Sunday July 13th
I woke up wrapped in my blanket and sleeping bag as temp was in the low 60’s over night. Heavenly sleep! I made a cup of miso and seaweed and the drove to the Champney Falls trailhead at about 375 ft elevation and hiked up Chocorua Mt. Elevation 3675. After living at sea level for 2 years I was really feeling the altitude on the way up. I was breathing hard but my legs felt good. I am always amazed at how quickly my body falls into it hiking rhythm. Muscle Memory is an amazing thing. Pick a pace where I am breathing hard but my body is moving smoothly. Step around the rock whenever possible. Small steps up rather than large ones are more efficient. I was passing lots of people on the way up. Listening to the stream running off to the left and the birds calling in the trees. Look for ripe berries and flowers. The miles just flow by.
Soon you look out though the trees and you are seeing the mountains on the other side of the valley. The trees are getting smaller and pines are replacing the hardwoods. Soon you break out onto the shoulder of the mountain and you can see for miles over the low trees and all the blueberries are in flower and something like a mountain rhododendron with beautiful purple flowers and up above you is either a false peak or the top. You head for it and it’s a false peak but you are up above the tree line on bare rock and you can see the real peak. Another half mile. Your legs are aching now and you have to step carefully up the rock so as not to slip but the pain is good. Finally you make the top and throw down your pack. The wind is cool and you can see all the high peaks and Mt. Washington to the Northwest and another 3000 or so feet higher! They are tiny white flowers growing in the cracks of the rocks and lots of lichen. The clouds are moving and when the sun goes under you reach for another shirt as you shiver.
You take some pics as your sweat dries and then pull out snax. granola bars, almonds and chocolate. That and check your water see how much you drank on the way up. Drink a bit but save some for the way down. Listen to other folks talking about the different mountains. Everyone has stories. It’s been 30 years since I have been up this mountain but I remember it. Soon you start thinking about the next peak so you head back down to the shoulder of the mountain and then up to Middle Sister. There is an old stone structure on top that is bolted to the rock with cables. The roof is gone now but there is a solar panel and a weather measuring device in the middle. I have this peak to myself. I relax for awhile then head back down a different trail that joins up with the main trail below the shoulder. This one is much less traveled and has beautiful moss on the sides. Down is faster but harder on the body. You have to fight to control your speed. On the steep sections it’s more like a controlled fall. You are just aiming you feet and holding back. Keeping your knees bent and you body balanced. Down you go.
When the trail evens out you can slow up and let your legs un kink a bit before the next steep section. I took the loop trail to Champney Falls and lay on the rocks and listened to the falling water. I dozed off until some kids came to try and swim. I watched them almost slide down the slippery falls and then went down to a pool that was big enough for me to float in. It felt great. A couple of women were taking pics so I got them to take couple of me. Then they waded in to cool their piggies! It feel great to take off your boots and put your feet in the cool water. You can almost see steam! Then clothes back on and the final hike back to the road head. My shorts are almost dry by the time i get down and i have been careful not break a sweat on the final stretch. I reach BEYOND and pull out that full water bottle for a drink and a crisp apple. Life is good!
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| Mt. Chocorua, White Mountains, NH |
I drove west on the Kancamagus Highway looking for a campsite but all the campgrounds are full. I go through Lincoln and out 118 a long way until I see another campground and Dave has room! $15 and a hot shower. I pull out all my veggies and some Vietnamese rice noodles and sauces and make up a veggie noodle soup topped with cilantro and Hoisin sauce. ( When I got to Tom’s house there was a care package waiting for me that was full of stuff to make Vietnamese food! Thanks Chris) It tastes great and I eat the whole pot! There is almost now one else around and this place is funny. dave has obviously invented this place on the fly. There is an airplane made of crates with a ceiling fan for a prop on top of a building made out of an old truck trailer. . A pond with a pool slide that comes out of the back of a wrecked boat. A grandstand with R, W &B bunting on top of another building that has a makeshift bar and tables.
