What a long strange trip it's been....

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love the Grateful Dead. For those who don't know, the Grateful Dead is a rock band formed in San Francisco in the early 1960s. I have been listening to them for nearly 40 years, and attended over 35 of their concerts.

Sadly, on August 9, 1995, lead singer and original band member, Jerry Garcia passed away. The legions of fans thought this was the end. Happily, the remaining band members continued the journey in many different forms and incantations, both with surviving members, or on solo projects. Many other bands formed as tribute bands, playing Grateful Dead music. One such band, Dark Star Orchestra (DSO), has been performing for twenty years.  I have attended 25 of their performances. The difference between DSO and other tribute bands is that DSO recreates entire past Grateful Dead concerts song for son, transporting the listener to a past show.

Part of the mystique of the band is the fans, better known as Dead Heads. You haven't lived until you have walked through the parking lots prior to a Grateful Dead concert. You would see a multi-colored sea of tie dye shirts and happy people partying before the show.

In late November of 2016, I had tickets to a DSO show in Concord, New Hampshire, USA. As usual, my friends and I went to a local pub for some dinner and drinks before the show. The pub was filled with many concert goers all listening to Grateful Dead music and having a good time. While enjoying drinks with my friends, this older couple came in and sat down at a table near us. The wife commented that she liked my Grateful Dead concert shirt and was distressed that she forgot to bring one herself.

Now, part of the mystique of Dead Heads is that many of them are extremely generous, and would give the shirt right off their backs. That is exactly what I did. I asked the women if she wanted to wear my shirt (I had a base layer underneath). She protested that she couldn't take my shirt. I insisted that she could, and immediately took it off and handed it to her. To say she was shocked was an understatement.

After putting the shirt on over her blouse, she said that we could meet after the show and she would give it back. I reminded her that there were about 2000 people going to the show and we probably wouldn't be able to find each other. I said to her "Let's leave it all up to the Fates. If I see you after the show, you can give me back my shirt. If not, keep it and wear it in good health." All the other patrons in the pub were both equally shocked and impressed that I literally gave the shirt off my back to a total stranger. I didn't think to much more about it and continued to drink my beer.

Finally, the time came to go into the show, which was General Admission. My friend Rob and I made our way as far up front as we could, and found seats about 11 rows back from the stage on the the left hand side. I looked ahead, and there two rows directly in front of us, was the woman I gave my shirt to. I could not believe my good luck! The show went for about two and half hours and we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously. At the end of the show, good to her word, the woman gave me my shirt back and thanked me profusely, saying I had made her night. We both came away with a story of how a good deed was rewarded in the end. Karma can work in many ways! Anyway, be cool to each  other and rock on! Thanks for reading! 

A trail less traveled...

By now, anyone who has read my blog knows that I am an avid hiker. Nothing thrills me more than to be in the woods, on a mountain trail, all alone. In fact, I seek out the trails less traveled to experience the solitude and serenity of the wilderness. This past Sunday was no different. I had decided to hike Mt Lafayette, the sixth tallest mountain in New Hampshire at 5,248 feet.

I generally hike alone, and like most hikers, have suffered minor trail inconveniences like blisters, rolled ankles and scrapes. Thankfully, I had never suffered a major injury on the trail. That is, until last Sunday when I severely sprained my ankle and was still three miles from the car...but I jump ahead of myself...

Mt Lafayette is also located right off I93 in New Hampshire, so is a favorite of tourist hikers, and therefore can become quite crowded. Knowing this, I decided to hike the less used Skookumchuck Trail. This decision proved to be the right choice because I had the trail all to myself all day.

The Skookumchuck Trail approaches the mountain from a northerly direction. It is also one of the longest ways to access the summit with a total hike (one way) of 5.1 miles. This alone dissuades many hikers, who want the shortest distance to the summit. I on the other hand, will search out these trails to avoid the crowds. I am usually never disappointed.

The Skookumchuck Trail ascends at a gentle slope for the first 2+ miles through wonderful hardwood forest. The forest is more open than most because there was some extensive logging there in the not too distance past. While you can see much father through the trees, I am not sure I like this practice because it takes away from the original nature of the woods.

