Sunny 46

I still never have to drag Sunny down the trail or drag him out of bed. In general, he loves doing this and so do I. Still, this year was not without its challenges. I was very concerned when Sunny fell ill after the Seward range hike in August. He's never shivered like that before or since. I am still very glad I chose not to hike Seymour that day. Sunny seemed to enjoy Cliff and Redfield in June (though he was completely drained by the time we got back to the lean-to) but it was not a fun hike for me because my brain is broken sometimes.

The rest of the hikes were awesome for different reasons. I was proud of our ability to navigate up the Gravestone Brook bushwhack. The Crane Mt. hike was beautifully healing experience. Algonquin with my sister was an awesome challenge to share with her. Street & Nye with the guys was so much fun. The Dix range was transcendently beautiful and I'll never forget it.

2024 Ascents

Winter -- Tongue Range & Buck: I'm looking to finish the Lake George 12ster this year. I'd like to try to get them in before the first heavy snow in Lake George region, but we'll see how it goes. I'm not do-or-die on this goal. My primary goal is to try and hike something every week as long as it's not raining. I want to keep us both in hiking shape this winter. I did buy some kettlebells and plan on building a step box or two, but nothing keeps you in hiking shape more than hiking.

May -- Rocky Peak Ridge & Giant: Of course I have planned to stomp RPR and Giant via the steepest possible route. However, I am not opposed to easing the strain a bit by increasing the mileage and looping around Nubble trail up and Roaring Brook down. I'm also wondering if camping at the Washbowl the night before would be a nice option. However, that'll all depend on the bugs.

June -- Pinnacle Traverse: The big hike I feel like we need to stay in shape for is the Pinnacle Traverse. I plan hiking back up the Gravestone Brook bushwhack, across Dial, down and up Elk Pass, then over Colvin & Blake to Pinnacle. I've emailed the Elk Lake property owners to ask if we can hike their road for half a mile. If they agree, we'll bushwhack down the South side of the mountain; if not we'll take the NY trail down the North side and around the long way. I am hoping some friends can do this with me, but if not, I'll ask Wendy to park the Highlander at Elk lake and drop me off at Round Pond. However, it would be much nicer to face this challenge with friends.

Summer Camping: I'd like to rent a lean-to with Quinn sometime this Spring. My loose plan is to rent a lean-to at Heart Lake, hike Mt.Jo and Mt.Van Hovenberg, and burn a bunch of wood in the firepit.

July -- Allen: We're not doing Allen as a day hike. Jay has agreed to hike this mountain with us and if we can get a group together, that'd be even better. We plan on hiking in to a spot near the base of the mountain to set up camp, climb the mountain, then leave the next day. Allen Mountain itself seems to be situated in the Central High Peaks region, but the lands South of the peak seem to be in the Outer High Peaks region, so I am wondering if we can have a fire.

August -- Slant Rock Camping - HaBaSa, MGS: Although I believe the Pinnacle Traverse will be the most challenging hike, the August trip will be the biggest trip. My plan is to hike us out to Slant Rock from The Garden and set up camp on the first day. The second day, we'll hike Marcy, Gray, and Skylight. The third day we'll hike Haystack and Basin, then break camp and hike down to JBL to camp overnight. The fourth day we'll hike Saddleback, then break camp and head back to the trailhead. I know four days in the wilderness is ambitious, but it's a well-traveled area and it doesn't seem too scary. I may also decide to hike Saddleback on its own for another trip before this; if I do that, then I'll camp at Slant Rock on the 3rd night and hike out to the trailhead from there instead.

September -- Esther & Whiteface: We'll be hiking Esther & Whiteface as our finisher before my 47th birthday on the 17th. I'm glad to say that my sister has committed to coming out for the hike and I hope some other folks can join us. I'll be renting one or two lean-tos at Heart Lake depending on how many people want to join us.