Ever since we got together, Gemma and I have been throwing around the idea of spending some time out in San Francisco and the surrounding wine country area. Well, we recently did just that and all I can say is I wish we hadn’t waited so long. The landscape is incredible, the people are wonderful, and the food is unbelievable.

Here are some highlights of our trip:

• We got engaged! I proposed at a winery called Terra Valentine, which I thought would be a fitting place to pop the question.
• Our friends Kristy and Damon took us on a special tour of wine country. Visiting wineries with two industry insiders is the only way to do it. Not only are the tastings free, but you get to sample the reserve wines and sometimes even get the behind-the-scenes tours. Thanks Kristy and Damon!
  

• Fine San Francisco dining. Dinners at Garry Danko and Asia de Cuba were two of the best meals I’ve ever eaten.
• I got to satisfy my hiking urge by taking a 3-mile walk among the giant redwood trees at Muir Woods. I highly recommend this if you are at into hiking or the forest or any kind of nature.
  

• We took a boat to Alcatraz and spent the day wandering around and exploring the island. Some may wonder if this is worth it and the answer is a resounding yes! The tour is fascinating and there’s much more than just an old prison out there.

  

Those are the major ones, but just being out there is a highlight itself. We definitely can’t wait to go back!

See more pictures from the trip on my Flickr galleries.

This past weekend we went up to New Hampshire for an awesome fall hike, this time hitting the peaks of Wildcat Mountain (there are 5 of them, though only 2 count towards the list). This one was almost over before it began, since the very first thing we needed to do was cross Glen Ellis Brook which had fast, high, freezing cold water. Jumping from icy rock to icy rock is a recipe for disaster, but thankfully we all stayed dry.

After the brook crossing, we started a 2 mile walk straight up the side of the ridge to the summit of Wildcat D. The day was pretty cold, but it was amazingly clear, which gave us some incredible views on the way up and from the summit. Here you see a view of Mt. Washington where you can see Tuckerman’s and Huntington Ravines:

Wildcat you may know is a ski mountain. So it was cool to get to the top of D peak and see the lifts waiting for the winter. We were able to use the old lift house as a wind-stop for lunch, which was another stroke of luck.

After the summit of Wildcat D, it was a relatively easy walk across the ridge to the summit of A peak, the highest of all the Wildcat peaks.

Overall, a great fall hike! For more info:

• Hike info page
• Photo gallery

We did get a late start on hiking this season, but we’re making up for lost time. Last weekend, a few of us went up to the ‘Whites and hiked up past Lonesome Lake and across the Kinsman Ridge to both peaks of Mt. Kinsman.

Though rain was in the forecast, we ended up with a beautiful day. September 13th also happened to be the day that Flags on the 48 was going on. Basically, what happens is that on the first Saturday after September 11, volunteers hike up to each of the 48 peaks on the White Mountains 4,000 footer list and place an American flag on the summit from noon until 2:00.

It’s a pretty nice gesture, as far as honoring those who died that day in 2001. We met some interesting characters involved in the event, and we’re even thinking about volunteering to cover a peak next year!

For more pictures, route info, etc. check out:

• The photo gallery
• The hike page

We finally took our first hiking trip of the year last weekend, the late start being attributed to some unforeseen events. No matter though, it was if we had never left… To break up the day, we decided to do two relatively short hikes in order to tie up some loose ends. The morning one was a trip to the summit of Mount Osceola, which we missed in February when we snow-shoed up the East peak.

In the afternoon we hit our second peak, Cannon Mountain. Going by the book time this is a short one (4 miles/3 hours) so the idea was to get that out of the way without having to one day go up north for only that hike. Though, I’m not sure what Olympian they had time that one out because it was more like 4:15 since it was insanely steep for almost half the journey to the summit.

The times were good, and it definitely felt great to get back onto the White Mountains trails again. Only seven peaks to go before we’ve finished the list, but who’s counting?

For even more:

• Photo gallery
• Mt. Osceola Hike
• Cannon Hike