November 11, 2025 - Mt Shaw

It was a very chilly and windy day, with a few very light snow showers thrown in, for a walk up Mt Shaw, in the Ossipee range. This is a 52WAV "peak," but there wasn't much view up top. Still, it's nice to get out on the trails. There had been snow showers in the wee hours before, as a cold front came through at the end of some rain, leaving a light dusting on the ground. There wasn't  really enough of that slippery stuff to warrant the use of traction, just a bit more care in foot placement. The wet leaves were more the problem, I think. At the top, we took the usual selfie; in front are Bernie, Carol, and Chrissy, and in back are Dick, Marie, and Steph.

 

November 4, 2025 - Mt Paugus

We're into November now, and the 4K peaks are getting messy up high. This is a good time for revisiting the lower peaks, without "peak bagging," just having a nice mid-late fall day outing. So, five of us OTHH hiked up Mt Paugus, in the Sandwich Wilderness. A cold front, with some rain, had swept through overnight, and until the drier air on strong winds cleared things out, we found ourselves in a very light fall of sleet, which whitened up the sides of the trail and hung on the low growth nearby. At the outlook ledges just west of the summit signpost, the skies cleared out to give us a very nice view westward at Whiteface and Passaconaway, with some snow accumulations at their peaks. Below, at that view ledge, are Andy, Wharton, Deb, Dick, and Jane, pic courtesy of the sole other hiker we encountered on the trail the whole day.

 

October 28 - Mt Jackson

 Six of us OTHH had a nice fall day for a hike up Mt Jackson, southernmost of the presidential 4K. The lower half of the trail was bare ground. Below, at the junction with the trail to Mt Webster, are Pat, Andy, Deb, Ginger, and Marie.

As we got higher we ran into the first of increasing snow accumulation. By the time we were a bit below the top, the scenery was decidedly wintry, with fresh snow heavy on the trees, but with cloudless blue sky overhead.

 

Scrambling our way up over the snowy, steep ledges near the top was very slow going and a bit intimidating. The views from the top were well worth the effort. Below are Pat, Ginger, Deb, Marie, and Dick (pic by Andy).

 

 On Oct. 28, the Turtles hiked Cardigan Mountain.  Tracy, Lorraine, Mary M, Charlotte, Karen, Mary M, and Brian enjoyed a beautiful day, and a great way to end our season.

B group hikes Mt. Shaw, Oct 16th

 Nine of us wrapped up the B Group season with a hike to Mt Shaw at Castle in the Clouds. The weather was perfect for fall: sunny, breezy, cool, and crisp. You can see how many of us dug out the puffy coats for a 39F temp at the start. Summit views were fabulous, making Shaw one of the best 52 WAVs. There were no bear sightings (whew), and we were happy to see a little water in one of the streams after the recent rains. It was great to have Laura and Alan with us as they split time with a home in Colorado.

Below, from left to right, Mel, Lena, Cathy, Tom, Michele, Mary, Laura, and Alan huddle for warmth while Katherine takes the snapshot. In the photo below that, Katherine swapped places with Cathy and held onto Cathy's Pepperidge Farms holiday cookies for safe-keeping.

 On Oct. 24, the Friday Walkers ended our season by hiking Madison Boulder, Diana's Baths, and ending with lunch at the top of Cathedral Ledge.  

Kimberly, John, Nancy, Ricky, Ann, Jane, Kathie

October 21 - Tecumseh

A good group of the OTHH managed to snag a good fall hiking day, between two rainy days, to bag Mt Tecumseh, this time from the Tripoli Road end of the Mt Tecumseh trail. The nearly 2” of rain the day before made for a wet trail and "very interesting" water crossings! After some analyzing and a few deep breaths, we all made it over the crossings with limited water on our boots.

Below, still early in the hike, are: Michelle, Marie, Jane, Deb, Andy, and Mary.

Up at the summit are Michele, Deb, Mary, Andy, and Marie (pic by Jane).

 On Oct. 17, Alan, Peter, Ann, Lonnie, Jane, Karen, and Laura of the Friday Walkers hiked the Lincoln Woods trail to Franconia Falls.

October 14 Monroe & Washington

A week ago, Pam and Doug weren't comfortable with the weather forecast so decided to not hike Monroe & Washington. Fortunately for those that did hike, the weather was no where near what was forecasted. So, Pam and Doug hiked Monroe & Washington today in mostly fog. It was warm enough and with very little wind.

Pam completed her 10th round of the NH48 4000 footers! Doug finished his 10th round as well as his Over 70 round!

At the summit.

At the celebration.

 The Turtles on the fire tower at the top of Red Hill on Oct. 14.

Karen, Jorge, and Robyn

B group hiked Mt. Potash, Oct 9th

 The B group  of 13 hiked  Potash Mountain, a 52wav peak on the north side of the Sandwich Range. Good color, great views and excellent camaraderie abounded.

 On Oct. 10, the Friday Walkers hiked around White Lake in Tamworth.  And we then had ice cream at Eldridge Family Sugar House!

Andrea, Jorge, Nancy, Jane, John, Mary, Ricky, Kathie, Ann; Photographer:  Karen

Oct 2nd, Andrea and Mary finish their 52 WAV on Middle Sister

 We took Carter ledge over to Middle Sister trail and over to the summit of Middle Sister.  It was about a 10 mile hike round trip with lovely views and a great hike over all.  Congratulations to Mary and Andrea for completing their 52 WAV.  We love a reason to celebrate with cookies and cake!  Well done!

