5 Days on Franconia Ridge

Liberty Springs Tentsite 8/22/24 - 8/26/24   First Day, Thursday- 3 hour hike up, 37lb pack. It wasn't as miserable as I expected to cover the 3.5 miles with this weight on my back. Drizzly, wet trail. First mile- mostly flat. Second mile- gradual incline. Last 1.5 miles- pretty steep but with good footing. I arrive at 1:30. Mine was the first tent up. Platform 9. It soon got busy. 51 people ended up here. The caretaker put them in overflow spots near the platforms. It's nice that no one was turned away! Drizzly, foggy afternoon. I'm in my bag by 8:30. A bear wandered into the caretakers tent area just before I arrived. He threw rocks at it but it didn't seem as afraid as the caretaker wished. I think I might meet that bear in my dreams tonight.     Day 2- Heavy rain and strong wind overnight. Kinda fun to be all warm and snuggled in my cocoon, listening to the wind shake the trees. Cold morning. Was in the 40s overnight. I could see my breath. Wishing I brought gloves/mittens for the morning. Lazy day. Went to Mt Liberty. Read in the tent. Made a wooden spoon. Felt time silently passing. I meet Pat Grimm, volunteer ranger, AMC Winter trip leader. Got talking about good areas for dispersed camping.There isn’t a single opportunity for finding my own tentsite, off trail, in the entire Franconia Ridge area. Too steep, trees too dense. Note- in all of the White Mountains must be 70 steps from any trail or water source and ¼ mile from established tent sites or huts). She recommended-  -The Bonds -Whitefield Junction, near Carrigian -Kinsmans, Near pond tentsite -Evans Notch, backside of Carters Day 3- Hiked to Lafayette. This might have been my best hike ever! Perfect day. Stunning hike. The lafayette/lincoln/little Haystack loop is probably just as nice but that's 10 Miles. This is 7.5 Miles, took 6.5 hours. A little rock scramble before the top of Little Haystack activated my fear of heights but it was manageable. The rest of the Franconia Ridge was mostly good in that regard. The trail from Liberty Springs to Little Haystack was muddy, even 2 days after rain. I kept my Allegro trail running shoes dry but just barely. It was a tiring, but happy hike, rough and slow. The exposed ridge goes all the way from Little Haystack to Lincoln to Lafayette, and it's as good as it gets. The best line I overheard at the top of Lafayette was, “this rock is so comfortable!”   One of the best things about staying at Liberty Springs tentsite is chatting with everyone during meals. Lots of colorful characters and stories, from thru hikers to people who are doing their first ever hikes. My favorite story was from an experienced couple with a dog. The three of them went up the Flume Slide trail late in the day and got stuck hiking by headlamps on the steeps, which felt unsafe. Yeah! It's a very steep exposed trail. They found a tiny clearing off the trail to set up the tent. “It was sloped, uneven, with 2 trees that I rolled against to keep me from going down the mountain, so I felt safe.” Safe is relative. In the morning they discovered, as hikers woke them up, that they had pitched their tent right in the middle of the trail. None of that sounded safe to me! Day 4- I'm pretty tired today, sore feet. When I first get up my leg muscles feel a little weak and shaky. I hike over Liberty to Flume and back but I go very slow. 4 miles, takes 3.5 hours. A little fear of heights on the top of Liberty but manageable. A rock scramble going down Liberty to Flume. The top of Flume had a cliff to pass if I was going onto the Osseo trail or Flume Slide trail, but that was my turning back point. I had a lazy, rainy afternoon after my hike, reading in my tent. I need this rest time.  Day 5- I pack up and head down. Sore feet again. 2.5 hours. I think all the rest time I had built into this trip was key to me enjoying it so much and not feeling too exhausted! I loved staying at 4000 ft for 5 days, with nothing but mountains, trails, and air surrounding me but I also felt happy to be back down with meadows and crickets. Total pack weight- 37 lbs. Total food- 7 1/4 lbs not including 4 sandwiches.

Mt Liberty

Mt Liberty, 7.1 miles, 3182' Elevation Gain, 4439' Height

Not much variety on this hike. Very gradual start, then it slowly gets steeper. Last 1.5 miles is pretty steep but easy footing. A few easy stream crossings. No fear of heights, except a tiny section just as I reach the peak. The very end has views and gives me that out of the world feeling I love. This is the first 4000 footer I've done since I sprained my ankle over 1 year ago. I'm so happy to that my ankle held up to it!!!

