Presidential Traverse

Our last adventure of the summer was a four day traverse of the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We decided to try and do it the longest and highest way possible. So we started in the south up the Webster Cliff Trail and summitted all of the peaks possible (11) on our way over Madison and out to Appalacia in the north.

The climb up Webster Cliff was very difficult and hot, over 3 miles of straight up. Luckily we met up with two AT through-hikers who were absolutely wonderful characters. Gianni loved them and wasn't going to loose stride. He picked up to their blistering pace and we finished out the 7 mile climb over Webster and Jackson to Mizpah Hut in great time, beating the rain. Gianni could not get enough of their stories. Happy trails to those two wonderful men!

Day 2 found us setting out in a passing shower. We made very quick time over Pierce, Eisenhower, Franklin, and Monroe, arriving at the Lake of Clouds Hut by noon. The weather was calm but foggy, so the views were limited. After claiming our bunks and lunch we saw Washington appear in the sun. Inspired, we raced to the summit for some brief views and photos. Then as always the weather changed quickly. Our decent back to the hut was difficult with a strong crosswind and driving rain. We were soaked by the time we reached the hut. We met up with Wanda, Eric (9) and Ian (7) Rice at Lakes. The three boys were excited to hike together.

Day 3 was simply epic. The weather was perfect and we spent almost 10 hours on the trail enjoying it. We summitted Washington, again, and the headed over Clay and Jefferson. We began the difficult, 2 mile trip up Adams (second highest peak in the northeast) late in the day, but still made it to Madison Springs Hut by dinner. The pictures of our day tell it all.

On the final day, we summitted Madison in a 40 knot breeze. We had to hold on with our hands. Check out this video from the summit. We had a pleasant hike down Valley Way and reached the cars minutes before the rain. On the way home all we could think and talk about was doing it again soon!

Photo Album

North Truro

Mike Wasser and Patti McKenna so graciously invited us out to join them in North Truro the third week in August. We headed out to PTown with the van loaded with gear. The surf was tiny, so we didn't wet the sticks. The fishing was wonderful, with plenty of bass and blues. We enjoyed wake surfing on Mike's boat and Gianni finally overcame his fear of wakeboarding, successfully getting up and making some turns. The boys had fun fooling around with a longboard behind the boat, too, and then there was the tube, of course! Chef Mike fed us well every night. Really good times!

Sailing to Block and Montauk

After our Falmouth trip we turned around in an afternoon and headed out to sea on another adventure. We spent the first week of August sailing with the Costa's to Block Island and Montauk. This was our 9th annual "Montauk trip." This year we decided to spice it up and do Block as well. Actually, the plans were for more. We woke up the first morning to a dead motor. We discovered several air leaks in the fuel line. It took us until 11:00 am to buy parts, fix the problems and get under way. Our initial goal of Newport was now out of sight, so we set sail for Block. We had a wonderful crossing and luckily picked up one of the last free mornings when we arrived. Gianni was the Zodiac captain, shuttling the crew all over the salt pond.

The weather was so nice that we decided to spend another day on the hook. We anchored at the back to the pond and enjoyed a day at the town beach. The next day we set sail for Montauk. We enjoyed our traditional stay at Star Island Yacht Club and feasted on seafood. Our sail home was most enjoyable hitting The Race on a perfect tide. We can't wait for next year!

Week in Falmouth

Gianni and I spent the last week of July at Paul's house in East Falmouth, on the Cape. It was a great week together with the families. I was able to bike quite a bit, finishing out the week with two 50 mile rides. I was actually feeling pretty strong on the bike for a change. We took the kids fishing, boating, waterskiing, etc. One of the highlights of the trip was our excursion to Coast Guard Beach out on the National Seashore. It was a great day at the beach and I was able to surf for a couple of hours. We saw several seals, too. It was a very relaxing week. We went over to Martha's Vineyard twice on Paul's boat. We enjoyed more bridge jumping outside of Oaks Bluff. Check out this video of Gianni jumping!