First 4000-footer in winter (conditions): Mt. Tecumseh

After the AMC's Winter Hiking Program, we were ready to tackle our first 4,000 footer in winter (though technically it's not winter, but it sure felt like it!) Just 17 degrees at trailhead at 10am. The high hit 20. But it was a fairly comfortable hike as there was no wind. A few stream crossings -- none of them difficult.

Although the trail was packed down, and we could have barebooted it the entire way, we changed to snowshoes about 1/3 of the way up, and stayed in them until the end of the hike. I feel we had much better traction in them, especially on the descent.

The view at the top is occluded by trees, but you can see the Tripyramids and the Osceolas. We also could see the ridge of the Presidentials, completely covered in snow.

See photos taken by Bruno Rijsman, a fellow hiker, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brijsman/sets/72157623036784638/.

Thanks to Mohamed Ellozy, Sandy Green and Claudine Kos for leading the hike!

6 miles, 2,200' elevation gain to summit (~ 6 hours)
Summit: Mt. Tecumseh (4,003')
Route: Mt. Tecumseh Trail to summit, Sosman Trail spur, then Mt. Tecumseh Trail back down

Shaking our groove thangs at The Donkey Show

The Donkey Show -- a re-imagining of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with a 70s disco theme -- is less theater than a disco dance party. You are enticed into dancing to all the popular disco songs from that era from the moment you walk onto the set.

Christine, Jim, Janet, Jessica and Derek and I thoroughly enjoyed dancing together to the disco hits after the show as well. Heck, that's got to be the best part of the show -- dancing to those great songs from way back when. So much fun that this was Christine's second time, and Janet and Jim vowed to go back another night! I might join them...

Mt. Crawford & Parker Traverse (NH)

I met NH Chapter AMC leader Ray Caron, Audrey, Pat and a friend of theirs at 7am at the Highland Center for breakfast on Sunday. The others decided to climb to Wildcat for "grander" views. Ray and I stuck to the original plan - a bootleg traverse (the scheduled AMC hike was rained out the previous weekend) that would take us over Mt. Crawford, the Resolutions and Mt. Parker to the town of Bartlett.

At the height of the fall foliage in the Whites, visiting 3,000' high peaks instead of doing a 4,000 footer enabled us to better view the stunning foliage because we were effectively closer to the fabulous colors.

The Crawford-Resolution-Parker traverse that took us up and over 4 summits - Mt. Crawford, Mt. Resolution (though we didn't go to the "true" summit), South Resolution, and Mt. Parker -- in that order.

(Ray wrote an excellent trip report on VFTT which includes stunning photos of the fall foliage and magnificent mountain scenery.)

All four mountains, located NW of North Conway, NH off of Route 302, have either treeless summits or treeless ledges, offering fine views. We did a car spot, with one car at the Davis Path trailhead and the second one in Bartlett at the end of the Langdon Path.

The hike to the summit of Mount Crawford is short, but steep. From there, if the weather cooperates, one has a full 360 degree view of the mountains surrounding the Presidential Range. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating for us while we were there, so we couldn't see Mt. Washington. No worries, because the valleys in all directions were at peak color. Just stunning!

For many, the summit of Mt. Crawford is the final destination and they return the way they came. But we continued along the Davis Path north, to the intersection with the Mt. Parker Trail. Turning southeast, we hiked to the ledges of Mt. Resolution but did not attempt to find the true summit, which is off-trail, hidden among trees. More great views. Then on to South Resolution, a "bump" where we ate lunch and enjoyed more fall colors.

Finding the trail to South Resolution was quite an effort. But find it we did, and Ray used the tiny saw on his Leatherman to clear the path and make it more visible to hikers. We also placed several cairns on the top to enable hikers to find their way back down to the main trail.

After our trail maintenance near South Resolution, we headed for Mt. Parker, which is further south along the Mt. Parker Trail. It's another treeless summit with good views. Miraculously, the sky cleared when we hit Mt. Parker, so that we had magnificent, clear views of Mount Washington. We couldn't get enough of the beautiful fall colors.

I strongly recommend Mt. Parker, which can be ascended from Bartlett via the Mt. Langdon Trail in Bartlett. As with Mt. Crawford, the views are tremendous.

