Summer is here!

The posts this last week have been kind of serious, time to lighten things up!

Summer officially arrived this weekend in New England when the thermometer topped out at 85 degrees on Saturday. That means the beaches are packed, motorcycles are out, and boats are back in the water. Up and down the shoreline there are surf shops, lobster shacks, and ice cream parlors that are packed with beach goers.

This holiday weekend I soaked up the best of what New Hampshire has to offer: hiking in the mountains and sunning on the beach. What better way to spend my long weekend?

Sunday I ventured northwest into the lakes region of New Hampshire to do a little hiking. My first stop was a lovely park called Profile Falls in Bristol. I spent about two hours walking the trails, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, and eating a little lunch in front of the waterfall.

Then it was off to Alexandria in search of Grafton Falls. This one proved to be too elusive for me. I made my best attempt to locate the falls, but was deterred by having to cross the rushing river bottom. I did take some time to dip my feet in the cool water and soak up some sunshine. While sitting on the rocks, an older couple emerged from the woods on the opposite side of the stream. They were in the same predicament as me, trying to find a place to cross. We chatted quickly across the water and I ventured halfway across to lend a hand as they jumped rock to rock. When we all made it back to my side of the water, they informed me that in order to see the falls, I would need to cross the river and hike up the hill. After already hiking about 2 miles to no avail, I decided I would turn back and head to my next destination and attempt the falls another time.

















On my way to my final stop of the day, I drove along a road that hugged closely to the lake shore. There were campers, tents, lawn chairs, and coolers abound. The smell of barbecue hung in the air. I made it to Sculptured Rocks park in Hebron. Unlike my other two destinations, this one was crawling with people. In particular, hormonal teenage boys challenging each other in a game of who can be more brave and jump from the highest rocks into the rushing water 50 feet below. Needless to say, I was less than impressed. It is times like this when people doubt the power of Mother nature that bad things happen. I took a few pictures and proceeded home.

After a quick shower, I met up with one of the girls from work at her house for a cookout. We jumped in the car with her adorable 6 year old son and drove to the coast. He was thrilled to get out of the car and scramble on the craggy rocks. The night was filled with lots of laughs, good food, and great company.


All in all, the weekend so far has provided the lighthearted fun I needed after the previous week. In observance of the holiday, I'm off work today as well and have more plans to spend time with a few of my new friends, sunning on the beach and taking in the downtown area of Portsmouth. Happy Memorial Day to everyone and remember the reason for the holiday!

Perserverance

This week was...rough. In the midst of family health problems back home, a crisis with one of my co-workers and a challenging work week, I was happy to see the weekend come around.


My co-workers ask me every Friday what my plans for the weekend are. Some like to live vicariously through me I think and others want to give me ideas of things to do. As of Friday night, I still had no plan for my Saturday. The usual fallback is either the beach or hiking. Hiking won out this time.

I had wanted to venture to a city in the White Mountains called Moultonborough. It houses the infamous Castle in the Clouds. The mountaintop estate was built in 1913. Nestled in the Ossipee Mountain range, the estate has vista views of Lake Winnipesaukee, the largest lake in the state. While the house and grounds draw crowds of people, I ventured the hour and a half north for a whole different spectacle: waterfalls. Bridal Veil Falls, Fall of Song, Roaring Falls, Twin Falls, and Whittier Falls. That's right, count em, five waterfalls all on one trail.

The directions to the falls were, as usual, vague at best. I bypassed the $16 admission fee (free is always a good thing) to the Castle and parked in the trail head parking lot and started up the Shannon Brook Trail with the hope that I would soon stumble upon the first set of falls. After about a mile of steep uphill hiking, I hadn't heard the rushing of water anywhere. I toyed with the idea of returning to my car and calling the trip a wash, as I was getting deeper and deeper into the forest. But, well equipped with water and granola bars, I trekked forward making the best of the trail I was on.














About another mile of hiking led me to the Brook Trail. It was here that I began to hear it: the rushing waters of a waterfall. A steep decline led me down to the brook bottom and it was here that I found the first waterfall. Fall of Song. A 50 foot drop and nestled between two slabs of granite, it was stunning. Legs tired and the sweat starting form on my brow, I pushed forward and followed the Brook Trail hoping to see the remaining four falls.



