AMC Winter Workshops

from http://www.amc-nh.org/WinterIntro.htm

Learn how to go out and explore the NH wilds this winter safely and with confidence!

This winter the New Hampshire Chapter will again sponsor two sets of training workshops. They are designed to teach you what you what you need to know for safe mountain travel; what to wear, what to take, how to use it, how to get there, how to get back, and how to plan for the unplanned. Both workshops will offer the same curriculum, except as noted. All sections include extensive time outdoors.

The first one, The N.H. Chapter annual Winter Workshop #ONE, will be held from Friday night until Sunday afternoon, Jan. 11-13, 2008. The second workshop, The N.H. Chapter Annual Winter Workshop #TWO, will be held from Friday night until Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22-24, 2008. Both workshops will be conducted at the Cardigan Lodge in Alexandria, N.H. Participants must indicate which workshop, #ONE or #TWO, they want to attend.

A variety of instructional groups are offered that cover most every aspect winter backcountry travel and safety. The weekend is filled with instruction, field exercises, lectures, and group discussions. Your time will be divided between your individual class and activities for the entire workshop. And when youíre not learning, there is plenty of great food to fuel you back up!

This workshop will begin Promptly at 7:30 P.M. Friday evening and end Sunday afternoon at approximately 4:00 P.M. This is a school for everyone who wants to learn and have a great time. The cost is $105.00 for AMC members, $115.00 for non-members, and includes lodging, excellent meals, materials, and instruction.

New Foster's Story on NH's 16 Fire Towers

Story lists them, describes a few, tells how to get to trailhead for each, and mentions a "Tower Quest Program" you can join to document your climbs if you like.

http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071121/GJSPORTS04/711200107/-1/FOSSPORTS

This my first ever attempt at entering a blog, so please bear with me. I will be giving a show of hiking pictures on Friday December 7th and the picture accompanying this blog will be in the show. I took this when I was hiking in the White Mountains last September. I hiked up the Edmands Path to the summit of Mt. Eisenhower then along the Crawford Path to the summits of Mts. Monroe and Washington and then along the Gulfside trail to the summit of Mt. Jefferson. I went down the Caps Ridge trail to the Jefferson Notch Road and then was fortunate to get a ride back to where my car was parked, otherwise I would have had to walk 4 or 5 miles along the road.

The picture was taken near the summit of Washington looking southwest along the ridge over the summit of Monroe with a nice undercast to the north and west. You can see the Lakes of the Clouds hut just below the summit of Monroe.

Easy local hikes - NH seacoast area

Just a quick test post for now, will add more details to it when I get a chance . . . just want to see how this works. Others can add more posts/comments too, obviously.

Flat:

• Great Bay Natl. Wildlife Refuge, on western edge of Pease property -- two short loops available. Longer of the two is probably 1.5 or 2 miles, takes you out to a point overlooking Great Bay and looking across at Jackson Labs on Durham Point.
• Odiorne Point State Park -- there are more walking trails here than meet the eye. Explore old WWII gun placements and bunkers. Portsmouth Harbor was heavily guarded for the shipyard and Pease . . . big fear was German subs.
• Fort Foster - Kittery Point ME way out at mouth of Piscataqua -- a lot like Odiorne, but with terrific huge beach on the river mouth, and another on the open ocean.
• Plum Island - Newburyport MA --
• Durham - college woods

Not so flat:

• Blue Job mtn. - Rochester/Strafford NH - has a fire tower, nice views all around. Climb in 10 to 25 mins. A bit tricky to find trailhead; be sure you have a good map/directions with you.
• Mt. Agamenticus - York ME -- ditto. Climb in 20-40 minutes. Fire tower closed but there's a decent observation deck. Car road to top, too, but we wouldn't do that, would we?
• Pawtuckaway State Park - Raymond / Nottingham NH

Now It's Your Turn!

Cooper and I (both pictured here on top of Mount Major) invite you to help author this blog. If you did not receive an e-vite to become an author, please let me know and I'll resend.

I'm happy to provide a brief tutorial to anyone who'd like help getting started with this blog. It's so easy that I can even talk you through it over the telephone. So feel free to call my extension: 2421

We can use this blog to post photos of recent trips, plan upcoming trips we'd like to take together, talk about trips we're taking on our own, gather interest about an information session we'd like to host at the next meeting, compile a list of hiking/camping/outdoorsy books we own ... the possibilities are endless!

The i's do not have it

Alas, iHike was already been taken as a Blogger address.

How about "Mountain Progress"?

If that name makes you angry, I can always change the blog name. I will send an e-mail over the weekend to the e-mail addresses you listed on that sheet that was passed around during the meeting. The e-mail you receive will be an invitation for you to become an author to this blog.

In the meantime, feel free to post comments.

Also, be sure to scroll down and take our first blog poll!