This hike started out, like most of my hikes seem to do, in the early morning from an empty parking lot in the mountains. The temperature was about 32 degrees and there was very little wind. The gentle sound of song birds filled the air, with the occasional screech form a couple of crows. I donned my pack and gloves, set the Hiking Tracker on my phone, and off I went.

The blazes are frequent and full of color, although the trail is so evident that you could find your way without them. As I mentioned, The Skookumchuck Trail is rather an easy grade at first.

For much of the trail, the gentle and soothing sound of a brook serenades you for the first couple of miles. I am always on the search for woodland critters near the streams. With the loud water sounds, they sometimes don't hear you. I did not see any this day unfortunately.

Although this was early Spring, after the first two miles I ran into the snow. Much of the snow had turned to ice, making difficult to maintain good traction, even with Hillsound micro spikes. Thankfully, there were lots of handholds on the trees to help navigate through the ice.

The icy conditions of the trail continued unabated until nearly the summit. This necessitated focus and concentration on each step to ensure safety. Eventually, after much work, I began to break out of the trees into the Alpine Zone.

Quite frequently, the summit can be covered in clouds. Thankfully, this day was not like that. It was a rare early Spring exception. This day was a pleasure. Bluebird Sky, light winds and ground fog to give the pictures character. It was much different when I hiked this trail the previous December. The wind chills were below zero and the visibility was non-existent.

At this point, I had traveled 4.2 miles, mostly in the trees, and the last half of the hike over ice. Here above tree line, where the sun has unfetted access to the mountain, the ice and snow were minimal. I took off the Hillsound micro spikes for the summit push, which according to the trail sign was .8 miles away.

Shortly after removing the spikes, I hit a section of trail that looked like snow, but was solid ice. On went the spikes once again. This was a tricky section right below the summit. If you lost traction here, there was a good chance you would get hurt. As tricky as it was going up, it was much worse descending this section.

However, with grit and determination, and a bit of confidence, I soon cleared this section and was able to reach the summit. There was a couple just leaving as I arrived, so I had the summit to myself until I left.

I have climbed this mountain on five separate occasions and all but two of them were good days. The winds and clouds usually obscure the views from the ridge, but today was one of those that makes everything worth while!

The summit had bright sunshine, low winds and unlimited views in all directions. I was truly in my happy place. (I didn't know what was in store for me later on the way down).

I found a place to relax and eat my breakfast. The view I had while eating was spectacular. I could have sat there for hours contemplating the view of the Pemigewasset Wilderness below me.

All too soon, it was time to descend. "You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know. Rene Daumal"

The descent started easily enough. I just retraced the same route back that I took to the summit.While descending, I was treated to wonderful views until the trail led back  into the trees. 

Once in the trees, I was forced to deal with the icy conditions and place each step with care, to avoid injury. All went well until I was well into the descent, but still 3 miles from the car. 

On a steep section of the trail, I thought I was stepping on a stone, when in fact it was a slippery, rotting log. This is something I try to avoid at all cost. Sadly, as soon as I stepped on the log, my left leg shot out from me, while my body pitched the other direction. My right foot remained planted and took the brunt of the fall. I immediately felt a white hot pain shoot through my lower leg as I landed on top of a rock. I screamed in pain, but quickly regained composure. Although my leg was very painful, I did not see that I had any other injuries other than a scrape that was bleeding slightly. I decided to stand up, but when I put weight on my right foot, down I went again with a lot of pain. 

This time I screamed in frustration at my predicament. Here I was, on a trail seldom used by hikers, 3 miles from my car, and I possibly had broken my ankle. This was not an ideal time to be solo hiking. The last thing I wanted to do was to call in Search and Rescue (SAR). Not only did I think they had more important things to do then come for me, I did not want to be a news story splashed across local TV and Facebook! 

I sat on a a rock and drank some Gatorade and ate a granola bar. and took stock of my situation. I had plenty of daylight left, which was good. It was relatively warm and sunny, which was even better. I had 3 miles to go, which thankfully wasn't 5 or more, but still a long way considering my problem. 

