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hike #52: Mount Monadnock (Jaffrey NH)

Published December 31, 2012

No better way to celebrate completion of my 2012 Hike Challenge than to share hike #52 with my friend Stephen in New Hampshire. But where to go? Could there be something worthy outside of Colorado?

Arrived in Manchester on the 29^th in between snow storms! Literally started snowing 2 hours after landing – 8 inches of fresh snow which delayed my East Coast ‘welcome home’ party ‘til Sunday but…fresh powder is a mighty cool welcome of its own.

New Hampshire climate is not so different than Colorado with 3 exceptions:

lack of East Coast sunshine makes for lotta ‘grey’ days
lack of evergreens which makes for lotta winter season ‘stick’ trees
hard-core NH hikers are all-about 4’s – not 14ers. Elevations in New Hampshire shoot up fast from sea level but nothing rivaling our Rocky Mountain peaks. Tree line drops off at 4,000 ft in NH; 12,000 ft in Colorado.

All said, being outside & climbing a mountain ANYWHERE on New Year’s Eve is ROCKSTAR! And similar to Colorado, we were not the only hikers out on Holiday Eve. Epic hike challenge finale 🙂

Dressed a-ok for the sub-zero peak wind chill but could have been better equipped with poles & crampons. Ice on granite makes for an arduous peak scramble – and creates a bigger calorie burn. Selected the White Dot Trail to summit – most direct, but also the steepest climb. I’d select a point on our trek horizon, then we’d push to reach ‘the 2^nd dead tree’, or ‘the 1^st boulder after the curve’, take a break & push to our next target point.

Reached tree-line where our trail flattened for half a mile, temps dropped, and the evergreens & underbrush sparkled under a dazzling coating of ice and light snow…like something from a Jack Frost Christmas special — BEAUTIFUL!

Two and half hours in & one last scramble UP, then SUMMIT SUCCESS!

Snapped a few pics, took a short video clip, then blasted down the mountain side in quick time…sliding on my heels most of the journey. My Colorado seasoning hadn’t prepared me for bitter New Hampshire wind. LOL>

52 week Hike Challenge — yeah, it’s possible. Set a goal, stick a goal. Done.

Mt Monadnock (summit clip)

: Welcome to New Hampshire!

: Sunday afternoon dinner

: non-hike WOW shot!

: hike #52, last hike of 20-12

: what a good sport – snow, ice, bitter wind…but all smiles!

: New Hampshire winter – pretty, but missing our evergreens

: high calorie burn, K* style – who needs Jennie Craig?

: icy NH granite: where’s my crampons & poles? A-R-G-H!

: hike leveled off half a mile, then UP into the clouds

: fellow New Year Eve hikers entering snow cloud

: glazed underbrush, below zero wind temps – BEAUTIFUL!

: check out that ICE!

: last push UP!

: SUMMIT SUCCESS!

Posted in Northeast | Tagged hiking, snowpocalypse | Leave a comment

hike #51: Flagstaff Mountain (Boulder)

Published December 24, 2012

Ho hum, had to work on Saturday – so no hike, right? You kidding? AND we’re gonna have our first white Christmas in years…which means SNOW. There’s my motivation: quick Christmas Eve hike before holiday SNOW. Lovin’ life!

Planned to hike Green Mountain in Boulder for #51 (yep, year’s almost over!) Departed from Gregory Canyon trailhead but unfortunately an hour half later, I arrived back at Gregory Canyon trailhead. How does that even happen? ARGH! Been almost 3 months since I’ve been lost on a hike. So could either try try again (which I’ve done before) or try an impromptu ‘Plan B’ hike (which I’ve also done before :))

Plan B: Flagstaff Mountain. Departed from Gregory Canyon trailhead and an hour half later, summited Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder (just under 7,000 ft elevation). Easy hike up, light snow path, beautiful panorama of pines and boulders.

Flagstaff Mountain is a mountain located just west of downtown Boulder, Colorado, Colorado. It offers stunning daytime and night-time views of Boulder, Denver and the surrounding mountains. There are hiking and bike trails, picnic areas, the Summit Nature Center, and an outdoor amphitheatre.

Saw multiple signs warning of a Dec 20^th mountain lion sighting so stayed super alert as Ro & I were completely alone on today’s hike. Hard to believe more people wouldn’t be out hiking on Christmas Eve – LOL>

Flagstaff is road accessible all the way to the top – super popular with cyclists. Our trail crisscrossed the road 6 times before summit success – garnished with 2 shelters (one stone, one wood) and rows of picnic tables. BEAUTIFUL view (and only 20 minutes from my Louisville home)! Gotta do this again next summer 🙂

Flagstaff will be Ro’s last hike of 2012. What a great hiking companion! Finishing up my New Year’s challenge next weekend in New Hampshire – and ringing in 2013 with East Coast friends. What an amazing ride – LOVE LOVE LOVE my Colorado life!