With a forecast of torrential rain from Tropical Storm Andrea on Friday night going into Saturday morning the weekend of June 7th, that didn’t stop me from conquering another 4,000-footer. We let the heaviest rains subside and decided to hike Mount Moosilauke (elevation: 4,802 feet).

Besides the planned Moosilauke hike, Chris and I (with Milo in tow) enjoyed a great weekend in Center Sandwich with my friend Molly at her house. [This is the same Molly that conquered Mount Morgan and Mount Percival with me on Milo's first long hike last summer!] It was a good time to get away from the city and electronics for a few days and just enjoy the good old outdoors.

We planned on leaving the house around 7 a.m. on Saturday to head over to Moosilauke since it was an hour drive but upon waking up, it was still raining. We thought we’d sleep in a little more and give it another hour or two before we headed out. Good decision too because it stopped raining (with only drizzling here and there). We got ready, packed our stuff and headed off for a 7.6-mile hike on Moosilauke. [On our way, we saw a baby black bear climbing up a tree on the side of the road.]

It was a little colder in the mountains so we kept our rain gear just in case (assuming it was worse at the summit). We started the hike at the Beaver Brook Trail which is also part of the Appalachian Trail. The two miles or so is very steep as you hike parallel to the Beaver Brook Cascades. There are plenty of man-made wooden steps to go up rock faces as well as some metal handrails for you to hang on to. It was gorgeous to see the cascades but also nerve-wracking with Milo constantly going towards it. We kept trying to prevent him from going too far because we thought he might slip and float downhill!

When we started hiking away from the cascades, we knew that we were getting closer to the Beaver Brook Shelter – a nice spot to take a break. It would’ve had a great view but it was cloudy and misty. At this point, we were halfway up the mountain and the easy part of the journey was to come with not much more elevation gain to be had. It was relatively flat as we skirted around Mount Blue’s summit. We kept on trucking and when we broke free from the tree line we knew we were 0.4 miles away from the summit – though you couldn’t see it at all!

Heading to the summit was interesting. It was very windy, rainy and cloudy. I could only hear my hood flapping in the wind. Once we got to the summit, we didn’t spend much time there. Screw having lunch there! I did a quick layering and we got our summit photos and scurried down back to the tree lines where it was a little less crazy. We could only imagine what it was like on Mount Washington which is about 2,000 feet higher.

So much wind!

We made it!

We probably had the fastest lunch in my history of hiking as we were all cold and wet and wanted to get down as quickly as possible. We kept a steady pace as it was an easy hike going down, up until the Beaver Brook Shelter. Once we hit the Beaver Brook Shelter, we were more careful and slower going down because it was much steeper and slippery next to the cascades. There was definitely some butt sliding to get down some of those rocks.

Once we got to relatively less steeper conditions, we knew there were only 2 more bridges and rock-hopping across a stream that would get us to the parking lot. By the time we got to the car, it was 5:00 p.m. So it took us about 7 hours to hike Moosilauke. Not too shabby! We did it in the average time. And we were the first ones back too! An awesome first for Chris and I. We’re usually one of the last ones to get back since we’re not swift hikers.

We headed back to the house, enjoying the rest of the weekend – where it eventually was sunny.

Enjoying the sun in the yard.

Molly beat Chris and I in a game of Monopoly. We slept in, though Chris dreamt that Molly had told us it was noon and we woke up realizing it was only 7:20 a.m. We ate some delicious butternut squash ravioli (though it was mushy – I followed directions and waited until it floated but it never did). We worked off our calories by hiking or should I say brisk walk of West Rattlesnack Mountain, an easy 2-mile roundtrip hike. It was very popular that day with the weather. So many people including kids and dogs. Milo was a little distracted every time he encountered a dog – just wanted to play play play!

View of Squam Lake.

Milo’s such a happy puppy. He loves all these hikes!

It wasn’t a complete weekend until we relaxed by the Pothole swimming area and got scrumptious ice cream at the Sandwich Creamery. The cutest baby sheep and calves kept us company as we ate. I wish we could’ve stayed there longer but we had to get back to the city.

And with that, 1 more 4,000-footer down, 42 more to go!

Toronto…a vibrant city, full of diverse food and culture. You probably know it more recently as the place where the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs in an epic Game 7.

