Leaf Peepin'

It's Columbus Day weekend and all the leaves really started changing colors around here. So, we decided to ventured to NH to hike Mount Monadnock and do some "leaf peepin'" as they call it out here. It was perfect weather for a hike... not to hot, not too cold.

At 3,165-ft of elevation it made for a 4.5 mile round trip hike... 2.2 miles up, 2.3 miles down. Monadnock has become known as one of the most frequently climbed mountains in the world. With nearly 125,000 hikers a year it is just second behind Mount Fuji in Japan.

It was a moderate hike with lots of views on the way up. The last 1/2 mile on the ascent was challenging though... it was steep and involved lots of scrambling up and over rock faces. But it was worth it. The bare, isolated, rocky summit provided expansive 360 degrees views of the entire surrounding area. You could even see a tiny silhouette of the Boston skyline in the distance (about 62 miles away!). It was extremely windy at the top however... it was a good thing we brought our jackets!

We made it back down to the bottom just before sunset. Then we went to Olive Garden to reward ourselves with the never ending pasta bowl, salad, and breadsticks after our long day of hiking. So good!



PS... Happy 10/10/10 Today!! =)