Up the hill there is an ATV track with a control tower made from the back of a truck in the middle. This place must have been hopping on the 4th! It’s kind of spooky now as I am the only person around. I can see some other RV’s and smell some campfire smoke but no one else is moving. Oh and there a dog howling in the distance. It’s getting dark and a few mosquitos are out. I head for BEYOND and settle in to write some. As I head for bed a realize that there is a skunk around as I can smell him. I am careful now make any loud noises as I don’t need him getting scared and spraying BEYOND! I sleep down below and finish reading Assassination Vacation. It was a very enjoyable book. She is a funny writer and the book is full of historical information about Assignation and other historical places and events. I recommend it. Then off to sleep.
This morning I can still faintly smell polecat so I step very carefully out of BEYOND in case it’s sleep underneath. No sign so I make miso and seaweed as it’s almost chilly this morning. Maybe 65 F. Then I drive back into Lincoln to mail a letter and pickup an email from the Artistic Director of the Lynchburg Opera that he was unable to open all my pics and can I resend. So I do that and stop for a toasted sesame bagel with a schmear, and a blueberry raspberry scone. I eat the bagel and there is a phone message form the same guy to cal him. It’s too early so I drive North up Rt. 3 and eat the bagel. I stop in Franconia Notch State Park and pay $12 for a walk through the Flume. It is a narrow channel in the rock with a stream and boardwalk through it. Very spectacular. Lots of erratics (huge boulders left by melting glaciers) around some have trees that have grown around them.
The walk is about two miles and not too steep. There is one place where there is a very narrow channel in the rocks that you can just squeeze through. WHen I first got in I couldn’t see the guy ahead of me. I turned on my flashlight and looked at the tight spot. When it came to getting through I had to take off my little pack, get down on my hands and knees and squeeze under and then up. I made but I felt close to getting stuck! That was a squeeze. My legs are pretty sore from yesterday on the down hills, but the walk helps. The sky is gray so not too many people around. As I finish my walk the rain starts. I love rainy days here as all the greens pop out in the trees and the grasses. I drive North and eat my scone and stop in Twin Mountain, NH as the rain is heavy and call the guy from the opera. Then I speak with my father. He and my brother’s family are going sailing in the Bahamas before he meets me in Newfoundland. I get all the news about Winfree’s birthday party. When I check my email the Opera guy received my photos and is asking for more so I send the rest of my portfolio shots! Finger crossed!
It is still raining so I drive on to Crawford Notch and the Appalachian Mountain Club Building. I pull into a parking space and the rain is pouring. I am sleepy so I take a nap. When I wake it’s almost dark! So I cook some noodles and sauce and fall back to sleep. It rains hard through the night but I sleep well to the sound of the drops. Snug in my shell.
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| The Flume Franconia Notch State Park, NH |
Monday July 14
Still raining this morning. THe mist is beautiful curling around the mountains and in the hollows. I drive until I find a little store and buy a blueberry muffin. Then I drove over the mountain on a seasonal road back to the Kancamagus and head east to the Ranger Station. I buy a topographical trail map so I can really see where I am going to be hiking and calculate the distance, terrain and elevation change before I get started. Also handy if I get lost by accident. With the mapI can find myself! Or at least where myself is! I find I have a strong internet signal so I send out the travelog and pics. I have been mostly out of range the last few days. Then I go into North Conway. It’s a real outdoorsy town. I quickly find an Eastern Mountain Sports and buy some lightweight hiking socks and some slippery pads for my shoes. My walking shoes have worn out the padding on my right heel and I get a blister every time I wear them. I tried Duct tape but it didn’t help much. I hope the slippery pad works. Otherwise I will need new shoes. These are in great shape except for that heel pad. If not I will try the socks. But I don’t really like to wear socks unless it’s cold.
THen I biked around North Conway looking for a used bookstore but the traffic was awful so I drove south to the town of Chocorua where I saw one on the way up. I find it but it’s closed on Monday. But he has dollar books on the front porch. I find two detective books a Kellerman (great murder writer, his wife too) And The Pelican Brief. I liked the movie so well see about the book. So I left $2 on the shelf and drove back to the Kancamagus. My back is aching today so I pull over next to the Saco RIver and start the Kellerman novel. I am also reading The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. It’s a great book about Newfoundland. I have read it many times and will probably read it again on Newfoundland. My friend Hilda in Ontario recommended The Day the World Came to Town as well but I haven’t found it yet. I will find it when I cross the border I expect. I read a while and nap.
