Sorry for the delay getting this out! Because of the similarities in season and activities, I'm going to write both of these quarters together.
Q3&4: 11 New Summits
+1 crags at Rumney complete (34% climbs completed)
Climbing took a bit of a backseat this fall, however, on the days I did get out I found myself bouncing around ticking off routes that were in my given ability that day, were dry, or didn't have a line of people on them. Because of this measuring by entire crags completed doesn't feel like it represents my progress so I've decided to modify how I measure this goal. Instead of counting each crag I complete, I'm going to move to a % of climbs completed for a better picture of progress :)
+5% Trails in Southern NH
I've had the pleasure of finding many gems along the way, and have gotten into the fun habit of sneaking in runs at local trails whenever I'm driving by for other activities. I am excited that I have finished the 60 off miles that make up all the trails on the seacoast! Many of these have become my local training routes and I see myself enjoying them a lot moving forward.
+9 NH 4,000 footers
Passaconaway & Whiteface
Solo day hike on a beautiful clear day. Didn't run this one due to shin splints, and truly enjoyed taking my time and enjoying the views. A bit disappointed by the amount of illegal & disruptive parking despite the many clearly marked signs- come on people, we can do better... Up Dicey Mill's trail, tag Passaconaway, over on Rollins, tag Whiteface, and down Blueberry Ledge
11.4 miles and 3,900 vertical feet (strava here)
Wildcat A & Carters
Solo loop on a very hot & humid New England day. Saw some friends out doing a full Carter Moriah traverse! Up Nineteen mile Brook trail, Tag Wildcat A, across Carter Moriah Trail tagging Carter Dome, South Carter, Middle Carter, and North Carter. Down the very wet Imp trail (pictured) and back to my car via road walk.
18.1 miles and 5,700 vertical feet. (Strava here)
Isolation
Another solo jaunt. Started with the intention to go for the FKT, but the combination of heat and the heavy Italian I ate the night before disagreed with that thought. Instead decided to explore a different trail on the way down. A beautiful day up on the ridge and met a guy at the summit finishing his Cohos Trail through-hike. Up Glen boulder trail, over on Davis Path (pictured), tag Isolation, down Rocky Branch. Was planning on jogging/walking the road back to my car until a very nice policeman offered me a ride instead! Technically the first time in the back of a police car, haha!
14.9 miles, 4,200 vertical feet (Strava here)
Hancock's
Done with Nicole & Dux at some obscenely early hour in the morning to fit it in before work. Lots of chatting and puppy kisses (as pictures). Hancock Loop trail tagging Hancock, Middle and south in that order. It took lots of coffee after this to get through a full workday.
9.5 miles, 2,700 vertical feet (Strava here)
Moosilauke
Had to come back to tag this one properly after getting winded off the peak a quarter-mile from the summit last winter. Saw a man hiking with a bicycle at the top?! Took a VERY hard digger on the way down and rolled my ankle rather badly. Bummer. Up George Brook, tag the summit, over Carraige road to tag South Peak, down Snapper Trail.
14 miles, 2700 vertical feet (Strava here)
The Kinsman's
A full value adventure day with Abby (I really don't know why my friends agree to do these things with me). Had the bright idea to hike out skis up the Kinsman's to peak bag, and then ski down Cannon Mountain. With early season snow being very minimal, we were obviously desperate for any skiing we could get. It was not easy, but it was VERY fun. Up Cascade Brook & Fishing Jimmy trail, over Kinsman Ridge Trail to tag south and north Kinsman, and up to Cannon. Skied down the resort as it was closing up for the day.
10.8 miles, 5,1000 vertical feet (Strava here)
Other Adventures
Steve and I headed to Puerto Rico for our annual surf trip this year after 2 years of not flying due to COVID. It was so nice to be in the sun again and I got out in the water a ton. Getting slowly more comfortable on the longboard and got a couple of great, long rides! Also did a good amount of running in the heat, perfectly timed to freeze all winter, ha!
Running & Climbing Season Recap here! Give it a read :)
Fundraising:
For Q3 and Q4 of this year total pledge amount of $13 per summit. With my total of 11 summits in these quarters, that means I raised almost $143 for the causes I believe in. The breakdown of how this money is distributed by each cause can be found below.
| # Summits | Q3 Pledges | Q4 Pledges | Total |
Access Fund | 1 | $13 | - | $13 |
NH Parks | 1 | $13 | - | $13 |
AMC | 9 | $52 | $65 | $117 |
| 11 | | | $143 |
To date I have raised $2291 for causes I believe in (2% of my $100,000 goal).
Looking Forward:
Looking forward to Q1 has me excited- it's MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR! Winter! My goals are LOTS of skiing, LOTS of mileage with skis on my feet, and improving my familiarity with the lesser-explored parts of the Presidentials. I also want to explore some winter running routes up the 4,000 footers and get a bit creative with some multisport days.
A reminder that if you want to follow my day to day training and adventures my Strava, Instagram, or MY NEW TWITTER are the best places :)
That's it for now! Thank you for your support and for sharing this journey with me.
Keep following along for my adventures to come and I hope to see you out there!