52 With A View: Black Mountain (Benton)

Thursday, August 10, 2023 - This is a zoomed-in map of the New Hampshire "52 With A View" - I have climbed 22 of them so far. I'll be doing Black Mountain (Benton) today:

I started at my Breakfast-in-Boston and then went 2-and-1/2 hours north:

It is a beautiful day in New Hampshire:

I reached the Trailhead a little before noon. I'll be taking the Chippewa Trail up to the summit of Black Mountain:

It is supposed to be s short hike (less than 4 miles round-trip), but also a "Hard" hike (one guy wrote "STEEP"). We'll see:

After one mile you are going up (pretty vertical) through the woods:

The trail is pretty easy to follow, but it does get gnarly:

My first view looks west:

But I still have a bit to go to get to the Summit:

Up at almost-the-Summit, I went straight (and came back down on the left):

I made the Summit at 1:10

I did a nice "blow-up shot" of the mountains-beyond-mountains:

And the rock-ridge that I went along up here is pretty cool:

Back down into the woods at 1:23

Sometimes having the "Trail Blaze" on a tree is not such a good idea:

My blazes are yellow, so it was interesting seeing blue blazes:

I wound up doing 3.5 miles in 2 hours 18 minutes:

I got home for dinner at 6:30 - Thank You God for this wonderful "52 With A View" day!

For my listening pleasure today - all from a cd I burned 20 years ago, in wma format:

Going North:

Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks Volume 8, 1970 concert triple-album

from Wikipedia: "Dick's Picks Volume 8 is the eighth live album in the Dick's Picks series of releases by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded on May 2, 1970, at Harpur College (now Binghamton University) in Binghamton, New York. It was released in mid-1997. In a 1993 poll of Grateful Dead tape traders, the 5/2/70 show was ranked #6 on the list of all-time favorite Dead concert tapes."

Going South:

Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls, 1989 debut album (on a major label)

For our 10th Anniversary, Wendy and I saw Neil Young down at The Tweeter Center (Mansfield, Mass.), and the Indigo Girls opened for him. They did a good tight show with songs from this album.

Pink Floyd - Delicate Sound of Thunder, 1988 live double-album

Excellent music, played loud (because I'm on the highway), but I can still hear the music. The last time I listened to this live double-album was October 2014.

Pink Floyd - The Division Bell, 1994

I Love This Album. The last time I listened to this album was September 2013.

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about visiting Art Museums and National Parks (and hiking in the Rockies)
hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/

Terrifying 25: North Slide and South Slide

Friday, July 28, 2023 - I had a lot of "local stuff" to do yesterday (Thursday is usually my "hiking day"), so I postponed THE HIKE to today. One of the lists I am currently doing is the Terrifying 25. The "Terrfiying 25" is a list of trails in New Hampshire that have what may seem to be some type of "dangerous activity" associated with them (rock slides, multiple ladders, etc). There are 20 "Required" Trails, plus you select 5-of-14 "Optional" trails.

On the map:
Yellow = "Required", have not climbed
Orange = "Optional", have not climbed
Black = "Have Climbed"

I have climbed 11 of them, and today's are two Rock Slides just east of Waterville Valley:

From the Parking Lot, I'll be going east on Livermore Trail, then make a clockwise loop (up to North Tripyramid, over and across Middle Tripyramid to South Peak, and then back down Tripyramid Trail to connect with Livermore Trail. The blogs say 11 miles in 7 hours:

I was on the Livermore Trail by noon:

I was up at the intersection with "Mt Tripyramid Trail" at 1:13

It crosses a very pretty brook:

and makes it's way through the forest:

By 2 PM I was making my way up "North Slide":

I was on "North Slide" for Mile 5 of the day. That mile took 1 hour 40 minutes:

The side-trail off to "North Tripyramid":

From there it is a cool hike over to "Middle Tripyramid". I really like hiking these trails-between-peaks:

I hit the "Middle Tripyramid" summit area at 3:33 - there was no sign (none at "North Tripyramid" either):

From there it was over to "South Peak" at 3:54

Then I started DOWN - the "Terrifying 25" "South Slide", the sunshine and the views:

GOING DOWN IS A LOT EASIER! "South Slide" took 25 minutes to cover 0.27 mile. I like the way Google Earth displays these "Terrfiying 25" hikes:

When all was said and done, I did 10.59 miles in 6 Hours. The Mad River in Waterville Valley was a bit too cold for a swim, so I headed home:

I got home at 8 for a late dinner with Wendy. Thank You God for this wonderful COMBO DAY (2 "Terrifying 25" hikes)!

For my listening pleasure today - all from a cd I burned 20 years ago, in wma format:

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Boston - August 27, 1999, bootleg (3 cds)

Yes - of course, I was at that show! [3rd show I saw - final night of his 5-night-run in Boston]. And now I'm warming up to see him and The E Street Band at Gillette Stadium on Thursday August 24 with my Beautiful Bride!!

The Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks, 1971 double-album, greatest hits

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about visiting Art Museums and National Parks (and hiking in the Rockies)
hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/