Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
What an amazing sleep I had! I woke up around 7am and didn’t want to get out of bed, I was so relaxed… The only thing that woke me up was the heat… I found myself sweating this morning as the sun bore down on my #tent…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I got up and brushed my teeth…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
My #campfire was still #smoking from the night before… To ensure a warm night, I added more #wood to the #fire before I hit the hay… There were still little #RedEmbers underneath the ash if I wanted to get it going again…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
But I still had some more #exploring to do… So I pulled down the tent and wrapped everything up, ready to go…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Considering time was an issue, I had to get on top of that #peak quickly so I could be back at work by 2pm…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Honestly, I wasn’t too concerned with being late for work considering I had the excuse of being on top of a #MatchlessMountain to throw on the table…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
But there’s no reason not to make the effort… So, I made sure the fire was out, grabbed my water bottle and started #hiking…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I’m not much of a morning person folks, as you can see in the pictures… lol… So this short hike was a little harder when half awake…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I found myself gasping for air after making my way just up the face of the steep peak…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
It looks like a short easy trip from this picture but the #RockyTerrain and the steepness made it a lot harder than it seemed…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
But I eventually made it to the top folks and it was nothing short of amazing… The cool morning wind hit my face just as I reached the top as this amazing 360 degree view revealed itself… Who needs coffee when you can wake up like this in the morning?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Not much growth as I got to the top…. Just #rocks and more rocks but what was different about these rocks was they were extremely light… These rocks felt hollow inside just like the #wood up here… They almost felt like they were from a #volcano or something, they were so light… They actually felt like pieces of #coal just not as brittle… I loved the hollow sound they would make when hit other rocks… Very strange…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I also have gotten into the habit of choosing a rock on top of these mountains to take with me that actually resembles the mountain from afar… I have one from #PineConeMountain and one from #MatchlessMountain… The Matchless rock is perfect because it has a peak on it also and is the exact same shape of this mountain… And the peak on the rock is a tan color, making it distinguishable…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
From here I could see the #path I tackled all the way up here… You can see how gradually I went up towards the end if you follow the peak of the tree line to Park Cone mountain, sitting in the back… I went right up the side of this mountain and then followed that tree line to where I am now… I saw those #hunters midway through that tree line, gradually making it up here from then on…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Park Cone was definitely more challenging at the end… On Matchless, I got to tackle the hard part at the beginning and gradually make my way up at the end… Not that it wasn’t challenging because it surely was but I did get to enjoy my #hike more towards the end on this mountain a lot more… But I didn’t know that at the time, so I was always ready to meet a challenge fearing if I get too comfortable the mountain will make me pay…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Here we are, on top of the peak that I have been admiring from afar for the past 3 weeks… It’s totally different from what I imagined, not being able to see these #JaggedRocks and #UnevenTerrain from afar…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
But the view up here, I could never imagine… Absolutely breath taking! Just mountains and mountains as far as the eye can see… On top of Matchless you are probably getting the best view in this whole area…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
There were disagreements back at #TheNuggetCafe on which mountain was higher… Well considering I could see the top of Park Cone, I came to determine Matchless is higher… You can see we are higher from this picture… How can you see the top if you are lower than the other mountain?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The peak was about 300 yards long and the c#liffs weren’t as steep as Park Cone’s… So it didn’t feel like we were so high up here…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Matchless was wedged between two mountains, so you didn’t have the dramatic view you had on top of Park Cone… I wish I had the whole day to explore because you could arguably walk across Matchless to get to one of its neighboring mountains… but even if I had the time, my water supply was very low… so anymore #hiking would be dangerous…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
If you look at the crushed milk gallon tied to my #backpack… that was my reserve water… I had enough water to last me two days but on the way up here, the jug sprung a leak from the aggressive hike and I lost about half of my water supply by the time I got to #camp…
