His concerns were directly towards whether I'd even be able to do something like that. Because it is a real physical challenge to hike on the mountains. Absolutely NOT RECOMMENDED for people with a heart condition or those who are in otherwise bad physical shape (the proverbial couch potatoes!). It was a decent distance, of approximately 8 - 10 miles across the entire loop and back. And my gear was certainly a concern. I did not have hiking boots (I had only my rbk walking shoes....good for a walk in the park...but NO NO for a hike in the mountains!) And the layers that of winter wear that I need to wear, were bugging him a lot. And I was getting to hear "NO-COTTONS" time and time again! That really was worrying me.
I got all my gear together and got to borrow an all weather jacket from another co-worker and looked like I was all set! But the hiking boots were still a concern. And I, in all my ignorance, was thinking, "what the heck! I should be fine in my walking shoes. After all we are only going to *walk* isnt it?". But that was not to be! After the hike I realized the importance of good hiking boots with ankle protection. They are not optional! But more on that later...
I left office at lunch on Friday, spirits high but also a little bit of fear of the unknown! My colleague was to pick me up from my hotel and then we were to drive up to the Sub-Sig Cabin, in New Hampshire; stay the night and start out early on Saturday morning. The plan was to return back before sun down, have a relaxed meal and then head back home on Sunday, after breakfast.
It was quite a preparation for the trip. The recommended food items were mostly snacks and chocolate energy bars (very very practical). We were rationed 2 bottles of Gatorade and 2 bottles of water, each (as we had to keep our shoulder load as manageable as we possibly could). We also had the bulky clothes on. So a very heavy back pack would be a distinct disadvantage here. We reached the cabin at around 9 in the night and it was great to meet new people, especially Mark Levine who was to lead our group. The cabin was small but comfy little setup ,made of wood, with two floors, The ground floor had the kitchen and the sitting/dining area and the first floor had a hot room and a cold room (with windows open.... And Mark slept in the cold room). There was heating inside. But there were no 'flush' toilets. There was an out house, wooden again, which had toilets on top of pits (similar to ones used in bio-gas plants). So no flush! Ok enough on that I guess :p !
It was my first ever experience sleeping in a sleeping bag, and expectedly it was not a very good one. One, it was a new place, and two it was cold and I could not toss and turn as I wished. Well the learning was that when you are out camping, you need to live within limits! But in the morning I realized that I was not alone. Most of them did not sleep all that good. It was breakfast time at 6:30, with Mark preparing Bagels and smoked salmon with Juice. It was the first time, I ever ate smoked salmon (any salmon, for that matter) And I liked it. We had our fill and were ready to rock.
I got ready in a jiffy and was really eager to strut my stuff among the people
there. And in came Mark, who, after one look at my footwear, nodded disapprovingly! No hiking boots, problem! No grip, no ankle protection! Problem. But it would have been sad to not go at this stage. Thankfully my colleague, John, who had brought me here, pitched in and re-assured Mark that we were good and I had some shoe grippers which I could wear on my existing shoes. Phew! Close call.... My hike was about to end right there. But with Mark convinced, we were once again, good to go! And we began loading up the three cars with our gear and people and around 7:45 am, began our drive towards the start point of the hike trail. This was at Crawford's Notch, an old railroad station, which was no longer in use. The hike started from there and went up to Mount Avalon, Mount Field and Mount tom.
It was only 20 minutes into the hike when I "really" realized what I had signed up for. And admittedly it was a little tougher than what I had imagined.
Soon, the paths gained incline and within no time, we were hitting stretches with only tree roots to climb on. I just happened to look upwards and I realized that the incline was almost straight up and there is no support you just have to keep your balance, hold on to the trees and not fall off. Now this is the type of situation, where the sports walking shoes fail. You need solid ankle support to prevent your ankles from rolling. It does not happen when you are fresh and energetic. But once the exhaustion starts setting in, especially on your way down, it is extremely risky (I had a close call on my way back).
We climbed and climbed and after about 40 minutes, I stopped and stripped my first layer. I naturally sweat more, so I was reduced to my thermals, everything else OFF and straddled to my backpack. It was quite a challenge to have a backpack on your shoulders and climb an incline. Mark was around most of the time during the initial climb, so I got some good newbie tips from him, which I found immensely helpful. And the other person, who accompanied me for most of the climb was Cho Li. Amazing climber, he anticipated my newbie'ness and kept me talking. And because of that I did not realize the physical labor that I was going through in doing the hike. Some very sensible advice from him: pace yourself right; have fun; if you can talk while you hike, that is your right pace! And I can never forget what he said during one of my little breaks..."There's always Another day! There's always Another time! The mountain will be there!". Just before hitting the first peak, we hit a stretch which was straight rocks with some little groves on the side, where we had to climb, some how! And I went...oh crap!! That's when Cho said, that it was one of the "easier" trails to climb!. I was amused indeed!
