OT: Bagged A Couple 4,000 Footers

CTMike

My kid and I hiked the Franconia Ridge Loop trail in NH this past Saturday. Great weather, and 50+ mph winds on the ridge. Believe it when AMC rated this trail as difficult. 8.6 miles of muscle fatigue. Loved every minute of it - after the fact. 

Hotch

WOW!!

fishlessman

the ridge must have been brutal this time of year with a 50 mph wind.  mt washington looks to be snowpacked right now, was looking at it from the lake this weekend

CTMike

fishlessman said:

the ridge must have been brutal this time of year with a 50 mph wind.  mt washington looks to be snowpacked right now, was looking at it from the lake this weekend

Yup, we spent as little time on the ridge as possible. The ridge was very beautiful in a severe kind of way.

Mt Washington is definitely snow-covered, we could see it for a few seconds at a shot when the clouds would briefly clear.

northGAcock

My muscles hurt just lookin at the pictures. Congrats on the accomplishment.

CTMike

northGAcock said:

My muscles hurt just lookin at the pictures. Congrats on the accomplishment.

Mine still hurt 3 days later - going downstairs is brutal currently. Glad I did it, but my body hates me. 

YukonRon

WAY TO GO.

Once getting elevation in your blood, it never stops.

Love the images. That is my favorite thing to do, is bagging summits. I know exactly the burn you feel, but the high you get from it is a rush like none other. The view is always worth the climb.

See you at the top.

CTMike

YukonRon said:

WAY TO GO.

Once getting elevation in your blood, it never stops.

Love the images. That is my favorite thing to do, is bagging summits. I know exactly the burn you feel, but the high you get from it is a rush like none other. The view is always worth the climb.

See you at the top.

Thanks Ron. Did Mt Washington a number of years ago via Tuckerman Ravine trail - once you get past the headwall it is just a scramble from one boulder to another. 

Eggcelsior

Now now you just need to ski Tuckerman’s. It’s a much faster route down.

nolaegghead

YukonRon said:

WAY TO GO.

Once getting elevation in your blood, it never stops.

Love the images. That is my favorite thing to do, is bagging summits. I know exactly the burn you feel, but the high you get from it is a rush like none other. The view is always worth the climb.

See you at the top.

(warning: sappy rocky mountain high video response follows)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLWD2WIvRQk

Kayak

Are you going to become a 46'er in the Adirondacks next?

YukonRon

Mike,

We have done summits around the world, none are the same and all have been exciting. 

I did the Ammonoosic trail years ago on the The Big Rock Pile, will do it again after retirement. This had to be one of the most gratifying of all.

Very cool Mike...I could not be more impressed.

CTMike

Kayak said:

Are you going to become a 46'er in the Adirondacks next?

Maybe after I finish all of the 4,000 footers in NH. 

CTMike

Eggcelsior said:

Now now you just need to ski Tuckerman’s. It’s a much faster route down. 

Way too steep for me, and too many people have died doing it. 

thetrim

Nice to see you Navy guys can strap on the boots and walk when you need to.   You have some amazing pictures and even better memories!

Great trip!

TN_Egger

Cool post.

Type II Fun:  Not so much while you're doing it, but fun after the fact.

CTMike

TN_Egger said:

Cool post.

Type II Fun:  Not so much while you're doing it, but fun after the fact.

Had that exact conversation with my kid during the hike, he'd never heard the phrase before. 

Sea2Ski

Awesome achievement there Mike. It is great to see someone go after something, and accomplish their goal.  Way to go! 

CTMike

Added another NH 4000 footer to the resume today. My oldest son, a friend from work, and I hiked MT Pierce today. Was 5 F when we left the parking lot, about 25 F up on the summit. Was an amazing bluebird day with incredible views.

alaskanassasin

Wow @CTMike nice day for it.

YukonRon

Keep after it Mike.....love these shots.

CTMike

So my 11 y/o grandson bagged his first 4,000 footer yesterday as we hiked MT Tecumseh in the White Mountains. 2,650’ of elevation in 2.5 miles made for a fairly steep hike, felt like I was on a Stairmaster. 

Back at the car I asked him what he thought. “I liked it, except when the trail went straight up.”

Unfortunately we had low clouds so there wasn’t much for views at the top.

lousubcap

Anything to keep youth active, especially now.  Congrats.  
I would be grocery bag challenged these days 

thetrim

Very cool thread.  I'm hitting 30 miles of the AT next week in NC.  It's only 80% chance of rain all three days. I'm hoping for a light drizzle like the last Butt Blast.

YukonRon

Way to go. We have been Hiking trails in the RRG, doing some off trail hiking and rock scramble/climbs.
The only thing I will tell you is pack as light as you can, and remember, nothing is the only thing that weighs nothing.
Stay safe.

CTMike

thetrim said:

Very cool thread.  I'm hitting 30 miles of the AT next week in NC.  It's only 80% chance of rain all three days. I'm hoping for a light drizzle like the last Butt Blast.

Enjoy Steve. My kid and I are headed back up to NH Labor Day weekend to bag a few more peaks.

CTMike

YukonRon said:

Way to go. We have been Hiking trails in the RRG, doing some off trail hiking and rock scramble/climbs.
The only thing I will tell you is pack as light as you can, and remember, nothing is the only thing that weighs nothing.
Stay safe.

I agree about weight. I have been spending too much time reading on r/ultralight, and that is causing me to spend too much money. But, my new pack, tent, down quilt, and pad total to < 6 lbs. That is significant considering the pack I took to Patagonia was 5.5 lbs alone. 

YukonRon

CTMike said:

YukonRon said:

Way to go. We have been Hiking trails in the RRG, doing some off trail hiking and rock scramble/climbs.
The only thing I will tell you is pack as light as you can, and remember, nothing is the only thing that weighs nothing.
Stay safe.

I agree about weight. I have been spending too much time reading on r/ultralight, and that is causing me to spend too much money. But, my new pack, tent, down quilt, and pad total to < 6 lbs. That is significant considering the pack I took to Patagonia was 5.5 lbs alone. 

Worth ghe money if you are going up. I have spent a SL in ultralite gear. Totally understand. 
I think our best investment has been the cork handled Leki hiking sticks. Cost a bunch, but has paid dividends 100× over. Just wish I bought them sooner.

JohnInCarolina

Not sure how I'm only just seeing this thread now but I love it.  

So many great peaks to get to in and around New England.  

thetrim

I’m starting to miss all my ultra heavy ultra bulky Army gear built by the lowest bidder.  

How TF did I ever tote the weight on my back I did back then???  Even taking into account what I’m carrying around the waist, it’s nowhere near the same.   

Getting old sucks. 

fishlessman

theres trout ponds on some of the nh mountains, i used to bring a heavy old town canoe