Now, I only had a half of a canteen of water left… Not even enough to keep me fully #hydrated on the trip back down… Oh the trials and tribulations of camping… Next time I will make sure I have a better container for my water… I could blame it on bad luck but really I was pretty stupid bringing such a flimsy device for such an aggressive task… you live and learn Folks…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
This mountain was perfect for hiking.. you could spend days up here #exploring the area and hopping from mountain to mountain… Maybe next year I will spend a week exploring these mountains… Just a week of me and these mountains… Now that sounds like a #vacation to me!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The #sky was practically clear this morning… I picked the perfect time to stay up here.. Now I found myself thanking those fiber bars that hijacked my plans just a day ago… Oh, how perfect things work out up here…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
There were marks of others who had been up here before… I was told there was a book to sign in when you got up here… But I didn’t see such a thing… I was kind of excited to see what people wrote up here, knowing the #SpiritualExperience I had myself…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
But all that was up here was piles of rocks with the occasional #stick protruding…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
It almost looks like you can cross from this mountain to the other and I got really excited about this…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Until I saw it drop off when I moved closer… Damn these mountains can be so deceiving… From just a few feet back, it looked like Matchless linked directly to this other mountain when really it is #miles away…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I walked to the other end of the peak to see the world open up to me… From this angle I was now seeing the #heights Matchless has to offer…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Just miles and miles of mountains with #meadows and #lakes scattered in between…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Here’s a shot of the peak from where I started… You can see the #TreeLine where I camped at the other end and #TheTaylorParkResevoir below and behind… I had quite the long hike back considering you could barley see Taylor Park from here… They are just tiny little white dots scattered on the other side of this lake… A good indication of how far I had traveled and how high we really are up here…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
While I was up here, I kept on thinking about my obsession with this mountain and what lead me here…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
All the things that went wrong with #TheMillenniumFalcon that lead me up here… How I hated those times but would never trade them because of where I am now…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
There’s a reason for everything folks and when #life is going really bad…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Just remember, without those #BadMoments you wouldn’t be lead to these good ones… You unfortunately need the bad moments to get you to the good ones sometimes… Now I understand why all this crap was happening to me all at once… It was to lead me here and I truly believe this is a turning point in my life… Even if life sucks from this point on, at least I now somewhat understand it… It’s not a logical understanding, it’s a feeling… I hope to #god I can keep this feeling of understanding and apply it to my #life… If I forget, then I will just have to climb another mountain to get it back! A problem I wouldn’t mind having and for some reason, all the answers are up here for me to have… Again, it’s not a logical understanding its a feeling… Something I can’t explain unless you find it yourself…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
It may not be on top of a mountain where your answers are… I realize everyone is different… But I do know the answers are out in #nature, intertwined with the things we perceive as simple but took millions of years to evolve into…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
None of this is simple folks, we just treat it that way because we have become accustomed to it… Every single part of this #planet is the result of millions of years of struggles, reforming and death… But just as life gets complicated sometimes, so did this #earth… We just happen to be reaping the benefits of the result of those millions of years of struggles… We are born into an ever #StrugglingWorld, which knows our struggles and has been through them since the beginning… Why wouldn’t we venture into this amazing world looking for answers? The answers are out here because our problems are apart of this world and its own struggles… Why we choose to destroy it rather than learn from it is beyond me…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I soon started heading back down… I grabbed my backpack and hit the road… I took one last picture of my temporary, beautiful home… I will be back next year and I will make sure I have a week to really explore…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I headed down into the woods, looking back and admiring the peak as much as I could…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I took one last picture before the peak disappeared behind one of its own lower hills and I disappeared into the forest… Thank you Matchless for just being here for me to enjoy… I will never forget this moment in life…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I was feeling very #adventurous this morning, so I decided to go straight down the front of this mountain and try to make it to Taylor Park Reservoir… I figured I could map out a way to get over to the #TaylorParkDam and walk across it… Why not? I will get back somehow!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
