Women Outdoors' Annual Gathering. Sunday, May 29, 2016

It was an honor to be invited to speak at Women Outdoors' 2016 Annual Gathering!  Many, many thanks to Women Outdoors for becoming one of Alex and Sage's $576 donors for their Global Fund for Women fundraiser!!

Photo copied from www.womenoutdoors.org

The Gathering lasted the entire weekend, not just the Sunday, but our flight from Oregon did not get us back into Boston until Saturday.  We therefore went home and caught up on our sleep before heading over to Hancock, NH.  I wish we could have been at the Gathering for the entire event...next year, we will be sure to keep Memorial Day weekend completely free so we can be there for the whole shebang.

We arrived just after lunch on Sunday and were immediately enveloped in an atmosphere of strength and support.  Women kept coming up to us and introducing themselves -- wonderful, positive women who were leading and participating in various workshops throughout the weekend.  The topics of these workshops ranged from straw weaving to kayaking to hiking to homemade lantern making...there was something for every outdoors-lover.  The girls and I immediately joined a straw weaving workshop before I led my own session in narrative writing.

After my workshop, I hung back while the girls attended other workshops so I could concentrate on my upcoming Keynote.  While I was hanging back, I couldn't help but notice how the women had formed friendships with each other over the course of the weekend.  Some of them knew each other from previous years, but many were meeting everyone else for the first time during this Gathering.  Everyone was so genuinely kind with each other; the Gathering was a place of true and positive support.

My Keynote, "Nurturing the Amazon," was received well.  Alex and Sage answered a ton of questions, and we were asked to stay for the talent show that evening.  Though I had a two-hour drive ahead of me, I agreed we would stay and join the festivities.

The talent show was great fun.  Women sang, performed improv, danced, played instruments, and generally kicked it up and had a good time.  I pulled us away from the Gathering at the last possible minute...I really wanted to stay until everyone was ready to go to bed, but I had to be sure I could get home without driving into a tree from fatigue.

I left with the contact information from many of these fabulous females, and I intend to get in touch with every single one of them.

If you are woman and you like to get outside, then by all means, check out this group.  There is probably a chapter near you...and even if there isn't, the adventure and the camaraderie is well worth the travel.

www.womenoutdoors.org

Franconia Ridge Traverse. December 26, 2015

Peaks: Lafayette, North Lincoln, Lincoln, Little Haystack, Liberty, and Flume
Trails: Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Osseo Trail, Lincoln Woods Trail.
15.6 miles with around 5300 feet of elevation gain.

There are two sections of the Whites that make me very nervous during winter: Greenleaf Trail through Franconia Ridge Trail (summit cone of Lafayette, plus Lafayette to Little Haystack) and the northern Presidentials (from Madison Springs Hut to Washington).  December 26 had a forecast of bright sun, warm temps (for the season), and still no snow, so it seemed appropriate to get one of those two sketchy sections of the Whites out of the way for Sage's winter 4K list.  The extremely unusual lack of snow and ice would make our hike much safer than it usually is during calendar winter.  Of course, we're now chasing the Grid, so we'll have to get those two sketchy sections during the other winter months as well (not just late December)..but I'm choosing to worry about all that one month at a time.

We chose the Franconia Ridge Traverse.  This way, Sage could get Lafayette through Flume for her winter 4Ks, plus another Trailwrights 72 peak, and John could get Lafayette and Lincoln for his winter 48.  Sage needs the northern Presidentials for winter as well...but they'll have to wait.

We spotted a car at Lincoln Woods and had boots on trail for Old Bridle Path around 7:20am.

Up we went.  We even had our dog with us (he usually doesn't hike during the winter since he doesn't like hiking in the snow).

We made quick time to the viewpoint just below the Agonies.  The temps were so comfortable below treeline that I ended up hiking in my tank top.

Looking back toward the valley

Lafayette in the clouds

Up we went, over the three Agonies.

This Agony is my favorite.  Smooth and steep, and it looks like a sculpture.

We encountered frosty trees near (closed for the season) Greenleaf Hut.

The sun finally breaking through the clouds

We layered up -- the wind was biting! -- and headed up the summit cone of Lafayette.  Every once in a while, we'd turn back and enjoy the gorgeous views.

Looking down on Greenleaf Hut with Cannon and the Kinsmans right behind it.

The ridge and Lincoln

This was the coldest part of our day.  The windchill must have been close to zero.  Up we went, over frosty rocks (but they were not nearly as frosty/icy as they usually are this time of year!)

Summit!

