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!

. . .

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.

I strongly encourage you to watch the documentary and talk about it with your children, friends and family. There are many issues covered that pertain to raising children such as health, visiting/supporting certain types of businesses (e.g. zoos, marine parks, etc.), and less directly, how our consumption directly impacts the world around us.

Learn more about the film by visiting thecovemovie.com.

[W] Winter proved to be a very busy time for us. We enjoyed a vacation in Florida visiting Peter’s Aunt Linda and Uncle Vinnie, a vacation in Costa Rica for the wedding of Megan’s childhood friend Rachael, and a few trips to the White Mountains and the AMC Maine Lodges for winter hiking and cross-country skiing. We were joined on one such trip by Grandma and Grandpa Straughn and were able to introduce them to the wonderful destinations we have discovered through Megan’s job at AMC (and Megan climbed her first 4,000-footer!). By staying active and busy in the outdoors, we think we may have finally figured out how to make winter in the Northeast much more enjoyable!

[S] Spring was extremely enjoyable as we watched with bated breath as the daffodils, hyacinth, and tulips began blooming and the trees started turning green again. Caleb got so much joy out of pointing out the newly surfaced flowers. Megan spent a wonderful and relaxing long weekend in Santa Barbara with her college girl friends while Peter and Caleb took the opportunity to go camping and hiking in the White Mountains. They had magnificent weather – 20 degrees warmer than the coast of California! Peter also enjoyed a solo 3-day backpacking trip in the Pemigewassett wilderness that took him over the summits of 12 mountains.

[S] Summer absolutely flew by. Not only did Boston have the second rainiest summer on record, but between work trips to New Hampshire, Peter’s annual MBA reunion in California, and a visit to Minnesota, before we knew it, the leaves were starting to change. We also managed to squeeze in some time at the beach, blueberry picking in Western Mass, Caleb’s first 4,000-footer, a sort-of-first-backpacking-trip for Caleb, some more hiking, and a pirate party for Caleb’s 4th birthday. Other big news from the summer include a new position for Megan at AMC, working part of her old job in Development and now also assisting the Executive Director. The transition went really well and she is enjoying her new role at AMC. Another big change was that Caleb started attending a new school. A Pre-K program in Medford had an opening so we visited the school and decided to make the switch. Now Caleb is enjoying learning how to read, speak Spanish, and play organized sports like football and soccer. He also surprised us one day by blurting out our full address. It’s fun to see him soak up so much information! Also this summer, despite a weekend of festivities with his MBA friends Peter managed to climb two mountains while in CA (Mts. Brokeoff and Shasta) and returned home (mostly) unscathed, and we took Caleb on his first successful backpacking trip.

[F] Fall — we’ve had a wonderful fall with great weather and beautiful foliage. We enjoyed a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Straughn as well as Nonna and Boppa Begley. Megan again traveled to Maine and New Hampshire for work with Peter and Caleb accompanying her during a few of the trips. In November, to celebrate 7 years of marriage, we took Caleb to Disney World in Florida. We had a great time at the Magic Kingdom, and also playing mini golf, playing on the beach, and discovering the secret places that the Orlando area has to offer. Thanksgiving was spent in the White Mountains with Nonna and Boppa and we all hunkered down for a fantastic snowstorm that left us without power for 24 hours and downed countless trees in the area. We look forward to spending Christmas in Minnesota this year and ringing in the New Year at home.

We wish you and yours a healthy and happy holiday season and a wonderful and blessed 2010.

Love, Megan, Peter, Caleb & Nadine Begley

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

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