We are back from a very fun trip to the White Mountains. The occasion was a multi-day AMC trip that Megan was a part of and Caleb and I were lucky enough to tag along for a portion. Megan’s group would hike to the Zealand Falls Hut and then to the Galehead Hut over two days (with a variety of routes and itineraries among the attendees. (Click on the photo to see more images and read a trip report!)

Caleb and I chose to hike over Mt. Hale and meet Megan’s group for the night at the Zealand Falls Hut, and then hike east on the A-Z Trail for a night in the backcountry before heading to our car to pick Megan up on the morning of the third day. Caleb and I had muddy, wet and rainy conditions on our first day but Caleb made it up and over Mt. Hale all on his own! If you don’t count his Moosilauke hike (since I carried him for roughly 2 of the 7.5 miles), Mt. Hale is Caleb’s first 4000-foot peak!

The night at the Zealand Falls Hut was pleasant (Caleb did not really dig waking up in the middle of the night to pitch black, nor did he like ramming his head a few minutes later on the corner of the shelf on the wall in his bunk — yet he still had a great time) and we look forward to returning soon. Caleb and I opted to hike 5.5 miles out to our car on the second day instead of camping near Mt. Field (as originally planned) because the weather was a bit of a drag on our morale, and we had a hard time spotting suitable tent sites from the trail, let alone 200+ feet away.

The rest of the trip was very relaxing and we opted not to do any more major hikes (we took a few short strolls…). We look forward to going back again very soon!

Megan had a work-related hike on Mt. Moosilauke with the Appalachian Mountain Club yesterday so Caleb and I decided to play hookey from work and school in order to join her (well…I took the day off and his school knew he would be absent, but you get the idea). The goal was the 4,802′ summit of Mt. Moosilauke in New Hampshire via the Gorge Brook Trail (taking a loop to the Snapper Trail on the way back down). Caleb’s longest previous hike clocked in at around 1.5 miles with 900 ft of elevation gain. This would be just a wee bit more challenging than that! (Click on the image to the right to see all of the photos from our trip! Also, if you don’t know Caleb personally, he’s three and a half!)

The total loop distance is 7.5 miles with 2,628 ft in elevation gain. We figured that a casual pace and ready-to-return attitude at any point in the hike would make the day enjoyable, even if we didn’t get any further than the first mile of the trail. With a few rides on my shoulders, I am very, very, very proud to say that Caleb did the entire hike!

All told, I probably carried him for just under two of the seven and a half miles (though I think it felt longer than it really was) opting to give him rests while I kept us moving forward in order to make sure we finished the hike with everyone else. Indeed, the only time he really sat down for more than a minute, aside from the rides on my shoulders, was for ten minutes on the summit! Using this method, and starting about fifteen minutes before everyone we gained the summit about 5-10 minutes after the main group, and finished about 5-10 minutes after the main group. Caleb finished with enough energy to run around while the adults chatted and said their goodbyes!

Megan and I are extremely proud of Caleb (and would have been even if we had to turn back at the beginning of the hike). Great job Boots!!!

A few photos from this past weekend. Despite the fact that we were in Arlington, MA, Caleb looks like he is back in California.

Caleb has been fascinated with knights, armor, etc. lately, so we decided to make him some. We fired up the smelting oven, brought our anvil and hammer out of storage, and fashioned him some custom-fitted battle accouterments.

Caleb’s preschool provides a monthly newsletter and our favorite thing to read is almost always the latest, “Children’s Chatter.” This month’s issue did not disappoint:

Caleb: “Jonathan, you are my best friend. I think about you in my heart.”