Bond + West Bond = 48/48

Well, it's finally done. Ryan and I completed our 4000 footers list in just a hair over a decade with our climb of Mt. Bond and West Bond. 11 years actually from August of 1996 until this past weekend. There are 48 peaks in New Hampshire over 4000 feet high for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, and we have finally stood atop all of them. This last hike was our longest and possibly best one yet. Ryan, Greg and I hiked the 21.6 miles over two days, camped out under the stars, climbed 4 4000 footers (2 new ones) and enjoyed a beautiful fall weekend. It was kind of bittersweet to finish and have no big mountains left to climb, kind of a what now feeling, although we'll happily help Greg and anyone else work on their lists or just go for a hike and have lots of smaller hikes we'd like to do too as well as Mt. Katahdin in Maine and Mt. Marcy in New York.

A lot of people don't understand how I can enjoy this as much as I do. I really can't explain it other than I love being outside and enjoying nature, even on my solo hikes. I love the views and the solitude and the sense of achievement I get being high up on a mountain without the rest of the world around me. In the end I achieved a big personal goal but also it helped me keep in touch with some friends I might not have seen as often without that common goal and that's probably what I enjoyed most about this pursuit, the time spent with my friends and family and sharing these experiences with people who mean a lot to me. So without getting too sappy thanks to everyone who was part of it over the years, it means a lot to me. The pictures from the last hike are here and there's a compilation comming soon of all the hikes so check back soon.