Have you ever hiked the Crippies?

Sometimes you are inspired to do a hike by seeing it from another location. Once I was sitting on the South Ledge viewpoint on Iron Mountain in Jackson. It is a dramatic place — you rest comfortably on smooth ledges with stunted pine and look west and southwest over many mountains. The next ridge over was the well-known Montalban Ridge, which extends from Bartlett almost to Mount Washington. Directly across from me was a series of low bumps in the ridge. They had an unusual name, and I decided to go check them out. Later that summer I did. Here is my account.

An unusual name can add mystery to a landscape. Have you ever hiked the Crippies? These are four small bumps located along the 20-mile Montalban Ridge. According to the AMC White Mountain Guide, how these small summits were named is one of the mysteries of the White Mountains.