We finally made it on top of Mt. Avalon. The view from the top was fantastic and for sometime, I forgot all the physical exhaustion and just stood there, enjoying the view. It was snack time and we all started eating our 'instant' snacks and Gatorades, taking pictures all the way.
Apart from snacks it was also picture time. But on the whole, it was a terrific feeling to realize that I had really done it and was no longer a "White Mountain Virgin" as some of the participants described me :p .
From here, we started off to our next point, Mount Field. This was the path around the head of the so called lollipop. We reached there after about 40 minutes of hiking and it was there that I decided, that I had reached my practical limit and did not need to push any more than I needed to. I did not see the peak per-se but was very much there with the group. And I did something really interesting! There is a bird known as the "grey-j" or the Canadian-J which is the only bird there. I fed that bird (photo with another participant, will post as soon as I get it). It is so beautiful. You put the food on your palm and the bird just lands gently on your palm and pecks the food and flys away! That was quite a thing to do.
From that point, Our descent had begun. But we reached an intersection which led to Mount Tom, which some of the people wanted to do. I did not. And I had company. So those who did not wanted to Scale Mount Tom, started on their way down. I was already imagining the warm fireplace and a hot cup of coffee at the Highland Hotel down at the foot of the trail. But I did have a good 2.5 hrs of downhill hiking to do......and that too on completely exhausted set of knees, wobbly ankles. But I started off anyway. We hit down and just a couple of yard's near the exit, I almost had an ankle twist! I did not let it twist completely and quickly shifted weight on the other leg. Or else, this would have been catastrophic. My entire body weight would have collapsed on to that twisted ankle and I would have been out of action, for probably the rest of my stay in the US. Oh! Scary to think. But glad nothing of that sort happened and I slowly walked on to finish the trail!
The hotel sofa was indeed luxurious and I had a warm cup of tea relaxing and answering the very excited enquiries about "India". Wow, I suddenly realized that I *was* India to these guys. They had so many questions. I could field some, some I couldn't as I did not know myself. But it was suddenly a very interesting situation to be in.
Our journey back to the cabin started around 4:30 pm. And the greatest thing was that it began to rain "Just" as all of us got back safely in to the cabin. That worked really well. The evening supper was a delicious preparation by Cho Li. It was a dinner of steak, broccoli and shrimp. Very tasty. The fact that I am not averse to non-vegetarian food, worked to great advantage here in US, as I am not limited in my choice of food by anyway. I just about enjoy eating anything, so I experiment with what I eat!
I crashed out early at 9 with extremely tired legs, but an absolutely exhilarated spirit!
This was a terrific weekend. I am glad I did this hike. This will be one great memory to carry back home to India.
Some pictures, capturing the moments of this hike can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/talk2anand/WhiteMountainHiking
I got all my gear together and got to borrow an all weather jacket from another co-worker and looked like I was all set! But the hiking boots were still a concern. And I, in all my ignorance, was thinking, "what the heck! I should be fine in my walking shoes. After all we are only going to *walk* isnt it?". But that was not to be! After the hike I realized the importance of good hiking boots with ankle protection. They are not optional! But more on that later...
I left office at lunch on Friday, spirits high but also a little bit of fear of the unknown! My colleague was to pick me up from my hotel and then we were to drive up to the Sub-Sig Cabin, in New Hampshire; stay the night and start out early on Saturday morning. The plan was to return back before sun down, have a relaxed meal and then head back home on Sunday, after breakfast.
It was quite a preparation for the trip. The recommended food items were mostly snacks and chocolate energy bars (very very practical). We were rationed 2 bottles of Gatorade and 2 bottles of water, each (as we had to keep our shoulder load as manageable as we possibly could). We also had the bulky clothes on. So a very heavy back pack would be a distinct disadvantage here. We reached the cabin at around 9 in the night and it was great to meet new people, especially Mark Levine who was to lead our group. The cabin was small but comfy little setup ,made of wood, with two floors, The ground floor had the kitchen and the sitting/dining area and the first floor had a hot room and a cold room (with windows open.... And Mark slept in the cold room). There was heating inside. But there were no 'flush' toilets. There was an out house, wooden again, which had toilets on top of pits (similar to ones used in bio-gas plants). So no flush! Ok enough on that I guess :p !
It was my first ever experience sleeping in a sleeping bag, and expectedly it was not a very good one. One, it was a new place, and two it was cold and I could not toss and turn as I wished. Well the learning was that when you are out camping, you need to live within limits! But in the morning I realized that I was not alone. Most of them did not sleep all that good. It was breakfast time at 6:30, with Mark preparing Bagels and smoked salmon with Juice. It was the first time, I ever ate smoked salmon (any salmon, for that matter) And I liked it. We had our fill and were ready to rock.