October 7 - Monroe & Washington

 Several of us OTHH enjoyed the last of a stretch of unseasonably mild temperatures, with a great day to be above tree line for so long, bagging Mt Monroe and the "big rock pile" - Mt Washington. We took the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail up to the Lakes of the Clouds AMC hut. From there, it's a short 22 minute hike up to nearby Mt Monroe. Below, at the top of Monroe, are Patsy and Jonathan. In the background, the lower end of that 1.5 mile, 1300 ft ascent from the hut to Washington is quite visible above the lakes (one of which is barely visible, with little water in it).

 

From the summit, we followed the path alongside the train track a short way, then took the Gulfside Trail down toward Mt Clay, then picked up the Jewell trail for the rest of the way down. Below is the view from where the Gulfside Trail comes right to the edge of the Great Gulf, with Spaulding Lake way down there. Surrounding the north side of that huge ravine are the northern presidentials: Clay, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison. What a view! We beat the rain expected late day, arriving at the car just as we felt the first sprinkles. [both pics by Dick]

 

 On Oct. 7, the Turtles hike Hedgehog (the UNH Trail).

 Karen, Tracy, Lorraine, Lacey, Lea

 On Oct. 3, the Friday Walkers hiked Pine Mt. in Alton.

 On Sept. 30, a group of Turtle hikers climbed Mt. Shaw on a beautiful day!

September 30 - The Carters

 On a nice, dry, cool but sunny late September day, a hardy group of us OTHH took a long walk "through some woods," to bag three of the NH 4K peaks, the Carters, none of which give any "view" from the top. But we did take a nice little detour from the direct route up to Carter Dome to take in the 360-degree views from Mt Hight, a bump on the shoulder of Carter Dome. The view across Pinkham Notch is of Mt Washington and the northern presidentials. After retreating to Zeta pass for another refueling stop, we kept going northward through the trees along the Carter-Moriah trail. That took us over South Carter, again with no view, and eventually to Middle Carter, still with no view. But then, just a "few" yards past that peak (which is easily missed), we emerged from the trees to a sudden, wonderful view across the notch and eastward into Maine. That was a great place to stop, snack some more, and to celebrate Jane's milestone - her completion of the NH 48 four thousand footers! Our congratulations to her on this accomplishment! Below, with the presidential range in view to the west are Dick, Patsy, Andy, Deb, and Jane.

 

The Wildcats - September 22, 2025

The very dry stretch of weather continued, although it made for great September hiking and dry trails. Several of the OTHH took the ski trail up from the Wildcat ski area to the top of the summit lift. The view from there across Pinkham Notch to Mt Washington and much of the northern presidential range is always impressive. Then it was up steeply the short remainder of the climb to the Wildcat "D" peak, where the observation tower provides a boost above the treetops for more westward view. Below are Andy and Pat, posing for the blog picture (of course! - pic by Dick).

Then it was onward and northward, alternating downs and ups, over the "C" and "B" bumps along the Wildcat Ridge trail for almost two miles, taking us to the "A" peak. The view there provides a great look downward (steeply) at the Carter Notch AMC hut and across at Carter Dome, with the Carters beyond that. Following lunch, we retraced back to the top of the ski area, then down the Polecat Trail and the car.

Tuesday Sep 16, 2025 Lafayette Lincoln

On Tuesday, a group of 5 hiked a section of the Franconia Ridge (Deb, Jane, Mary, Patsy and Andy). The summits hit were Lafayette (5260) and Lincoln (5089). These are the 6th and 7th highest in the NH 48 4000 footers. The weather was superb, providing excellent views.

Below are pictures of the group enjoying the hike.

 On Sept 19, Monty and Ann of the Friday Walkers hiked around Knights Pond.  A lovely day!

B group hikes Mt. Cardigan, Sep 18th

 Terrific hike today up Mt. Cardigan.  The trail was quiet but the summit not as much.  We had taken the longer route, and avoided the MANY school children on a field trip that took the more direct route.  The summit was all a buzz, but thankfully the trail was a peaceful and beautiful route for just the two of us.  

Ginger & Pam at the summit.

First Round of the 48 4,000 footers completed.

 Brad & Katy completed their first round of the New Hampshire 48 4,000 footers on Sep 7, 2025 on Bondcliff.  They saved the best for last... Well done to the both of you.

 On Sept. 16, a group of Turtle hikers climbed Mt. Pemigewasset on a beautiful day!

Lacey, Anne, Mary, Lea  photographer:  Tracy

Tuesday Sep 9, 2025 Kinsmans

A group of 8 hikers climbed the Kinsmans on Tuesday. We all found the new trailhead on Rt 116, paid the $10/car by putting money in a provided envelope and dropping that into the box. The Mt Kinsman trail ascends to the Kinsman Ridge Trail about 0.3 miles north of the N Kinsman summit. We then follow the Kinsman Ridge Trail, which is also part of the Appalachian Trail, over N Kinsman (4293) and continue to S Kinsman (4358). There is a big cairn made into the shape of a chair at the summit of S Kinsman. The descent goes back down the same trails. Along the way down, many of the hikers visited Bald Peak, a newly added 52 WAV.

Below are Deb, Brenda, Pat, Patsy and Michele at the intersection of the N Kinsman and Kinsman Ridge Trails. Behind them are the Cannon Balls and Cannon. To the right, in the distance, is Lafayette and Lincoln. Picture by Andy.

Below are Deb, Brenda, Patsy and Pat at the S Kinsman cairn. Picture by Andy.

Below, Patsy is enjoying the chair at S Kinsman.

Below are Doug and Pam at the cairn/chair at S Kinsman.

Below is the whole group at the trail intersection that goes to Bald Peak. L to R: Andy, Pam, Doug, Deb, Patsy, Pat, Brenda and Michele.

The weather and the views were excellent!

 On Sept. 9, the Turtles hiked to the top of Bald Knob.  One group headed back down from there, while the other one continued on to the top of Turtleback.

Mary, Lea, Mary, Jorge, Lorraine, Karen, Nancy, Ann, Peter