The Annual: My/Your Hiking year was really good/bad because you did/didn't do:

Mine was preety good, back on par with years before my wife's illness in 2003. Plus she is almost fullly recovered, questions remain are: will she be as good a skier as before, what level tennis can she play in tournaments, etc, Last year at this time she was using a walker & had just given up the wheelchair weeks earlier.

Back to hiking:

Good: finished my 2nd round of the NH 48, all in a different season than the first, tomorrow heading to Hancocks which, if completed will be 24th in winter & 24th in three different seasons

Got to Washington for my 10th time, Monroe for 7th & latest in the year for me too (11/20)

Got a clear day this time on Isolation :lol:

Got to hike some new peaks too, in NY, Iroquois & Hurricane in ADK, Panther & Giant ledge in Catskills. Hunger in VT, Belknap in NH & Number Nine Mt. way up in Aroostook County ME.

The 12/30 hike reunites me with a hiking buddy & I should meet some new people too.

Did not get to Katahdin again as planned thanks to poor weather & a recent check on my many list shows I have not been on Franconia Ridge since 2002, the longest period of time since I first hiked on the Ridge in 1995. Failed to get back a second time in either VT, ME, Catskills or Adirondacks but should get to VT & one of the NY locations with little difficulty in 2005

What else planned in 2005:

Weather permitting a Southern Presi-Traverse in late winter

more of a hike with my 2005 Kindergarten Daughter than the local rail trail,

maybe a camp out with her besides the backyard

one or two hikes up some 6k's in TN when down there for a family wedding

getting back to Franconia Ridge, Moosilauke & a couple others I have not been too lately, like Madison, some new trails too.

Hopefully another shot in 05 at Katahdin.

What are your plans? Did you do everything you wanted to in 2004?

Happy New year

Overall, a good season for Trailboss :wink:

The Goods: Hiking Lafayette on Memorial Day Weekend with a CLEAR sky and incredible views (and my camera); knocking off most of the Wapack Trail; a great April jaunt up Mount Monadnock; the view from Osceola into the Waterville Valley ; listening to my girlfriend and hiking up Moosilauke on the only clear day of Labor Day Weekend; getting my 2004-5 WMNF Parking Pass; A nice, long, season! :wink: Finding boots for Ms. Trailboss that she liked. Dunkie's after a long hike!

The 'Not So Goods:' The bugs and wet weather (what can you do?) :x ; not getting out as much as planned; bagging the Camel's Hump trip due to heat (but hey, Bristol Falls was nice! :wink: ) ; Ms. Trailboss having difficulties hiking :-? ; the view from East Osceola; climbing up Tecumseh and realizing that crampons are a good idea :dunce: ; those loooonnnnggger drives to the mtns.

So, well, in sum, decent season with some smaller mtns and variety. Now back to my 4000 footers :wink:

Goals for 2005: Cabot, Carrigan, maybe another Mt Washington trip, Tripyramids, Passaconway, Whiteface, etc. As many 4000 footers as possible and safely.

The Good -
Hiking in the Evans Notch area for the first time. If you haven't been there, do yourself a favor and go. I will be up in the Baldfaces in July 05 during my annual Sebago getaway. Hiking Jefferson with ole buddy Rob and having the clouds clear off just as we got to the top!! Awesome view of Adams and the Great Gulf.

The Bad -
Not enough hiking trips, and the deluge at the campsite in August.

The Ugly -
My kids and wife have kinda lost the hiking bug!! I have to find a way to re-energize them........

