Maine Wanderlust

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Bushwhack: Whaleback South & Big Coolidge

Big Coolidge just outside of Lincoln, New Hampshire to hit a couple New Hampshire 200 Highest peaks. #optoutside #nh200

On a pleasant Sunday in December Jeff, Michael, Richard and I bushwhacked to Whaleback South and Big Coolidge just outside of Lincoln, New Hampshire to hit a couple New Hampshire 200 Highest peaks. Half of the hike was up the Old Osseo Trail, which had cairns and yellow blazes. The out and backs to Whaleback South and Big Coolidge were bushwhacks through mostly open forest. ROUTE Parked at…

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Hike: Black Cap, Cranmore, Hurricane

Black Cap, black bears, bushwhack and mountain bikes. #wanderlust #optoutside

I shot up to the White Mountains to do some tracing of trails and a couple New Hampshire 500 Highest peaks. After the easy hike to Black Cap I headed to Cranmore Mountain and caught sight of a black bear cub off in the forest. I passed a bunch of mountain bikers on Cranmore Mountain Trail and wish I had brought my wallet when I discovered that there was an ice cream shop (with beer) at the top of…

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Hike: 2019 Presi Traverse

2019 Presi Traverse where I tried to break my ankle in preparation for a JMT hike. #wanderlust #exploremore #optoutside

A few weeks before traveling out to California to complete our three-year section hike of the John Muir Trail, Jeff and I did a single-day Presi Traverse. It was Jeff’s first time doing a Presi, and though I had attempted it a few times I had yet to complete a single-day for my Northeast Ultra 8 list. The day started out cloudy, but cleared up by the time we hit Mount Washington. Coming down…

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Hike: AT Trapper John to Gilman's Corner

AT hike from Trapper John Shelter to Gilman's Corner, over Smarts Mountain and Mount Cube. #wanderlust #exploremore #at

When I woke up with the birds at Trapper John Shelter, I made coffee and breakfast and started a fire in the stone chimney in front of the shelter. It was a quick hike down to Dartmouth Skiway where I met Jeff and we shuffled our cars, so we’d have one at the parking area for the end of the day. There were a lot of people out at Smarts Mountain, a New Hampshire 200 Highest, but the trail beyond…

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Hike: AT Hanover to Trapper John

Hike: AT Hanover to Trapper John

As the snow began to melt in Spring, I was struck by trail fever. I needed to spend some time on the trail. But I knew that too much elevation would mean old snow and ice, which wouldn’t be pleasant. So I focused my attention to section hiking the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire. With some coordination with Jeff, I selected a section from the New Hampshire and Vermont border, where on the…

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Hike: Pleasant Sunrise

Lindsay and I got up early on a weekend in April to hike Pleasant Mountain for sunrise. We didn’t get to the summit before sunrise, but we did get to the vista from Ledges Trail for it. After enjoying the peaceful summit for a while we returned to our car. ROUTE Parked at Ledges Trail parking on Mountain Road in Denmark, MEHiked Ledges Trail to summit and back to car PHOTOS STATS Date: 11…

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Hike: Camden Hills

April Break hike of Camden Hills State Park with my sons. #wanderlust #exploremore

On a nice day during their April vacation, I brought my sons up to Camden Hills State Park to hike the two most popular mountains in the park. We enjoyed the nice view of Camden from the top of Mount Battie, and continued past the ocean vistas to the viewless Mount Megunticook. After hiking out we headed to Rockport for some Flatbread before continuing home. ROUTE Parked at Camden Hills State…

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Hike: Chocorua Traverse

The weekend before our big Taconic Crest Trail traverse, Jeff, John and I headed to Mount Chocorua to get in a last training hike. We set up for a traverse over Mount Chocorua with 1.5 ascents of the mountain. We needed to get back to the Portland area in early afternoon so we started crazy early, which is always beneficial for finding parking and beating the crowds. It was perfect hiking weather…

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Bushwhack: The Twins and Shaw

