2/8/20 Mt. Cannon Hike

So far the winter at home has been pretty warm and rainy. Given that it is now February, I felt the need to go find some snow. I decided to head to to Cannon for a walk in the woods. I started at the Lafayette Campground, which at this time of year is completely buried in snow. From there I hiked up to Lonesome Lake, the first of a few really spectacular views.

I walked around the edge of the lake taking lots of photos. I clearly was enjoying the view a bit too much, because somewhere around here I lost one of my water bottles. Oops! This was also the junction where the trail turned completely fresh, and I started breaking trail. I would highly recommend the experience to anyone who has not tried this before. There is something very peaceful about hiking through the fresh snow. You get to feel completely alone.

Eventually I made it up onto the ridge and decided to take a side trip up the Northeast Cannonball, a minor peak just up the ridge. This turned out to be trickier than I expected given the fresh snow and steep trail. However, I eventually made it up to the top… only to be rewarded with a very windy view of the inside of a cloud. After one obligatory picture I headed back down.

When I made it back to the trail junction, I was pleasantly surprised to find that some others had passed me, and I was no longer breaking trail. I made quick progress on the easier terrain until I caught up with the couple doing the work in front of me. We worked together for the next few minutes to get past the steepest parts of the ascent, and the soon made it to the summit. Given that Cannon has a fire tower with year round gondola access it is usually much busier than other peaks in the area, but I had it all to myself.

Given how windy it was I didn’t stay for long, but I did take a number of photos of the ever changing views of the peaks and clouds. After that, it was back down the Hi-Cannon trail. After a second unsuccessful search for my missing water bottle at Lonesome Lake, I headed home.

12/26/19 Pusch Ridge Hike

The day after Christmas was a busy one for our family. We had plans to have a big gathering, dinner, and gift exchange. After the rain the past couple of days though I felt that I wanted to get out for a bit of an adventure. I settled on hiking a new trail that I had very little information about which leads up towards Table Mountain.

I started off in Catalina State Park just past the ranger station and headed up into the foothills. The scenery looked wonderful from the very beginning. With all of the recent rain, every time a tree or hill was providing some shadow, the desert was incredibly lush and green. Fresh grass seemed to be growing all over.

As I got closer to the ridge the trail got steeper and the views of the cliffs above got more and more impressive. The trail really provided a unique view of the ridge that I have not had a chance to see before. Usually I am hiking either on top of the ridge, or in one of the canyons. This was unique because I was hiking up a side ridge. For the final bit of the climb the trail got pretty faint and I ended up bushwhacking the last bit before the side summit I had picked as my destination.

After that it was a race back down the hill to make it home in time for dinner. I decided to take a chance on a different route out, and it paid off. The trail took me out to a neighborhood just off of Oracle road where I got picked up. I even made it back in time for dinner.

10/19/19 Macedonia Brook State Park

This weekend we took a trip down to Connecticut to visit some family. We met up with them at Macedonia Brook State Park based on nothing more than what was easiest to meet at. Given the fairly loose vetting process I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the walk we got. It was a lovely fall day and the park was quiet, so we felt like we had the place to ourselves. I would definitely be up for coming back to explore this some more.

9/30/19 Oia to Thera Hike

One of the top activities that kept coming up in our research on Santorini was the hike from Oia to Thera, so of course it was high on our to do list. We left our Airbnb in the morning and hiked up onto the ridge of the island just outside of Oia. From there we headed along the ridge past all kinds of volcanic rock formations, a small church, and lots of incredible views of the entire island.

As we got closer to the town of Imerovigli we started passing a number of upscale hotels as well as more of the wedding industry that clearly thrives here. A few bride and groom photo shoots going on as we passed the many scenic points.

My personal favorite point wasn’t popular with the bridal parties though. Skaros Rock stands alone right out in front of Imerovigli, looking like a castle that is ready to defend itself from an invasion. There is a trail that leads out to the rock, so I knew immediately I had to get out there and climb up on top. This turned out to be much more sketchy than expected given the very run down condition of the trail to the top. The final climb was nearly vertical, with very little protection from a fall down the long and steep slope to the ocean. The view from the top was quite impressive though, and was a very neat way to see not only the neighboring town, but the huge cruise ships and the rest of the island as well.

Once we left Imerovigly, the crowds started to pick up quickly. Once we were in Thera we found it completely overrun with cruise ship tourists on their daily excursion. We didn’t really spend much time in town before meeting up with our ride back to the peace and quiet of our Airbnb.

Take home message: I would highly recommend the hike.

9/8/19 Jewell Island

With the end of the summer approaching, we wanted to get up to Maine one last time and spend some time out on the water. We had a full day to ourselves on Sunday, so we decided to take the boat out for a bit of an adventure to Jewell Island. Once we had navigated to the island, anchored the boat, and successfully made it to shore, we began by exploring the Punchbowl, a very large tide pool on the north eastern end of the island.

From there we continued south. Jewell was used for military purposes during World War II, and some of the structures are still visible today. We explored one of the old fire towers, a bunker, as well as some run down buildings before heading back to the harbor area on the west side of the island. It is certainly one of the most interesting islands I have spent time on in Casco Bay.

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.

3/16/19 Bolton Valley

I got my first taste of back country skiing this winter at Bolton Valley. I stayed with some friends at the Bryant Cabin up one of the back country ski trails. I hiked in on a Saturday afternoon and spent the evening in the cabin. The next morning we got up and went out for a small tour down the back side of the mountain and back. It was really a great trip.

8/30/18 Grand Canyon

We arrived for the first full day of our Canyon adventures at the Grand Canyon after a long, but pretty, drive out from Las Vegas. It was a busy day, complete with a decent sunrise, a mule ride along the rim, and a trip out to a few of the spectacular overlooks. All in all a nice quick overview of the Canyon.

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