This week I was busy studying, its getting close to the end of the semester so not a lot of time to go hiking with the dogs.  But today I was able to get an early morning hike in at Welch and Dickey in Thornton.  I was joined by Reba, Beth, Jen, Lindsey, Cooper and Benson.  Buck stayed home to keep Emma company.

Welch and Dickey

It was misting and very foggy when we started out.  We made it to the top of Welch quickly since it is a very easy hike up to that summit.  WE enjoyed being the only people out on the mountain since the weather was not very nice and it was early.

We then headed over to Dickey.  This was a bit more challenging with wet rocks and the occasional ice/snow patches.  We took our time and had a few slip and falls but we made it over to Dickey.  Usually you can get a great view from both summits but not today.  The total distance was 4.38 miles and it took up 3.5 hours to do.  The best part was we didn’t see a sole until we where almost back to the parking lot!

Round Top

Since I did not take Emma and Buck on the hike I had to get them outside since the day turned out to be beautiful.  We picked up my dad and headed over the Round Top (Emma’s choice).  We enjoyed another nice hike with out running into anyone.  The dogs could be off leash and chase as many chipmunks and squirrels as they wanted.  We sat at the top for a while just enjoying the sun.  The pups also enjoyed hanging out together at the top.

This week has been full of studying leaving little time for a big hike. The pups and I did a few small hikes around Bristol during the week and then today we hiked Mt Major with Lindsey, Cooper and Benson.

This was the first time up Mt Major for Buck and Benson.  The rest of us have done it a few times.  We out on a nice flat trail that was a little muddy.  Once we started to gain elevation we ran into some ice.  We all had our microspikes which made it much easier going up, but since it was ice combines with bare rock we had to take them off and put them on again a number of times.  Since we started rather early when we reached the top we had it mostly to ourselves.  Emma gave all the puppies treats and we had our photos taken then we started of to do Straightback Mt which is about a mile from Major.  The trail is a mix of bare rock and woods.  When going down some bare rocks Emma slipped and landed hard.  She was unsure if she wanted to continue, but she eventually decided to continue on.  We ran into more slippery terrain and Emma decided she had enough so we turned around and headed back.  Going back down took longer than excepted due to the mass amount of people hiking up the trail to Major.  It was a struggle for almost all of them trying to climb up the icy, slippery trail with just sneakers on.

We will head back to Straightback soon but we will not be headed up Major again for awhile, we try to avoid the popular trails so we can enjoy being out in the woods!

This week Reba, Buck, Lindsey, Cooper and Benson climbed Red Hill in Moultonborough.  We have hiked this many times but it was Bucks first time.  It was a sunny morning and no snow on the ground.  Just some ice in spots.  It was nice not to have to worry about snowshoes, microspikes  and all the other things that go along with winter hiking!  This hike leads to a fire tower that provides great views of the surrounding lakes and mountains.  It is a short hike just 3 miles round trip, and also an easy hike so Lindsey and I had to the chance to chat and catch up.

On Wednesday I hiked Mt Monroe which is part of the Presidential Range.  I was accompanied by my uncle Bill, his friend Peter, Jen and her friend Betsy, Kathie and Bodhi and of course Reba.  The weather was forcasted to be partly cloudy and lows in the 30’s and breezy.  We started up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail and the weather was sunny, warm and no wind.  About an inch of new snow had fallen over night, but not enough to need snowshoes yet.  This trail starts off nice and gentle then it starts to get steeper and steeper.  We started to find that there was a lot of ice under the newly fallen snow and microspikes were almost not enough, crampons would have made it much easier.

Once we started to get above tree line the ice increased making even the smallest inclines hard to manage.  We had to make our own trail at some points just to avoid the ice.  At this point Kathie and Betsy decided they had had enough and turned back due to the ice and the clouds had moved in and snow showers had started.  The rest of us wanted to continue on to the Lake of the Clouds Hut and decide what to do from that point.  It was slow going on the ice but the snow stopped and still no wind.  Once we made it to the hut we had a snack and debated on if we should attempted Monroe or not.

When looking up from the hut at Monroe it looks like a quick hike to the top and should be no problem.  So we decided to give it a try, the Crawford Path had not been traveled so we had to break trail to the Monroe Trail.  It was a mix of ice and snow drifts but it was just a short distance.  We started up the Monroe Trail which was easy to follow at first, we could see the cairns the trail was exposed for the most part.  Then we came to a spot that left you an option to go right or left.  The snow had drifted quite a bit making finding a cairn impossible.  I tried to go right because it seemed like the way to go.  But the snow had drifted in such a way that as you walked the snow seemed like it was going to give out underneath you and send you sliding down back to the hut!  Not a comforting feeling I decided to turn around and Bill tried to go more to the left.  But that lead you to a spot that you would have to have crampons and an ice axe to get to the top.  At that point we decided to call it and head back down.  It was the right choice but so frustrating since you could literally see the summit and it was so close to us but unsafe to get too.

We had a good hike back down with lots of butt sledding since it was the easiest and safest way to get down what we had just climbed up!  Monroe is not going anywhere and I will make it to the summit next time!  Maybe when the snow and ice melt!!

This week was a slow week for hiking.  I had a lot of studying to do but we did get out for a few short walks locally.  On Easter we were joined by my sister, niece and their dog Milo for a small hike.

Thursday we did get a chance to go for a hike with my friend Kathie and her dog Bodhi and a friends dog Jasper.  We went to Bald Peak which is off t Kinsman Trail in the Franconia/Easton area.  The conditions where a variation of mud, snow and ice but not enough snow to need snowshoes.  The Kinsman Trail was very easy and a gradual climb.  There were only two steeper short ascents on this trail.  Bald Peak trail is off the Kinsman Trail.  In just .2 miles you open up onto a rocky ledge with great views.

Time was very limited for me so we took some pictures then headed back down.  The dogs all enjoyed chasing each other, chasing squirrels and chipmunks and Buck and Jasper enjoyed all the muddy puddles they could find!  The total hike was 4.28 miles and we did it in 2 hours.