Bushwhack: The Twins and Shaw

I thought I’d be worn out after doing a training hike on Mount Chocorua the day before, but my legs felt fresh and I had a free day. So, I was targeted an area of the White Mountains closest to me with trails I haven’t hiked and peaks on the New Hampshire 500 Highest list. I ended up chosing Province Pond Trail and the northern peak of The Twins, and Mount Shaw. It looked like a nice combo of…

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Hike: Taconic Crest Trail

Taconic Crest Trail for my third Northeast Ultra 8. #wanderlust #neu8

The Taconic Crest Trail is the third Northeast Ultra 8 hikes that I completed. It traverses a mountain range that makes up the northern half of the border between Massachusetts and New York and hits Vermont for a hot minute. Jeff, John, Michael and I got a Tentrr in Vermont for the night before and after, and hiked the trail on a perfect Saturday in May. The trail mostly cuts through mellow…

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Hike: Franconia Loop 2011

Hike: Franconia Loop 2011

My brother and I met at Lafayette campground on Friday evening, set up camp and shared amazing craft beers from our respective states. In the morning we set out for one of the most epic hikes in the Northeast, the Franconia Loop. Though I didn’t know it at the time, Lincoln and Lafayette would become my first New England 4000 Footers. It was a lousy day for hiking, it was cloudy and rainy, many…

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Hike: Little Wildcat, Carter Dome, Hight

Miscalculations and mashed potato snow adjust our hiking plans. But, we still bushwhack Little Wildcat, and snowshoe over Carter Dome and Mount Hight. #wanderlust #optoutside #exploremore

Jeff and I originally wanted to get one last hike in before the end of winter, but when I couldn’t swing it we instead hiked the next weekend. The idea was to Grid the Wildcats and Carters, as well as do some White Mountain trail tracing, and a couple small AT sections for me. We originally planned to hike up Wildcat Ski Resort, but shortly after arriving we were turned around and told that there…

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Hike: Morse Mountain and Seawall Beach

Hike: Morse Mountain and Seawall Beach

The previous day of hiking through mashed potato snow in the mountains wore me out enough to not return to the mountains, but not enough to prevent me from hiking more. I headed out on a coastal hike in Maine I had not done before, but a dear friend had recommended to me years before. The hike through Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area was along a dirt road and provided all that the Maine…

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Hike: 2019 John Muir Trail

2019, the final year of the John Muir Trail section hike adventure, concluding on a sunrise hike of Mount Whitney. #wanderlust #jmt

In August 2019 Jeff, Michael and I returned to the John Muir Trail for the third straight year to complete it. Our friend John, and Michael’s brother Steve joined us. We flew into Las Vegas and drove in a van to Grandview Campground in Inyo National Forest. Campsites were limited, but we squeezed into one and spread out looking for flat-ish areas to set up tents. In the morning we caught sunrise…

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Hike: 2018 John Muir Trail

Hike: 2018 John Muir Trail

After our amazing 2017 John Muir Trail hike, Jeff, Michael and I couldn’t wait to get back for our second segment. Permits were easy this time because all we needed was an Inyo National Forest wilderness permit from Duck Pass Trail, which was a busy trail, but not compared to either end of the JMT: Yosemite National Park or Whitney Portal. This year my brother Brennan and his friend Igor joined…

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Hike: 2017 John Muir Trail

The first leg of my John Muir Trail section hike with Jeff and Michael in 2017. #wanderlust #jmt

The John Muir Trail is one of those bucket list hikes that I always dreamed about but didn’t think I’d get the opportunity to do. The trail is over 200 miles long and goes from Yosemite National Park to Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States. It goes past Half Dome in Yosemite, by the most beautiful alpine lakes in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, through the massive canyons…

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Hike: Cohos Trail

Two weeks after completing our three year section hike of the John Muir Trail, Jeff headed to northern New Hampshire to thruhike the Cohos Trail, a relatively unheard of long trail from the Canadian border to the White Mountains National Forest. Initially I was going to thruhike it with him, but was feeling exhausted from the JMT, and was battling some chronic ankle and calf pain. Instead, I…

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