Normally I only post things on this site that pertain directly to Caleb, but the following is an exception (and in my mind, pertains indirectly to him). Over the past month and a half I have managed to squeeze in a few wonderful days of hiking up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I did two solo hikes, and two more with a friend, but on none of the trips did Caleb accompany me.

Caleb was not absent for a lack of interest (he loves hiking and the snow), but out of concern for his safety (winter hiking in the mountains of New Hampshire is not without some pretty serious risks), and also due to the type of hiking that I would be doing (longer, more challenging hikes than he is used to during summer conditions, let alone in the middle of winter). Nonetheless, I know he would love to be out there with me in the driving snow and frigid winds, and I’m sure he’ll be ready soon enough. In the meantime, we’ll continue to take shorter and safer winter hikes (like to his new favorite peak, Mt. Avalon), and leave the harder stuff for when the weather is more tame.

Even though Caleb was not with me on these hikes, I thought about him constantly. I LOVE hiking with my son and can’t wait to have him with me on trips like this, and far more challenging ones. Accordingly, though Caleb didn’t get to enjoy these first-hand, I post them here for posterity, and also for inspiration to him when he is ready to tackle these kind of conditions.

As another side note, my most recent hike (up Lafayette) reminded me of how important the mountains are to me. If you have never had the experience of climbing up out of the clouds to a view of neighboring snowy peaks, howling wind, blowing spindrift, and endless beauty, I highly recommend you give it a try. In my experience, there are few things that compare to what one can see and feel from the top of a mountain.

A trail sign just off the summit of Mt. Jackson, which I hiked alone on January 16th. There was no visibility from the summit, which normally affords a view all the way up the Presidential Range and beyond, and I didn’t linger for more than a few minutes at the top.

The view from the summit of Mt. Liberty the next day (Jan. 17th). A friend, Chris, drove up and met me for this hike, and despite the warmish conditions on the ascent (mid thirties, I think), it certainly looked like winter on the summit. Again, no views.

Chris taking some photos on the summit. Visibility was roughly 30 yards.

Chris and I met up for another hike in mid-February to the two peaks that make up the Osceolas (East Osceola and Mount Osceola). The day was excellent and we managed to get many views, first from the ridge line before East Osceola which afforded excellent visibility, and a few through the cloud cover from Mount Osceola. The climb was a bit icy, but definitely a lot of fun. This is a shot of Chris taking in the views from the summit of Mount Osceola.

After my hike with Chris, I spent the night in the Shapleigh Bunkhouse in Crawford Notch and did a quick solo hike the next morning. My plan was to hike the Willey Range starting with Mount Field, but there was quite a bit of new snow hiding the trail, and more snow coming down during the hike, and I changed my plans once I reached the summit of Mount Field. Instead of continuing on to Mt. Willey, and then back over Field to Mt. Tom, I had some hot chocolate, took off my snow shoes, and glissaded about half of the way back down the mountain. It was loads of fun, and I was back at my car before noon. This photo is of the trail leading up to Mt. Field from Mt. Avalon.

A self-portrait from the viewpoint just off the summit of Mt. Field. As you can see, it was a bit more like winter up there with a lot of blowing snow and howling wind. Indeed, as I was heading down the mountain, I discovered the most of the tracks I had made on the way up, less than an hour earlier, were almost completely filled in with snow on the way back down.

My most recent hike was to the top of Mt. Lafayette from the west in mid-February (I was previously up there this past summer, approaching it from the north, and saw nothing but Memorial Day crowds on from the cloud-encased summit). I again hiked alone and couldn’t have asked for better conditions. The trail was packed solid the entire way up the mountain, the temperature was just cold enough for my tastes, and the sun was shining beautifully once you poked your head above the clouds. This is a shot from a few miles into the hike. The route I would take goes from left to right along the ridge to the top of Lafayette, which is behind the cloud in this image.

Less than a quarter of a mile below the summit, I saw this faint, but beautiful rainbow. Looking northwest you can see the clouds sitting low like an ocean.

Just before the summit, I grabbed this shot of a group of hikers as they made their way up the final steep stretch before topping out.

Now at the summit, one of the other hikers offered to take a photograph of me. Just out of the frame to the right, you would be able to see Mount Washington off in the distance, with its summit just peeking above the clouds.

Aside from the photos, I of course made a few videos. They are a bit cheesy in spots, but convey the elements a bit more accurately than the photographs. Enjoy!

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I edited together several clips from the Osceolas and Mt. Field hikes.

A video of the rainbow on the way up Lafayette.

A video from the summit of Mt. Lafayette.

Caleb and I decided to head out to Boston for a bit of an urban hike for our Daddy Day. It has been a while since we have wandered around the city (we used to almost every Friday when we lived in the North End and I could carry him on my shoulders for miles on end…he’s unfortunately too big for me to carry that far anymore). We took the red line to MGH and then walked to Megan’s office to surprise her. From there we checked out the State House and then decided to head over to Harvard Square (again on the red line). We checked out one of Caleb’s favorite toy/book stores, had a bite to eat, and then headed home.

