South Hancock and North Hancock, September 12, 2026, White Mountain National Forest

The Flag on South Hancock

I've known about Flags on the 48 for many years. It's an annual 9/11 remembrance hiking event organized by the New Hampshire hiking community in which American flags are raised on all 48 of the White Mountain high peaks. Although we almost always spend some time in New Hampshire in September, the timing never worked out that the event was happening while we were up there. So this year, the 25th anniversary of 9/11, I decided that the time had finally come to participate and made the last minute, seven-hour drive just to do so. The sign-up process was easy and I hooked up with the team tasked with Mount Suribachi-ing South Hancock. I hadn't been up the Hancocks lately, so I was very much looking forward to a return. I was a little nervy about hiking with strangers, but everyone in the group was kind and affable with not a wildcard in the bunch. The pleasant company, coupled with the beautiful weather, combined to make the day a memorable experience of patriotism, contemplation and remembrance for an event that changed the world forever.

View to South Hancock from North Hancock

Our group met at the hairpin turn parking lot on the Kanc for briefing and gear distribution and hit the trail at 7:30 a.m. sharp. Not wanting to set too fast of a pace, I took up a position at the very rear of the group and had a good conversation with a nice guy from Massachusetts who was doing the 48 with his two kids and thought that this memorial hike would be a great way to tick off the Hancocks. As is usually the case when hiking with others, the miles and hours flew by as we all conversed in small groups during the long, flat approach and then up the steep, rocky climb to South Hancock. We promptly raised the flag with the help of the two members of our group who were not yet alive on 9/11 but brought the same energy and enthusiasm to the act as the rest of us, even making use of their skills with knot-tying and American flag handling. It was impressive.

Carrying up the rear on South Hancock climb

Most of the hikers in our group were actively working on the 48 list, so they wanted to make the relatively-easy traverse and tag North Hancock. Our directive was to keep our flag up for at least 2 hours, from 12 to 2, so we had plenty of time for an out and back across the ridge. I decided to go along as well. As one might expect on a beautiful weekend in September, the trails were packed and we met lots of other hikers, many of whom were curious about what we were doing with the flags. One of them, a friendly, recent college graduate who had been solo-hiking multiple peaks on the 48 list all week, found our efforts so compelling that he hooked up with our group for the rest of the day. At lunchtime, we added a twelfth person. She had signed up late and missed the morning rendezvous but hiked up to join us nonetheless.

So when we returned to the trailhead base camp at 5:45 p.m., we had two more team members than when we started.

Mission accomplished.

Team South Hancock, post-hike at the Hancock Pavilion

Peaks: South Hancock and North Hancock 
Elevation: 4,319 and 4,420 feet (Gain: 2.919 feet)
Distance: 10 miles roundtrip
Route: Up and Back, Hancock Notch Trail to Cedar Brook Trail to Hancock Loop Trail
Conditions: Sunny, 50 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Canada Jays

South Twin, North Twin and Galehead Mountain, August 4, 2026, White Mountain National Forest

View to South Twin and Galehead Mountain from North Twin Outlook

For whatever reason, the Twin Range is never on my radar when I visit the White Mountains. Maybe it's because the day that I hiked them when doing the 4,000 footer list was a total rain out. I can't recall why I decided climb a couple of extra high peaks with great vista points on a day when there would be no visibility up top, but I did. My post about that wet hike reminded me that I did enjoy the solitude of a day when nobody else was out. Still, I suppose that soggy slog of a hike engendered a somewhat indifferent feeling towards what some people call their favorite peaks in all of the Whites. For many years now I've been wanting to give them another chance.

Little River Torrents

That chance came during my annual White Mountain hiking trip with brother and nephews. The young ones get to choose the peaks, and this time they chose the Twins. Since we were meeting in New Hampshire instead of carpooling, we had two vehicles on hand and decided to set up a shuttle. The logistics and time involved in so doing can sometimes be a hassle, but the two trailheads were only minutes from our base camp in Bethlehem and we set it all up and hit the trail at the respectable hour of 6:30 a.m. Only two cars were in the lot at the North Twin Trail. Overnight hut visitors, we surmised, meaning we'd probably have the trail all to ourselves.

Admiring clouds hovering on Mt. Washington on an otherwise cloud-less day

Turns out we did. Barring a slightly dicey crossing of the raging Little River, we had a lonely, uneventful climb to the much-heralded vista point on the shoulder of North Twin. We took a first extended break of the day here, admiring the easterly views towards the Presidential Range. After moving out, we touched the cairn at the unremarkable, wooded true summit of North Twin and everyone but me quickly forged ahead towards South Twin. I decided to take the super short spur over to an open viewpoint ledge, which offers a great vista of South Twin, Galehead Hut and Galehead Mountain -- our next three destinations. It was worth the five minute detour, for sure.

