Hermitage of San Bartolomeo, September 22, 2012, Parco Nazionale della Maiella

Ghost Dog Sherpa at the Hermitage

The Hermitage of San Bartolomeo is a short, 5km hike in the Maiella National Park. The trail starts just outside of the small village of Decontra, near Caramanico Terme, and gently undulates over open lands filled with the sounds of bees and birds and with views north into the mountains of the Maiella. We parked in Decontra proper, and walked north along an auto road for ten minutes to reach the trails.

Auto road leading north out of Decontra

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a friendly little dog who wound up walking with us to the hermitage and back to our car... essentially spending 5 hours of his day serving as our guide and companion. We dubbed him "biscotto."

K with Biscotto

One of the highlights of the hike, besides the hermitage itself, is that you can see one of the stone structures once used by Abruzzo shepherds for protection from the elements.

Shepherd hut

The trail itself is fairly easy to follow, marked by signs of various sorts and red and white trail blazes. The only challenging part comes at a gorge, where the trail descends steeply down into the gorge and up the opposite side.

Trail marker

The descent proved a little slippery, but was well worth the effort as the trail crosses a river below at a pleasant spot. We spent a half hour or so exploring the various rooms of the hermitage before returning to a nice picnic spot on the side from which we came that looks down into the gorge.

Picnic spot with trail marker overlooking the hermitage

Once we returned to the car, biscotto - who had followed closely the whole day - suddenly disappeared. So we changed his name to "ghost dog sherpa."

Ciao Biscotto. Ci vediamo a presto!

The route to the hermitage can be found on the Maiella park map by Edizione Lupo. As with all maps, the route numbers are subject to change because the park's are in the process of reumbering trails.

Zealand, West Bond, Bond, and Bondcliff Mountains, August 3, 2012, Pemigewasset Wilderness, White Mountain National Forest

West Bond

By day two of our trip to the White Mountains, I found out the real reason that my brother booked us at the Kanc Motor Lodge. We had brought along our bikes. Naively, I thought that this was so that we could enjoy a leisurely bike ride on a day off from hiking. Wrong.

In order to do the Zealand to Lincoln Woods Traverse, a 20 mile section hike designed to net four 4,000 footers in a single day, we'd need to stow the bikes overnight at our exit point and ride them back to the motel with full day backs on our backs. This, after a 12 hour day on the trail. The only saving grace... the ride would all be downhill. Then we'd hop on the AMC shuttle in Lincoln the following day to get back to the car.

 Coffee Break at Zealand Falls Hut (arrived in time to catch the daily skit)

We got up especially early in order to drive up through Franconia Notch and over to Twin Mountain where we parked the car. Despite the drive time, we still hit the trail just as the sun was coming up. In no time, we made it to Zealand Falls Hut as the overnighters were enjoying their post-breakfast skit, as is custom in hut culture. A kind offer by the hut keeper of two cups of coffee was warmly received.

View towards Bondcliff

We rolled through the day at a brisk pace, topping Zealand Mountain first and then stowed our packs for the quick spur hike over to West Bond - which offers magnificent 360 degree views. We then continued the traverse over Bond and on to Bondcliff. This peak isspectacular, but by the later afternoon there was a veritable party on top - pretty much ruining the potential tranquility of another great peak. We hightailed it out of there without even partaking in the obligatory photo on the peak's famous precipice.

The End - Bridge over the Pemigewasset River, at Lincoln Woods

The steep descent down Bondcliff and long slog along an old railroad grade to the Lincoln Woods Ranger Station, coupled with the bike ride all the way back to the motel in Lincoln made for one hell of a hiking day.

We hit Gordie's Fish and Steak in Lincoln for a late dinner. We ordered everything.

Peaks: Zealand, West Bond, Bond, Bondcliff
Elevation: 4,260, 4,540, 4,698, and 4,265 feet (Gain: 3,950 feet)
Distance: 19.5 miles (excluding 4.5 mile bike shuttle)
Route: Traverse, via Zealand Trail, Twinway, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur, Wilderness Trail, Lincoln Woods Trail

Bonds Traverse Map 1

Bonds Traverse Map 2 (with bike leg to Lincoln)

North and South Hancock, August 2, 2012, White Mountain National Forest

North Hancock, from South Hancock

The Kancamagus Motor Lodge, in Lincoln, New Hampshire, proved to be the perfect base of operations for a summer 2012 visit to the Whites in search of a few more peaks for the 4,000 footer list. Affordable rates, walking distance to town, indoor pool, and ping pong provide plenty of options for filling post-hike rest and recovery time.

The only problem... no in-room coffee machines. My brother and I are up before 5 AM and at the trailheads before 6 AM, sometimes even earlier. The lack of a coffee maker make such a production all the more difficult.

The location of the Kancamagus Lodge, on the so-called "Kanc" Highway, meant that we'd tackle peaks in the nearby Pemigewasset Wilderness. We started the weekend off with a 9.8 loop trail up the Hancocks. Despite being the weekend, we did well avoiding other hikers by getting an early start.

The trails were in good shape, with only a few blowdowns, and we made very fast time on the trails. Perfect for allowing for some afternoon rest before hitting the Bond range the next day.

Chalk off two more 4,000 footers... numbers 7 and 8.

Peaks: North and South Hancock
Elevation: 4,420 feet and 4,319 feet (Gain: 2,700)
Distance: 9.8 miles
Route: Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail
Conditions: Clouds and Sun, 70 degrees F