Introduction

Since there have been so many requests for an account of what I have dubbed the "Trifecta", I have decided to join the Wild West of the Blogosphere and post said account in this central location. Before I begin, I just want to express how honored I feel that so many people are interested in a skinny white boy's adventures in the mountains of New England.

Simply put, the Trifecta is my admittedly half-baked idea to summit the 3 highest peaks in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine (Mt. Mansfield, Mt. Washington, and Mt. Katahdin, respectively) in one weekend. After a few cursory Google searches, I estimated it would involve approximately 18 hours of driving, 40 miles of hiking, over 10,000 feet of elevation gain, and God knows how many calories. In other words, challenging, and perhaps severely testing the limits of a weekend, but ultimately doable.

Although the pursuit of Adventure, with a capital A, was the main driving force for implementing this idea, there was a more utilitarian aim as well. As a newcomer to the northern New England region, I figured this experience of climbing and camping would give me an opportunity to explore the region in a genuine, organic sort of way; an experience that could not be had from traveling interstates and staying at chain hotels.

I pictured my weekend as an amalgamation of Lewis and Clark's expedition (for the adventure aspect) and Alexis De Tocqueville's travels (for the observation aspect), aided this time of course with waterproof boots, a lightweight tent, and Rand McNally.

So here follows what went down: