For nigh on about 20 years or so, Andrew and I have shared an October tradition - usually executed during Columbus Day weekend - that of climbing a mountain together. We started with Mount Monadnock when Andrew was still in elementary school, and we continue still in 2026.
It's a father-son experience that has been a staple of Fall in New England for us. An opportunity to soak in some of the glorious foliage that this corner of the U.S. proudly boasts.
And New England has no shortage of varied climbs, so as a result we try whenever possible to clock a different climb each year just to experience some of the different terrains and views that these mountains have to offer.
Our 2026 mountain, as most of our climbs in years past, came by way of a recommendation from Hiker Extraordinaire Donna Corbin, who's logged more mountains, climbs and hikes than most mere mortals can only dream of conquering.
This year, Donna offered up five potential hikes for us to consider. One of those five recommendation from Donna - Mount Paugus in Albany, New Hampshire - though, came with a very distinct caveat.
"It's hard."
Pro tip for all climbers: when Donna Corbin cautions a particular climb is "hard," believe her.
Mount Paugus is located between Mount Chocorua and Mount Passaconaway in the Sandwich Range Wilderness of New Hampshire's White Mountains. It's one of the climbs featured in the 52-With-A-View hiking list, primarily because of its sweeping vistas of the lake region (see pics below).
The American Indian name Paugus translates roughly to "The Oak," signifying strength, toughness, and resilience. Yeah, it's aptly named.
Starting at the base of the Kelley Trail, we were still all smiles, but of course, we were barely 100 yards into our adventure.
Donna had made the tactical error of telling me this course reminded her a lot of the Lord of Rings movie trilogy, so natch, Andrew needed his Gandalf moment.
As anyone who follows us E Streeters proper knows, you savor the value of claiming a town line victory by being the first to cross it That counts on mountain climbs as well. Guess who notched the first victory?
And then, we began the climb. I find it a strategic approach to first soak in the the terrain, not to mention the scale of the ascent before we actually begin. Consider it psyching oneself up.
This year, as in most recent years, Andrew and I were joined by Andrew's jubilant wife Katie, who besides adding endless laughs and lasting memories to any climb, is also our local naturalist, who can identify the flora and fauna of any landscape. Polypores, anyone?
As we pass by Helm's Deep, you may notice an addition to this year's climb - walking sticks. That's thanks once again to Donna Corbin who, upon hearing the mountain we had chosen, said we MUST use walking sticks for an assist. And like I said above, when Donna speaks mountain advice, you listen.
Donna, I could kiss you for your insistence this time around.
In advance of our climb, we had done as much research as possible about the mountain, and that included charting the specific chain of paths we needed to follow, as well as the paths NOT to follow - those leading to the Kancamagus Highway on the other side of the mountain, for example.
For one brief moment, the three of us feared this was the summit of Paugus, in which case, while we were pleased with the view, there wasn't nearly enough real estate to explore. Thankfully, we were mistaken. In fact, we were barely halfway up the mountain at this point. Gulp!
Finally, after some not-so-insignificant scaling, we reached the plateau of Paugus, and for quite a while, had the expanse all to ourselves.
Yes, it was tiring.
So, some fun facts about Mount Paugus: It was named after Chief Paugus, a leader of the Pequawket tribe (a sect of the Abenaki Tribe), who died in 1725 at the Battle of Pequawket.
Early in the climb, we opted to reimagine ourselves as Aragon, Legolas and Gimli hunting some orcs in their quest to save Merry and Pippen.
It sounded good in our heads. We were just really happy to have found some flat surface at the apex of this cinematic journey.
The views from the top were spectacular, with the pallet of fall colors speckling the horizon.
This photographer's cell phone pics don't even come close to doing this panorama justice.
Far off to our left we could see Lake Winnipesaukee, along with Squam Lake.
To our right, was the peak of Mount Passaconaway, one of the vaunted 4,000 footers
We spent plenty of time resting up top, recharging, and chowing down, and just appreciating our ability to enjoy moments like these together.
In hindsight, we probably should have taken even more water than the multiple bottles of H2O that we did carry, as all of us felt varying signs of dehydration on our return down, despite having filled up on water whenever we could. It didn't help that our descent included some not-so-effortless uphills back from the canyons and valleys of the Lawrence Trail.
As stated above, the unique aspect of having to climb back up hills hours into your downhill descent introduces a new challenge to your already-overtaxed quads, and served as yet an even stronger reminder of the critical importance of proper hydration.
My hiking/running/walking app clocked us in at just about 9 miles all told. And the health data chart reminded all three of us of the ups and downs of this formidable climb
All told the actual hiking portion of this mountain took us six hours. Coupling the Kelley Trail with the Lawrence Trail and then returning via the Mast Road trail, we logged approximately 9 miles overall.
And while the climb logs in at an elevation of 3,185 feet, this humbler was absolutely more difficult than some of the 4,000 footers we've conquered in the past.
All three of us were proud of our accomplishments, but absolutely felt the toll it took on our toes, achilles, and quads. And that was WITH the aforementioned walking sticks to assist.
So in retrospect, and hearkening to the name of this post, the adjective august means inspiring reverence, admiration, dignity, or grandeur; majestic, venerable, or of high rank.
Paugus the Oak, you were all of that and more.
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