Welcome to New Hampshire! The wonderful state of trees, moose, and the best of all: mountains. When I turned 13 years old, my older sister (by 16 years, woah!), decided it was time for us to do some extreme bonding. Most think that sisters go and get pedicures, shop, talk about boys, and argue over clothes…. And although we do all of these things, she meant business. We were going to spend some serious time in the wilderness.
One of my favorite hikes of all time is a 20+ mile loop hike. During this hike you complete three 4,000 footers: Mt. Bond, West Bond, and Bondcliff. This is such a special hike that I hold near and dear to my heart because I couldn’t complete it the first time we attempted it together. This trek was extremely long…making it difficult to keep a positive attitude when all I wanted was to be off this “stupid” mountain. We decided to turn back to the car after completing Mt. Bond and Bondcliff once a (maybe) dramatic episode of me sitting on the trail crying occurred. These mountains totally kicked my butt. If you’re ever feeling overconfident…take a trip into nature. Even though we bailed on the last mountain, we finished a just under 20 mile hike, and decided to hit West Bond during a backpacking trip that we were planning. These mountains allow you to be completely consumed by the wilderness, as there are 360 degree views all around!
Another favorite hike of mine was a hike up Mount Jefferson. This was our 43rd (out of 48, 4000 foot mountains in NH) that my sister and I completed together. This hike was beautiful because we got a very early start that morning, in order for me to be back home in time for the homecoming dance that night. My sister and I took Caps Ridge up the mountain and were completely engulfed in views. This was a short, but strenuous hike, with reward all throughout it. Definitely a must do!
Lastly, a favorite hike was our 48th mountain. We completed the New Hampshire 4,000 foot mountains on Mount Carrigain. My sister and I, along with our hiker buddies, took Signal Ridge trail to the summit. This was a special day for us as we worked hard for three summers to complete all 48 mountains together. We hiked up the mountain with our favorite hiking friends, a bottle of champagne (and sparkling cider for me!), a pie, and a treat for the dog. We had a large celebration at the summit of the mountain and even shared our snacks with the fellow hikers. The hike was beautiful and the summit contained an old fire tower that we climbed to get the best views.
If there is anything I have taken away from the mountains it would be to never give up. Some hikes are hard, long, and make you never want to hike again, but for some reason I always am looking forward to another summit. I have used hiking in my every day life to push myself to continue on. Get outside and enjoy the mountains New Hampshire has been blessed with!