KPMMBM
Member
In 2006, I decided to return to hiking, a recreation that I had enjoyed many years ago as child. A return to my childhood, a mid life crisis, getting off the couch, a weight loss plan, call it what you want, it has been all of those. I started slow, mostly to waterfalls in Maine & NH. Eventually I added some smaller peaks to the mix. In 2008, I climbed my first 4,000 footer, Osceola in NH. Then the "L" word grabbed a hold of me. There were 48 of these in NH. ME & VT had some too. People did them in different seasons, wow this cool! In 2010, I completed the VT list with a climb of Mt Mansfield on the last day of winter, finishing an hour past official winter. In 2011, a long slog to and from Owls Head completed my NH list. That left only my home state to complete and I hadn't done but 1 or 2 of the peaks at that time. I'll most likely never do the AT and experience the emotion of seing the Katahdin summit sign at the end but yesterday, on a bluebird day like no other I've ever had, my 4,000 footer journey reached a pinnacle atop this mighty peak. I can now claim the any season completion of the 67 peaks in NH, VT, & ME. In the short time I've returned to hiking, I've met a great bunch of people that have brought me along my journey. From the early days with Tex Littig, then connecting with Petch & Crazy Bob, and many AMC hikes in between, I've been fortunate to connect with some of the nicest people. Back at home, having a spouse that has put up with my obsession has been invaluable. While this journey has ended, I now see the path towards many other goals and look forward to many more years and many more new friends.
