney--a vertical slab ice between rock walls-- going both up and down. Even the bypass had me sweating bullets due to steep rock and ice. 3 other hikers bypassed the bypass. 

Stats:

• Peaks: Osceola East Peak, Mt Osceola 
• Weather: forecast some clouds, windy (35mph), 18F 
• Parked: Greeley Pond Trailhead, just before the hairpin on Kancamagus Hwy 
• Trails: Greeley Pond Tr, Mt Osceola Tr, and back 
• Time: 5h44m, 7:03am-12:47pm 
• Distance: 7.0mi 
• Track: GaiaGps

An overview of my Single Season Winter 48 with links to all the trip reports is here.

As soon as the trail turns up, we shed a layer.


I think those are the Tripyramids as viewed from the overlook on the way up East Osceola.


The Chimney between East Osceola and Mt Osceola. We took the bypass, which was still icy and rocky enough to make me switch to crampons and work up a nervous sweat. At least I didn't take the bypass to the bypass (i.e., through the woods) like some hikers we met on the way back.


Whoops. I inadvertently snapped this photo on Mt Osceola, but like it so much I decided not to fix the horizon.


On top of Mt Osceola, with the presumed Tripyramids behind us.


On top of Mt Osceola.



On top of Mt Osceola looking back along the ridge to East Osceola, with the Tripyramids visible on the right.

The ridge looking back to East Osceola from Mt Osceola.


On top of Mt Osceola, looking down on Waterville Valley.


Me on Mt Osceola, high above Waterville Valley.


Crane your neck a bit, and you can see the ski trails from the summit of Mt Osceola.


Met this old school photographer setting up as we descended from Mt Osceola. He's a  hobbyist and doesn't post his photos on the internet. That's really old school.


Took this selfie on top of East Osceola on the way back. When we summitted East Osceola on the way out, we didn't even realize it was the peak. Not too impressive; just a high point in the trail.


I jetted home after our hike, and got there in plenty of time to enjoy our annual Christmas Cookie Decorating party.
Bubba: Thank you Doobers for another spectacular cookie extravaganza! We had an Xmas Dino, Batman turned a gentler nicer brown man (ha!), mermaid, goldfish, ginger bread man with a broken arm, Donald vs Hillary debate podium and topped off with a sustainable gingerbread house! We dined on deelicious Banh Mi roast pork subs. A wonderful night for all. We missed those of you that couldn't make it. But we made sure to eat enough sugar and spice for all!!!! Happy Xmas Eve!!!!

❤️Bubba

#5 & #6 Hancocks w Ripper Steve H

7:21 AM on Thursday, December 22, 2016

Day 2 of winter and "only" hiked 2 more summits, dropping my average to 3 peaks per day. At this rate I won't finish until Jan 5. :)

• Bad news: one of my Kahtoola Microspikes came off on the trail but I didn't notice until after the hike. 
• Good news: another guest at our hostel found it. 
• Bad news: he left it on the trail, 2.5 miles from the parking lot. 
• Good news: yet another guest of the hostel was hiking that trail the next day and would bring my Microspikes back to me. 
• Bad news: he didn't find it. 
• Good news: REI is open tomorrow.

Stats:

• Peaks: Mt Hancock, Hancock South Peak
• Weather: forecast heavy snow (5.1"), not as windy (35mph), 19F
• Parked: Hancock Notch Trailhead, at the hairpin on Kancamagus Hwy
• Trails: Hancock Notch Tr, Cedar Brook Tr, Hancock Loop (CW), and back
• Time: 5h45m, 7:21am-1:06pm
• Distance: 9.2mi
• Track: GaiaGps

An overview of my Single Season Winter 48 with links to all the trip reports is here.

At Merland's Deli & Draft next door to Truant's Taverne. Truant's Taverne was closed due to burst pipe. Merland's is a new sandwich place under the same ownership.

Roughing it at the Notch Hostel means drinking my Otter Creek Kind Ryed IPA out of mug instead of my usual Worthy Kitchen tulip glass.

What I sacrifice for SSW48: dinner at Artistry on The Green with my family.

Me: Hiking is great. Did the Hancocks today in the light snow. Tomorrow the Osceolas for 8 of 48 peaks in the first 3 days of winter. We finished early and spent 3 hours over lunch. I had a Slick Nick ale.

Julie: we r toasting grampy's big accomplishment- finishing treatments with flying colors!!❤❤

#1, #2, #3 & #4 Franconia Ridge w Ripper Steve H

7:02 AM on Wednesday, December 21, 2016

First day of winter and already hiked 1/12th of the 48 four-thousand footers that I'm going to hike before the spring equinox. If only all the peaks were so conveniently located and every day was blue sky and moderate wind. At 4 peaks per day, statistics project I'll finish on Jan 1, and statistics don't lie.

• We met a couple at Greenleaf Hut. They left Boston at 11:30pm, started hiking at 2:30am, and waited an hour on Mt Lafayette to witness the winter solstice at 5:44am. After sunrise (7:19am), they decided it was too windy to cross the ridge and hiked back down.
• We met two young guys at the Bridle Path trailhead. We headed up and across the ridge; they drove to the Basin and climbed up the very steep Flume Slide. Many hours later we met them between Liberty and Flume. An hour and 2 miles later, we were surprised catch up with them a quarter mile from where we last saw them. They had run out of food and Will was seriously bonked. We plied them with cookies and energy bars. Once Will looked normal again we continued down and walked a couple mikes back to our car.

Stats

• Peaks: Mt Lafayette, Mt Lincoln, Mt Liberty, Mt Flume
• Weather: clear but windy; forecast gale force winds (45mph) and 14F
• Parked: across from Lafayette Campground on I-93 N
• Trails: Old Bridle Path, Franconia Ridge Tr, Liberty Springs Tr, Franconia Notch Bike Path
• Time: 9h36m, 7:02am-4:38pm
• Distance: 14.3mi
• Track: GaiaGps

An overview of my Single Season Winter 48 with links to all the trip reports is here.

On top of Lafayette






On top of Lincoln












On top of Liberty


On top of Flume


Walking 2.5 miles on the Franconia Notch Bike Path back to the car at Lafayette Campground.


Stopped at the Woodstock Inn for a burger and beer. In 2014, I finished my single season summer 48 with a 4000 Footer IPA on top of Moosilauke. It seemed fitting that I start my single season winter 48 with another 4000 Footer IPA. I also had a Frosty Goggles Red Pale Ale because I liked the name.


The Notch Hostel in North Woodstock is a great place to stay. The owners, Serena and Justin, make you feel at home. The other guests are interesting and adventurous.