10.4 miles, 2,400' to Mt. Resolution, then some additional ups and downs (~ 9 leisurely hours)
Summits: Mt. Crawford (3,119'), Mt. Resolution (3,415'), South Resolution (~2,900'), and Mt. Parker (3,004')
Route: Davis Path to Mt. Parker Trail to Mt. Langdon Trail (ending in Barlett)

Exhilarating Macbeth

I saw the premier of the ART's "Sleep No More" on Thursday night and am still digesting it. If you are a traditionalist, you will not like the participatory nature of this production, or the requirement to wander and explore. It is a totally immersive experience. Bizarre and surreal. The darkness, peculiar sets and the actors' performances in various rooms was disorienting -- in a good way.

I felt like I was visiting a museum from the 1930's which had just been reopened. But there were actors and actresses performing around me, references to the 1500's and Macbeth, interesting smells, curious floor coverings, and the odd juxtaposition of school hallways and lockers -- all of which contributed to the dream-like state of the theater goers.

The bar which begins and ends the show is a clever idea. It's actually essential for those couples and friends who get separated to rendezvous. My favorite area was the Collector's Room, and the two-headed skeleton under the dusty glass.

Overall, Sleep No More was mysterious and exhilarating at the same time. Quite an imaginative staging of Macbeth. Congratulations to Diane Paulus and the ART for its courage in introducing Boston audiences to the Punchdrunk concept of participatory theater. Bravo!

Mt. Cabot, North Country, NH

For my first hike in New Hampshire's North Country, I joined the NH Chapter of AMC and ascended the region's highest summit. Mt. Cabot is the North Country's highest 4,000 footer. This bagged peak was particularly special because it was Leslie Greer's final 4,000-footer -- Mt. Cabot was her 48th!

I wonder just how many 4,000 footers I've actually done? Perhaps I should count them....

A treed summit, Mt. Cabot offers some views both from the cabin a few hundred feet below the summit and from a viewpoint looking eastward about half-way up the Kilkenny Ridge Trail.

Thanks to Bob Janukowicz (aka "Pilgrim") and Norm Michaels (the weatherman) for leading the hike!

9.6 miles,~2,700' elevation gain
Summit: Mt. Cabot = 4,170 feet high
Route: Unknown Pond Trail to Bunnell Notch Trail to Kilkenny Ridge Trail
3-1/2 hrs to Cabot Cabin; 7-1/2 hours to Mt. Cabot and back

Haunted Hiking in NH - Madame Sherri Forest

The estate of Madame Sherri is meant to be haunted. It is in ruins today, but in its time it was an exotic stone castle in Chesterfield, NH that was the summer home of Madame Antoinette Sherri, an eccentric Parisian singer who is rumored to have had a pet monkey and visited town wearing nothing but her fur coat.

I didn't hear any, but some visitors to this forest report hearing voices, music and the sounds of parties from a long time passed. Occasionally a visitor will even encounter the ghost of Madame Sherrie, beautiful and young, gracefully descending the stone stairway which still stands today.

The outdoor pool she built is so massive it looks like a pond. It's overgrown now, but it's easy to imagine what it was like in the 1920s when it was built with the house.

From the ruined estate, the Ann Stokes Loop is a pleasant 2-mile hike featuring exceptional views of Vernon Yankee (from East Hill ledge) and of Indian Pond (not a good swimming spot; it's reportedly full of leeches!) You can also reach the summits of either Daniels Mtn or Wantastiquet Mountain.

Wantastiquet Mountain (near Brattleboro, NH)

I couldn't remember this Indian name until I learned of this mnemonic device - I "Wanna- stick - it- in". Now I remember it!

For modest elevation gain, one gets some very nice vistas, including Monadnock and Stratton Mountains:

1) From East Hill ( a ledge looking south), you can see Northridge Mtn.
2) From Mine Ledge, you can see Mt. Monadnock
3) from Wantastiquet (the ledge at the Walter H. Child monument), you can see Brattleboro, the Connecticut and West Rivers, the Brattleboro Meadows (by the Retreat), Haystack Mountain and Stratton Mountain (the Meadows and Stratton are pictured).

Highlights were beautiful Indian Pond (with lots of leeches), Mine Ledge and the views over Brattleboro from the ledge with the Child Monument.

Thanks to AMC leader Lisa K. (not pictured) for leading the hike with Bridget, me, Betty Anne, Bridget's father Don and Pat (not pictured).

~6 miles, ~1,100 foot elevation gain
Summit: Wantastiquet Mountain = 1,350 feet
Trailhead: Madame Sherri Parking lot (on Gulf Road)
Route: Ann Stokes Loop SE toward Daniels Mtn, and then NW over East Hill (scenic view), around Indian Pond, and then west to Mine Ledge (scenic view) and the ledge with the Child Monument, then down Wantastiquet Mtn. to the Wal-Mart parking area (and Mountain Road trailhead)