WHen I wake up I walk down to the river and find a pool near shore behind a rock and have a quick bath. Biodegradable soap of course! It feels great. Then I head west to the Covered Bridge campground. I have to drive across a covered bridge to get there. BEYOND is just short enough to get under the height barrier and across I go. I find a nice campsite and decide to make pasta sauce. Last night I used a jar of bruschetta sauce from the dented cans store with some pepperoni but it was way too salty. I only ate half and had the rest for lunch. So I break out onions, peppers, whole tomatoes, dried chanterelle mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, yellow squash, canned whole tomatoes, sun-dried tomato paste and my spice kit and go to town. I let it simmer while I cook bowtie pasta. Then I shred parmesan on top and it is food for the gods! I eat half with an Ipswitch Summer Ale and save half for later. THen of to read some more of my book. It’s titled Survival of the Fittest and is an excellent thriller. See you in the morning!
Tuesday
I am sure than many of you know that I am a book addict. One day I will start my own chapter of Reader’s Anonymouse. Well this book is really hard to put down. I made the mistake of picking it up again this morning and read until 11 am. THen I made hot chocolate and instant grits with cheddar cheese and pepper. There was one packet left over from camping with my nieces. Normally I am not much of a fan of “instant” food. But with a little cheese and love it was okay. The weather was beautiful verging on hot so I drove down to the Moat Mountain Trail and Hiked up South Moat Mt. Middle Moat and up to the shoulder of North Moat Mt. I saw some fresh bear scat (poo) on the way up and it was nice and purple so I knew there would be ripe blueberries. Never saw the bear and am okay with that. I have seen black bears before.
Then my feet reminded me that my journey was only half way done and they were getting sore. So I headed back and stopped on Middle Moat because it was covered in ripe blueberries. I ate all my gorp (trail mix) and filled it full of big juicy blueberries. And gave my feet a break then worked my way back down and drove to the Saco River for another plunge. It felt great to wash off the sweat. I hiked 10 miles from a starting elevation of 200 ft. South Moat was 2409 ft, Middle Moat about the same but I was close to 3000 on North Moat when I turned back. My dogs are tired. I have good hiking boots so my feet are in pretty good shape other than the blister from my other shoes. I know I saw steam when they hit the Saco River today! I am wiped out so I drove a couple of miles back to the same campground and find another site. I heat up the rest of the pasta and eat a cucumber while I am waiting for it. Then some blueberries and chocolate for dessert. I am writing in my log and thinking about my book! Soon I will let myself read some more. I will probably finish it tonight. Good day today.
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| Moat Mountains, White Mountains, NH |
I did finish that book. I got up made tea, ate blueberries cleaned the van and went for a bike ride down to the covered bridge. It’s pretty cool. I discovered the boulder loop trail and decided to run up. Well it was very steep and bouldery. I made it all the way around and back to my campsite in time to check out but it was close. It was a good workout but I wish I had brought water! Then I moved down along the Saco River and lay in the river for a long ti me and sunned myself on the rocks and read The Shipping News. It’s a great book. I am really excited to ge to Newfoundland now! I drove into town and stopped at a farm store that had great produce and stocked up. Then I went looking for an auto parts store. I bought an air compressor that runs off the van as my tire is getting low again! GRR! Then I thought about a movie but was getting hungry so I downloaded my email and drove north to Crawford Notch State Park and found a campsite.
I made more pho with fresh veggies! Very tasty and had lemon poppy-seed cake for dessert! One of my favorites! Then off to read. I started The Pelican Brief. Then fell asleep. Tomorrow I am going hiking again! I have been listening to a lot of local radio. They have hippie radio up here. Lot’s of Grateful Dead. Also some good jazz. One station calls itself “music without boundaries” and plays a good mix. I have also been listening to a lot of U2 and the JUNO soundtrack.
Hope you al had a good week. My internet connection is very slow up here when I can get one at all. I have put up Pictures of MT. Chocorua but that’s it so far. As always pics are at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/allenloyd
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