Cookie Outdoors

White Mountains up the ante Day 136 Views on views begin Leaving town with a full resupply and a steep climb ahead felt extra tough today. The climb up from Crawford Notch reminded me that yes, the White Mountains have difficult terrain. At first it was mostly just steep, but the very top was climbed using hands, feet, convenient trees, and wishful thinking. The boulder climbing makes you wonder about who decided this was the best trail. Some of these paths (in the Whites specifically) were cut more than 100 years ago. Along Franconia Ridge Franconia Ridge, however, deserves the hype. It's a very popular trail, especially on a gorgeous day like this. Once you're on top of the ridge, the going gets much easier. There's several miles of alpine zone with panoramic views as you walk directly along the ridgeline. I had to continually be gentle on myself as the day hikers, unburdened by such packs, passed me. There was even a little French bulldog - I'

I've been here before Day 131 Holt's Ledge  I was a little cranky as I left camp this morning heading into a day of rain. And the rain didn't disappoint. I was thoroughly drenched by the time I took a lunch break at Moose Mountain shelter, where several people were hanging out from the night before to avoid hiking in the rain. The wind picked up on that side of the peak, so I had to keep moving to stay warm. Hanging out Luckily, there was a break soon after. By the time I hiked to Holt's Ledge at the Dartmouth Skiway, it was clear but thundering again in the distance. This was the site of my very first backpacking trip, and it was pretty cool that I got to camp there again. Despite a very unique stone chimney, I did not recognize the site at all. Trapper John shelter  I shared the shelter with a SOBO couple, and we all read books for an hour or so before dinner as the next part of the storms rolled through. I'm on quit