I decided to sit for awhile to give my foot & ankle a chance to rest.  I then got out my adjustable hiking poles (which I only carry for emergencies) and adjusted them to the proper height. My plan was to use the two poles, in conjunction with my good leg, to keep as much pressure of the right as possible. When I finally stood up again, I found that I could put a little pressure on the foot, although it was quite painful. 

Although the trail was relatively smooth, the going was considerably slower than I would normally hike. Every bump, or little jolt to my right foot sent waves of pain. I know for a fact that I sounded like an old man with all the grunts, grimaces of pain and swearing I did while trying to navigate the trail. Eventually, after much effort, I successfully rescued myself and made back to my car.

The next day at the orthopedic clinic it was confirmed. A severe high ankle sprain. I was issued a temporary cast and told to stay off it as much as possible and no hiking for at least two weeks. I'll probably go stir crazy waiting for the time to pass until I can hit the trails again. 

Enjoy some more photos from an otherwise spectacular day, all things considered! Happy trails.
Thanks for reading! 

Mt Garfield

Mt Washington and the Presidential Range

Nearing the summit of Lafayette

Cannon Mt

N & S Kinsman and the Franconia Notch

Lafayette Summit

The doctor's orders were to relax for two weeks. This should do it!

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Mad as a Hatter...

There is a place like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it, you need to be as mad as a hatter. Which luckily I am. ~ The Mad Hatter

If you read my Blog before, you know that I am a hiker. I love being in the woods. I think nothing of waking up on a day off from work at 4:00 AM, driving 2 - 2 1/2 hours (or more) and hiking up and down countless mountain miles, sometimes for more than 6 hours, alone in the wilderness. My wife, on the other hand, thinks I am absolutely bonkers! She can't even begin to contemplate why I would want to do this in the Summer. The concept of Winter hiking is so strange to her, it's as if I have spoken a foreign language.

This past Saturday was no different. I was to hike in the Wiley range, and planned to summit Mounts Tom, Filed, Wiley and Avalon, for a total of 10.35 miles. (because of the topography, I would actually have to summit Mt Field twice)

The alarm on my Fitbit went off at 4:00 am. I dressed quickly and quietly, trying not to wake my wife or the dog. In the kitchen I boiled water for my French Press coffee maker, and got my food and drink for the hike into my Backpack. I was on the road slightly before 5 AM, and found it to still be slick from the snow the night before. I lowered my speed and continued on.

I arrived at Crawford Notch Depot (the trails were across the tracks) in the cold, predawn light. I could hear the wind howling outside my car. I saw two hikers just leave the parking lot as I pulled in.

I was not entirely motivated to get out while sitting on heated seats and drinking hot coffee, so I sat there for about 20 minutes, trying to absorb every last vestige of heat I could.

When I finally convinced myself to get going, it had begun to get light, so I didn't need the headlamp. I put hand warmers in my gloves, donned my hat and jacket, strapped on the pack, put Hillsound trail crampons on and headed out. The first thing that I noticed was that the wind was determined to slam the door shut on my legs, and nearly succeeded. The second thing was that after being so warm and cozy for the last couple of hours on the drive up, it was VERY cold. I covered myself as best I could and hoped that I had chosen the right amount of layers.

I immediately started making good time and was moving up the trail at a good pace. Within a very short time, I had to stop and remove layers to avoid sweating too soon. It always amazes me that it can be low 20s, and I can be wearing two thin layers.

About a mile or so up the trail, I came across the two hikers who started 20 minutes before me. They were two friendly younger guys in their mid 20s or so, and had stopped for a snack. Convinced that these guys would soon catch me, I bid them goodbye and continued on. I was surprised that I never saw them until I was leaving the summit of Mt Tom and they were just coming up. We continued to run into each other throughout the day.

After starting on the Avalon trail, I switched to the A-Z Trail, which would bring me to the Mt Tom Spur. This was a nice trail, made better by the snow cover. I find that winter hiking, (although cold) can be easier than in the Summer because the rocks and roots are covered over.

