hiking North Weeks Mtn - Kilkenny Ridge Trail

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - Having completed the "New England 4000 footers" last year, the next list is the "New England 100 Highest", which includes (of course) the 67 mountains over 4,000 feet, plus another 33 - my map of the 33:


I decided to tackle the ones in Northern New Hampshire, in an area called the Pilot Pliny Ranges:


It is a remote area - west of Berlin, NH. In reviewing my blogs, I was in this area almost exactly 3 years ago, for Mount Cabot (my 27th 4000 footer) click for blog. It turns out that I hit both "The Horn" and "The Bulge" on that hike, so I am halfway done with this area!!! So today's hike will bag North Weeks and South Weeks (plus Middle Weeks in between them) - how hard can that be?

Left home at 6:15, up at the trailhead at 10:25. It is 6.1 miles in to South Weeks, so 12.2 miles round-trip. I do 30-minute miles, so I figured if I pushed myself a little (and had a little luck), I could get to the car in time for the Berlin Hatchery Gate closing at 4 PM. [Dream on].



Driving around "York Pond", it is a beautiful day in New Hampshire:


Trailhead for York Pond Trail at 10:30

beautiful walk through the woods ten minutes later:

and hiking uphill through the forest at 11:30

and intersection with Kilkenny Ridge Trail (2.4 miles) at 11:42


I did a lot of branches-on-trail clearing (a couple of downed trees need loppers and clippers - another day), so my timing feels good. It then took an hour to go 1.3 miles to North Weeks Mtn - longer than I like, but I'm AT THE TOP:

(no view, though)

And that is when it started to deteriorate. I had encountered some blow-downs going up to North Weeks, but it was relatively easy to go around and get back on the trail (nothing a good weed-wacker, or chainsaw, couldn't take care of). But going down from North Weeks there were a couple of bad ones:


I hit the "peak" of Middle Weeks Mtn about 1:45

and I should have turned around there - that would have gotten me back to the car maybe around 4.

But NOOOOO, I just had to keep going. 35 minutes later, going up South Weeks Mtn, it got bad:

At 2:20 I finally called it quits - after scrambling over, and under, and around all the blow-down:



After hiking up-and-in for 3 hours 50 minutes, it took me 2 hours 40 minutes to get back down to the car:



A big shout-out to all the moss up on these mountains:


And of course I had to take a fun picture of the spring-fed creek:


I made it down-and-out the gate at 5:07 - Thank You GOD for having the gate open!


Of course you cannot drive home through Jackson, NH without stopping at Jackson Falls:
looking upstream:

looking downstream:


I already have plans underway to bag South Weeks Mtn. Home a little after 9, for a big kiss from my Wonderful Wife, and a Hot Bath! Thank you God for these wonderful adventures!!

Today's driving music was from my big iPod - the "K" albums:

various artists - Kahuna Classics - A Collection Of Surf Music, 1997


Donald Fagen - Kamakiriad, 1993

I've mentioned this before, but this has one of my favorite songs: "Snowbound".

Delerium - Karma, 1997


London Philharmonic Orchestra - Kashmir: The Symphonic Led Zepplin, 1997


Steely Dan - Katy Lied, 1975


Dave Brubeck - Ken Burns Jazz: Dave Brubeck, 2001


The Who - The Kids Are Alright, 1979

The Catskills- 4000 footer #2 - Slide Mtn

Friday, May 18, 2018 - Hike Slide Mountain (4,180), then visit the Senate House State Historic Site in Kingston, NY, and the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park, NY:

Another day of Hiking and Art!

On my way up to Slide Mountain - a very pretty picture of 3 pairs of geese, with a-bunch-of little ones:

A nice turnout farther on up the road:


I wound up hiking 7.34 miles in 3 hours 25 minutes:


I got up to the trailhead at 9:45

and started uphill:

The moss is REALLY COOL:


After hiking for an hour, I reached the intersection:

I came up he trail from the left, and will be going up the trail to the right.


Hiking up through some very cool rock formations:


Almost at the top, there is a nice ledge on the left with views to the north:



Noon up at the Summit:


Ooops - here is the whole sign:


Just a litte farther east is a large rock ledge with a view to the east:

Kind of obstructed view - I think that is the Hudson River:


Nice day for a hike - heading back down:

WOW - TWO 4,000 footers in TWO days - quite a way to start the season!!

I drove east to the Senate House State Historic Site in Kingston, NY. They have 2 paintings by Jervis McEntee, one of the Hudson River School artists I like.

The nicer painting is "Landscape: Rondout Creek", no date:


There was also a nice watercolor by John Vanderlyn - "View in Rome", 1805-1806:


I realized I had enough time, so I crossed over the Hudson River and visited the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park, NY:

With a lovely view over the Hudson River, I do believe I have found our next "Summer Cottage".

The 4 o'clock tour was very good, and allowed us to be distracted from all the Prom people assembling around outside:


Unfortunately I did not get to see the Edmund Darch Lewis painting - "Romantic Landscape", 1854:


A little over an hour to get back to my Super 8. Hot bath, cheese steak, and Playoff Hockey to wind down the day. Thank you God for these wonderful adventures!

NOTE: Since I will only be doing Art tomorrow (no hiking), I will be posting Day 3 (going home) on dixonheadingwest link here

Today, for my listening pleasure, I have been doing Shuffle Songs on my iPod. 17,869 songs! Today I listened to 72 songs, starting with:

#1 - "Sunday Nights" - Frank Turner (from the album Poetry of the Dead, 2009)


and ending with #72 - "From This Moment On" - Frank Sinatra (from the album Classic Sinatra II, 2009 compilation album)


GREAT SONGS in between included:
#6 - "Play It All Night Long" - Warren Zevon (from the album Learning to Flinch, 1993 live solo acoustic album)

#8 - "Hey! Baby" - Bruce Channel (from the album 25 Beach Music Classics, 2003)

#32 - "Get It On (Bang A Gong)" - Power Station (from the album Living In Oblivion : The 80's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, 1993)

#33 - "Tripping Billies" - Dave Matthews Band (from the album The Best Of The Columbia Records Radio Hour, Vol. 2, 1996)