2005 Goals -
Adams via Knight's Castle, Baldfaces, Lafayette, maybe Carrigan.

Good
-Took my weeklong trip in Baxter park in July. Finally got to do Katahdin, hiked most of the park, and had a great time.
-Started doing a lot more kayaking after caving in and getting one this fall - can't wait to start doing overnighters - my lake is frozen, though, I'll need my ice pick!
-Weekend at Franconia Ridge - introduced a friend to hiking and met some real cool people - was in the clouds on the ridge, so I'll just have to go back there again

Not as good
-Hiking Paugusset trail that goes from Shelton to Monroe, CT (8 miles). I love the trail and had done it before, but this day I was in a non-favorable mood
-Not enough hiking


2005
Could happen:
-Do some hiking in the Swiss alps - friend is getting married there in Sept
-Thru-hike AT - was dependent on many things and getting less and less probable nowadays

Will happen:
-Go for some overnighters in my kayak - practice/perfect rolling
-Hike more

cbcbd said:

[2005
Could happen:
-Do some hiking in the Swiss alps - friend is getting married there in Sept

Click to expand...

If you ski, be sure to ski the glacier at Zermatt. Incredible!!! They ski all year round up there. Interlaken is also a lot of fun. Enjoy it for me...the Alps are beautiful!

Good: Got to meet several of the online personalities here and hike some trails with them. Being un-burdened by hiking a list for the first time, it was nice to climb old favorites by different routes. Flags on the 48 2004---A wonderful success!!! Successful Northern Pressies traverse with Grace and having Tuckerman Ravine all to ourselves as a morning fog lifted.

Bad: That darned sore groin kept bothering me all summer. Did not camp out as much as I would have liked. Grace's back spasms kept her off the trail.


Goals 2005:
1. Try to link up the Sections of the AT in New Hampshire that I've completed.
2. A traverse via the Great Gulf Trail>Six Husbands> Caps Ridge.
3. Spend a night at an RMC place.
4. Spend more nights camped out.
5. Try and finish section hiking the Metacomet-Mondanock Trail. (about halfway done)
6. Return to the Bonds

Also I agree, not having a list to do (as Ghostdog and I have done 'em all), I enjoyed redlining (hiking many new trails) and to visit spectacular views on some of the nicest 3000 footers I ever climbed. Snowshoeing in deep, unbroken powder with Sky earlier this month over the loop on Mt Crescent in Randolph saw super views of the Presi's since we hiked Cherry Mtn. Both are fine hikes with superb views, especially when 'shoeing. I enjoy all my hikes, notably the ones with fantastic views, but the one that continues to be on my mind is the amazing Mahoosuc Notch hike and up Old Speck.

We didn't have get a chance to hike again in Evans Notch this year but definitely want to catch the waterfalls in that area this spring along with hiking the Baldface-Royce Range and Caribou Specked Mtn Wilderness. Closer to home are planned Kilkenny, Presi, Pemi Traverses with lively conversation of hiking Davis Trail from 302 to Isolation and out Rocky Branch. Many more hikes that escape me at the moment.
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So many trails, so little time!

Yes, we had a great year hiking! Lots of peaks and trails.

Looking forward to completing my last 6 4k's, and many more trails with Magic and friends, including the Alpine Garden, The Moats, and some Mahoosucs...still not sure about that Notch though :roll:

Happy New Year to all!!

Sky

In 2004 I: Hiked with several new friends, spent a week at Baxter State Park hiking Katahdin and North Brother, Finished the New England 4,000 footers, explored several new peaks such as Kersarge North, Cardigan and Mt. Paugus, finishing off a hike at the Moat Mountain, Woodstock Inn and Flying Goose brewpubs.

Unfortunately, 2004 saw the most rainy hikes I ever did in my life. 4 out of 5 days at Baxter rained. A 15 mile hike on the AT in Maine to bag Saddleback and Horn was in the rain, South Moat; drizzle and rain. etc. etc. etc.

For 2005 I'm hoping to get out on a couple backpacking trips, visit some favorite mountains in Vermont, bag some 100 highest and 52 with a view peaks, and visit more brew pubs near the mountains.

SilentCal said:

3. Spend a night at an RMC place.

Click to expand...

Silent Cal: Crag camp is unbelievable! The view into King Ravine is amazing and the porch is nice. The price is very reasonable. Do check it out.

I'd planned to finish my 48 NH 4Ks, hike the Long Trail , and do the stretch of the Vt. AT that isn't on the Long Trail (as a warm up a few weeks before doing the Long Trail). I didn't do any of those. Now I'm aiming at doing those in 2005.