MDDS

Barbara gets Mal De Debarquement Syndrome. MDDS. 😢 We get off the boat after our last trip and Barbara's vestibular system thinks we're still on the water. This is nothing new. She always gets a little, "land sick", after a boat trip. She's laughed about it because she's so sensitive to it that the boat doesn't have to even be in the water in to trigger it. Just being on the boat, on the trailer for a few hours, can do it when she gets off. And she's been happy that she hasn't gotten seasick on the boat! A little land sickness is so much better.  It usually lasts for a day or 2 then fades away. This time not so much. After 1 week the swaying and bobbing seems worse. She starts to worry that it has nothing to do with getting off the boat. Maybe it's cancer? A brain tumor?  The doc says, good news, no cancer! Bad news, she has a very rare condition called MDDS. It's so rare that there isn't much known about it. He tells her it may go away on it's own or it may never go away and it may get worse. Some MDDS sufferers can't walk even without assistance. He advises that she never go on a boat again because it can make the symptoms worse, or bring them back if they've gone away. Airplane flights and long car trips are also risky. How can this be!!? Barbara is in shock at this diagnosis. I am too. Literally, it's like the ground has been pulled from beneath her feet. In one moment, your life plan can take a sideways turn that you never saw coming. We are both grieving the loss. I wish I could do something to help her.           3 Month Update- No improvement. Barbara got into a study that uses a variety of experimental treatment protocols for MDDS at Mt Sinai Hosp in New York. She underwent treatment in New York for 5 days. Unfortunately, she was in the 25% of participants who have no response. She's now trying supplements and the medication Effexor. She's trying to stay hopeful.

Ankle Sprain

6/23/23  I sprain my ankle wakeboarding on a foil board. Ouch! The board has half straps but they cause a full sprain. The really painful part of this sprain is that it will take over a year to recover to the point where I can hike mountains again. Couch rest for weeks, Doc visits, X-rays, a boot, then an air cast, PT, MRI, surgeon visit, second opinion surgeon visit, more PT.  The docs think I have a torn Deltoid ligament, torn Posterior Tib tendon, tiny bone chip, and none of it healed well after 1 year. Ultimately, what keeps me away from surgery is a lot of stretching and strengthening for all the surrounding tissue.  When I can finally hike Mt Monadnock again, (7/24), I'm so happy!!! I want to yell it from the top of the rock! Now I can really enjoy being fully retired! Life is good, again.

Portsmouth Packraft Paddling

Piscataqua River- New Castle Island to west of Rt 95 Bridge, then back to circumnavigate New Castle, with stops to stretch my legs on Leaches Island, Fort Stark, and the point near the power plant west of Rt 95 bridge.   A little cargo ship was pushed into the pier right in my path. Don't I have the right of way!?    I have fun riding the tugboats backwash as I go around. 11 miles, 8 hours, (about 6 hours paddling). Timed to paddle with the tidal flow in both directions.

Walking on Fish

11/7 to 11/10  4 Days, 3 Islands- Shelter, Block, Fire, with Josh.                 The fish were so thick to the horizon it looked like I could walk across the water on their backs. This was a massive school of Manhaden in Gardiners Bay, Long Island. It was a stunning sight to be boating through these riches of  the sea. Fins protruding through the water for as far as I can see         A closer look at the fish   Sat- We launch both boats from the Conn River and cross to Gardiners Bay on glassy water. We catch some small stripers, reveling in the warm, sunny, Indian Summer weather. Then we anchor in Cedar Cove on Shelter Island for the night.   Bonito Dinner Sun- Block Island on Josh's boat. Josh pulls in 1 nice Bonito, 3 Black Sea Bass, 1 Scup. On the return trip to Shelter Island we encounter a large pod of dolphins that swim and jump all around us. I can almost reach down from the bow to touch two of them as they jump gracefully in tandem. They clearly are a superior species to us clumsy humans.           Sun night dinner is Bonito cooked over a driftwood fire on Cedar Cove Spit. This is a kind of heaven.       Dusky Smooth Hound Shark Mon- Both boats to Shinnecock Locks. When we go through the lock, the keeper says that they're only open from 5 to 11 am. What?!! That's a small time window to get back through on the return trip tomorrow! We head to Fire Island, catch some small sharks just outside of the inlet to the island. Mon Night- We get back to Shinnecock Bay at Sunset and struggle to find a secluded beach for a fire in the dark. We end up on a small tidal beach at the mouth of Middle Pond, not too far from some houses. Just as our fish dinner is almost cooked on our small beach fire a boat pulls up with flashing lights and a Fire Dept stencil on the side. Officials in waders jump out and storm the beach. We're caught! Just like our fish dinner. But these guys aren't here to cook us. They got a report of 2 boats on the beach and wanted to make sure we weren't stranded. We're not stranded! As they leave one of them says, "you two are really living the life." Yes we are.   Tues- We head back to Connecticut River early while the wind is absent. We fish, no luck. I do some exploring and paddling around Griswold Cove. Is this November? I'm warm in just my bathing suit and sandals. What an extraordinarily warm, sunny, glassy, perfect 4 days!  I racked up 145 miles, Josh did a little over 300.

