Start/End: Pinkham Notch Visitor Center

Peaks: N/A

Elevation Gain: 2,510 ft

RT Mileage: 5.00 mi

Duration: 6 hours, 7 minutes

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade II

I had been planning a hike of the Lion Head Winter Route for a couple of months now, and fortunately a series of snowstorms from late November to early December got the route open by the weekend of the 7th. Rain looks to spoil the winter fun later this week, but luckily I was able to take advantage of a brief window of good weather on the 9th. I had originally planned to ascend past the end of the winter route all the way to the summit of Lion Head, but ended up turning back a little short due to poor trail conditions. This was my first Grade II crampons and ice axe hike, and it was a doozy. Read more...

Start/End: North Twin Trailhead

Peaks: North Twin (4,761'), South Twin (4,902')

Elevation Gain: 3,710 ft

RT Mileage: 11.03 mi

Duration: 8 hours, 11 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

After a month away, though it felt much longer, I was back in the Whites the day before National Hiking Day. It was forecasted to be a mediocre day in the mountains, so we went with a mediocre set of summits, the Twins. Read more...

Start/End: Wildcat Mountain parking lot

Peaks: Wildcat D (4,050'), Wildcat A (4,422')

Elevation Gain: 3,490 ft

RT Mileage: 9.30 mi

Duration: 6 hours, 39 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

After a weekend leaf peeping on the Sugarloafs and a weekend at home, I was back in the Whites for some peakbagging on Columbus Day weekend. With an impressive early-season snowstorm forecast for the upcoming week, I wanted to get the Wildcats out of the way for my sister's 48 before full winter conditions took hold. Read more...

Start/End: Crawford Notch, Rt. 302

Peaks: "Webster" (3,911'), Jackson (4,052')

Elevation Gain: 2,730 ft

RT Mileage: 6.34 mi

Duration: 4 hours, 7 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

After Isolation for Flags on the 48 last weekend, I was back in the Whites on the 21st. Anticipating foliage to be approaching high color, I decided to go with the classic loop over Webster and Jackson from Crawford Notch. I hadn't hiked this loop in over two years, so it was probably time to revisit it anyway. Read more...

Start/End: Pinkham Notch Visitor Center

Peaks: "Boott Spur" (5,492'), "North Isolation" (4,293'), Isolation (4,004'), "Slide" (4,760')

Elevation Gain: 5,475 ft

RT Mileage: 13.18 mi

Duration: 10 hours, 24 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1+

After a washout last weekend, I was back in the Whites on the 14th. Now that I've finished the 48, I've decided it's time to get my sister her 48 too. Taking advantage of the nice September days, we went with Isolation today, a peak I had previously only hiked in winter. Since the Glen Ellis parking lot is closed, our route of choice was a loop over Boott Spur and Glen Boulder from Pinkham Notch. Read more...

Start/End: Moosilauke Ravine Lodge

Peaks: Moosilauke (4,802')

Elevation Gain: 2,860 ft

RT Mileage: 10.94 mi

Duration: 5 hours, 29 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

After two weeks spent hiking in the Sierras, I was back in the Whites to finish the 48 on Moosilauke on Labor Day. For my route, I decided to go with a loop with the Asquam Ridge Trail, Carriage Road, and Snapper Trail, starting from the Ravine Lodge. Read more...

Start/End: Crawford Notch, Rt. 302

Peaks: Tom (4,051'), Field (4,340'), Willey (4,285')

Elevation Gain: 3,720 ft

RT Mileage: 10.02 mi

Duration: 6 hours, 31 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

After a washout last weekend, I was back in the Whites for some peakbagging on the 11th. The forecast called for a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms, but I decided to take the risk and go for Tom, Field, and Willey anyway. Read more...

Start/End: Caps Ridge Trailhead, Jefferson Notch Road

Peaks: Jefferson (5,712')

Elevation Gain: 3,075 ft

RT Mileage: 6.14 mi

Duration: 6 hours, 34 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 2+

My friends really enjoyed Tuckerman Ravine last month and have been wanting to go hiking again with me ever since. Since I now have just two short hikes left to finish the 48, I decided I could afford to take another weekend off from peakbagging to take them hiking again. Caps Ridge was one of the most fun short hikes I've done in the Whites, and this was a good excuse to revisit it. For the descent, I decided to make a loop with the Castle Trail and The Link and bag another Terrifying 25 route for myself. Read more...

Start/End: The Basin parking lot

Peaks: Cannon (4,100'), "NE Cannon Ball" (3,769'), North Kinsman (4,293'), South Kinsman (4,358')

Elevation Gain: 5,035 ft

RT Mileage: 15.27 mi

Duration: 10 hours, 48 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1+

For this weekend I decided to get Cannon-Kinsmans, the last long hike I had left to finish the 48, out of the way. Of the two days in the weekend, Saturday looked to have the better weather, so that's the day I went for it. Read more...

Start/End: Pinkham Notch Visitor Center

Peaks: "Boott Spur" (5,492'), Washington (6,288'), Monroe (5,384')

Elevation Gain: 5,475 ft

RT Mileage: 11.76 mi

Duration: 9 hours, 48 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1+

I had been waiting all summer for an exceptional weather day to bag Monroe and Washington, and it finally came on July 14th. For my route, I decided to ascend via the incredibly scenic Boott Spur Trail to Boott Spur, cross Bigelow Lawn and summit Washington, hike over to Monroe, cross Bigelow Lawn again, and descend via Tuckerman back to Pinkham. Read more...