I got ready in a jiffy and was really eager to strut my stuff among the people
there. And in came Mark, who, after one look at my footwear, nodded disapprovingly! No hiking boots, problem! No grip, no ankle protection! Problem. But it would have been sad to not go at this stage. Thankfully my colleague, John, who had brought me here, pitched in and re-assured Mark that we were good and I had some shoe grippers which I could wear on my existing shoes. Phew! Close call.... My hike was about to end right there. But with Mark convinced, we were once again, good to go! And we began loading up the three cars with our gear and people and around 7:45 am, began our drive towards the start point of the hike trail. This was at Crawford's Notch, an old railroad station, which was no longer in use. The hike started from there and went up to Mount Avalon, Mount Field and Mount tom.It was only 20 minutes into the hike when I "really" realized what I had signed up for. And admittedly it was a little tougher than what I had imagined.
Soon, the paths gained incline and within no time, we were hitting stretches with only tree roots to climb on. I just happened to look upwards and I realized that the incline was almost straight up and there is no support you just have to keep your balance, hold on to the trees and not fall off. Now this is the type of situation, where the sports walking shoes fail. You need solid ankle support to prevent your ankles from rolling. It does not happen when you are fresh and energetic. But once the exhaustion starts setting in, especially on your way down, it is extremely risky (I had a close call on my way back).
We climbed and climbed and after about 40 minutes, I stopped and stripped my first layer. I naturally sweat more, so I was reduced to my thermals, everything else OFF and straddled to my backpack. It was quite a challenge to have a backpack on your shoulders and climb an incline. Mark was around most of the time during the initial climb, so I got some good newbie tips from him, which I found immensely helpful. And the other person, who accompanied me for most of the climb was Cho Li. Amazing climber, he anticipated my newbie'ness and kept me talking. And because of that I did not realize the physical labor that I was going through in doing the hike. Some very sensible advice from him: pace yourself right; have fun; if you can talk while you hike, that is your right pace! And I can never forget what he said during one of my little breaks..."There's always Another day! There's always Another time! The mountain will be there!". Just before hitting the first peak, we hit a stretch which was straight rocks with some little groves on the side, where we had to climb, some how! And I went...oh crap!! That's when Cho said, that it was one of the "easier" trails to climb!. I was amused indeed!
We finally made it on top of Mt. Avalon. The view from the top was fantastic and for sometime, I forgot all the physical exhaustion and just stood there, enjoying the view. It was snack time and we all started eating our 'instant' snacks and Gatorades, taking pictures all the way.Apart from snacks it was also picture time. But on the whole, it was a terrific feeling to realize that I had really done it and was no longer a "White Mountain Virgin" as some of the participants described me :p .
From here, we started off to our next point, Mount Field. This was the path around the head of the so called lollipop. We reached there after about 40 minutes of hiking and it was there that I decided, that I had reached my practical limit and did not need to push any more than I needed to. I did not see the peak per-se but was very much there with the group. And I did something really interesting! There is a bird known as the "grey-j" or the Canadian-J which is the only bird there. I fed that bird (photo with another participant, will post as soon as I get it). It is so beautiful. You put the food on your palm and the bird just lands gently on your palm and pecks the food and flys away! That was quite a thing to do.
From that point, Our descent had begun. But we reached an intersection which led to Mount Tom, which some of the people wanted to do. I did not. And I had company. So those who did not wanted to Scale Mount Tom, started on their way down. I was already imagining the warm fireplace and a hot cup of coffee at the Highland Hotel down at the foot of the trail. But I did have a good 2.5 hrs of downhill hiking to do......and that too on completely exhausted set of knees, wobbly ankles. But I started off anyway. We hit down and just a couple of yard's near the exit, I almost had an ankle twist! I did not let it twist completely and quickly shifted weight on the other leg. Or else, this would have been catastrophic. My entire body weight would have collapsed on to that twisted ankle and I would have been out of action, for probably the rest of my stay in the US. Oh! Scary to think. But glad nothing of that sort happened and I slowly walked on to finish the trail!
The hotel sofa was indeed luxurious and I had a warm cup of tea relaxing and answering the very excited enquiries about "India". Wow, I suddenly realized that I *was* India to these guys. They had so many questions. I could field some, some I couldn't as I did not know myself. But it was suddenly a very interesting situation to be in.
Our journey back to the cabin started around 4:30 pm. And the greatest thing was that it began to rain "Just" as all of us got back safely in to the cabin. That worked really well. The evening supper was a delicious preparation by Cho Li. It was a dinner of steak, broccoli and shrimp. Very tasty. The fact that I am not averse to non-vegetarian food, worked to great advantage here in US, as I am not limited in my choice of food by anyway. I just about enjoy eating anything, so I experiment with what I eat!
I crashed out early at 9 with extremely tired legs, but an absolutely exhilarated spirit!
This was a terrific weekend. I am glad I did this hike. This will be one great memory to carry back home to India.
Some pictures, capturing the moments of this hike can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/talk2anand/WhiteMountainHiking
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