I did do the Franconia Ridge loop yesterday (gorgeous until intense winds with snow and freezing rain kicked in). No new peaks for me there, but it's an auspicious start for 2005).

I'm so very happy to read that you are continuing to hike steep 10 milers.

Just wait until the summer. You'll out-hike us all.

Three cheers!

Thanks Mtn.

I noticed my hands got much colder and warmed up much more slowly than last year. I had to use 3 layers and heat packs and still had to shake out my hands to get get them warm, in situations where I would have been comfortable with just liners. I'm hoping that will change.

I also noted that the grafted skin on my feet was still a bit more sensitive to friction than my old skin was. I figure this will improve, too - but in the meantime I can use some good quality liners to help out.

Did you go through any of this Mtn?

I was living in Los Angeles at the time of the accident and didn't go on winter hikes afterward. When I moved to NH two years later, I didn't hike for 3 years as I was building my house, spending weekends swinging a hammer. When I returned to winter hiking, nothing was noticeably different. I wore gloves for 3 summers because of sun sensitivity. Heck, I sure needed more than sunscreen!

I wear glove liners. In fact I use boarders gloves, Dakine. They are toasty warm in hikes of -30* in the Whites. They are too hot over 10*. Try mittens with liners. Mittens are much warmer than gloves. I don't wear sock liners, I've tried poly. For me they make my skin peal off on them. We can't have that! I wear just wool socks from a company that rates them to -30* (at Lahouts) or smartwool in mid-weight boots half size larger for the winter and thick socks. For me it works, others need plastic boots, why have shin pain?

In a year or so everything will heal perfectly. Keep up those auspicious hikes!

Thanks!

You are most welcome!

I share what I can.

My year was better than last, but not as good as I had hoped.

The Good: Got to do Flags on the 48 for the first time with Max, got to do Wachusett two or three times and explored some new territory allong the Tulley trail in Mass. Got a siberian husky for a hiking partner.

The Not so Good: Although Flags was great, I was hoping to do it with my son but the weather is too unpredictable to bring him to the Presies in a carrier. Didn't make it to Monadnock at all, and didn't do nearly enough hiking in general this year. The Siberian husky puppy gets violently carsick on rides of 10 minutes or more, so not much advanced hiking for her until I can solve it.

For 2005: Do more hiking. Give Monadnock another shot, this time the little boy might try to go on foot (he'll be 3 in July), do Flags again, maybe try a hike to Lonesome Lake with the family.

Overall I'm just glad I have my health: A good friend, mentor, and unselfishly caring man passed away on 12/23/2004 from a heart attack at the age of 59. He had one heart attack about 4 years ago, and had really turned his habits around. Guess he was just living on borrowed time....

Happy New Year! Make the most of it!
Smitty

2004 -The year that was

This year brought many highs and also lows.
First the bad news: My aunt was killed in a terrible tragedy in June leaving behind her 2 Irish setters. Resolving the issue of the estate has taken up a lot of time.
Many hikes in the rain - including Carragain with Mtn Magic and Cabot and Whiteface.

The Good:
Finished up my 48 with Madison in September - got as lot of hiking in - including Owls Head, Isolation, Lafayette on memorial Day wknd - Tom, Willey, Field, Osceola, Washington (3rd time) Monroe, Eisehour, Pierce, The Moats, Cabot, Waumbek, Moriah, Carter Dome, Carriagain, Hancocks, Whitfeace and a few others.

Onto other good news- my boyfriend proposed to me and we are getting married in June . Where will we be tying the knot? On the summitt of Washington, where else? :lol:

Great to hear you finished your 48 and that you are getting married on big George no less. Let us know when, some of us might just visit you!

The Moats are 3 great mtns, hope you could/will do the loop.
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Congratulations and a Happy New Year to you both!

Congrats Mari! (on the 48 and the engagement)).

Condolences on the loss of your Aunt./