The girls posed for a quick photo before they dove for cover to put on their windproof pants.

Looking at Owls Head and the Bonds...

The girls hunkered down and got on their windproof pants while I took this photo of Cannon, the Kinsmans, and the Moose...

Looking ahead to our destinations -- the ridge all the way to Mt. Flume.

After quickly eating a snack and chugging some light eggnog, we got moving again.  It was too cold on Lafayette to linger.

On the way down Lafayette, heading toward North Lincoln.  Sage is realizing she needs her balaclava.

Almost on North Lincoln...

Sage on North Lincoln!  Another Trailwrights peak down -- she's almost finished!

Alex says hello while on North Lincoln...

On North Lincoln, looking toward Lincoln.

On Lincoln, eating Feta on Franconia Ridge.   :)

On Lincoln, looking toward our next destinations, Liberty and Flume.

The girls and me on Mt. Lincoln.

We headed toward Little Haystack, where we passed out some of our excess Christmas candy to hikers coming up Falling Waters Trail, then we headed down into the trees and over to Liberty, where it felt like summer.

I hadn't done this stretch of trail (between Little Haystack and Liberty) in years, and I was pleasantly surprised at how mellow it is.  It never gets all that steep, and the footing is generally good.

On Liberty, with Cannon in the background.

Views from Liberty...

Looking toward Flume from Liberty.  I love how that peak looks from afar.  Depending on which peak you're on, Flume either looks very pointy or very cliff-y.

There were a lot of people enjoying the warm weather on Liberty.  I took out my bag of Christmas candy, made a general announcement, and put it down for folks to come and take from it whatever they wanted.

I also met quite a few familiar Facebook faces, and I re-met Joe, who had been on Moosilauke when then-six-year-old Alex finished her first round of the NH48 in August 2009.  It was really nice meeting everyone!

The trek from Liberty to Flume isn't very steep either.  This traverse was nothing like our Kinsman Ridge experience, which had felt like a never-ending series of steep PUDS (Pointless Ups and Downs).

The girls on Flume...

Me and the girls on Flume...

Views south from Flume, including the little cliff-walk that takes you down via Osseo Trail.

We took a final look at what we had accomplished before we headed down into the trees.  From left to right, there's Liberty, Little Haystack, Liberty, and Lafayette.

Down we went, via Osseo Trail and all its (mellow) ladders.

It was a great day, and we enjoyed our time on the trail with our friend John.  We always enjoy his company when he's able to hike with us!

Also -- I got to finally meet White Mountain legend Sue "Stinkyfeet."  We ran into her between Liberty and Little Haystack.  "Stinkyfeet" has either been the first woman or the fastest woman to do pretty much every hiking accomplishment in the Whites.  I enjoyed telling Alex and Sage about her after we crossed paths.

That's it for 2015.  We've done a lot -- tons of 4Ks, the Great Wall of China, and Idaho's Borah Peak.  in 2016, we'll do a ton more 4Ks, MAYBE another highpoint, and hopefully a fun trek through Iceland.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Isolation via Huntington Ravine Trail, Davis Path, Glen Boulder, etc. August 6, 2015

Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Huntington Ravine Trail, Alpine Garden Trail, Lawn Cutoff, Davis Path, Glen Boulder Trail, Direttissima.

15.5 miles with 5400 feet of elevation gain.

The good news -- the girls finally got to climb Huntington Ravine Trail.  The bad news -- I sprained my ankle on the way down Glen Boulder Trail, about 2.3 miles from the car.  The not-so-bad news -- I should be fine within weeks...hopefully in time to climb Idaho's Borah Peak.  We'll see.

It was a great day with crazy weather.  We started out not knowing if we'd need to turn back before reaching the headwall.  The NOAA forecast predicted no rain...yet the skies looked interesting.

We began the day on Tuckerman Ravine Trail at 6:30am.  A kind lady took this photo.

We walked as quickly as we could since we were eager to experience Huntington Ravine Trail.

1.2 miles later, here we are...2.1 more miles to go until we reach the top of the headwall.

The lower parts of HRT take you through trees and over water.  There are more than a few scenic spots.

We reached the First Aid cache that is dedicated to Albert Dow.  Alex and Sage are well aware of the significance of this area, and we spent some time in reflective conversation.  They know, they understand.  They have great respect for Mr. Dow, and for all members of Search and Rescue.

By the way, Alex noticed there is graffiti on that building, and one of the names scratched there is "Alex."  The person who did that is NOT our Alex -- this was the first time the girls have visited this area -- and neither of my girls would ever deface a building, let alone that particular building.