Steep descent from South Twin towards Galehead Hut, Mount Garfield in distance

We took a second extended break on the summit of South Twin, which has some of the best views in all of the White Mountains, especially those to the south into the Pemigewasset Wilderness. With good views come hikers aplenty, and we had to carve out a private space for ourselves in a corner of the rocky summit to avoid 15 or so others who steadily arrived just after we did. Next came the extremely steep descent down to Galehead Hut. It's always nice to have a hut on a hiking route as it affords a chance to fill up water bottles, catch a baked good, and/or talk with other hikers. Two of us decided to run up to nearby Galehead summit; the other two decided that the hut was a good place for a rest and a nap. I suppose that I applaud the logic behind both choices of how to best conclude a day on the 4,000 footers.

Peaks: North Twin, South Twin, and Galehead Mountain 
Elevation: 4,760, 4,902, and 4,024 feet (Gain: 3,748 feet)
Distance: 11 miles point to point
Route: Traverse; North Twin Trail, North Twin Connector, Twinway, Frost Trail, Gale River Trail
Conditions: Sunny and windy, 50 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Common Ravens

 

Hemlock Mountain via Naval Run and Black Forest Trails, June 20, 2026, Tiadaghton State Forest

View to Pine Creek Gorge from Hemlock Mountain

My brother and I don't do a lot of summer hiking in Pennsylvania. We prefer the late fall, early spring and winter months for meeting up in his neck of the woods for big day outings in the commonwealth. This year, however, we wanted to take advantage of a rare, cool and breezy mid-June day with low humidity to do a hike in the mountains around Pine Creek Gorge and enjoy the seasonal blooming of the mountain laurel. The one downside to not hiking in early summer is that you miss out on the optimal time to see the official state flower of Pennsylvania. But, as we soon found out, peak season for mountain laurel is also peak season for timber rattlers.

Mountain Laurel on Naval Run Trail

It took an hour and a half to drive to the trail, which is the absolute max amount of one-way car time for a day hike that either of us can handle. Fortunately, we still managed to be geared up and on the trail by 7:30 a.m. sharp. Unlike most of our hikes, which begin by ascending, this one starts with a long, gradual descent via switchbacks. The Naval Run Trail is a grassy trail with easy footing leading down into a pleasant wooded canyon. The blooming mountain laurel was aplenty on the higher elevation ridge top, then gradually disappeared as we lost elevation, replaced by large swaths of stinging nettles. However, this loop hike contains multiple ups and downs, so the mountain laurel would appear again each time that we climbed back up to the higher elevations. It's been a long time since I hiked Pennsylvania in mid-June. Keystone State forests are diverse and beautiful at this time of year.

Waterfall on Callahan Run Tributary

At the bottom of the ravine, we connected with the Black Forest Trail which makes a long ascent to the top of Hemlock Mountain. On the sunny rocks near the summit, a timber rattlesnake warned us of its presence so we gave it a wide berth, admired it from afar and made note to keep an eye out for others. I was in the lead and thought that I was being extra careful to scan the rocky trail ahead. However, I must have gotten lost in conversation at one point and suddenly heard my brother exclaim "snake!" I whipped around to see another rattler directly on the trail behind me. I had walked right over him. I don't have a fear of snakes, but coming that close to stepping on a venomous creature six miles deep into the forest had me, well, rattled. Lesson 1 of the day. Pay close attention in snake season. Lesson 2. Rattlers don't always rattle. 

Big Sky on Big Trail Scenic Road

After Hemlock Mountain, we traveled along the ridge to a campsite, stopped for lunch, and then descended again along Callahan Run. At the bottom of the valley, three trails and several streams come together at a very nice campsite within earshot of a small, picturesque waterfall. We made note of the spot for future hiking trips and then started the second of the two long, unrelenting ascents of the day back up to the higher elevation lands of the blooming mountain laurel. At the top, we ran into two hikers traveling in the opposite direction and chatted with them for a few minutes about the weather, their route and other favorite hiking spots in Pennsylvania. After bidding farewell, we set off on the Big Trail Scenic Road back to the car and quickly lamented our one mistake. 

Should have warned them about the rattlers.

Destination: Hemlock Mountain
Distance: 11.4 miles
Elevation: 2,080 feet (2,533 feet gain)
Route: Clockwise loop, Naval Run Trail to Black Forest Trail to Big Trail Scenic Road
Conditions: Sunny, 60 - 80 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Timber Rattlesnake x2