Sage and Mighty Max. Bald Mountain/Artists Bluff, Feb. 13, 2011

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TrishandAlex

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White Mountains, NH
Copied from http://sagehikes.blogspot.com
Accompanying pictures and a couple of videos can be found there.
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It's been a while since Sage has asked to hike a 4K, so when she asked to go this weekend, I gave my enthusiastic yes. Unfortunately, this morning's upper summit forecast called for wind chills that fell beyond my comfort zone. I probably would have taken Alex up in such weather, but Sage is still new to winter hiking and I want to stay on the conservative side with her until she has more 4Ks under her belt.

I explained the situation, and though Sage was disappointed, she understood. To cheer her, I suggested we visit Sage's favorite stomping grounds, Bald Mountain in Franconia Notch. We could bring our 4 1/2 month old puppy, Max, and take him on his first real hike. Sage brightened at this idea, so we threw on our fleece, grabbed the leash and the dog, and jumped into the Honda.

In spite of Max's many attempts to eat both the steering wheel and the gearshift, we arrived at the trailhead unscathed. We parked, got out, and searched for the sign...it took us a while to find it due to the giant wall of snow that seemed to stretch halfway up the mountain.

It's a 1/4 mile hike to Bald Mountain's summit; Max took to the trail like...well, like a dog takes to the woods...we were there in no time.

Try as I might, I couldn't get a decent picture of Sage and Max together on the summit. Max wouldn't stay still for more than a millisecond. The following is the best I could do.

I finally gave up and took a video.

After scampering around for a while, Sage and Max both decided they were ready to move on. We headed over to Artists Bluff and finished the loop hike in record speed, using our bottoms for most of the descent.

'Twas a fun day and we enjoyed ourselves.

Sage wants to hike up Cannon next weekend...and she says she wants to finish the NH4Ks by the end of this year. I'm not sure she understands exactly how much hiking that is. I'll play it by ear and take her whenever she asks, and we'll see what happens.
 
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Bald mtn is a nice little peak, I used to take my parents hiking every year to a small peak. I looked foward to those hikes more then any of my own trips. We assaulted many peaks, Stanton, Indian head, Bald, Willard and a few others. Now its just my mom and she cant hike, but Bald was out last family hike, every now and then on my way home, I turn off and run up Bald to reminince of those golden days.
 
Trish,

My wife and I (and soon to be daughter) are always looking for smaller hikes to check out. I've seen Bald Mountain on the map before but never gave it much thought. I'm definitely putting it on the list to check out soon.

Great blog post. Looks like you guys had a great time.

Karl
 
Bald mtn is a nice little peak...Bald was out last family hike, every now and then on my way home, I turn off and run up Bald to reminince of those golden days.

Sierra, sounds like you have some beautiful memories. Nothing like a short hike with great views for family outings. Bald Mountain is fantastic.

Cute!!! I mean Max:D I can't wait till Lauky gets to meet him. :)

Lauky might want to wait unless he enjoys overly enthusiastic puppies jumping all over his head. :) Max is a good little dog, but we're still working on the "off" command. He does well at dog parks with other rowdy pups and larger dogs, but he tends to overwhelm adult dogs that are closer to his size. He'll mellow (a bit) with age.

Trish,

My wife and I (and soon to be daughter) are always looking for smaller hikes to check out. I've seen Bald Mountain on the map before but never gave it much thought. I'm definitely putting it on the list to check out soon.

Great blog post. Looks like you guys had a great time.

Karl

Karl, definitely check out Bald Mountain. Sometimes the ledges are difficult to get up during the winter, depends on the ice/snow situation. Once the snow is gone, the hike is perfect for young kids just starting out. Great views, short hike, ledges, and wild blueberries during the summer. You can sometimes see bears over on Cannon, wandering about the ski slopes during the off-season. Good stuff.
 
Lauky might want to wait unless he enjoys overly enthusiastic puppies jumping all over his head. :) Max is a good little dog, but we're still working on the "off" command. He does well at dog parks with other rowdy pups and larger dogs, but he tends to overwhelm adult dogs that are closer to his size. He'll mellow (a bit) with age.

No need to worry about Lauky that way. I've heard that eternity is a long time but that's about what it will take for Max to wear down Lauky.

Besides, I think Lauky would love to meet another dog his size. He mostly has had to contend with Labs and Goldens. I understand there is an Aussie running around out there but haven't seen her in a while. ;)

On one of my last outings Lauky was hit by a sneak attack from behind by a Golden and it was for real. Something happened I've never seen before with Lauky. My sweet little dog turned into a Tasmanian Devil. Even after the owner pulled off his dog Lauky wanted to have at him. Temper, temper... Five minutes later Lauky was upset with me because I wouldn't let him go and play with his "friend." :confused:
 
Ed, I'd love to get the two dogs together. Once he's ready for the Big Mountains, I'll send you a pm and hopefully we can coordinate schedules. I'm thinking late spring/early summer. Right now, Bald Mountain was just the right length/elevation gain...the hike tired him out for the rest of the afternoon, but by night he was back to his normal run-run-run self.

The Golden story was funny...terriers are interesting, yes? :D
 
You're right on

Ed, I'd love to get the two dogs together. Once he's ready for the Big Mountains, I'll send you a pm and hopefully we can coordinate schedules. I'm thinking late spring/early summer. Right now, Bald Mountain was just the right length/elevation gain...the hike tired him out for the rest of the afternoon, but by night he was back to his normal run-run-run self.

The Golden story was funny...terriers are interesting, yes? :D

You're spot on. The gradual build up is absolutely the best way to go. And yes, there are dogs and then there are terriers. :rolleyes:
 
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