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The White Mountains- Mt. Tecumseh

I'm not sure who had the bright idea of climbing two 4,000 footers back to back but that's where we found ourselves on our second day in New Hampshire:  at the base of Mt. Tecumseh.  No, in reality, looking forward at the weather report, and given the importance to my husband that we climb the two mountains that he had climbed as a kid, we decided to tackle Mt. Osceola and Mt. Tecumseh first.

There is a lot of comparison of these two 4,000 footers online and among people, and both are rated moderate.  Now, I don't know if it is because we traveled far, climbed one 4,000 footer, then attacked another the following day, but Tecumseh felt harder in ways to me.  There is actually a split in our family about which was more difficult, 2 votes for Tecumseh and 2 for Osceola.  (And one vote is highly suspect given the amount of toads we encountered on Tecumseh 😉.)  Trying to remain as impartial as possible,  it is about 3 miles to both summits, Osceola is rocky and has a ton of switchbacks and the grade is more subtle, you have to go slower, and in my opinion, it makes the climb feel physically easier.  Tecumseh is immediately steep (I wish I had trekking poles!!!), and alternates between being steep, sort of steep, flattish, steep with rocks etc. You get the idea.  My boy with asthma had to take breaks and even took his puffer which he didn't have to do anywhere else on our hikes.  Luckily, even though the grumbling immediately started on the incline, toads were spotted early and often making it our son's favorite hike 😁.  I mean, how else would you judge a hike🐸?!


The kids immediately grabbed walking sticks to aid their ascent.

Rocks, roots, and steep inclines.




Some wildlife was spotted along the way, providing some much needed breaks in climbing.

How happy is he?
This is the biggest toad he (and I) have ever seen in person.
Look at it in his hand!


He took this close up 😊

You reach a point, where the trees clear giving you false hope that you are near the top, but...


there are still many hard parts to come.

Hang in there little man!

The view is quite the reward!

Just beautiful! How can you beat mountain after mountain?


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Comments

  1. EHume21August 7, 2020 at 6:31 AM

    Glad to see Nick had gloves on to protect him from that toxic toad pee!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. DMV WandererAugust 7, 2020 at 8:44 AM

    Ha, ha, ha! That's funny. He'll actually tell you that the gloves are to protect the toads from any chemicals (bug spray, sunscreen, etc.) that are on his hands. They absorb through their skin.

    ReplyDelete

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