John Drew Peterson   Winter '08-'09 - Solo

Date	Peak / Peaks	#
December 26	Eisenhower & Pierce	1-2
December 29	North & South Kinsman	3-4
December 30	North & South Hancock	5-6
January 2	South & Middle Carter	7-8
January 3	Waumbek	9
January 4	Field, Willey, Tom	10-12
January 6	Isolation	13
January 9	Jackson	14
January 10	Wildcat "A" & "D"	15-16
January 13	E. Osceola & Osceola	17-18
January 14	Tecumseh	19
January 17	Moosilauke	20
January 19	Cannon	21
January 20	Lincoln & Lafayette	22-23
January 22	Galehead, South & North Twin	24-26
January 24	Liberty & Flume	27-28
January 27	Owl's Head	29
January 31	Garfield	30
February 1	North & Middle Tripyramids	31-32
February 2	Whiteface	33
February 5	Carrigain	34
February 8	Cabot	35
February 9	Passaconaway	36
February 11	Hale & Zealand	37-38
February 16	Washington & Monroe	39-40
February 17	Jefferson	41
February 25	Moriah	42
February 28	Carter Dome	43
March 1	Adams & Madison	44-45
March 5	Bondcliff, Bond, West Bond	46-48

 

I decided to attempt this last summer as a result of a strong desire to know the New England mountain landscape more thoroughly.The eastern skyline from where we live in northern Vermont is etched by the outlines of Moosilauke, the Franconias, Twins, and Presi's. Their pull can be quite powerful, and even though I live & hike in these Green Mtns., the Whites have always been special, perhaps because I grew up and started hiking there. Hiking them all solo occurred to me as I got down the list and had only done one - the first, Carter Dome on 12/23/08 - in company. It was a great privilege to do them this way. The importance of knowing all the trails in advance cannot be overstated, particularly going alone. I lost many trails many times despite multiple previous visits to them all. Winter snowpack and drifting create places that don't even exist the rest of the year. Decades of winter hiking and mountaineering also helped with comfort level, confidence, and knowledge of how far my energy could be expected to last. When you're neck deep in a spruce trap on Mt. Bond with no one around for ten miles, those factors can make a big difference. Finally, solo or not, no one does this without help along the way. The mentoring and route-finding tutelage I received from Ed Hawkins in particular saved me from a steeper learning curve. Other seasoned hikers also gave encouragement and good advice, among them Jim Gagne, Eric Rathbun, Cath Goodwin and Bob Martin. My wife Maryellen gave her blessings as well as support! Thanks everyone - see you out there! ~ Drew Petersen Duxbury, VT