| Great thread.
My hiking year got a late start as I only did a few short winter hikes last year. I skied every weekend though, so I was still in the mountains a lot. But once the weather warmed up a bit I made some major progress on my NH 4K list. I have stayed at huts and shelters before but I had never stayed in a tent in the backcountry. This year I did four overnight trips with lots of tenting. The first was a three day Presie Traverse staying at Naumen Tentsite and the Perch (6 new 4Ks). Then in September I spent another three days backpacking the western half of the new Grafton Loop trail in Maine.
My girlfriend has always enjoyed the shorter, lower elevation hikes, but in the past she had no interest in the 4Ks. She got herself into pretty good shape this year and wanted to try something a bit more challenging. So this summer we climbed Tecumsah and then Starr King and Waumbec. Having passed the test she was ready for something a bit more serious. So in October we traversed Franconia Ridge from the Cannon Mountain parking lot to Lincoln Woods with a night at Liberty Springs tentsite. She did a great job, but I think I created a monster. Now she wants to complete the list. She now had nine 4Ks and wanted to finish the year with at least 10. So in November we climbed Cabot with an overnight at Cabot Cabin. She was a trouper. She said it was her favorite hike even though the temperture got down to 28 overnight and we woke up to several inches of snow. So she finished the year with 10 4ks under her belt, and I've now done 44. I'll finish the list in 2008, and it looks like I'll be going for a second round with her. |