On the left is Liberty Mountain, on the right is Flume Mountain. Both of these peaks are a part of the "48". For those not familiar with NH hiking, 48 is the number of 4,000 foot mountains that you will find scattered over the state. I'm proud to say that Mike's son Derek did ALL 48 in 5 1/2 months and his son Alex, will be completing the task this year. Throughout our travels we have received countless messages with pictures and videos recording such a tremendous feat. And as each message passed, we became more and more inspired to seek out such adventures.
Now for the reality bit, they are fit and in their 30's! Our 30's passed us by 2 decades ago! But the closer we got to being back in NH for the summer, the more inspired we became. Each time we spoke with the boys we set them the task of figuring out the hikes that would not kill us, but test us more and more with each hike. I'm happy to report that we are -as Derek would say- "putting our money where are mouths are". Not only that, but in the end we are just hoping to make our kids proud. I think we're doing okay so far. To be perfectly clear, our quest is not the 48. I'll be quite happy if we get 1! The quest is to develop a new habit, maybe ditch another, and most importantly enjoy our walks in the woods- with or without the boys. After all, the idea behind living this lifestyle was to spend more time outside.
Our quest began with Mt. Caesar in Swanzey. A nice little hike that left me gasping for air at a few different spots, but nothing so extreme that I wanted to quit. The boys were patient and encouraged us to take our time. I think they were just glad that we were trying. To be honest, we were just happy to be spending time with the boys.
MT. CAESAR
Next came Honey Hill. Now this one I really enjoyed. It started gradual and then pushed you for a bit and repeat. So yeah, this one made me want to do another, but that would have been pushing my luck..lol
HONEY HILL
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BREAKING NEWS: OUR HOME IS BROKEN!
I'm not going to go into great detail, because it just sucks. Perhaps "someday" I'll tell you all about what transpired to make this happen, but it's just to freekin' frustrating and sad. In short, the slide in our motorhome came completely out! It is now an hour away in a repair shop and we are hoping to have it back by the end of August. Perhaps on a future post I'll show you pictures, but I really want to wait until we get our home back. Because seriously, the before and after together will have more impact.
On a positive note, it happened where we have friends and family. The kindness and support we have been shown is beyond words. Once again, the boys have been great. But there are some friends that deserve a special shout out too. Darren, Judy, and Leon for being the first to lend a hand. Stacey for always checking in on us. Progressive, for being such a great insurance company. But the 0scar goes to Larissa, for giving us shelter from our storm. Much love to all of you!!! - And now back to our regularly scheduled blog....
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The next hike was one just for Mike and his boys. Sometimes a Dad just needs time with his kids. Mike didn't get any pictures, but thankfully Derek did. This is the conversation I had with Derek in order to get said pictures.
Kris: "Could you send me a few pictures from your hike on Tilting Rock with your Dad and Alex?"
Derek: "Yes, only if you guts can remember....It's Tippin Rock...lol"
Kris: "We'll try...lol"
I didn't realize that we had gotten it wrong so often. In the interest of full disclosure, as I write this I had to double check the name in Google Maps. As it turns out, I was about to get it wrong again and call it "Tipping Rock" with a 'g'...it doesn't have a 'g'...Seriously, I can't make this shit up.
TIPPIN ROCK
(AKA: Tipin...tilting...tiping...mrocking....falling....rock)
Thumb Mountain came next. This hike was just Mike and Derek. I had different plans for that day. Larissa and I had an in-house pedicure day. Wine, women and chat (not song). This is one that I will be doing before we leave because, as you see it will be one that I will enjoy for the simple fact that there are treasures to find along the way.
Our quest would not be complete without a trip up Pitcher Mountain. There is a history with this one. Many, many years ago we went to hike that mountain and went the way wrong way and ended up walking AROUND it, instead of UP it. We ended up walking 9 miles that day. This time was different, much different. On our way there it began to rain, but we were determined to get this one done. And since we had our tour guides with us, there was no way we were going to screw up again. It was a really great hike, the rain be damned!
PITCHER MOUNTAIN
I was back and forth with this next hike. Derek decided that this time we would conquer Bald Mountain in Antrim. Parts of this trail are great, and some parts, not-so-much. And because of that there were moments where I loved Derek and this adventure and moments, well not-so-much! In the end though, there was a great sense of accomplishment! What I also realized was how important my walking stick is. Mike made it for me from a hickory tree on his sister's property. It has saved me more than once since our adventures began. More importantly, I've developed a true appreciation for why the boys do this. Reaching the top and seeing the views, it really can become addicting. The pictures will never do these summits justice, but we'll share them anyway.
BALD MOUNTAIN
And so ends part 1 of our adventures. Coming soon our "Week in the Whites"
Until then....Be Well, Be Happy and Safe Travels
Peggy and I have done a couple of the 48. We started with Tecumsah. Then we did Lincoln and Lafayette with the Franconia Ridge between them! What a hike!