Hike up Mt. Cardigan with the Oz Man, April 3, 2012 from Samurai Appliance Repair Man on Vimeo.

The Samurai and Oz man hiked up Mt. Cardigan via the Vistamount Trail and Mt. Gilman. Gorgeous day to be out! Very windy at the summit. The last clip is a small pan from the summit.

A brisk Autumn day with gusty winds and forever views from the top of the Ragged Mtn. ski area today. The cooler … http://post.ly/ylQg

Magical Mistery Tour on Franconia Ridge with Amazing Sunset on the Old Bridal Path http://post.ly/yM8k

Mt. Niphon and Sunset on the Gulfside Trail http://post.ly/yFFe

Magical Sunset on Old Bridal Path http://phanfare.com/t/N27jo

Hiking with the Happy Heads http://post.ly/xYfS

Sunapee Spine Labor Day Hike http://phanfare.com/t/WE1C8

Hanging on North Kinsman with Mah Boyz http://post.ly/ueU7

Hiking up Mt Sunapee. Too nice a day to have my face stuck in a compooter screen. Looking north Mt Sunapee and beyond. http://post.ly/uGeu

Oh, the places the Samurai doth go to service broken appliances. This place had 50 mph gusts and -15°F temps. Can you believe this was a broken icemaker call? And there was no way to get my service van up there– believe me, I tried! No, I had to trudge four miles up the mountain on the Old Bridal Path through snow and clouds carrying all my tools on my back. Never did find the house, either. I think they gave me a bum address. Here’s a video of me looking for it.

Oy, I’m gettin’ too old for this bidness.

(Video shot on Thursday, January 21, 2010)

All this appliance repair talk is eating my brain! I’ve uploaded some pics from a few of my winter hikes this season. Best viewed in fullscreen mode. Turn your speakers up and click the thumbnail images below to watch the slideshows. Enjoy!

Mt. Cardigan

Mt. Moosilauke

Southern Saints Romp (Mt. Antipas and Webster Cliff)

Mts. North and South Kinsman

Mt. Sunapee

After you’ve been kicking around the Web a while, you find that you’ve scattered your photo albums among several photo-sharing websites. As newer, slicker photo storing websites come available, you start using them; I never bother to transfer my photos from the older sites, waaay too tedious and, besides, I have important things to do, like picking tuna from between my teeth or scratching my bum then seeing how long I can resist sniffing my fingers.

Anyway, I’ve consolidated all my vast and awesome galleries of appliance repair photo albums into one convenient little page with its own little domain name: ScrotumScrubber.com. Be there now.

My Three Nads: Samenilla, Stephenitza, and Bubba on Ragged Mountain’s Eastern Summit (click to enlarge)

Autumn Takes Root at Ragged Mountain in Danbury, NH (click to enlarge)

Brown, Smudgy Smog Layer Settles in Over the White Mountains (click to enlarge)

Report from the Trail, Part 1

Report from the Trail, Part 2

(Part 3 was deleted due to poor cellular phone call quality.)

Report from the Trail, Part 4

Had another break in the heat and humidity so I headed off to the Northern Presidential range (“The Prezzies,” in native-speak) of the White Mountains for some mountain-made eye candy. After hiking all summer in 80 and 90 degree heat saturated with humidity, I had almost forgotten how it feels to hike in crisp, cool mountain air. I had gotten so used to getting beaten down by the oppressive heat, feeling it suck out my energy and strength like a vampire, that I was practically running up the Airline Trail to the near-summit of Mt. Adams.

I turned south off the trail about 0.4 miles below the summit of Mt. Adams and bushwhacked around the summit to the Star Lake Trail. I did this because my canine hiking partner, Bubba, seemed to be having a hard time with all the rough granite rip-rap which comprised the trail. Besides, the view from the Star Lake Trail, looking down at Star Lake and Mt. Madison, is one of the prime ocular treats on this hike. Check it out:

(click for larger view)

Down at Star Lake, Bubba cooled his haunches and rested in one of the rare patches of grass found above treeline.

(click for larger view)

Come on, check out the rest of the pictures from this splendiferous hike.

My family came up from Georgia for a visit and to have my sister’s two sons Baptized at our parish.

