Finishing the NH 48 4,000 Footers!
Adam introduced me to hiking the 48 almost two years ago and I was immediately hooked. My first 4,000 footer was Mt. Whiteface in November of 2017. There was some ice and snow, but nothing that wasn’t navigable. I remember running up the rock slides, and sliding on my butt on the way down. But what I remember most is how my legs felt like absolute jelly when we finished. At this point, Adam was hiking regularly, but I think that night I went to bed around 8 o’clock and was the most tired I had ever been.
My third hike, Mt. Moosilauke, was in March of 2018. It was blizzard conditions on the summit, but Adam was confident and encouraged me to continue to the summit anyways (safely, of course; we have always known when to turn around and when to press on). I was panicking and scared, but his experience showed in his calmness. A few tears were shed, which were made up for with a chocolate snack once we retreated back into the trees. Fast forward to this past summer, Adam and I summited Mt. Jefferson, his 43rd peak and my 42nd, during our Presidential Traverse. We were in 60mph winds and had very low visibility, but this time I was confident in my abilities to find the summit. We took it slow, searched for each cairn, and did not move too far until we could identify the next one. I have learned so much through this journey, and knew how to prepare for these conditions to be safe while still enjoying the hike. Adam was no longer leading me along; we were a team.
For me, hiking the 48 was about getting outside of my comfort zone and gaining strength with every hike. As we conquered the 48 together, me slowly catching up to Adam every time he repeated a mountain with me, I could feel myself getting both physically and mentally stronger. This past summer we did an overnight backpacking trip bagging North Twin, South Twin, Galehead, and Garfield on day one, then Owl’s Head on day two. This was the most I had ever hiked in two straight days. When we finally made it out of Lincoln Woods, drenched from the severe thunderstorms we got stuck in, my legs were sore, but they did not ache or burn the same way they had two years prior.
Initially, we chose to end our journey on Mt. Isolation because we heard that it had beautiful views. However, after completing it we realize that the hike truly encompassed what it means to hike in the White Mountains – the remoteness, the rugged terrain, and the awesome scenery. We started around 7am in October, so it was brisk. We have finally adopted the, “be bold, start cold” mentality, so we moved quickly up Glen Boulder trail to warm up. The steep rock stairs reminded us of several hikes we have done before. When we emerged from treeline, we were greeted by beautiful foliage and many of the mountains we have previously summited. Hiking up towards the Davis Path junction below Boott Spur reminded us of all the time we spent above treeline in the Presidential Range and on the Franconia Ridge. As we descended Davis Path down to Mt. Isolation, the rock slab that quickly changed to mud and roots reminded us of what some people call “less desirable hikes” but we love anyways.
Sitting on the summit, soaking in the views of the Presi’s, we reflected on our 48 adventure. Our friends interrogated us, “Which hike was your favorite? Which hike was your least favorite?” We found this impossible to answer because even the hikes where we were completed drenched in rain, wiping the ice off of our eyelashes or panting because it is so hot, we loved so much. Every bit of discomfort we felt was us learning, growing stronger, and ultimately, having fun. We have laughed, cried, cheered, swore, been exhausted and wet, but this journey has been the best experience of our lives, and we can’t wait to see what is next.
Want to learn more about the NH 48 and the hikes themselves? Check out our page here for our complete report on each mountain. You’ll find information like hike stats, what trails we used, the terrain, and what we thought of the overall hike. We also talk about alternative routes to the summit and what it’s like to hike that mountain in the winter.
Check out some of the photos from our NH 48 adventure below: