This year, I’ve been working my way through the classic longer trail runs on the East Coast. I started with the Art Loeb trail in North Carolina, then the Presidential Traverse in NH, then a big loop around Baxter State Park in my home state of Maine, and finally this week I found a time to fit in the Pemigewasset loop in the White Mountains of NH.

I had a Wednesday where the weather and my responsibilities aligned for me to do the Pemi Loop. After a sleepless “night”, I drove off at 3:00am so I could drive to the trailhead in time to make it up the first of nine summits for the sunrise. I had hoped to run this with friends but couldn’t make everything line up quite right so these are the kinds of foolish schedules I make when I’m traveling alone.

The Pemi Loop is a line that makes clear sense. The whole journey you’re following the obvious ring around the Pemigewasset Wilderness and from every summit you can see your next goal. There is access to potable water on the trail at Galehead Hut which makes a big difference on a long day out. My only real problem so to speak was accidentally setting off running in a thick wool sweater I had been wearing on the drive. After getting drenched in sweat, I realized a mile or so in that I was wearing the sweater and so I brought it along on my otherwise ultralight journey.

I can’t recommend the solitude and views you get on this loop enough!

I was breathing harder than normal all day due to some lingering illness but had wonderful fall weather throughout and nearly empty trails. After, a few summits I realized I was behind my goal pace to make it back home but I stuck it out for 29 miles and 9,000′ gain and managed to jog back to the car in time to make it home for dinner and Ezra’s bathtime after a milkshake stop in Fryeburg.

Onto my next classic: the Great Range Traverse in the Adirondacks!