I took my brother on a classic hike up the Franconia Ridge in the White Mountains. Being an absolutely beautiful Saturday, lots of other folks had the same idea so the trails were crowded; I was reminded why I set a rule to never hike in the White Mountains on weekends.

We went up the Falling Waters Trail, across the Franconia Ridge to Mt. Lafayette and then down the Old Bridal Path. Bro held his own the entire hike– you’d never guess he was a flatlander. He even knew how to do a summit pose like a true hillstomper, check it out:

Bro of Samurai strikes a summit pose on Mt. Lincoln with Cannon Mountain in the background. (click for larger view)

This was one of the most spectacular hikes so far this year, rivalled only by the Edmands Col hike a week ago. There is an Edmands on this hike, too: Edmands Path. Bubba and I hiked Edmands Path for three miles up to the ridge where we picked up Crawford Path. Mt Eisenhower was just to the south of us and Mt. Monroe, our objective, was two miles to the north.

This was also a charmed hike: the weather forecasts threatened afternoon thunnderstorms and, for once, they were correct. And although an ominously dark thunderhead did take firing position directly overhead on the hike back down Edmands Path, it didn’t bust loose until the exact moment we reached the trail hog van and closed the door. I shi’ite you not!

The four pictures below are thumbnails– click ‘em for a larger view. They were selected from the full set of photos of this hike, which you can see here.

Happy trails!

Heading up Edmands Path to the ridge. That’s Mt. Monroe in the center. Mt. Washington is to the left, partially occluded by the spring buds.

Looking back at Mt. Eisenhower. You can see Edmands Path cutting off to the right.

The view from Mt. Monroe. Mt. Washington looms before us. Glacial remnants on the right, the AMC Lakes of the Clouds hut on the left.

AT Thru-Hiker, Just Mark. He’s from Arizona. Started the AT February 22 in Georgia. About a month left ’till Katahdin. Go, Just Mark!

Took two of my little Samurai reproductive units on a hike up Mt. Garfield. We’ve all done this hike many times but it’s one of those that never gets old. It’s a mellow five mile trek to the summit on the Garfield Trail and you get rewarded with expansive views of the Pemigewassett Wilderness. And on the way back, there are several ice-cold mountain streams to cool off in. Good times, good times.

The photos below are just thumbnails– you can click ‘em for a larger view.

My two nads givin’ the Thumbs Up on the last push up to the Garfield summit. They’re standing on about 2 feet of packed snow– that’s June in the White Mountains!

Stephen takin’ in the views on Mt. Garfield. This is what it’s all about!

Sam on Mt. Garfield summit.

Stephen on the summit of Mt. Garfield.

Route: Up via Lowe’s Path and Randolph Path to Edmands Col. Headed north on Gulfside Trail to Thunderstone Junction then took Lowe’s Path all the way back down. Total of about 11 to 12 miles.

Weather: Reports called for mostly cloudy skies with partial clearing by the afternoon. I know from experience that these type of days can yield some of the most dramatic views, which this hike provided in abundance, as you can see below.

Trail Conditions: Wet, wet, wet! Although the lower elevations were clear of snow, there’s still plenty at the upper elevations that’s still melting, making for lots of water running down the trails. Chronically wet rocks, slick with new bio-growth, made for tricky footing. Above about 3,000 feet, the trail had long stretches of slick ice. Randolph Path was mostly covered with slick ice. Long stretches of Gulfside Trail still had over 4 feet of snow which made for treacherous travel because you would posthole up to your crotch. I was especially concerned for Bubba because of the sharp, jagged rocks below that could wrench his paws. But no injuries other than bruises to both man and canine.

The four photos below were selected from the full set of 13 pictures, which can be seen here. You can click the thumbnails below for a larger view.

Bubba leads the way up Randolph Path to Edmands Col. That’s Mt. Jefferson in the background.

Bubba prances at Edmands Col.

A moody view of Mt. Washington and its massive headwall from the Gulfside Trail. The thin, black wisp of smoke to the right of the summit is the infernal Cog rail ride that flatlanders pay $50 to ride up to the top of Mt. Washington and then triumphantly pose for photos by the summit sign as though they’ve accomplished something noteworthy.

Heading back down on Lowe’s Path. Git you an eye-full of Big Sky!