Double Bow
New member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2005
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After doing trailwork all day on Saturday, it was time that I got out did some hiking on Sunday. Lisa (Shammy) would be joining me and this would be her first 4K hike of the season. We had originally planned on doing Flume and Liberty but, reports of possible thunderstorms made her suggest we change our plans. So we headed to Hale instead. This wound up being her 33rd 4K and a very pleasant day.
We got a little bit of a late start but it was no big deal. Heading up the Hale Brook trail she really got a workout. I told her not to be discouraged and that book time had the pace for this leg much under 2mph. She was encouraged by this and kept plugging away. On the way up we passed some people who were coming down but not too many.
Once we reached the summit, we climbed the cairn and took pictures. It won't be too long now before the views are completely gone. Within the next 10 years for sure. It was pretty warm and sunny so we felt pretty confident that the weather was going to hold. After taking the pics, we kicked off our boots and socks and sunned ourselves for half an hour. Very relaxing! Not a soul passed over the summit during that time. Eventually, we roused ourselves and saddled back up. We did have a bit more hiking to do!
We headed off on the Lend-A-Hand trail and found the last little patches of snow and ice. There was one 8"x5" patch of ice on the trail and others in shady rock cracks off the trail but that was it. Lisa also spotted a huge metal cylander in the woods. It looks like an old boiler or heater or something from when the tower was still there. She later also found an animal knee bone.
The rest of Lend-A-Hand was it's usually wet, muddy self. We were displeased with the slower going in the wet rocky sections and were glad to hit the Twinway.
Of course, we stopped in at the hut and I hit the JACKPOT!!! I had been wondering what kind of baked goodies (my weekness) I might find there and to my amazement, they had spice cake!!! I had been having an on again off again craving for spice cake for several weeks!
I happily put my money in the basket and took my piece of spice cake and headed over to the falls. There, our boots and socks came off again. We hung out on the falls for awhile and I experienced nirvana.
Sitting on Zealand Falls next to my wife, admiring the view after hitting a 4K, and enjoying lemonade and the most amazing spice cake I had ever eaten. Life doesn't get any better than that.
Thinking of it now, three days later and at work, I feel the peace I felt at that moment wash over me again.
The rest of the hike up the Zealand trail and Zealand Rd were fine. Zealand pond was just as pretty as I had remembered it. Stopping it to visit Steve at Mountain Wonderer was nice as well. But, the highlight of the past week was that moment on the falls.
We got a little bit of a late start but it was no big deal. Heading up the Hale Brook trail she really got a workout. I told her not to be discouraged and that book time had the pace for this leg much under 2mph. She was encouraged by this and kept plugging away. On the way up we passed some people who were coming down but not too many.
Once we reached the summit, we climbed the cairn and took pictures. It won't be too long now before the views are completely gone. Within the next 10 years for sure. It was pretty warm and sunny so we felt pretty confident that the weather was going to hold. After taking the pics, we kicked off our boots and socks and sunned ourselves for half an hour. Very relaxing! Not a soul passed over the summit during that time. Eventually, we roused ourselves and saddled back up. We did have a bit more hiking to do!
We headed off on the Lend-A-Hand trail and found the last little patches of snow and ice. There was one 8"x5" patch of ice on the trail and others in shady rock cracks off the trail but that was it. Lisa also spotted a huge metal cylander in the woods. It looks like an old boiler or heater or something from when the tower was still there. She later also found an animal knee bone.
The rest of Lend-A-Hand was it's usually wet, muddy self. We were displeased with the slower going in the wet rocky sections and were glad to hit the Twinway.
Of course, we stopped in at the hut and I hit the JACKPOT!!! I had been wondering what kind of baked goodies (my weekness) I might find there and to my amazement, they had spice cake!!! I had been having an on again off again craving for spice cake for several weeks!
I happily put my money in the basket and took my piece of spice cake and headed over to the falls. There, our boots and socks came off again. We hung out on the falls for awhile and I experienced nirvana.
Sitting on Zealand Falls next to my wife, admiring the view after hitting a 4K, and enjoying lemonade and the most amazing spice cake I had ever eaten. Life doesn't get any better than that.
Thinking of it now, three days later and at work, I feel the peace I felt at that moment wash over me again.
The rest of the hike up the Zealand trail and Zealand Rd were fine. Zealand pond was just as pretty as I had remembered it. Stopping it to visit Steve at Mountain Wonderer was nice as well. But, the highlight of the past week was that moment on the falls.
