Twin Peaks

As regular readers of this blog know, every Columbus Day weekend, Andrew and I have managed to eke out some type of mountain hike or climb, going back almost two decades, even before Andrew entered his high school era.

Some of the hikes have been legendary, such as the now-infamous Mount Moosilauke climb of 2020, a day still spoken only in whispers by those who experienced it.  They say mountains do strange things to a man?  That particular mountain defined even Stranger Things.

We try, whenever possible, to notch a different notch every year, just to take in the wonders of the peaks of New England.

This year's destination was Mount Kearsarge in Warren, New Hampshire, and joining us for this year's trek was Katie, who was born for outdoor exploration, and Barry, who was born to run.  This day, though, unlike two other nuts we saw on on the mountain, there wouldn't be much running in Barry's outing.

We got an early start, as we normally do, and thankfully in this case, as the early morning hours provided the best sunshine on the day.

Some fun facts about Mount Kearsarge as you scroll through some of our pics from the day:

The mountain's name evolved from a 1652 rendering of the native Pennacook tribal name for the mountain, Carasarga, which suppposedly meant "notch-pointed mountain of pines."

The mountain is accessible from several starting points, and due to a slight mountaineering error by ye humble mountaineer, that ended up with us coming through the Warner side of the mountain.

Why does that factor into this particular story? Because after driving up the scenic Kearsarge Mountain access road to the small parking lot, that left us with only a half mile climb to the summit, something we accomplished in less than half an hour.

The sun was still shining, but the clouds were starting to roll in.  More on that later.

From the summit, you literally have a 360 degree view of virtually all of the White Mountains, and to the south, eventually, the city of Boston.

Andrew and I, just trying to figure out what's what in the presidential range behind us.

The tradition continues.

Fire engulfed the top of this mountain in 1796, leaving the rockface bare still to this day.

Barry, psyching himself up for the next two-thirds of our hike this fall day.

Besides being absolutely enraptured by her surroundings when she's out in nature, Katie always manages to catch some stunning pics, regardless of the subject matter. 

Realizing we had gypped ourselves out of a true climb, we decided to take on the double trail stretch I had initially planned on using, accessing the mountain from Wilmot.

For this stretch, we needed to descend on the Barlow trail to get back to the main parking area below.

Our resident hobbit, Katie, always aware of her surroundings, wisely opted to get off the road.

Good thing, too, because the ringwraiths weren't far behind.

It wasn't the bridge of Khazad-dum, and I'm pretty sure Katie would have let anyone pass if they needed to.  Except a balrog, of course.

The Barlow Trail is named after Noel Holland Barlow, an Alberta-born fitter who was honored by city leaders after the acclaimed soldier Douglas Bader refused a street naming in his own honor and suggested Barlow instead.

We're still smiling here, because we're still working our way down on the Barlow trail.

Those smiles would change ere long.

Once we reached the base, it was time for hydration, some trail mix, some mushroom jerky (don't ask), and a quick refresh.

Then we began our climb back up to the summit again, this time via the Winslow Trail.

Emphasis on the SLOW in Winslow.

The Winslow Trail is named after Admiral John Winslow, the commander of the USS Kearsarge, which in June, 1864 sank the CSS Alabama in the English Channel in a famous Civil War sea battle. 

The look on Andrew's face was one of surprised as we approached one of the steepest parts of the climb, not to mention technical.

Challenging, yes, but this is why we so love these excursions - they push us physically, mentally, and allow us to see parts of New England well off the beaten path.

Emphasis on beaten.

Not sure if they halfway marker is meant to inspire us or break us, but either way, it had the expected effect.

Katie, in her element

And then once again we were back at the summit, ergo the name of this blog post, hitting the same summit twice, with a nod to one of my favorite tv shows of all time, don'tcha know

We decided to ascend the fire tower atop the summit this second visit.

This time, however, it was sans direct sunlight, and the temps were starting to hint at the pending nor'easter set to hit New England later that night.

Don't be fooled by the warm smiles, we were freezing.

And yes, it was incredibly windy.

Barry, meanwhile, was looking for the mushroom-pickers the national park ranger told us we would find along our journey.

The man in the tower, freezing his ass off.

Look west, young man

One of several cairns along the trails, though this one is at the mountain's summit, 2,937 feet above sea level.

Our second group selfie, a few hours later, and significantly colder than our first pass through

Sadly, it was time to head back to the car and call it a day.

We ended up just shy of five miles overall for the double-summit adventure

Here's hoping there's many more mountains in our future.

We'll keep on ticking off the different mountains whenever we're able.

And hopefully, we'll all be healthy enough to continue scaling to the summits, not to mention spending some quality time with the people we love.

See you at the next summit!