All you have to do is go straight down… I was actually looking forward to going down this mountain, thinking it would be easy…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I couldn’t have been more wrong… The front of this mountain was very #steep and the woods were very thick… I found myself sliding down the mountain at times, dodging trees and thick #brush… I wish I had my #machete!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
But Matchless is also a very kind mountain, giving me momentary breaks with beautiful open fields and the sun warming the whole area…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
But then I would be met with challenges like these… It had been about two hours when I hit this part.. My ankles and feet were killing me from resisting #gravity all the way down…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Then to top it off, when I was about to lose my mind, the mountain opened up and there was Pine Cone… Somehow I missed the #TheTaylorParkLake altogether and ended up at the exact same point I went up! WTF! How does that happen?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
This is a huge mountain and I end up at the same place I started without even trying… Actually I was trying to go a whole different direction all together… I was very impressed with the coincidence but was also disappointed in my #navigation skills at the same time…
You see, the tree line is so thick up here, you can’t see shit… The only time I could somewhat determine where I was, was when I got to those meadow clearings… I could have sworn I was heading towards the lake but somewhere in this thick brush, I got guided back here…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Folks, I’m not afraid to say that the last part of this #hike sucked balls!!!! It was steep as hell and in the thick grass you were met with aggravating challenges… Remember how I mentioned on the way up I had to get a #WalkingStick because of the pot holes, rocky terrain and #FallenTrees everywhere… Well, going down with this crap was 10 times harder… I had to stop and lace my #HikingBoots up tight, to support my ankles which were taking a beating by now…
I knew I already had some horrendous #blisters on my feet… You know this because your feet go numb and you can feel the loose skin pulling as your foot moves but the skin doesn’t… How’s that for a visual? lol…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
OMG! I was so happy to see this site… I was out of #DrinkingWater by this time, extremely aggravated and wanting to just sit down… But I still had a long hike back to #TaylorPark so I continued on…
By this time, my #iPhone ran out of battery, so I could no longer take any pictures and also couldn’t call for a ride back… So I walked all the way to the #TaylorParkMarina, which is about 2 miles away… I was dying of thirst by this time… I hadn’t had a sip of water for more than two hours…
Right when I got to the Marina, I bought two bottles of water and sat down to drink them… I must have been a sight to see because the staff kept on asking if I was alright… But after a half hour and two empty bottles of water, I got up and walked the final mile back to Taylor Park…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Folks, boy I was happy to see this site… I was exhausted and I had about an hour to rest before I started working…
It was pretty steady tonight at The Nugget Cafe and boy did I pay for delaying the trip up the Matchless… I couldn’t wait for the evening to be over, I was so tired… But I made it through…
I immediately went back to my cabin, took my sleeping medicine and konked the fuck out! Boy did I sleep well!
Another amazing journey up here folks… I really don’t think I have ever lived anywhere that gives so much… Everyday is an adventure out here… I recommend it to every being on this planet, I don’t care who you are… Goodnight…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 4th of July, Almont, alone, altitude, altitude sickness, america, animals, Apple, ATV’s, autumn, backpacking, bears, blog, blogging, boots, Bucket of Bolts, bugs, Cafe, camper, campfire, camping, changing color of the leaves, cheap travel, cinders, Colorado, Colorado Dream Ranch, computer, creature, cross country, Danby, death, Dirt, Dirt bikes, Dune buggies, Empire Strikes back, Falcon, fall, fire, firewood, fishing, forest, free camping, Gasoline, Georgie boy, Granville, graveyard, Green Mountains, Gunnison, Han Solo, hiking, hiking boots, hunting, internet, iPhone, journey, land of the free, leaves, legalization, logs, love, lumber, lumber jack, mac, Maine, marijuana, Matchless Mountain, ME, Memorial Day, mother nature, mountain bike, mountain biking, mountains, national forests, national parks, New Hampshire, NH, nomad, Park Cone Mountain, patriotism, peace, peaceful, pine, pine trees, Polaris, politics, rain, Recreational vehicle, religion, Return of the Jedi, road trip, rocks, roughing it, RV, rv apps, Sam’s Good Club, sleeping bag, solitude, spring, Star Wars, state national parks, stream, summer, Taylor Park, tent, The Millennium Falcon, The Nugget Cafe, The Phantom Menace, The Traveling Mac, thin blood, Trading Post, travel, traveling, tree, trees, U.S., United States, vacation, vehicle, Vermont, VT, Walmart, waterproof, white mountains, white mountains national park, wilderness, winter, woods Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