3 Boys Fishing

Boston Harbor- Josh takes me and Ben out on his boat for some fishing and sunsetting. Everybody lands at least 1 fish then we catch a spectacular sunset over Boston. It's a deep pleasure having the three of us out on the water together.   This trip is possible because we are all living together right now. We have a full household- Me, Barbara, Josh, Ben, and Josh's two dogs Georgie, Willow. We haven't lived together as a family since Josh was 16. He's 29.  It's been a surprise how nice it is to live together as an adult family! No bickering, teasing, and infighting. Cooking together, watching favorite movies, boating. Who would have thought? In a year of ups and downs I really want to savor these good times. You never know what life is going to throw your way next.

Fruit of the Sea

Columbus Day Weekend, Kennebec River and Maine Coast, with Josh, 10/9 - 10/12 Friday Night- Josh's trailer blows a tire on the drive north. Oh no! We're super lucky to find a mounted replacement tire on a Friday night at TSC co. We get to the ramp at 8:30, anchor our boats for the night near Lines Island, north of Bath on the Kennebec River and settle in for a calm peaceful sleep after a challenging start. Saturday- We move my boat north to Swan Island, (unorganized territory of Perkins), then take Josh's boat to Boothbay Harbor to explore. Fun day!    We end up with both boats anchored further north up the Kennebec at The Sands Island. We find a beautiful spot with a fire ring, stump seats, plywood table, and a sandy beach. Dinner, cooked over a fire, is steak, crab cakes, yams, and raw oysters for the appetizer. It was all bought that morning at a farmers market at the Bath Town Docks, where we stopped for our morning coffee/ breakfast. Serendipity. The Sands Island   Sat Night- Thunderstorms! Josh has pitched a tent in the middle of his boat. He's zipped in with his 2 dogs watching a river of water flowing into the tent and back out. Somehow he stays dry enough to get some sleep. Who's crazy idea was this to sleep in our open boats? My homemade plastic canopy is actually pretty dry.   Sunday Morning Temp Around 32F         Sunday- We fish in Josh's boat at the mouth of the river, just outside of the islands, landing 16 Pollock, very easy to catch with mackerel jigs. We stop at the Perkins Island Dock so Josh can try to find a creative fix for a cracked shift bracket. He kinda fixes it with no parts and almost no tools but the motor will no longer shift into reverse. I let the dogs run, leash free, on the island trails. Wow! It's great to see Georgie and Willow running free and wild, chasing the many small squirrels!   Perkins Island Dock                   Sun Night- We're back at The Sands Island. Our Pollack catch makes for a big fish feast for us and 2 happy dogs.    Collecting Ticks on The Sands Island   Monday- We go back to the ocean for another big catch of Pollack to take home. It's been a very special trip, eating the fruit of the ocean, with Josh and his 2 dogs! I cover 102 miles, Josh does just over 200 miles. Plentiful Pollock!