Well, however you know the city, I got a chance to travel there and explore as much as possible. Why Toronto? I was there mainly for TBEX. According to the website, “TBEX is the world’s largest gathering of travel bloggers, writers, and new media content creators.” The one in Toronto was the North American conference and there is one coming up in Dublin, Ireland as part of the European conference. While I was there, we were told there were over 1,300 travel industry people in attendance. Huge huh? I guess a few years ago, there were around 700. Times have changed!

The Princes’ Gate (official in 1927)

What did I do there? Here’s a rundown of what I did on my 3-day stay (and places you should check out if you’re ever in the area!):

Day 1

• Love dim sum like I do? Explore 1 of 5 Chinatowns that Toronto has to offer. I ate at Forest View Chinese restaurant (466 Dundas W.) It was shown on Anthony Bourdain’s “The Layover” and I just had to eat there.
• Are you a history buff? Then Fort York is a must see. It is the birthplace of urban Toronto as well as a significant place where Battle of York came to a violent climax during the War of 1812. It also has Canada’s largest collection of original War of 1812 buildings.

Look at these “roomy” bunks. Each rectangle housed 2 people (couples and families lived in the same room).

One of the cannons protecting the fort.

• Enjoy a walk in the park at Round House Park. This park includes outdoor exhibits of Toronto’s railway heritage. On display are past locomotives.

• Right across the street from Round House Park, is the CN Tower. Once the world’s tallest tower (Burj Khalifa in Dubai has since surpassed it in 2010), it’s the place to see all of Toronto’s skyline. It’s a little pricey but well worth the minute trip up to its observation deck and glass floor. If you’re a thrill seeker, then try EdgeWalk where you’re tethered to an overhead rail system and walk the roof of the main pod. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

View at the bottom of the CN Tower.

• Are you an outdoor enthusiast like I am? Go to Mountain Equipment Co-Op where there is unbelievable selection of goods for any outdoor needs.
• Thirsty? Head over to Bar Hop where the have 36 beers on tap. I tried a raspberry beer as well as Saw Dust City – The Princess Wears Girl Pants. Paired with my beer were cheesy bacon jalapeno roll ups and portobello mushroom risotto balls.
• In the mood for ping-pong or just to goof around? SPiN Toronto offers 2 bars, 12 ping-pong tables, a lounge and private party room. You can play as little as 30 minutes to whenever! Chris and I played for 30 minutes (you’re given the paddles and a bucket of balls). Drink (the Singapore Sling for 2 was delicious – though I drank it all by myself), play and enjoy the atmosphere!

A ping pong tourney.

• If you’re craving sushi like I was, Springs Rolls Restaurant near St. Lawrence Market is a great place to go. I highly recommend Chef Hai’s Signature roll and grilled fresh salmon with their famous pad thai.

Day 2

I attended TBEX for a majority of my second day in Toronto.

Awesome 3D chalk drawing greeting us into the conference center.

• I had the opportunity to hear Trey Ratcliff as the Opening Keynote speaker. He is a pioneer in HDR photography and the #1 travel photography blog in the world, Stuck in Customs, where he posts a photo a day. [Fun Fact: Ratcliff's Fourth on Lake Austin was the first HDR photograph to hang in the Smithsonian.]
• As a lover of food, I attended the “A Taste of Place – Defining a Destination Through It’s Food Culture” session with Andrew Dobson and Rebecca LeHeup to learn more about culinary tourism.
• I just had to attend the “Telling Your Stories Through Travel Photography” with Lola Akinmade Akerstrom to learn more photography techniques and see her amazing photos!
• The most entertaining session was “Using Storytelling To Hook, Frustrate And Tormet Your Readers” with Mike Sowden. He definitely hooked me into his presentation with some wonderful tips.
• Lastly, there was the afternoon keynote with Debra Corbeil and Dave Bouskill of ThePlanetD, a couple that has traveled to over 80 countries all over the world. They discussed the current state of travel blogging industry as well as the past and future.

Some funny signs we saw on our walk in Toronto.

Day 3

I didn’t attend both days of the conference as I had to get back to Boston in time for work on Monday. Chris and I woke up early and headed over to Port Dalhousie in St. Catharines to grab lunch with my friend Liz and her boyfriend Mike. I felt as if I was back in high school because there were so many rowers there for the Canadian Schoolboy (Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association Championship regatta). It is one of the largest high school rowing competitions in North America with teams coming from all over Canada and the U.S. Definitely brought back some memories of my rowings days!

Fun Fact: 51% of Toronto residents are not originally from Canada.