In less than a mile, I was able to see all five of the falls. Each had its own characteristics and charming beauty. As I looped back around to head back to my car, I came to an opening with a vista view of the mountains. I took a moment to sit down and take in the view; I reflected on my first week back here after being at home. Getting a taste of life back home made me miss certain things, sure. Having a family member with health issues pulls at my heart and triggers my desire to be there to help. Leaving home was hard, but I know I made a commitment here and have a job to finish. My remaining time here is like my trail hike. I may not know what is around the next bend in the trail, but if I press forward, good things will hopefully await.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Infected!

A virus hit my computer hard and fast on Saturday. Where it came from I don't know, but I'm back up and running! Sorry for the delay in posting!

Saturday was once again filled with hiking and hunting for waterfalls. This time I headed to the West side of New Hampshire, about 2 hours from my home base. It was on this trip that I found two waterfalls tucked away on trails stemming from gravel back roads. As I was driving down the first road, the image that crossed my mind was Deliverance. Now, that is no reflection on the people, simply the terrain. Very desolate, with steep cliffs and deep valleys. I trekked on a relatively easy trail to find the first series of waterfalls called Purgatory Falls. Nestled in a 100 foot ravine, the stream separates the two small towns of Mont Vernon and Lyndenborough. Initially I followed the trail toward the lower falls, but realized that a path had been made down to the base of the falls. Yes, down 100 feet into the ravine. It was a safe, but steep decent. But, for my trouble I was rewarded with an amazing eye level view of the falls and a great place to eat a quick lunch.

About another hour West led me to the town of Keene. The drive there was filled with vista views of the lower White Mountains and sparkling lakes. Located in a 26 acre preserve was Beaver Brook Falls. Set at the bottom of a steep gorge with cliffs rising 200 feet on either side, the brook ran alongside an abandoned highway. This was a stark contrast to my first hike. As I walked up the pavement of the old highway, I saw the brook slowly babbling downstream. When I reached the falls, it was hidden behind some trees. As dusk began to creep up on me, I headed back home.

A peaceful day of hiking in the woods, searching out waterfalls. That's a pretty good Saturday.

Later this week I will have an update on my next assignment! Stay tuned!

The Hunt is On

"The Basin"

Back the White Mountains I went on Saturday, on the hunt for waterfalls. Why do I call it hunting? Most waterfalls in this region are on back roads, hidden among the trees, and usually unmarked. So, like hunting, you need to plot out your trails, be prepared for quick weather changes and rugged terrain, and keep a keen ear to hear the rushing water. I got a taste of waterfall hunting when my mom and I vacationed in Duluth, MN. There are tons of waterfalls near Lake Superior. It became quite a thrill when we would finally stumble upon a beautiful waterfall.

Waterfalls also provide a photography enthusiast such as myself the landscape amazing pictures are made of. Usually surrounded by greenery and jagged rocks, the roaring water is a sight to behold. Standing at the bottom of a 600 foot drop of water makes a person realize how small they are in the scope of nature. I can't imagine a better way to spend a Saturday than humping my camera gear up miles of rugged trails to behold a beautiful cascading waterfall, carving through the woods of the White Mountains and completely undisturbed by the hand of man.


My co-workers have gotten into the habit of asking me what my plans each weekend will consist of. Like my last adventure to the White Mountains, they disapproved of my venturing into the wilderness alone to hike. But I tell them surviving in the woods is simple: you make either really smart decisions or really stupid ones. I just try to always make a smart decision. For example, the best trail I took on Saturday was the Beaver Brook trail. With an elevation change of 1200 feet, a trail that fell off on the sides to the river bottom below, and several required crossings of the rushing river bed, this trail was by far one of the hardest I've ever hiked. Now, the clue that the trail would be rough was evidenced by the sign-in book and warning signs at the start of the trail incline. It is never a good sign when the trail requires you to list an emergency contact and warns of potential "tragedy" ahead if you are not careful. For all my "moms" out there who worry about me, no I obviously did not fall to my death nor did I push the limits of my own safety. This is where the smart vs. stupid decision comes into play. I would consider myself a relatively experienced hiker and know when something is not worth the risk. The trail, which in the summer months would be do-able, was covered with ice and snow. I realized the trail was impassable with the gear I had after about a half mile and unsafe to do alone. So I turned back with the notion that I would conquer this "Everest" another day. But, I came away with some spectacular views of the lower waterfalls as the fruits of my labor!

The warning sign