Remnants: August 10th-August 23rd, 2022

After slogging through the Whites and Vermont, it was time to wrap up the peripheral remnants: the rest of the 46 and the eastern extreme of the whites. So, in a series of day hikes, I went up Giant, Dix, Cabot, Old Spec, and the Carter Range, and cleared way to go on to Maine at the start of September and finish up on Bondcliff - minus the bonus hike I had to do to get up Moriah, of course!

Giant and RPR, August 25th

Giant and RPR were one of my preferred peaks the first time around when I did my 46 back in 2020. this time around I started late into the afternoon and pushed on until sundown, catching some rainshowers on the way up Giant, but getting a delightful view-through-the-gaps on RPR. Overall a decent hike, but it tired me out substantially and made the prospect of doing the entire Dix range the following day a far more daunting prospect than I had originally expected

Dix Range, August 12th

The first time I did the Dix Range, there was Main Dix, South Dix, and East Dix, meaning you could go up and down three Dix in the same day. However, East Dix has been renamed "Grace Peak" to "honor the first woman to do the 46" because "the systematic erasure of women from outdoor histories creates the perpetual false narrative that women are eternally visitors to spaces that we helped to create" and "by regognizing the achievements of women in the past in these areas, we help to push back on these patriarchal narratives and foster healthier histories and cultures regarding the outdoors", or some woke shit idk - now we can only get two Dix in the same day because of those EVIL FEMINISTS >:(

In all seriousness, I'm happy with this change, although I maintain that the best name for a mountain is the name indigenous peoples used for that mountain, or that recognizes indigenous people and cultures in a conscientious and decolonial fashion - and naming a peak that was historically in Haudenosaunee/Algonquin lands after a white woman doesn't accomplish that goal, even if it furthers a particular feminist one. That being said, it is an undeniably better name than before, as naming mountains after politicians who actively facilitated and perpetuated genocide will always be about the worst option available outside of naming a mountain a direct racist slur (looking at the former name of Big Moose in Maine, which some people still refuse to call anything other than its profoundly racist previous name - infuriating me and many others to no end). Anyhow, these issues are complex, and I'm open to hearing out other perspectives - I won't change my mind that the most important goal in all of this is to decolonize the land, but I recognize that there are a myriad of ways to do this, and some random fucking white lady like myself won't have all the answers

As for the hike itself, I started from Elk lake and went up Hough, loving the views I got going up the slide. Then over to South Dix and then Grace, at which I got the best view of the day. It was sporadic rain the entire day, which made for a pretty miserable hike for most of it. I nearly missed my chance at getting a view at the summit of Dix, but was narrowly saved at the last moment, and enjoyed the beautiful views of Elk Lake down the ridge. On the drive back, my phone went kaplut, and I nearly lost all my photos - which was very distressing for me, as I put a lot of heart and soul into these projects, and feeling like I would have nothing to show for it stung bad. Luckily, a few days later I was able to salvage it, and the phone partially worked after that (I even used it as a temporary replacement when I briefly lost my other phone the following summer), but I never trusted its reliability again. Always back up your photos, folks

Cabot, August 29th

Cabot was honestly a pretty forgettable hike, other than the fact that the trailhead to approach from the eastern side is inside a fish hatchery that closes the access road outside of business hours, which is quite frustrating. Other than that, it was a solid hike and in retrospect one of the most underwhelming P2ks in the east, being of the same caliber as Richland Balsam

Old Speck, August 30th

Old Speck was the first peak I climbed in 2020, and I was excited to return and hike it from Grafton Notch. Getting there and starting on the trial, it was the hottest day since the Kinsmans, and it was a fucking slog to get up, but there were some good views on the ridge, and I finally got to climb the fire tower up top, which was way to icy to be safe to do last time in January

Carter Range, September 1st

My original idea for doing the carters was to stash my bike at Wildcat ski area nd hike up from Moriah and traverse the ridge along the AT. However, I didn't have a bike rack yet and so I sidelined that hike for later, opting instead to go up Cater Notch, over Wildcat A and over to D, and then doubling back, then up the Caters, only to loop back down. That was a hike if I've ever had one, and I'm kinda amazed I was able to make it happen without incident considering I straight up ran out of water when I got to the top of Carter Dome. But, my endurance persists even when my preparation doesn't, and that can cary me through my whole youth as far as I'm concerned (half jokingly)