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!

Just a quick run up to Cannon Mountain and back. The weather was calling for rain but it had already been raining steady for so long that I no longer cared, I just wanted to hike. So, I took my chances.

Went up via the Hi Cannon trail, which including climbing the long ladder shown below. No sweat for bipeds with opposable thumbs but quite a feat of agility and dexterity for a canine. However, Bubba isn’t just any ordinary canine, nawsir; he’s the mostest awesomest hiking puppy the world has never seen.

My Semper Fi Hiking Partner, Bubba	Yes, this ladder is as long as it looks and, yes, Bubba climbed it like a fireman!
Mt. Lafayette and the Franconia Ridge from Cannon Mtn.	Lonesome Lake from Cannon Ball

Trail coming down from Cannon going to the AMC Lonesome Lake hut was still very socked in with snow and ice. It’s a tough little stretch of trail even in the best of conditions with large boulders and steep drop offs to negotiate the entire way. But the snow and ice gave it just what it needed to give it that element of bust-ass fun. Oh yeah, took some world-class spills on that trail, yee-ha!

From the Lonesome Lake hut, I took the Cascade Brook trail back down for a total round trip of nine miles. A short little hike. The weather ended up being beautiful with only the barest, briefest spritzer during my short sojourn at the AMC hut. Perfect!

Check out the rest of the pictures from this hike here.

I made my bi-annual pilgrimage to the Bonds last week. The Bonds are three mountains, Bond Cliff, Mt. Bond, and West Bond, smack in the middle of the Pemigewasset Wilderness Area; the jewels of the Pemi. All three are on the NH 4,000 footer list so you always see peak baggers making the trek to tick ’em off the list.

Bond Cliff El Classico… just like in the brochures!

It’s a long day hike, about 22 miles, no matter which direction you approach it. And the Bonds are a spectacular backpacking destination.

For this trip, my semper-fi hiking partner, Bubba, and I started from the Lincoln Woods trailhead and slogged north for eleven miles to Bond Cliff and then Mt. Bond.

Weather was mostly cloudy but no rain. Significant snow and ice pack left on the trail above 3,000 feet but post-holing wasn’t a problem and I bare-booted it the entire way.

Passed a group of about half a dozen young dudes, all in their 20’s, heading up to Guyot Campsite on the other side of Mt. Bond. Lucky bastards! Bubba and I have spent many a very pleasant night up there at the Guyot shelter so we were a little envious.

Check out all the pics from this hike.

A most splendiferous day for a spring hike in the Sandwich Range of New Hampster’s White Mountains yesterday. The sky was speckled with those cotton ball clouds and casting moving shadows on the rolling landscape creating an aquatic wonderland. While I love a clear blue sky for its crystalline purity, the watery, undersea effect is unique to partly cloudy skies. Here’s a landscape shot from atop Sandwich dome that illustrates what I mean, click it for a larger view:

From left to right: Mt. Tecumseh, the Franconia Ridge, and Mt. Osceola.

Hiking in the White Mountains this time of year is tricky. While the lowlands are in full spring mode, the alpine zones are only just now realizing that it’s not winter any more. Looking at the mountains from the base, one could get the mistaken notion that the summits are clear of snow. Oh, but how wrong you’d be!

Snow patches started appearing at about 3,000 feet with solid coverage above 3,500 feet. The last 500 feet (about 0.6 miles) to the summit of Sandwich Dome, I was hiking on a condensed snow base that was at least three feet deep. I didn’t bring crampons or snowshoes, didn’t need ’em either. The snow was consolidated enough that I could just kick in and keep going. Postholing wasn’t a problem. The ice patches were covered with enough blown down spruce needles and branches that traction was like, *not* a problem, y’know? Fer sher, fer sher.

Had a great view of snow-capped Mt. Washington, click it for a bigger view:

The vista toward Mt. Washington as seen from atop Sandwich Dome.

And then I took the same picture above but cropped in on Mt. Washington, click it for a bigger view:

Same as above except zoomed in on Mt. Washington.

The reason you see all the snow on Mt. Washington and not on the surrounding mountains is because Mt. Washington (along with most of the rest of the Presidential Range) is above treeline. The fact is that all the 4,000-footer summits in the White Mountains are still buried in snow. The spruce trees around the summit on the lower peaks cast shadows that prolong the snow cover into the spring and early summer, long after the above-treeline peaks are cleared back to naked granite and schist.

You see those photos above? THAT is why I hike. When I hit a summit on a day like yesterday, I plant my skinny butt on a rock, whip out my binoculars, and feast my myopic peepers on those fabulous vistas. Running my eyes over those peaks and valleys makes my bowels rumble. But that’s a story for another time. Giddyup.