Moosehead

Moosehead Lake, Labor Day Weekend, 9/3 - 9/7 A massive moose gives me a scare on my drive up! The monster comes out of the dark and lumbers across the highway directly in front of me. I don't have time to hit the brakes before I fly past him at 55 MPH, just inches away. That really gets my adrenaline going! Thurs Night- I launch in the dark and tie up for the night at the Rockwood town dock, right at the boat ramp, not far from the sign that says NO OVERNIGHT DOCKING. Luckily I didn't see the sign in the dark. Rockwood Dock, Mt Kineo     Fri- I hike Mt Kineo, 1700 ft, Indian Trail. Nice views going up but it activates my fear of heights. I climb the lookout tower on the summit. It activates my fear of heights. North trail going down. No fears. Total 7 or 8 miles. Very nice hike. Fri Night- Cowen Cove, super protected spot, pretty. Saw 2 bald eagles, heard the beautiful, eerie calls of loons. Cowen Cove                     Sat- I paddle Moose Creek, near Squaw Mtn. It's all about the Moose up here! Then very carefully motor through the, "HAZARD AREA", of Lily's Cove to anchor among the numerous rocks and shallows of Laker Cove. Another serene, secluded spot. Breakfast on the Packraft                   Sun- More paddling. This is the highlight of the trip. Glassy water, sunrise, winding my way through the sculpture garden of rocks, twisted stumps, and drift logs. I snorkle over piles of drift logs to immerse myself further. Then off to Lily's Cove State Park boat ramp for a 4 mile hike. Nice facility here with docks where they don't seem to care about overnight docking.  Laker Cove Area   Sun Night- Back to Rockwood town dock because the forecast is for 30 to 40 MPH winds tomorrow and I don't want to be on the open lake. A steep chop kicks up very quickly here and the wind often seems a lot stronger than forecast. Now I have to knowingly ignore the overnight sign. No excuses.     Mon- I pull my boat early and admire the 30 to 40 MPH winds and blowing chop from the shore. Nice trip! 48 miles, 5.5 gallons gas, I saw less than half of the lake.

Kennebec Serenity

4 Days on the Kennebec River, Maine, 7/30-8/2 Thurs- Launch in Bath, boat to Fort Popham, walk Popham Beach. Get caught in a brief squall on the beach but no rain! Want to go for a paddle but the beach is closed to water use due to a fatal Great White attack. Overnight anchorage- in the cove near the fort. Fri- A beautiful day hiking all around Swan Island, 10 or 11 miles. I paddle and swim before dinner. Overnight off Swan. Swan Island Back Woods                   Sat- I hike 4 or 5 miles around the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, walking all the fantastic gardens, mask worn for Covid danger. Overnight near Webber Island on Sasanoa River. Fullish moon, stunning night! Don't let your boat look like this!   This looks better                     Sun- Morning paddle around Webber and neighboring islands. Low tide here is particularly scenic. Feeling happy, immersed in sea, salt and sun. I want to keep this serenity with me wherever I go.   91 miles, 9 gallons gas.

Block Island or Bust

7/19/20 Pt Judith to Block Island, Bucket List trip in my little boat! Fri Night- Boat ramp at head of Pt Judith Pond to overnight anchorage 1/2 mile out behind the sea wall in Refuge Harbor. I kinda like that smell of seagull droppings on the rocks. It makes me feel alive. Sat- Cross to BI in fog. Start at 4:45 with lights on. I keep my speed around 8 MPH when the fog is dense. This crossing might be a little reckless. If the BI Ferry comes out of the grey emptiness directly in front of me I'm probably done. It's very eerie entering the narrow opening to New Harbor on BI by GPS with no visual confirmation. I think the island is there somewhere. I'll know it if I hit it. The fog lifts late morning. The Great Salt Pond is a mooring field of visiting yachts as far as far can be. So many boats! I unicycle and walk around the island. It's super crowded. So many people! Where does one go to find solitude around here? Sat Night- I enter Harbor Pond on the mid tide to anchor for the night. Aint no big boats getting in here! It takes a little boat to own a secluded pond. Sun Morning- Early return to Pt Judith in a gathering wind. At sunrise it's already 10-15 with light fog. Slow 2 hour crossing. The wind jumps to 20 plus and heavy fog moves in a little after I return. Yikes, close call! I really pushed my limits on this trip. I got lucky. Some day my limits might push back.

