I finished the 48 in New Hampshire! 12 Years of adventure. 5-25-2014

[dom15931]

The feeling was incredible. With roots traced to family vacations in my childhood during the mid 1990's I developed a fascination with the mountains of upstate NY and New England. It was on a early July day in 2002 that I summited Mt. Liberty on a hap-hazard college roadtrip with three friends. Nearly twelve years later, for a second attempt at the "true" summit of Mt. Cabot I would come to this journey's end. In the end I would have 93 of the 115 (or 111) in all of the NE and NY. Not bad for a guy from western PA. Now to finish the ADK 46 with a few friends in a few weeks.

My 48:

1. Mt. Liberty (2002)

2. Mt. Washington (2003)

****(all 2005 from July-December during a five month period that I lived/worked in St. J VT)****

3. Mt. Lafayette
4. Mt. Lincoln
5. Mt. Madison
6. Mt Adams
7. Mt. Jackson
8. Mt. Flume
9. Mt. Jefferson
10. Mt. Tom
11. Mt. Field
12. Mt. Wiley
13. Mt. Moosilauke
14. North Kinsman
15. North Twin
16. South Twin
17. Mt. Monroe
18. North Tripyramid
19. Middle Tripyramid
20. Middle Carter
21. Garfield
22. Wildcat D
23 Wildcat A
24. Cannon Mtn.
25. Mt. Pierce
26. Mt. Eisenhower
27. Oceola East
28. Mt Oceola
29. Mt. Hancock
30. South Hancock

************************************

31. Mt. Zealand (2007)
32. Mt. Bond (2007)
33. Mt. Bondcliff (2007)
34. West Bond (2007)
35. Tecumseh (2007)
36. Hale (2007)
37. Galehead (2007)

38. Mt. Moriah (2009)

39. Mt. Waumbeck (2010)
40. Mt. Carrigan (2010)

41. South Carter (2011)
42. Carter Dome (2011)

43. South Kinsman (2012)

44. Passaconaway (2013)
45. Mt. Whiteface (2013)
46. Owl's Head (2013...November separate)

47. Mt. Isolation 5-25-2014 Weather was intermittent showers. Acceded via Glen Boulder Trail. Great views from near the Boott Spur. Heavy snowpack was present in wooded areas above 3500' up to 5' in places, tipically 2-3'. Weather was perfect on Isolation summit. This mountain had much better views than I had expected. I decended via Rocky Branch to avoid snowpack and hiked the road back to my car. It took me about 10 hours.

48. Mt Catot. I had failed Mt. Cabot, almost unknowingly like many, by only going to the false summit just beyond the cabin the previous November. Opps. I started off this hike feeling a bit uneasy, rather than at the finish line mostly due to this. I was also tired from bagging Isolation yesterday and Killington in VT the evening before. The weather was however the best of the several days I was up in the Northeast. I wanted to do it last to guarantee victory as this location is twelve hours from where I live. As I acceded the familiar terrain in a different season I met a surprising amount of people along the way. The feeling of sharing what number you were on was one I will never forget. I'd let the other person say first. Then, I would say "this is 48". Hehe. I took my time, and was in no rush. I intended, and would succeed, at a possible twilight attempt on Mt. Ellen in VT to finish the 4'kers there, so I did not want to run myself into the ground. The springtime view from Bunnell Rock was great. Here the summit would pass briefly into the clouds. Upon reaching the cabin I was stunned to find other people believing that the false summit was the summit. Ouch. Obviously I told them of my story here six months ago and some sixty degrees colder! Now I felt alive, a victory. The last quarter mile hike to the true summit was surreal. Upon seeing it and another group, who knew this was the end for me, I approached it sooooo slowly. This couple was kind enough to take pictures of me at the summit. I had a beaming smile that would not go away for a good while. I hung out at the summit for a while, then went in search of views of the Presi's through blowdown. Victorious I decended the mountain with ease of body, mind, and heart. I did it.

Pics: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152447641054795.1073741850.662784794&type=1&l=3d3c791270

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Congratulations and welcome to the club!

