[Max]

in reply to: 45 minutes away… #49025

Mine will be coming too Greg. My wife and I both said we wished you could have been there, but we thought of you and family and hoped that Abby was feeling better. You were there in spirit Bud!

[Max]

in reply to: My Thoughts on Today’s Event! #49028

Ditto on Mtn Magic’s feelings. It WAS a great day!! Here’s how ours went. My wife Patti and I arrived at Cannon at 10:30 AM. After purchasing her ticket for the tram, I started up the Kinsman Ridge trail, pushing a pretty fast pace and arriving at the summit an obscene 57 minutes later. Plenty of time to set up the flag. The skies are crystal clear early in the day, and I can already see the flag on Mt. Lincoln with the naked eye. Impressive, nice job guys! I get mine up by using bungie cords to attach the pole to the lookout tower. The steady breeze straightens out Old Glory like she is destined to be. In a brief moment of disappointment, I realize I have forgotten both my binoculars and quarters for the ones that are on the lookout platform. Another summit visitor with correct change informs me that she can see a flag on Garfield. Her quarters run out. It looks to me like I can see one on Lafayette and also on North Kinsman. I think Liberty too, but hard to tell without magnification. My wife arrives right at noon (after browsing the base station gift shops), and we sit down to talk to the various visitors.

Christine and daughter Olivia drop by. They are the two that had inquired here about participating, and that she had not hiked anything other than Monadnock. We have a nice chat, and I take their pictures in front of the flag. I am genuinely glad that they made it and were part of the event. Well done girls!!

A minor highlight is the release of three separate gliders near the summit as they are towed by their respective airplanes from (I assume) the Whitefield airport. Cool.

Franconica Ridge shortly becomes cloud covered, and thereafter it starts to cover Cannon as well. So the best views were early. Surprise #2, my son, his wife and my grandson arrive via the tram, and we have a mini family reunion attop the peak. What a great event! With the fog blowing in, we dismantle the flag setp precisely at 2 PM. My family returns to the tram station and I return via the Kinsman Ridge trail, running down to the base in an equally obscene 39 minutes. Well, it was a short day mileage-wise, but I made it intense at least! After some gift shopping in Lincoln, we head over to the Mooseland Grill for a dinner that can’t be beat. Nice to run into Cantdog, Alpinista, and Silent Cal. Sorry I did not get to meet everyone there, and we had to leave before the remainder arrived. But we’re home safe and ready to do it again next year.

Pictures to follow.

Patti and Max

[Max]

in reply to: Good luck everyone! #49009

I’m not ashamed to admit I will have a heavy heart and maybe fight back tears on the solo climb to the summit…gives you a lot to think about. I can’t begin to imagine the grief many families suffered that day, and are still living in that miserery. If this event makes even one person feel better, it was worth it.

[Max]

in reply to: Questions: Hiking with "younger" kids #49011

Or you could join me on Cannon. Hiking to the top (2 miles) would be harder than Monadnock. Or you could take the tramway to the summit and back if it’s too much for the little one. Driving to Washington is another option. Getting the flag there and flying it for the right reasons is much more important than how you accomplish it. There are no bonus points for doing extra hard work. Being part of the commemoration means a lot.

[Max]

in reply to: Start the "Good Lucks" rolling… #49015

So how will I recognize you? 😀

[Max]

in reply to: flag pole #48833

My local Home Depot always has plenty…so yes, the hardware store option is a good one to check.

[Max]

in reply to: I’m out. :( #48985

Ditto to what Jayne said…the family comes first. You will be there in spirit with my wife and I on Cannon for sure. There’s more hikes down the road. Take care of the little one…I hate it when kids don’t feel well, it breaks your heart.

[Max]

in reply to: 12 more peaks to cover (2003) #48961

I can’t believe no one took Washington. I selected Cannon so I could interact with the visitors that will surely ask questions. And my wife (who is disabled) can take the tram to the summit and join me.

[Max]

in reply to: Mooseland Grill Tally #48935

Put me down for 2….I’ll be there, probably with my wife Patti. We’ll be staying in the Lincoln area overnight I think. I’m on Cannon, so it should be a short descent and trip to the Grill. I guess tentatively we’ll show up between 6 & 7 PM…probably closer to 6

Max

[Max]

in reply to: Summit Handouts? #48897

I’m a little leery of passing out any paper to people who will surely ask us questions on Cannon, as I’m afraid of it just being tossed in the woods. I’ll print up Frodo’s statement or something similar and have it posted for folks to read. Good idea Little Bear!

Max

[Max]

in reply to: Post-event gathering #48877

My wife and I can probably make it to whatever spot is chosen. I’ll be coming down from Cannon (pretty easy) so I’ll have sufficient time to drive to about anywhere.

Max

[Max]

in reply to: Keep ’em coming! #48782

To add to Greg’s comments, if you have pictures of people especially, put those up. Did you notice that the photos that get the most “hits” are the ones with bright smiling faces? We wanna see people, especially kids, I love kids, there’s nothing better than to see kids hiking the trails, running around the summit, having a good time! A good cure for what ails America!

Another pat on the back to Greg for making all this available, thanks a bunch!

Max

[Max]

in reply to: "After the Flags" Album? #48779

Greg, how about just one album, but a request to limit pics to 2 or 3 from each individual who submits them. Actually I think it’ll be reasonably sized anyway. And if it gets too large, you could post a note requesting future pics be submitted to another album?

Max

[Max]

in reply to: Flag on West Bond #48765

No apologies needed Don. Your flag was flying high in spirit. Congratulations to you and your wife for the best gift in the world. You just wait until Levi is old enough to start hiking, then the fun really begins! My oldest son started on Mt. Liberty at 5 yrs and finished the 48 when he was 11. Now he’s just given us our first Grandson, also Levi, and I got another one to bring to the mountains.

Hopefully we can keep the 9/11 flag flying each year and you’ll be able to take Levi on the hike to participate. Let’s teach these new world citizens not only the love for the outdoors, but the need for love and understanding towards each other as well.

Give our best wishes especially to Mama…she’s been through a lot! 😀

Max

[Max]

in reply to: Afterthoughts #48773

SilentCal, look into a digital camera, you’ll never go back to film again. For a wealth of information, check this site, lots of reviews, a BBS, etc.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

I’ll also offer my congrats to Cody on his 9th on Carrigain…keep it going! Coincidentally, a number of years ago, Carrigain was my son’s 48th 4000 footer. And my first Grandson, also Levi, will be starting in his footsteps in a few years as soon as he’s old enough to start hiking.

You meet the nicest people hiking……and it’s good for you!

Max

[Author]

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