Back in August of 2003, Dan and I found ourselves hiking the Daniel Webster Trail on our way up Mount Madison. I’m not sure exactly when it happened (though I’m guessing it was during post-summit euphoria) but at one point Dan told me about the AMC 4,000 footer club and how there are 48 4,000-foot peaks in the White Mountains. My love of the mountains and hiking had been growing steadily since about 2000, so when I heard about the list it was immediately apparent that it was something I needed to do. Right then and there, Dan and I decided that together we would start bagging the peaks on the list, with Mount Madison counting as number one.

Ever since then I’ve been chronicling our adventures as we continued to make trip after trip into the White Mountains. Now, 7 years later, Dan and I finished our project when during our annual July 4th camping trip we summited Mount Moosilauke, the 48th mountain on our list.

Moosialuke was the perfect peak to save for our last one. Our hike led us up the Beaver Brook trail, which runs along a cascade for nearly a mile. The summit of the mountain is surrounded by an alpine meadow, affording some beautiful 360-degree views. The summit was also once home to a lodge and the ruins of the foundation provide a great place to hang out and seek some shelter from the wind. Our group dropped our packs at the old foundation and cracked a bottle of champagne that Dan had packed in for the occasion. A fantastic trip, with incredible weather. It was also the first summit I completed with my new wife — her list is now at 2 down, 46 to go!

So what do we do now that we’ve bagged all the peaks on our list? Do them again? Try for the New England 4,000 footers? The New England Hundred Highest? Maybe try our hand at high-pointing the US? One thing’s for certain and that is we won’t stop any time soon. Our usual companions Mike and Chris are both well on their way to finishing their lists, so guys just let me know when you’re ready to head up again.

The very next thing, though, is our upcoming trip to Zion National Park, where we plan to hike Angel’s Landing. Stay tuned for more!

For more about the Mount Moosilauke hike:

• Hike page
• Photo gallery

OK the wedding was a little over a month ago but it’s better late than never to announce that I am now married to the love of my life, my wonderful new wife Gemma.

I think my wife summarized it best in our wedding announcement:

The ceremony took place at the Monponsett Inn in Halifax on May 29, 2010. Even though the weather threatened to spoil the day, it all worked out. “It was pouring rain for about an hour before the ceremony, before clearing up at exactly 6:30,” writes Gemma. “The outdoor ceremony had perfect weather complete with birds chirping and a rainbow over the bride. I guess we got good luck either way, since it rained and shined on our wedding day!”

Thanks to everyone who attended for making it the happiest day of my life!

You can see more photos at my Flickr gallery.

After a few cancellations due to bad weather, we finally got a window of opportunity to hike up Mt. Washington this past weekend. The highest peak in the White Mountains, Washington soars to just about 6300 feet at the summit.

By a “window of opportunity” I mean waiting for weather conditions that wouldn’t kill us. Mount Washington is home to the world’s worst weather, and we didn’t want to take that lightly. The day started off very well, with fairly clear skies and a view straight up to the top. However, as the morning turned into afternoon, clouds came through and covered the summit. As a result, we hiked the final two miles to the summit in a thick fog with only a couple hundred feet of visibility. Combined with the wind and drizzle, it was quite an experience.

Hiking Washington is bittersweet — due to the auto road and the cog railway, the summit is crowded with tourists. It’s tough to feel like you’ve accomplished much when you get to the summit and you’re able to use a flush toilet, eat pizza and clam chowder, and buy a t-shirt. On the other hand, knowing you’ve just climbed the highest peak in the Northeast is a great feeling.

This hike gets us one closer to completing the 48 4,000 footers in the White Mountains. We’ve only got one left and we plan to do that in the spring or early summer of 2010. Until then, we’ll be enjoying some great fall and winter hikes!

• Mount Washington hike page
• Photo gallery from the hike

Figured it’s about time to post about some of the trips we’ve taken over the last few months. Let’s take a look at them, starting with the most recent.

The most recent hike we did was an overnighter to the most remote 4,000 foot peaks in the White Mountains: Owl’s Head. The majority of the hike in was flat, about 8 miles worth. Then it’s straight up the mountain: 1500 feet in one mile or so. We were chasing the clock, so we went as fast as we could. It was brutal. Fun, though!

Then, back in May we surprised Shawn on his birthday with a camping trip out in the Catskills. As part of the trip we hiked out to Kaaterskill Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in New York state. The hike was short, not very strenuous, and incredibly rewarding. They were some of the most gorgeous waterfalls I’ve ever seen.

Finally, in early March our regular hiking crew decided to trek up Mount Whiteface. We got a wonderfully clear day, and the weather cooperated with us. Here we are on the south summit:

OK so that’s about it, just wanted to put a quick update out there as to what’s been going on lately! For more info, check out:

• Owl’s Head hike page
• Owl’s Head photo set
• Kaaterskill Falls photo set
• Mt. Whiteface photoset