I had a blast today, Jan 23, 2010. I crashed a bunch of times, nearly broke my pole in two a couple times between rocks, got my ski caught on a tree in a difficult position and had to take it off, made more than one 90 degree hop turn in some precarious places, got 5 runs in (including the downhill to my house which is always fun at high speed on the snowmobile trail), put some wear into my equipment, and got a face tan while eating lunch on the Coit Lookout. Four hours, 6.25 miles, and 5 runs all from my back door, it was a great day!

January 16, 2010 hike in the White Mountains with Joan, Rosie, Brenda, & Ryan via the Moat Mountain Trail. What a beautiful day for a winter hike. Blue sky, sunshine, temps around 40 degrees, and too many photo ops to count. We parked cars at both ends of the trail and started our hike from the south end summiting South Moat Mtn (2770 ft in elevation) first. Upon leaving South Moat we leave the well traveled path behind and increasingly find ourselves trudging through some deep snow, wishing we had not left the snowshoes in the car at times. Arriving at Middle Moat Mtn (2805 ft) we find yet another spectacular view. Attempting to leave Middle Moat we discover the path to North Moat has vanished, but after some exploring we find the virtually untracked trail and head on our way to North Moat Mtn (3196 ft). After passing the turn off for Red Ridge Trail we are met with deeper snow and steeper terrain but the sun is still shining bright and we push on with the knowledge that it’s all downhill after we summit North Moat. Finally our victory is nearly complete with summit of North Moat where we are greeted by a strong wind which quickly convinces all of us an additional layer will be required on the north slope descent. After some quick photos and calorie intake we begin to head downhill with a brisk pace. Soon Rosie is leading the pack blazing a descent for the next 2 plus miles that should one stop for 30 seconds to take pictures, requires a vigorous run for 5 minutes to catch up. The moon will be rising soon, we have a lot of ground to cover, and I sense an eagerness to get out of the woods before dark. No complaints here, as we hit the long mostly flat traverse out Joan takes over nearly maintaining Rosie’s vigorous pace. 2 more miles gone in a flash and we re-emerge at the trail terminus. Another amazing hike in the beautiful backcountry of the White Mountain’s of New Hampshire. Now off to replenish the calories at an Irish Grill before the drive home. I can’t think of a better way to spend a day.

January 17, 2010 group snowshoe from the Feeney's house with Mike & Cathy, Ryan & Christina, Joan & Al, Dana, Laurie, & Randy, Julie, Tom, & Nick. Another great adventure with a great group of people! We snowshoed from the top of North Peak condos to the Mt Sunapee Bowl and back. Lots of laughs, great conversation, and good friends, what better way to spend and afternoon.