Boomer had climbed Mary’s Mountain in Freedom, NH, and he had also reached the peak of Welsh Dickey Loop the day before, but he had never climbed a 4000 footer before. Matthew, Boomer, and I got up early to set out for a 4.4 mile hike (one way!). Boomer was filled with energy and zoomed up the trail!
Down in the valley we had not come across any snow, but as we got higher there was plenty. The snow pack was 3-4 feet deep in some places, and it was slow-going. Boom took a good roll on the snow to cool off.
And then Matthew said “Hey Boomer, what are you doing!!!”. That got him to look at the camera!
When we got to the final scramble before we got to the top, it became so steep that I had to literally hoist Boomer up some of the steeper parts!
When we got to the top, wow was it gorgeous!
Matthew walked over to the cliffs for a photo opportunity…….
… and then Boomer and I did the same!
After our long hike, we were all hungry, especially the Boom. I probably said “something to eat?” before I took this picture, because he is staring right at me. Mt. Washington is in the background as we prepared to eat lunch.
And of course, once lunch was done, it was time for a nap. I remember the day well, because in April it can be quite cold on top of a 4000 footer. However, the sun kept it perfectly warm (except for when a cloud rolled by, and then it got REALLY cold). Boom took a snooze to get the energy to walk back down.
While he was sleeping, I took one of my favorite pictures of him of all time. I like how his torso fills up most of the shot, how branches are stuck on his chest, how the bottom of his pads are a bit worn from the hike, and how he is completely asleep. The rock cairns, my backpack, and a beautiful snow-covered Mt. Lafayette make this picture perfect. I eventually hung it downstairs in my basement.
Matthew took a snooze at the exact same time! We had been logging a lot of miles in the last few days.
Our hike back down was treacherous in a few places because of the snow. Here is a picture of Matthew and Boomer after we had successfully descended an ice-packed, steep trail.
When we made it back down to camp, we had our last fire of the trip, and Matthew marked a stone next to one tired puppy dog…..
After one more night in the tent, we headed back to civilization. When we hiked out we let Boomer try on Matthew’s day pack for a while!
Finally, after one of the most epic hiking adventures ever, we made it back to the car……
Boomer hopped into his usual spot in the car and seemed to ask: Where’s Mom???
It was a memorable and fun trip. As I was putting this blog together I realized that I had made a video after the trip was over, so I uploaded it to YouTube and have embedded it below.
