Early Bird
Active member
A baby free hike, I’ve recently started taking these about once a month. Today I chose to hike Whiteface and Passaconaway, not too far from home, not too demanding since I’ve been away from winter conditions hiking for a couple of years. The day treated me very well.
I was prepared for cold, snow, ice, and winds, but I’ll have to look for winter again next month; this day and these mountains were far from wintery. A pleasant mid fall day, the forecasted winds were elsewhere. The company, too, was fabulous. After a night of little rest for fear I’d oversleep, I met Mad River at Ferncroft Road for an early start. The temperature was already above freezing. He gave me some safety orange to sport “because of the Bambi killers” he said, and off we went. The steps, miles, and hours passed quickly in jovial conversation. Hiking with Mad River for the first time is a lesson in vocabulary. I learned about tonies, sponge runs, frazier, and waste management in NJ to share a few. I won’t spoil the fun of possibly having you learn these things firsthand yourself. Only Princess Buttercup can relay the terms in a way to make you laugh three-fourths the way up the mountain.
The ground was in a state between frozen and thawing in many places. Some place around the mid-ledges we put on our traction: Stabilicers and Microspikes. Nothing more was needed, but these were necessary. The ledges would have had me thinking twice if I’d gone solo, but with Mad River’s eagerness to care for a compound fracture of the tibia I felt comfortable forging upward. Blue skies came in and out as we climbed.
Once past the ledges, the hike was straightforward. Traction was used until we got a little ways down Dicey Mill. Before we knew it we were crossing the yard of the always absent folks in the idyllic white extended cape. I was glad for a rewarding hike whose end came early enough for me to get home at a reasonable hour. I was able to share the warm chili dinner I’d been craving since the Rollins Trail with our toddler before putting her to bed. I was also glad to have met a wonderful new hiking partner.
Thanks, Mad River. Hope to see you on the trails again.
I was prepared for cold, snow, ice, and winds, but I’ll have to look for winter again next month; this day and these mountains were far from wintery. A pleasant mid fall day, the forecasted winds were elsewhere. The company, too, was fabulous. After a night of little rest for fear I’d oversleep, I met Mad River at Ferncroft Road for an early start. The temperature was already above freezing. He gave me some safety orange to sport “because of the Bambi killers” he said, and off we went. The steps, miles, and hours passed quickly in jovial conversation. Hiking with Mad River for the first time is a lesson in vocabulary. I learned about tonies, sponge runs, frazier, and waste management in NJ to share a few. I won’t spoil the fun of possibly having you learn these things firsthand yourself. Only Princess Buttercup can relay the terms in a way to make you laugh three-fourths the way up the mountain.
The ground was in a state between frozen and thawing in many places. Some place around the mid-ledges we put on our traction: Stabilicers and Microspikes. Nothing more was needed, but these were necessary. The ledges would have had me thinking twice if I’d gone solo, but with Mad River’s eagerness to care for a compound fracture of the tibia I felt comfortable forging upward. Blue skies came in and out as we climbed.
Once past the ledges, the hike was straightforward. Traction was used until we got a little ways down Dicey Mill. Before we knew it we were crossing the yard of the always absent folks in the idyllic white extended cape. I was glad for a rewarding hike whose end came early enough for me to get home at a reasonable hour. I was able to share the warm chili dinner I’d been craving since the Rollins Trail with our toddler before putting her to bed. I was also glad to have met a wonderful new hiking partner.
Thanks, Mad River. Hope to see you on the trails again.
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