Tripyramids, rock slides, and Zealand's first 4000' summit

On Saturday the weather was clear and warm, so we decided to do a classic White Mountain hike/scramble over the Tripyramid range.  We had been eyeing this hike for several years!

The hike departed from Waterville Valley to the south and ascended North Tripyramid via an open rock slide. Once on the ridge it was an easy hike over Middle Tripyramid to the South summit.  Then, we had to descend another rock slide to get back to the valley and our starting point.

This was a big hike for our fury friend Mr Zealand.  He had never hiked above 4000' and he had never been on a rock scramble like this before.  The biggest challenge was getting over the big steps in the rock, and staying cool on an exposed sun-baked south facing rock slide.  We kept him well hydrated and were able to give him a helping hand in a few places.  Overall, he did really well and he still had a spring in his step when he got back to the car (which is more than can be said for the older two members of the party!).

Getting onto the slide

An endless expanse of granite above

Reaching the top

On the summit ridge

Heading back down

A cool spot to rest on the way down

Views in all directions

Hiking buddies

Hiking to Celebrate July 4th

For the July 4th holiday we celebrated with two hikes in the Sandwich Range in the southern part of the White Mountains (NH).

On the first day it was forecast to be blisteringly hot, so we were on the trail by 6am!  We hiked the Carter Ledge Trail ("Terrifying 25") to the top of Middle Sister ("52 WAV"), and then returned by the Middle Sister Trail.  We were lucky to have the summit to ourselves for over an hour before we saw any other hikers.  Zealand was able to navigate the rocky ledges without any problem and we were back at the car by 1pm.  This was a good thing because the temperatures reached over 100F by mid-afternoon and we were happy to be able to rest-up in the shade.

On the second day it had cooled down to the 80s, so we decided to tackle Mt Chocorua ("52 WAV") via the Brook Trail ("Terrifying 25").  Again, the rock ledges were a lot of fun and Zealand took them in his stride.  We saw many other people at the summit but still found a quiet spot out of the wind to take a nap.  The views were spectacular and we could see many miles in each direction.  On the way down we followed the Liberty Trail and explored the Jim Liberty Shelter as we passed by.

Day 1:

Day 2:

Face-of-Produce

Today's surprise from the garden - eggplants (aubergines) and a green pepper. All the recent sunny weather is having a positive effect!

Sheri’s Trip to Wisconsin

In June Sheri had the chance to visit Madison while attending a meeting at the School of Pharmacy. She was able to enjoy the terrace and see our friends Eric and Jo, Mike and Sue, the Brown House family and Paul and Alan Luner who were also in town.

At the border...always good to be back!


Dinner with the Brown House Family (Drew, Julie and Niels - middle to right) and Friends at Neils' house

Sheri stayed with Drew, Angelo, Tanager and Tuba (pictured)

Sheri and Drew at the Crystal Corner Bar listening live music with Drew's friend and his band