As some of you might have heard, Luke,Trisha, and their faithful pup Kaiah took a road trip to visit the Northeast. Here is the journal- Enjoy!
For those who don't like reading and just want pictures, click here to go to the Library (its more exciting to read first!)
Saturday August 31
Luke and Trisha start the vacation by going to a familiar place, Ricketts Glen. It is a beautiful State Park in Northeast Pennsylvania filled with waterfalls and a huge lake (it has been determined that every State Park in almost every state requires a huge lake). The main trail is 7.2 miles and that brings you to over a dozen falls. To some disappointment, the falls were much smaller than the first visit.
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| Luke at Ricketts Glen, Summer 2013 |
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| Trisha at Ricketts Glen, Spring 2008 |
The trip was a success because Luke learned that he could do some decent hiking only 7½ months post-ACL surgery. After the day was done, Luke and Trisha went back to the cabin in the Poconos and got ready for the next day.
Sunday September 1
After packing in the morning and getting the car ready to go, Luke,Trisha, and Kaiah left for their first out of state destination: Killington, Vermont.
Without having a perfect place to plug into the GPS, Luke stumbled upon the Inn at Long Trail. There was a grass parking lot and it was in the vicinity of Long Trail. Oh yeah, and there was another "sign" that seemed obvious. Thank you giant Peacock, you were most helpful.
We later found out this Peacock is part of a big photo scavenger hunt in Killington. If we had more time this would be a blast!
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| Kaiah was not in the mood to stop at this time in the hike! |
The parking sign said see the bartender for a map. After a short conversation, maps were given and plans were made. Pico Shelter was only three miles away and that would be our home for the night. It was about 5:30 pm when we left so it was dark for some of the hike (don't worry we had headlamps). All went according to plan and the shelter was found with no difficulties. It was also the first time staying in a shelter!
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| Pico Shelter, home sweet home |
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| Planning for the next day at the Shelter |
Sunday September 2
Through the night and still in the morning, there was a giant storm. Luckily, Luke, Trisha, Kaiah were in a shelter and not a tent. Unfortunately, the rain was not stopping and they had to leave. Kaiah was the most disappointed (she hates water).
Pico Peak was only 0.5 miles away and it offers quite a view. Killington was still another 2-3 miles way and the weather was ugly. At the end of the day, Pico is about 3900 feet which is only about 300-400 feet shorter than Killington. Luke made the wise decision and convinced Trisha to go down a nifty ski access road/blue ski trail to avoid slippery rocks and unnecessary hiking.
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| Pico Peak |
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Trisha and Kaiah on ski trail
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Taking the ski trail down caused a minor problem. Luke was aware that the trail could be off track. After looking at the map, it was clear that the ski resort was a solid five mile trek from the car! On a positive note, another Killington photo bear was found - a lot of work went into these!
With no better alternative in sight, Luke and Trisha started walking. Luckily, after a mile or less, Luke found a store, Basin Sports, that rented out bikes and he ventured inside. Vermonters are awesome and the store keep was sympathetic to our cause. He cut us a deal and soon Luke was riding to the car while Trisha relaxed.
Trisha wanted to relax after the little adventure so we went to Gifford Woods State Park. It was an awesome find and the park ranger gave a map and some great advice (Vermonters again being awesome)! Gear was re-organized and books were read while we all relaxed. Plus, there was a shower.
Next, Luke and Trisha went to Long Trail Brewing Company. Kaiah stayed in the car - no dogs allowed! OK, it was raining so outdoor seating was closed. Some of you may recognize the beer as the beverage sponsor of the spartan. To make a long story short (this may be better explained in person), Luke met Wild Bill who offered a place to throw a tent for the night. Luke and Trisha accepted the offer and had a few drinks at his River Bar.
Tuesday September 3
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| Site 100, home for the night |
The next day, Luke and Trisha said goodbye to bill and drove to the White Mountains in New Hampshire (about 5 hours from Killington). The first stop was North Conway to get a map and advice from the locals. Luke purchased Leki hiking poles to prepare for the big mountains.
Next, it was off the Dolly Copp to find a campsite. After setting up, Luke and Trisha went to Square Ledge to scope out climbing. An European gentleman was soloing with a self-belay setup that was impressive and when he climbed to the top, he gave some good advice on hikes and climbs in the area. Square Ledge was top belay only and required trad gear to be safe (trees were sketchy). Drats.
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| Luke and Kaiah on top of Square Ledge, White Mountains in Background |
Wednesday September 4 - Two Year Anniversary!
Luke, Trisha, and Kaiah were ready to do something epic. Although a few other hikes in the area were appealing, Mount Washington was the decided destination via Lions Head Trail. Official start time was 8:50am.
It took about 3 hours to reach the summit after a 4.2 mile trek. So far, Luke's knee was feeling great. Going up is generally easy on knee joints. Going down is more difficult. The top is like a small village. While scenic, it is slightly disheartening that people can drive up. Although, it was exciting to see the look on peoples faces when we told them that we hiked up with Kaiah. Someone actually recommended a book called Following Atticus. It's about a man and his dog hiking all of the White Mountains (this will be Luke's next book to read).
Luke and Trisha descended via the Tuckermans Ravine trail. It took about 6 hours to reach the car. It was slow-going but Luke's knees felt okay after the hike (thanks to Leki poles and the extremely slow pace).
Luckily, a hotel was waiting for Luke and Trisha at Mt Madison Inn. It was great to sleep in a comfy bed after such a long day.
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| Trisha approaching the crux of Lions Head Trail |
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| Mount Washington Summit |
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| Mt Washington sister mountains - Mt Clay, Mt Jefferson, Mt Adams (left to right) |
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| Tuckermans Ravine Trail |
To be continued...
