Mt. Pierce June 16, 2004

Our first hike of the summer was to Mt. Pierce in the southern Presidentials. Why Pierce? First, it is a 4000 footer - our son Jordan has a goal to climb all forty-eight 4000 footers and we have taken this on as a family project. As importantly for a first hike of the season, it is a moderate one - 6.4 miles, a total climb of 2400 feet and a trail that is not too rugged.

A good part of the hike is on, as the Tappett brothers would say, the "historic and folkoric" Crawford Path. The path was built in 1819 by Abel and Ethan Allen Crawford and is the oldest continually used hiking trail in the United States. It runs about 10 miles to Mt. Washington and is a remarkably good trail. Why did the Crawfords build it? To increase tourism to their Crawford Inn which in its time had as guests 5 U.S. Presidents, Daniel Webster, Nathaniel Hawthorne and John Greenleaf Whittier among others. The path to this day is one of the most heavily traveled hiking trails in the United Sates and is a remarkable engineering feat.

By the end of the hike we could say that we had all we could have handled for the day. We were beat. But wait. Toward the end of the hike a solo hiker passed us and asked where we had hiked. We told him and then politely asked him where he had been. He tells us he started the day at the Appalachia parking lot. My head started spinning the numbers. I calculated that must be about 17 miles and 6 peaks away.

When we reached the trailhead I quickly realize he is part of a group of hikers that range in age from about 45 to 65. I asked did you stay overnight at a hut (there are mountain huts operated by the AMC) or did you a complete this in one day? I really knew the answer already but needed to have it confirmed. The answer: "One day - 20 miles, 7000 feet of climbing, we started at 5:30am." Incredibly they looked more rested than we did. They didn't add, but I can, that the terrain and trails they had traveled are incredibly rugged. This would be a incredible feat for most anyone but for a 65 year old it is simply amazing and inspiring.

When we returned to the car, Deborah looked at me and said: "I can see that look at your eyes, you're considering the possibilities!" Indeed I was, that type of incredible feat is far beyond our current capabilities but to entertain new possibilities is indeed inspirational.

Distance: 6.4 miles. Climb 2400 ft. Elevation 4310 ft.