8/4/19 Mt. Bond Backpacking Trip – Part 2

After a good night’s sleep I was ready to wake up energized and ready to take on the second day of my trek. Unfortunately, I woke up stiff and incredibly sore. It was a struggle just to stand, let along walk without feeling pain in every muscle. Given that I was already miles out in the wilderness there really wasn’t much I could do but keep going though. I figured it would be just as hard to continue on and summit the last two peaks as it would be to turn around and go back over the two I had already climbed, so I set out to do just that.

I packed up camp and made my way north to Mt. Guyot. The summit was less than impressive, but did offer a very nice view. I stopped just below the top to have a nice hot breakfast before heading on towards South Twin. The climb up the east side of South Twin went alright, but the summit was completely covered in clouds. What followed was the most difficult descent I have ever had to do. My soreness from the previous day combined with the weight of the pack and the steepness of the trail down to the Galehead Hut took a real toll on me.

After resting up again at the hut and seriously considering buying the $100+ pair of hiking poles they had on sale, I continued on down. I took another break at the Thirteen Falls Campground where I was able to dip my feet in the water and relax in the sun. It felt great. With that all that was left was a gently descending 8 mile hike out along the old railroad beds past a number of river crossings and small ponds. It was a relief to be off the steep grades, but I can’t say it was easy given the condition I was in at that point. I can say however that I made it out, and in the end I had a great time.

8/3/19 Mt. Bond Backpacking Trip

I have been itching to get out and get into the wilderness a bit, so when the opportunity arose I took it even though no one else was interested. I decided to hike up Mt. Bond in the white mountains. I set out in the morning on Saturday and ended up on the trail before 10. The first few miles were quite easy, and even a little boring. However once the trail started heading up the mountain I was really feeling my lack of recent hiking. I quickly got very tired and was really feeling the weight of my pack. I pushed through it and made it out onto the ridge below Bondcliff. I slowly made my way along the ridge with many photo breaks and eventually made it to Mt. Bond and then the Guyot Campsite.

The site was packed with hikers. Clearly I was not the only one who thought it was a good weekend to get outdoors. Fortunately there was still space in the lean-to, so I unloaded much of my gear and made dinner. Afterwards I hiked up to the summit of West Bond to watch the sunset. Once again, this turned out to be a popular choice and I was joined by many others staying at the campsite. Unfortunately, the clouds blocked the final bit of the sunset, but it was still a very nice way to spend the evening.

After hiking down from West Bond I spent some time taking pictures of the Milky Way rising over Mt. Bond. The Pemi Wilderness certainly did not disappoint on this front, and I had a great time capturing it to the best of my ability. After that it was off to bed for some well deserved rest.

7/27/19 Mere Point

For the second time this summer we took a trip up to Mere Point. It was a beautiful weekend spent mostly out on the bay. In between boat rides I had some time to take some photos of people’s beautiful gardens and even try out some astrophotgraphy. Though the sky is not super dark because of Portland, I was still pretty happy with the result.

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