Caleb reading patiently on our couch while I finished getting ready.

Alewife.

Alewife again.

…and again.

…sigh, yes, this is still Alewife. What can I say, I thought the light looked awesome this morning.

Caleb walking up a hill in Beacon Hill on our way to Megan’s office.

After visiting Megan we stopped by the State House for a quick tour inside. Caleb wanted his photo in front before we made our way in.

Hmmmm. I think we are in the correct place…

Caleb thought this guy looked cool.

In the Great Hall of Flags. This guy had the room to himself, and despite the numerous flags to contemplate, he seemed to be trying to stare down the trash can.

Looking up in the Great Hall of Flags.

Caleb wanted a photo of himself with General Hooker.

And then he kept standing there staring off into the distance. Nap time? No — he claimed he just wanted a moment to think about things.

Caleb at the Park Street Station heading down the stairs on our way to Harvard Square.

Waiting for the train to arrive.

United we stand. Except in that car.

Caleb checking out some cars in his favorite toy store in Harvard Square.

Megan, Caleb and I met up with my parents in Crawford Notch for Thanksgiving again this year. We stayed at the Highland Center and over the course of several days enjoyed autumn afternoon hikes, winter storms, falling trees, and awesome winter hikes. Click on the image below to see more photographs from our trip.

Below are some images from a wet and viewless solo hike to the north and south peaks of Hancock Mountain (11/14/09). Originally I planned to make my trip two days spending the first exploring the Hancocks, and the second a few other peaks. Unfortunately the weather didn’t get my memo for NO RAIN, and it rained throughout my first hike. Having spent the last few trips to the White Mountains hiking in the rain, I decided to skip day two and head home early. Yes, I still had a great time hiking in the rain, but I am very, very, very ready for the snow to start falling.

Click on the image below to see more photographs from my hike.

For our 7th wedding anniversary Megan and I decided that we should do something fun with Caleb. Disney World came up as a potential option, and after a short discussion with Caleb, our trip was decided. We hung out in the Orlando area for a few days (eh…fun?) spending one full day at Disney World, and the rest trying to figure out what else to do with ourselves. Caleb had a great time, and after a few days of searching, we even managed to find an independent restaurant nestled in among all of the chains (a very nice German place in a town called Sanford). The highlights for Caleb? 1) Driving a race car, 2) the Haunted Mansion, 3) Pirates of the Caribbean, 4) playing on the beach (Cocoa Beach), and 5) playing a round of golf at Pirate’s Cove.

Click on the image below to see more photographs from our trip.

Our trip this past Friday to the Plymouth Plantation and the Mayflower II. Click on the image below to see more photographs from our trip.

Caleb and I tagged along with Megan up to AMC’s Highland Center just above Crawford Notch (in New Hampshire’s flippin’ awesome White Mountains). Megan would be tied up for the whole weekend with AMC’s board retreat so Caleb and I brought a bunch of toys, books and games, and talked about what hikes we would try and get in while the weather played nice. He unfortunately got pretty sick the afternoon of our second day, but we managed to have a great time nonetheless. These photos are primarily from the two hikes we were able to sneak in before he got sick. Click on the image below to see more photographs from our trip.

Megan’s boss very generously gave us a few free passes to visit the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln. We picked a nice fall afternoon for our visit, and brought Miss Nadine along for the tour of the outdoor sculpture garden. Click on the photo below to see more images from our time at the museum.

Our delayed but eagerly anticipated backpacking trip in the White Mountains finally came to pass. We went this weekend after postponing due to a forecast of rain and lightning the weekend before. There was a forecast of rain (from a tropical storm, no less) for the weekend we ended up going, but whatever. It always seems to rain when we are in a tent. (Click on the photo to the right to see all the images from our trip.)

Our destination was the Naumann tent site, which is just below the Mizpah Spring Hut near the summit of Mt. Pierce. It is a great location (easy to get to, near a hut, great hikes nearby, etc.) and we are glad we chose it over a few other options. The hike up went quickly, we set up our tent, took a nap, and then tried to make ourselves busy for the remainder of the day. I ended up hiking to the summit on my own but Caleb had a great time playing with some new friends at the hut. We ate dinner in style (macaroni and cheese) and did our best to sleep through the noise of the rain. We woke up early and broke camp in a bit of a drizzle (a light rain, really) and then hiked the few miles down the mountain to our car in time to make it to the Highland Center for an awesome breakfast.

As anyone would expect a breakfast conversation to go the morning after a backpacking trip in New Hampshire, we decided to head to Vermont for a night to mix the trip up a bit. We drove through the rain to Burlington, explored a little, ate some great Thai food, and checked into a comfy hotel room. The next day we drove south and explored Middlebury and Woodstock before heading home.