Nantucket by Bike

Sconset Light 10/19 to 10/21  Nantucket 3 day weekend with Barbara Nantucket by bike. No car. This worked out really well. The island is just the right size to be explored by pedal power. There are scenic bike paths all over the island. We had to avoid biking in the historic town. Cobblestones are not pedal friendly. Most restaurants were in hoofing distance from the B&B anyway. Sat- Biked to 'Sconset Bluff Walk, nice walk. 25 miles of riding. Fun day. Sun- Biked to Madaket. This had one of the nicest sections of path that I've been on, interesting Fall scenery. We curled up behind a deserted dune on Madaket Beach and meditated/napped to the call of seagulls and the whisper of waves. The Chestnut House We stayed at a charming B&B, the Chestnut House. Very nostalgic. We stayed here in our first year of Marriage, almost 100 years ago. Mon- Whaling Museum for a rainy morning, headed home early. We wanted to do a beautiful 6 mile hike at Sanford Farm/Ram pasture but we got rained out. Beautiful weekend overall. Brant Point Lighthouse

Nantucket Dinghy Ride

Sept 13-15 A few other boaters told me not to even consider taking my 12' dinghy across the 10 miles of open ocean from Chatham to Nantucket. I took that as an invitation. This was my furthest Island crossing and the first time that I couldn't see any land when I was in the middle of a crossing. It was a nice way to get in touch with a feeling of true insignificance in this vast world. I loved it. Fri- Wind 10-15 MPH, ENE, gave me a following sea off my rear quarter for the crossing. I cruised at about 5 to 8 MPH. One piece of chop broke over my rear quarter from behind and got me a little wet but wasn't big enough to flood the boat. After that I kept one eye forward and one eye back. No problem. Anchored for night near Millbrook Creek, nice spot! Kite spot near Pokomo, one boat for company Sat- Kited near Pocomo, hiked to Alter Rock. I enjoyed the hike but not super scenic. Anchored for night in entrance to Coskata Pond, tide dependent. Sun- W wind 5-10 for return, dropping to no wind, foggy. Easy crossing. Entrance to Coskata Pond I can take Nantucket off my boating bucket list! It's still a pretty long list.

Travels with Martha

Memorial Day Weekend- What a beautiful 3 days for boating and exploring Martha's Vineyard! How did I love the long weekend? Let me count the ways. Had a super easy light wind crossing from Falmouth Sat Morning. Visited Mytoi Japanese Garden on Chappaquiddick. Kited at Katama Bay. Anchored and took the Chappaquiddick ferry to Edgartown for a hot shower and supplies. Walked most of the Joseph Sylvia State Beach looking for kite launches, found some. Explored Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary by packraft and on foot. Tied up at the Dinghy dock in Oak Bluffs for a Lobster Roll. Had a super easy light wind crossing back to Falmouth Monday evening. Mytoi Japanese Garden Anchorages   Friday Night- Falmouth, Eel Pond, off Waquiot Bay, N wind.   Saturday Night- Edgartown, Chappaquiddick Point, in no wake zone, SW wind.   Sunday Night- Sengakontacket Pond, Bran Point cove, SW, NW, NE wind.     Next time- Anywhere around Felix Neck in Sengakontacket Pond, very quiet, pretty.     Next time- Caleb Pond, off Katama Bay, a few houses but very scenic, not official anchorage? Shear Pin Rd, Lighthouse Rd, and a fish. This must be Chappaquiddick. Low Bridges   Kennedy Bridge on Chappaquiddick- I fit under at dead low only.   Sengakontacket Pond, Center bridge, (Jaws bridge)- I fit under at dead high or low.   Sengakontacket Pond, North Bridge- I fit under at dead low only.     I used to fit under all these bridges but my boat keeps growing, (windshield, roll bar). Packraft on my roof. Now I don't fit under any bridges. Motor trouble? Yeah, it's still not running right.

Congrats Ben!!!

5/19/19  Ben- It seems like just a few minutes ago you were helping wooly bears cross the street. You were catching tadpoles and falling into vernal ponds. You were a tadpole yourself. Now you're measuring the electrical potential of stem cells as they differentiate into bone or muscle cells. I don't know exactly what that means but I know that I've loved watching you grow into the miraculous adult version of yourself. Much love to a budding scientist! Ben Cooper, Bachelors of Science in Biology, Summa Cum Laude, Highest Honers Thesis.