Once in the ravine, you reach a boulder field, through which you must climb/wind your way up until you arrive at the fan.

Interesting sky...

We reached the fan...and part of it was wet.  This is the trickiest part of the hike, at least for me (I did this hike with a friend last month, so I knew what to expect).  I climbed halfway up to test for grip and decided the girls could handle it.  This was the only wet portion of the trail up the headwall.  However -- if you are new to hiking, and/or if you are uncomfortable with tricky scrambles and/or heights, then I strongly advise that you do this trail only if it is a bright and sunny day, and only when the rocks are bone dry.

The girls made their way up.  I have photos of only two sections  -- the rest of the time, I needed to use both my hands and couldn't get to my iPhone.  If you do a Google search on Huntington Ravine Trail, you will find many photos of the various scrambles and chimneys up the headwall.  We happily managed all of them (with care).  Below are my only photos...wish I could have gotten more.

We topped out on Alpine Garden Trail around 9:30am.  It was WINDY and cold.  We had been protected from the wind and chill while climbing HRT.

After layering up, we walked the Alpine Garden Trail and made our way to Davis Path via the Lawn Cutoff.  Normally, this hike has outstanding views.  Today, however, we had Cloud.  Also, twenty minutes after arriving at the top of the headwall, it started raining.  Our hike basically looked like this until we reached treeline on the Davis Path...

We felt the wind full blast as we passed the intersection with Glen Boulder Trail.  The girls each got blown off their feet a couple of times (they enjoyed the experience).

The fog started to clear just as we reached treeline (of course!).

Isolation is in the fog.

Once below treeline, we marveled at how much easier it is to walk when you don't have gusts of wind slamming into you every other second.

I captured some goofy moments...

Heading down Davis Path...

Sage needed North Isolation for her Trailwrights 72 list.  The summit isn't marked, so we stood on all the high bits in the appropriate area and took a bunch of photos.  This is one of those photos.

Isolation!!

Iced Cookies on Isolation for our Desserts on the 48 quest!

We had hiked 8.9 miles with about 4000 feet of elevation gain.  Once fed and rested, we headed back up the Davis Path, hiking another 2.8 miles and regaining 1400 feet of elevation to the intersection with Glen Boulder Trail.  The sun was out and we now had views above treeline.  The wind was still fierce, though.

View toward the southern Presidentials

We reached the intersection with Glen Boulder Trail and headed down.

We paused and ate chocolate on Slide Peak.

Continuing down, we reached Glen Boulder.

A few minutes after taking the above photo, I turned my right ankle while descending a slanted boulder.  There was a SNAP followed by pain.  The girls rushed to my side, and I panicked for a second, thinking they weren't going to be careful with their own footing and that we'd soon have three injured hikers instead of one.  I told them thank you, but their one and only job was to look after themselves, as I was now not in a good position to help them if they became injured.  I drank a sip of water, then began crab-walking (with one leg) down the rest of the boulder section.  Alex found an abandoned walking stick soon after we reached treeline, and I used that as a crutch.

Our remaining 2.3 miles took forever, but I was able to walk as long as I held my ankle firmly in one position.  I did not want to stop to wrap it, I just wanted to go go go.  I knew adrenaline was keeping the pain away, and I wanted to get to the car...I did NOT want to call Search and Rescue.  SAR is full of wonderful people, but I am a strong believer in self-rescue if at all possible.  The girls were warm, we had food and water with us, and, if it came to it, they could get back down to the parking lot on their own.  I therefore hobbled out with the help of the stick, and with the constant encouragement of both my daughters.  Alex and Sage were great, they really were.

We eventually made it back to the car.  I took off my shoes and socks, and....

 Hmmm..not good.  Driving wasn't an issue as long as I didn't flex the ankle (instead, I lifted the entire foot with my leg).  When I got home, all I wanted to do was drink a beer and go to sleep...so that's what I did.  The next morning, I got X-Rays.  It's a torn ligament, with a bit of bone pulled off for good measure.  The cure -- rest, wrap, and elevate.  I should be good to go again within a few weeks.  Maybe sooner, maybe later, we'll see.

Temporarily out of order

All in all, it was a great day with much fun.  I'm glad we did this -- we were planning on a Presidential Traverse next week, and, since the girls handled this hike with relative ease, I am pretty sure we can handle that kind of massive dayhike.  However, that now that needs to wait until my ankle heals...we hope to do the traverse in late September or October.

Depending on my ankle, we may do a small 4K late next week.  We'll take it slowly and see how it goes.