Start/End: Great Gulf Trailhead, Rt. 16

Peaks: Middle Carter (4,610'), South Carter (4,430'), "Hight" (4,675'), Carter Dome (4,832'), Wildcat A (4,422'), Wildcat D (4,050')

Elevation Gain: 6,220 ft

RT Mileage: 17.40 mi

Duration: 9 hours, 59 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

For Fourth of July weekend I wanted to get the Carters-Wildcats Traverse, my longest hike of the summer, out of the way. Of the four-day weekend, the Fourth of July itself looked to have the best weather, so that's the day I decided to go for it. Read more...

Start/End: Unknown Pond Trailhead, York Pond Road

Peaks: "The Horn" (3,905'), "The Bulge" (3,950'), Cabot (4,170')

Elevation Gain: 3,345 ft

RT Mileage: 11.40 mi

Duration: 7 hours, 27 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

After a washout last weekend, I was back in the Whites for some peakbagging on the 29th. Since it looked like low clouds would dominate the day and spoil any views to be had, I decided to go with Cabot since it doesn't have any views anyway. Read more...

Start/End: Pinkham Notch Visitor Center

Peaks: N/A

Elevation Gain: 2,470 ft

RT Mileage: 6.66 mi

Duration: 4 hours, 52 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

Since I only have six hikes left to finish the 48, I decided I could afford to take a weekend off from peakbagging and see some summer snowfields instead. The biggest snowfields left in the Whites right now are in Tucks, so that’s what I went with. A couple of friends have been wanting to get into hiking anyway, and this was the perfect opportunity to take them. Read more...

Start/End: Lincoln Woods Trailhead, Kancamagus Hwy

Peaks: Owl's Head (4,025')

Elevation Gain: 3,190 ft

RT Mileage: 16.42 mi

Duration: 9 hours, 44 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 2

Back in September, the last time I was in the Pemi Wilderness, I made the decision to bag the Bonds and procrastinate Owl's Head for a later date. That later date has finally arrived. To ease my misery just a little, I decided to use the Black Pond bushwhack and shave two miles off the hike. Read more...

Start/End: Livermore Trailhead, Waterville Valley

Peaks: North Tripyramid (4,180'), Middle Tripyramid (4,140'), "South Tripyramid" (4,115')

Elevation Gain: 2,985 ft

RT Mileage: 11.07 mi

Duration: 7 hours, 15 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 3

After taking the worst of mud season off from hiking per usual, I was back in the Whites for Memorial Day weekend. For my first hike of the summer, I decided to bag the Tripyramids via the classic North Slide/South Slide loop, as the route is mostly clear of snow at this point. Read more...

Start/End: Starr King Trailhead

Peaks: "Starr King" (3,907'), Waumbek (4,006')

Elevation Gain: 2,825 ft

RT Mileage: 7.22 mi

Duration: 4 hours, 41 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

The past week has been cold and dry, a rarity during mud season, and I figured trail conditions would improve enough for a 4,000er hike by the weekend. The North Country 4,000ers have the most remaining snowpack in the Whites outside the Presis, so I decided to go with Waumbek. Read more...

Start/End: Lowe's Store, Rt. 2

Peaks: N/A

Elevation Gain: 3,020 ft

RT Mileage: 6.38 mi

Duration: 6 hours, 58 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

My friend has been wanting to get into hiking in the Whites for a while now. I offered to take him hiking on the 14th, and he agreed. Since it's currently shoulder season in the Whites, I figured I'd be able to give him the most accurate picture of the Whites in the northern Presis, so I went with Lowes Path. Read more...

Start/End: Table Rock Trailhead, Rt. 26

Peaks: N/A

Elevation Gain: 735 ft

RT Mileage: 1.37 mi

Duration: 57 minutes

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

I would have loved for the path of totality with this eclipse to include the Whites—viewing the eclipse from the northern Presis would probably have been pretty amazing—but unfortunately the eclipse path is just to the north. The next best thing I could come up with was Table Rock, so that’s what I went with. Another Terrifying 25 route in the bag couldn’t hurt either. Read more...

Start/End: Hancock Overlook, Kancamagus Hwy

Peaks: North Hancock (4,420'), South Hancock (4,319')

Elevation Gain: 2,815 ft

RT Mileage: 9.65 mi

Duration: 7 hours, 10 minutes

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

When an anomalously warm stretch basically kickstarted spring in early March, I thought I was done for the winter. However, a snowstorm right at the end of winter presented me with one last opportunity on the last weekend of winter. I fancied a good glissade this time, so I decided to go with the Hancocks. Read more...

Start/End: Rocky Branch Trailhead, Rt. 16

Peaks: Isolation (4,004')

Elevation Gain: 3,130 ft

RT Mileage: 11.04 mi

Duration: 6 hours, 32 minutes

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

I had been waiting for a good day to bag Monroe and Washington, but winter was running out and so was my patience. When a half-decent day presented itself the day before Washington’s Birthday, I decided to wing it with Isolation instead. Read more...