Tim

 

[Tom Rankin]

I was born in New Castle, PA. Welcome to the club!

 

[iagreewithjamie]

Congrats!
I saved Cabot for my #48 as well. Not a bad mountain on which to finish.

 

[peakbagger]

Congrats, doing the list from distance away adds quite a bit of challenge.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

I was born in New Castle, PA. Welcome to the club!

Interesting, so was I.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

Congratulations dom15931 well done.

 

[TJsName]

Ok, I'm curious how you did Middle Carter without doing South Carter and North Kinsman without South Kinsman.

 

[Mike Z]

I feel like I should buy you a beer!

 

[dom15931]

@TJsName: Hahaha. Good question. Bad weather days/poor planning back in 2005. I got North Kinsman from a partial trailess approach starting at Bridal Veil Falls and up over Cannon Balls. From there I snagged North Kinsman, but it was getting dark and I headed down knowing I would have to redo it again. When I did South I simply came up the route that goes from The Basin up over Kinsman Falls, and yes over North again.

Middle Carter is similar. I did it back in October 2005 acceding via the col between North and Middle Carter. I was just not feeling well that day. My usual hiking buddy was not with me and I left it for later, getting it in a rainstrorm with Carter Dome.

 

[dom15931]

Thanks everybody!

 

[Driver8]

Congrats, Dom! Many happy returns and trails to you in the future.

 

[RollingRock]

Cabot was last peak as well! Congrats! There is always another list to do and ADK 46 is a worthwhile goal.

 

[Mike P.]

Congratulations! So....... What's next?

New England 4K, NE 100, Catskill 35, ADK 46, Winter 48, CO 14's, South Beyond 6K, 52 WAV, Trailwrights, ..... Trail redlining, county highpoints, state highpoints......

 

[Raven]

My 48:

1. Mt. Liberty (2002)

2. Mt. Washington (2003)

****(all 2005 from July-December during a five month period that I lived/worked in St. J VT)****

3. Mt. Lafayette
4. Mt. Lincoln
5. Mt. Madison
6. Mt Adams
7. Mt. Jackson
8. Mt. Flume
9. Mt. Jefferson

Congratulations Dom! With that list of mountains for your first 9, no wonder you kept coming back from PA!

For the record, I was not born in New Castle, PA.

 

[surf88]

Made the false summit mistake my first time up there too. I'm always impressed when someone who is too far away to make day trips from home gets their list. Cabot wasn't my 48th on my first circuit but it is a special mountain to me. I woke up in the Cabin on Cabot every January 1st for 10 years in a row 1/1/2001 - 1/1/2010. Not very good grid progress when you hike the mountain on the same day every year

 

[dom15931]

Cabot was last peak as well! Congrats! There is always another list to do and ADK 46 is a worthwhile goal.

Hoping to have that finished in a few weeks. I have been working on it since 03' with a friend.

 

[dom15931]

Congratulations! So....... What's next?

New England 4K, NE 100, Catskill 35, ADK 46, Winter 48, CO 14's, South Beyond 6K, 52 WAV, Trailwrights, ..... Trail redlining, county highpoints, state highpoints......

After the 46' in the ADK in a few weeks I plan to climb the 13 left in Maine within the next several years (I have Katahdin only here). I will have 102/115 (NE 111+fallen four in dax) so obviously I want to finish that. I am slowly picking at the state HPs and have about a dozen or so Sixers in the South. The CO 14'ers is definately something I will take a strike at if I live in CO, which is a possibility in the coming years. I may simply enjoy a lot of random hikes/climbs. Geographic spread is important to me and like like feeling in the gaps and holes of places I have not set foot. I frequently explore the high country in WV, one of my favorite places to go for a hike as well.

-Dom

 

[Jay H]

Woohoo! Congrats to you!

Jay

 

[The Sikes]

Cabot was our 48 finish with my kids. I'm picking a better one for my next child. haha. It is hard to explain the feeling to non hikers...but I understand! Welcome and congratulations!!!!