At this point, I was alone in the woods, with no one near, and not a sound but the wind and birds. To me, there is nothing more relaxing than this. This, more than the occasional summit views, is why I hike. I love the solitude of the woods, far away from the sounds of civilization.

Soon enough, I made the first summit, which was Mt Tom. Even though it is not an open summit, it was decidedly colder up top, so I donned the jacket and balaclava to stay warm.

I took a moment here to hydrate. I never seem to drink enough when I am solo hiking because I am usually pushing myself and can barely breathe, never mind drink! I also decided to have a snack and pulled out a granola bar. There is saying saying "the woods have eyes", and on Mt Tom, this is true.

The Gray Jay, also called Canada Jay, makes its home on many mountain in New Hampshire, and Mt Tom is one of them. These birds are very curious, and extremely bold. They have learned over the years that hikers are friendly and hikers have food and are willing to share.

From All About Birds ~ The deceptively cute Gray Jay is one of the most intrepid birds in North America, living in northern forests year-round and rearing chicks in the dark of winter. Highly curious and always on the lookout for food, Gray Jays eat just about anything, from berries to small animals. They may even land on your hand to grab a raisin or peanut. During summer they hoard food in trees to sustain themselves through bleak winters.

While it can be fun to pretend to be the Bird Whisperer, these little guys can get aggressive and pesky at times. Specifically if there are more than one present and they are competing for your food. I was lucky enough to only see this guy, so I decided to share my granola bar with him. He enjoyed about half of one, and kept flying back to my hand for more.

He did get a little aggressive when I was leaving, and kept flying back and forth in front of me. it was if he was trying to get me to stay feeding him!

Having finished playing with the bird, I started to head to the next summit, Mt Field. The day started windy, cloudy and stayed much the same, with intermittent snow showers.

Unfortunately, today was not a day for mountain views. I wasn't terribly upset. Any time I spend in the woods on a mountain is still a great day!

Since it was only 1 mile away, I made the summit of Mt Field rather quickly. I found the temperature was still rather chilly.

I was still hoping to see two of my FB hiking friends, Suzanne and Andy, but they were not on Mt Field. They were coming from the opposite direction, although I didn't know that at the time. Seeing no one on Mt Field, I didn't stay long, and pushed on to Mt Wiley, which was another 1.3 miles away.

The trail to Mt Wiley was my favorite part of the hike. The trail is on the backside of the mountain and has a feel as if it were more remote than it actually is.

I continued to move a brisk pace, although still managing to stop and take photos and to enjoy the solitude that I so desperately seek! I was not disappointed on the this section of trail.

I gained the summit of Mt Wiley, and took a photo for my friends in my old home town of Taunton, Massachusetts. In recognition of Taunton, I carried the Taunton Flag (AKA The Bristol County Flag).

This was the first flag raised in the colonies in defiance against the British Crown on the Taunton Green, October 11, 1774. 

One of my joys in hiking is bringing a small thermos of hot tea to enjoy on the summit. On a cold hike, this is sometimes all it takes to keep my spirits up when I am feeling particularly cold and unmotivated.

Just because I am in the wilderness is no reason to be uncivilized. You will notice I have the pinky out as required!

Once I was ready to leave the summit of Wiley and head to Mt Avalon, I realized I had a very good chance of finishing this 10.35 mile hike in under 5 hours. That is VERY fast for me. When I solo hike, I try to push myself to make it a workout.

If I were to finish under 5 hours, I would really have to work for it. I hustled back over Mt Field ( because of the topography, you have to go back over this mountain to get back to the car), and quickly made the summit of Mt Avalon. Normally, this is a fantastic view, but today the weather gods had other ideas

The views on the way down did not improve. I did not meet up with my friends, although I did meet many, many hikers coming up as I was descending.

The closer I got to my car, the quicker the magic 5 hour mark was approaching. I realized that the only way I would make it was to start running...and that's what I did. I bounded down the trail, trusting the grip of my Hillsound trail crampons.

Finally, after one last precarious water crossing where I had to cautiously walk across an ice covered log, I broke out of the woods and reached my car. My total time was 4 hours and 52 minutes. I had done it!!!

Now to start planning my next adventure.

Thanks for reading!!!