My 48th (South Carter) 4,000 footer! (plus Mount Hight)

This is what I call "The Northeast Group" (the Presidential Range on the left/center, and the Carter-Moriah Range on the right). Today's peaks (Thursday, June 30, 2016) - South Carter and Mount Hight - are in the purple circle:


I plan today's hike to go up Nineteen Mile Brook Trail (along Nineteen Mile Brook [1.9 miles]), then left up Carter Dome Trail [1.9 miles]. North on Carter-Moriah Trail (0.8 miles) to get to South Carter, then backtrack down to Mount Hight (0.8+0.2+0.4 miles), then continue south (0.4 miles) to hit Carter Dome Trail. Return to the trailhead via Carter Dome Trail and Nineteen Mile Brook Trail (0.6+0.2+1.9+1.9):

Estimated 11.0 miles altogether - let's see how "close to reality" that is.

Into Boston for the Thursday Morning Men's Breakfast, the up to the trailhead by 12:15. I saw a pile of kids swarming up the trail as I entered the parking lot, but passed them about a mile into the hike. Nineteen Mile Brook Trail is pretty comfortable:

and, as you can imagine, it goes alongside Nineteen Mile Brook:


This is a great hike for kids, as is Carter Dome Trail - a little more challenging than just "a walk in the woods", but with rocks, and streams, and waterfalls:





The Carter-Moriah Trail runs north to South Carter, and I love the boggy areas along this ridge-trail-in-the-woods:


My selfie on South Carter:

i don't know if anyone is counting, but that makes 48-out-of-48 4000 footers in New Hampshire!!!! The first was June 22, 2014, and the last was June 30, 2016 - what an adventure!

Just off from the South Carter summit is a side trail leading to a beautiful view of the Wild River Wilderness (cool name!):


Then back down the Carter-Moriah Trail, and up to Mount Hight:

And, YES, the views there are as GREAT as advertised!!




On the way back down, I call these shots: Dennis' Swimming Hole:


(the water was REALLY COLD!)

Once again, Nineteen Mile Brook is BEAUTIFUL:



Going back through Jackson, I went up 16A then 16B (Carter Notch Rd), alongside Jackson Falls:


Thank You God for a GREAT DAY! 12.49 miles in 5 hours 19 minutes, with an elevation gain of 3,546 feet! One of the BEST hiking days, ever!



Thursday, June 30, 2016 (left home at 6 AM, home at 9:20 PM)
358 miles -- down into Boston, then up 95, then up 16 (12:17 at the trailhead)
12.49 miles -- hiking (5 hours 19 minutes)(I stopped MapMyWalk when I went swimming!)
3 1/2 hours to get home, via the Jackson Falls! (including a large Number 9 sub at D'Angelo's in North Conway)

Music today was:

Rolling Stones albums in the morning!

Sticky Fingers, 1971 (original album, plus bonus cd)

[WZLX played "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" yesterday, and it sounded GREAT!]

Black and Blue, 1976

[They played this album on the sound system at a concert I went to: June 12, 1976 (age 23) JFK Stadium, Philadelphia - Peter Frampton [middle afternoon, hot weather], Gary Wright [late afternoon], Yes came on as it got dark and the moon was rising, with green lasers going from the stage out over the back of the stadium]

Some Girls, 1978


It's Only Rock 'n Roll, 1974

[I remember telling a guy at Penn that "I just listened to the new Rolling Stones album, and it was really good" (the previous album was Goats Head Soup, which was not "really good")]

December's Children (And Everybody's), 1965


Evening drive home:
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire, 1984


U2 - The Joshua Tree, 1987

I have forgotten HOW STRONG these albums are!!! - EXCELLENT

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band - The River, 1980

At that time, I was listening to 102.7 WNEW-FM in New York City (which was a GREAT rock station!)(along with WBCN in Boston and WMMR in Philadelphia). The day The River was released, the DJs (Dave Herman, Pete Fornatale, Scott Muni) were not allowed to play the whole album at once - so they played 3 tracks at a time [I want to say once-an-hour, but I could be wrong]. It was a good way to get your "Bruce Juice" those days.

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Art Museums and National Parks (on May 2, 2016 I finished a 4-day trip to NJ-PA-VA-DC)
hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/

My 2nd (Mount Ellen) and 3rd (Mount Abraham) Vermont 4,000 footers!

Wendy signed up for a two-day conference in Burlington, Vermont. I like driving with her, and I want to start climbing the five 4000 footers in Vermont:


Since I did the shorter hike yesterday, today is the long hike - Mount Ellen (4,083 feet) and Mount Abraham (4,006 feet) [16 miles round trip]:


It took less than an hour to get to the trailhead (Jerusalem Trail) on Jim Dwire Rd:

I'm getting tired of these DIRT ROADS in Vermont:


Once again, the first section of the Trail is a nice moderate hike:

but after the first mile, the next 1.4 is "more upward", hitting The Long Trail after 2.4 miles.

I always thought they were called the "Green Mountains" because of trees, but I now believe it is because of the MOSS EVERYWHERE!:



And, of course, the view is just as good today as it was yesterday:


You hike 2 miles on The Long Trail before getting to the (wooded) summit of Mount Ellen - But get some GREAT VIEWS on the way:




At some point, the Trail breaks out of the woods:

with more great views along the way:


Just before getting to Mount Abraham, there is a short path to an airplane crash site (June 28, 1973 - the pilot survived):


The summit of Mount Abraham is pretty cool:




I then just retraced my steps 5.6 miles back The Long Trail:



After my hike (ended at 6), I passed 3 hikers down at the bottom of Jim Dwire Road. I said HI (we had passed each other on The Long Trail) and started down Jerusalem Road. After a hundred yards, I turned around and went back to them - they had parked at the other trailhead. I didn't ask what they thought they were going to do - I just said "Put your stuff in the trunk and get in." Drove down-and-around the mountains, and up ANOTHER DIRT ROAD to drop them off at their car. On the way back down, I went alongside a BEAUTIFUL stream/river (Cota Brook) alongside Lincoln Gap Road:



I took off my shoes and socks, and put my feet in the water - ahhhhh. Isn't that a nice, surprising way to end the day!!

Thank You God for a GREAT DAY! 16.13 miles in 7 hours 33 minutes, with an elevation gain of 3,381 feet!



Friday, June 24, 2016
left Wendy in Burlington at 9:30 - 10:30 at the trailhead
16.13 miles -- hiking (7 hours 33 minutes)
ribs at Texas Roadhouse in a mall for dinner! (Wendy pickup at 9)

um, I don't remember the albums I listened to, but the bar at Texas Roadhouse had at least ten tvs, showing at least six different (sports) shows!!

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Art Museums and National Parks (on May 2, 2016 I finished a 4-day trip to NJ-PA-VA-DC)
hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/