A New Recruit Joins Annie's Army

Twenty-two years in, and Jackie is still captaining a team of walkers who gather every October - albeit virtually during the height of COVID - to log a half-marathon of mileage as part of the annual Jimmy Fund Walk to raise money to support Dana Farber's never-ending battle against cancer.

Jack and her sister Annie started these walks in 2003, and with her sister's passing in 2016 from the insidious disease, Jack firmly took on the sole mantle of team captain and has been leading Annie's Army from Wellesley to Boston every year along the vaunted Boston Marathon course.

The ranks have swelled with every passing year, and THIS year had a spectacular new participant - Graham, who, at five months old, is our youngest recruit ever, even though he can't technically walk the miles on his own.

Luckily the rest of the army was ready to step up and soldier him through.

The logistics involved with getting a team of 16 across the finish line is intricate.  But needless to say, more than two decades of participating has provided us with plenty of blueprints to execute an effective game play for everyone, regardless of the distances or fitness levels.

At the start, in Wellesley, on this picture-perfect cloudless day where temps hit the 80s, everyone is still looking fresh.  That will change ere long.

Bravo to this pack of stalwarts who plowed though Wellesley and Newton while the rest of us were getting the other puzzle pieces in place.

And here he is, Graham Fandl, logging his first - but undoubtedly not his last - half-marathon.

As I said above, it takes an army.

And Grammy is all too happy to do her part in helping Graham through the wilds of Wellesley.

Next up is Uncle Andrew, who, bedecked with a very fashionable papoose, helps get his godson to the Newton Fire Station to prepare for the hills ahead.

Meanwhile, the next batch of walkers is already hitting the hills of Newton - welcome aboard Don, Cindy, Cheryl and Joshua!

On the second of hills - no, Katie this wasn't Heartbreak Hill yet, Auntie Kaykay taps in for Graham's next bottle.  Because as any walker knows, proper hydration during a half marathon is critical.

I've lost track of how many miles this mother-daughter tandem have logged, but Jackie and Heather have managed them all with smiles on their faces all along.

Katie is all smiles, too, because she knows the top of Heartbreak Hill lies just ahead.  Or is it, Katie?

Yeah, it was getting warm out there, but this group is still energized

Scott, fresh off running seven miles out from the finish after parking in Boston, joined his wife Sue and Jack to crest the last of the hills - the granddaddy of them all, Heartbreak.

As a veteran of many Boston Marathons, this was absolutely the first time Andrew took Heartbreak Hill pushing a baby carriage.  Probably his favorite time up the hill, too, pushing his nephew.

Then, fresh off his breakfast in Boston, Ryan - another of our wheels-home heroes - joined the Army at Cleveland Circle for the stretch through he and Heather's old stomping grounds.

Welcome also to Annie's husband John, her son, Johnny, and Johnny's partner-in-crime Meghan.

Props to Andrew for the mad Brookline group selfie of this Sweet 16.

Cause, cousins

They've been hitting the same high-five pose just about every year since they started doing this walk, heading into Kenmore Square and its iconic CITGO sign.

Graham is still all smiles heading into the final mile - and why not?  Dad's carrying him to the finish line!

Boston Strong indeed.

Our captain is ready to lead us across the much-anticipated finish line.

A well-deserved high-five

Frame it for this warrior survivor and her hubbie

All smiles for Graham, mom, and dad.  Well, two out of three on the smiles front.

For his part, Graham is already strategizing what he'll do differently for his next half-marathon.

Thankfully, there were benches and shade to be found on the Boston Common to allow everyone time to rehydrate from the scorching trek.

And fret not - as regular readers of this blog and our annual excursions to the Jimmy Fund walk know - Andrew somehow managed to find a snackerel or two on the Boston Common.

And you were worried he was going to starve after such an intensive workout.

It's truly an honor to walk with these family members and friends every year, and God bless Jackie for still leading the charge. 

Not gonna lie, walking this year with our grandson for the first time ever presented an indescribable honor and blessing that's hard to reduce to writing. He's a treasure, and conquering this course with Graham is a core memory I'll never forget.

So a shoutout to all of this year's participants, as well as those who supported Annie's Army with financial donations in recent days.

As long as we're able, we'll continue to pound the pavement every October for this incredibly important fund-raising cause.

Most of you probably know someone who's been impacted in some form or another by this disease, and the warrior numbers continue to mount.

This year, there's a new warrior in the trenches - you know who you are.  We were out there walking for you, too, as you begin your journey beating the disease which recently turned things sorta upside-down for you.

We're out there for you, for survivors like Katie and Jackie, and for the warriors who blazed the path for Annie's Army to muster every October.

God willing, we'll continue doing this every year that we're able.

Take care of one another.