The Events of Saturday, October 9, 2010

          Lindsey- “Everybody up, it’s 6:30, let’s go!” What? That can’t be right. It’s still dark outside! Daddy switched the lights on and I groaned and rolled over. Suddenly, I was attacked by flying pillows and my covers were thrown down to my ankles. Oh, it’s freezing! Finally, I gave in and opened my eyes. Everything was bustling inside the RV. Beds were being made and collapsed, people were getting dressed, the heater was turning on, and cereal was being served. Soon, I was amidst the chaos and hubbub. In addition to our regular morning routine, there was an added excitement, because we were going hiking. Ben and Daddy were going to climb the highest mountain in the Northeast, Mt. Washington. The females of the family had decided to join the males for the seemingly quick hike to the base of the mountain and then go on another short hike back to the parking lot. That was our quest, but we had no idea what the day had in store and so in adventurous moods and high spirits, we headed out of our campground to hit the trail!

          When we reached the parking lot for the Ravine Trailhead, it was about 8 am and approximately freezing degrees Fahrenheit. Thin grey clouds streaked the sky and a brisk wind blew into our faces. Dressed warmly in hats, gloves, pants, thick jackets, and hiking boots, we started out on Ravine Trail, a mile long trail that led to the main trail to the top of Mt. Washington. That mile turned out to be its own adventure. After days of rain, the trail was muddy and strewn with leaves. It was decided that most of the many streams that we crossed weren’t supposed to be there. We slipped on the slimy rocks and waded through ankle deep mud and all in all had the time of our lives! When the trail split off, with hugs and kisses, we sent Ben and Daddy on their journey to ascend the mountain, and Mom, Caitlin, Abby, and I (Lindsey) went back on a half mile trail to a different parking lot. Now all that I can tell you is our part of the story, but Daddy and Ben will tell theirs, so don’t worry.

          Daddy- While the girls were diddling around with their girl activities, Ben and I had a serious manly adventure. Just after the fork where we split off, the trail started gaining elevation. And it just kept gaining, steeper and steeper. Ben commented at one point, “What’s with this trail? Haven’t these guys ever heard of switchbacks?” I would say, no, they have not. There was one part that looked like a switchback, but I think they just couldn’t figure out how to get the trail in that section to be straight. As we climbed, we began to notice little droplets. Nuts, I thought, it’s starting to drizzle. So we paused to put on our waterproof jackets. But when I put down my backpack, I saw dozens of little white specks. It was snowing on us. Well, snow easier to walk in than rain, because it does not get you wet. However, it was snowing because it was cold. As we progressed, we stepped on rocks that looked wet but were very slippery like…ice. That became a special challenge as the rocks got larger and steeper. River crossing presented another obstacle.

          Lindsey- While the boys had begun their adventure we, being the girls, had reached a different parking lot than the one we had parked in. This parking lot, being closer to the top of the mountain and also where the famous mountain climbing train took off, was filled to overflowingwith cars and RVs. We were greeted with a choo-choo from the Cog Railway Train, which was just starting up the hill. We went into the station to warm up and use their facilities. We explored their gift shop and had a quick granola bar snack before heading out again. At first, we couldn’t find the trail that would get us back to our parking lot and walked a lot more than we wanted. As we walked, some precipitation began to fail. We thought, oh no, rain! But this was really light and fluffy rain … SNOW! But, as soon as it had begun, the snow stopped. So, we asked for directions at the Ticket Booths and they directed us across the train tracks. We crossed and finding the Jewell Trailhead, headed out on a muddy and slippery adventure. We talked as we went and with a few minor falls and adventurous stream crossings, found ourselves cold, muddy, and wet outside of the RV in the lower parking lot. We cleaned ourselves up a little bit and then headed back to the campground to spend the rest of the day chilling and resting. Or so we thought …

          Daddy- The trail up the mountainside criss-crossed the creek several times, and with our recent rains, the creek level was higher than usual, higher sometimes than the stepping stones. Ben’s gloves got wet during one crossing; my boot and sock got wet at another. At one point I heard some voices ahead of us. There were two young ladies, in their twenties, coming down through some icy, wet boulders. One had blood trickling down from a cut on her leg. I offered her my first aid supplies, which she declined. Then she told us that they were turning back, that the rocks and ice were getting worse ahead. Bummer. Ben and I stopped there for a snack and some strategic thinking. Another hiker came up and shared that he too would be turning back at this point. He’d hiked the trail several times. He knew that the trail ahead was even more challenging. He also said the ridge ahead was about 20° and that with wind chill it would feel like 3° below zero. This mountain showed us today how it earned its reputation as having “the world’s worst weather.” We turned back.

          Lindsey- Unaware of our men’s predicament, we four ladies were lounging on the couch, making apple crisp, eating tacos, and watching Pride and Prejudice. When the movie finished, Mommy and Abby headed out to take showers and Caitlin and I washed dishes, read books, did quiet times, and answered e-mails. At 3:15, an alarm went off.

          Daddy- The walk down was easier than we expected. The steep stepping stone trail pounded us, but our knees proved strong. As we descended, we pulled off layers of clothing and quickened our pace. We reached the Cog Railroad about 12:45 and had lunch. As the trains loaded fuel and passengers, we ate lunch. There are three different chemical outputs of the coal-burning steam engine: the white steam, the black coal smoke, and a brown output that smelled like melting brakes, times 20. Bleah! After watching three trainloads head uphill, Ben and I went inside the nearby railway station and museum. After about an hour, we returned to the beautiful outdoors and walked around a bit. At 3:15, we were able to reach our ladies by cell phone and waited until they came to pick us up.

          Lindsey- Before we had started the day, we had planned to turn our phones on at 3:15, so that we could go pick the boys up when they were done. The alarm was telling us it was time to do so. Waiting for us were messages telling us that Ben and Daddy had turned back because of the icy trails. We hurriedly unhooked and went to pick them up. When we reached our muddy men, we were ready to hop out and help them get unmuddified (yes it is a word) and ready for the next point of the journey. We drove on to Mt. Washington Hotel, a huge hotel/resort that was made for all the tourists that come to the area. We caught a shuttle to the entrance and spent the next 45 minutes or so exploring the lobby and the numerous pools and restaurants. We returned to our RV and drove back for another night at the Living Water Campground. We set up camp and then the dirty men and Caitlin and I took showers and then got dinner ready amidst blogs, e-mails, and reading. We had a delicious meal of Mini Wheat and Honey Bunches of Oats chicken, rice, and acorn squash and started the freshly made apple crisp for dessert. After another round of dishes, blogs, and a game of Uno, we went to bed with exhausted bodies, but minds filled with the memories of the day.