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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

In short, Hawaii is incredible. My lady and I spent a week and half there, with our time split between O’ahu and Kauai. O’ahu was wonderful for seeing the sights (Waikiki, Hanauma Bay, Pearl Harbor, etc.) and having fun with our friends. Kauai was the best for outdoor activities and beaches. I highly recommend seeing both of these islands if you ever get to Hawaii!

For me, the highlight of the trip was hiking in Waimea Canyon on Kauai. The canyon walls rise about 4,000 feet and they are quite a sight to behold. We hiked down a wooded trail and along the canyon ridge to the top of Waipo’o Falls — a wonderful 4-mile round trip.

You can see more pictures in our Hawaii photo gallery. Aloha!

PS: This title of this post is from The Simpsons.

During the summer, the Flume has a fully staffed and very crowded visitors’ center which acts as a (for-pay) gateway to the park. But with the advent of winter, the center closes down and the land is free to use. Though the parking lots are plowed, the paths up to the visitors’ center are not, and once up to the front, you’ll need to hop over a stone wall and walk around the building to get to the trailhead. This sounds sketchy but trust me it’s 100% within the rules, I know because I emailed the park staff before we went up there

After putting our ’shoes on at the trailhead behind the building, we headed down the trail and across a covered bridge which leads to the beginning of the gorge. In the summer, a series of boardwalks takes you through the gorge, but these are pulled away when the Flume closes for winter. There are some permanent boardwalks on either end of the gorge, though, and we were able to walk down these a little ways so we could take in the incredible sight of the ice-covered gorge walls and the pristine beauty of Avalanche Falls.

After experiencing the gorge, we continued following the trail towards The Pool, a small body of water surrounded by near 100-foot rock cliffs. Spanning the northern end of The Pool is Sentinel Pine bridge, another covered bridge that was built on the trunk of a giant fallen pine tree. After The Pool, the trail then heads back towards the visitors’ center though a series of enormous glacial boulders.

At just under three miles, this trip was neither too short nor too long. Whether you are brand new to snowshoeing or you are an experienced veteran, I highly recommend checking out The Flume in the winter time. You will not be disappointed! For more pictures, check out my full photo gallery on Flickr.