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dvbl
Guest
First of all...no pix. I took a bunch, but you've seen them all before. So you've been warned...there's no reward for enduring this boring report.
John (my buddy from work) and I did the usual loop: Falling Waters to Franconia Ridge to Greenleaf to Old Bridle Path. John had never been up on the ridge before, and the weather looked decent. We both agreed that by rushing through this hike we would be rewarded with catching Friday evening's rush hour traffic around Boston. Besides, I told him that this is one of those hikes to be savored slowly. So we took our time. As we prepared our packs, I grabbed my watch, paused, and then through it back in the car. I couldn't care less what time it was, and I couldn't care less what time we finished. John kept his watch on (some engineers have an electronics fetish I guess). Having packed all the essentials and a few luxuries (M&Ms), we set out.
Throughout the entire hike, I pointed out things that I thought John would find interesting. This isn't always simple...there's a fine line between sharing knowledge and anecdotes, and sounding like a big-mouth know-it-all. So when in doubt, silence; let nature do the talking.
We met some nice people along the way:
-- A very big, very loud group of teenagers proved that a very big, very loud group of teenagers does not always equal a very obnoxious group of teenagers. They were part of a church group and they were all decked out in tan Dockers and white polo shirts, and they were having a great time. They were a solid group of polite, friendly young men, and I was happy that our paths crossed that day.
-- Two female AT thru-hikers on Lafayette shared stories of Pennsylvania's dreaded rocks, the half-gallon challenge (which they both finished), bugs, and a growing visceral hatred of noodles. In addition to being interesting and nice, they both also looked like they just stepped out of a Nike ad. After seeing these girls, I think John wants to come hiking with me more often.
Here are the important stats for the day
Approximate time spent at...
Stairs Falls...5 min
Swiftwater Falls...5 min
Cloudland Falls...15 min
Shining Rock...10 min
Little Haystack...20 min
Mt Lincoln...20 min
Mt Lafayette...40 min
Greenleaf Hut...20 min
About two hours of just sitting around enjoying the views. Disgraceful. Next time we'll do it right and linger a little more.
John (my buddy from work) and I did the usual loop: Falling Waters to Franconia Ridge to Greenleaf to Old Bridle Path. John had never been up on the ridge before, and the weather looked decent. We both agreed that by rushing through this hike we would be rewarded with catching Friday evening's rush hour traffic around Boston. Besides, I told him that this is one of those hikes to be savored slowly. So we took our time. As we prepared our packs, I grabbed my watch, paused, and then through it back in the car. I couldn't care less what time it was, and I couldn't care less what time we finished. John kept his watch on (some engineers have an electronics fetish I guess). Having packed all the essentials and a few luxuries (M&Ms), we set out.
Throughout the entire hike, I pointed out things that I thought John would find interesting. This isn't always simple...there's a fine line between sharing knowledge and anecdotes, and sounding like a big-mouth know-it-all. So when in doubt, silence; let nature do the talking.
We met some nice people along the way:
-- A very big, very loud group of teenagers proved that a very big, very loud group of teenagers does not always equal a very obnoxious group of teenagers. They were part of a church group and they were all decked out in tan Dockers and white polo shirts, and they were having a great time. They were a solid group of polite, friendly young men, and I was happy that our paths crossed that day.
-- Two female AT thru-hikers on Lafayette shared stories of Pennsylvania's dreaded rocks, the half-gallon challenge (which they both finished), bugs, and a growing visceral hatred of noodles. In addition to being interesting and nice, they both also looked like they just stepped out of a Nike ad. After seeing these girls, I think John wants to come hiking with me more often.
Here are the important stats for the day
Approximate time spent at...
Stairs Falls...5 min
Swiftwater Falls...5 min
Cloudland Falls...15 min
Shining Rock...10 min
Little Haystack...20 min
Mt Lincoln...20 min
Mt Lafayette...40 min
Greenleaf Hut...20 min
About two hours of just sitting around enjoying the views. Disgraceful. Next time we'll do it right and linger a little more.
