Mad Townie
New member
We all get a little banged up from time to time, and sometimes it even makes us skip a hike or two. But everyone here knows about SherpaK's accident, how he was much more than a little banged up, the setbacks he's had, and how long it's been since he did a hike.
Well, everybody cheer, because SherpaKroto is back on the trail!!!
On September 1st, he and I and some of his neighbors from the camp climbed Singepole Ridge, just outside of South Paris, ME. It's not the highest or longest hike in his book, but I'll bet it's one of his most fulfilling. Singepole Ridge is somewhere around 1700 feet high, and the hike is about a 3 mile round trip. Sherp put on his pack, grabbed his poles and set out for the open ledges of the ridge summit. Oh yeah, and he did wear his compression stockings, too. It was a beautiful clear day and he was feeling good.
Along the way we made sure to stop fairly frequently (amazing how many excuses a few friends can come up with ), and everyone was watching out for any sign that things might not be going well. None of those signs ever appeared, and he worked his way up the trail and the ledges, taking his time but intent on the goal. You should have seen his face when he got to the top! Happy doesn't even begin to describe it.
We were sitting there admiring the view and the accomplishment when a couple families arrived. The parents were trying to tell the kids what mountains they were seeing, without much success, and Sherp in his inimitable, friendly way began to recite them.
Now if anyone here should think a hike like this isn't worth taking unless you, like Sherp, are returning from the dead, let me set you straight. The views are unbelievable! Starting from the southeast you see Pleasant, Chocorua, Passaconaway & Whiteface, the Tripyramids, Carrigain, and a bunch of summits neither he nor I were sure about. Then there was Kearsarge North, Washington with Isolation in front and to the side, Jefferson, Adams, Madison. Then there was the whole Carter range: Carter Dome, Hight, South Carter, Middle Carter, North Carter and Moriah. In front of them were the Baldfaces and the whole Evans Notch set of mountains, ending with Shelburne-Moriah. And I'm probably forgetting a few. He beamed as he went through the list, and the listeners were amazed at how much this fellow knew about the Whites. His pleasure grew with the name of each mountain, all of which he has climbed.
A bit later Sherp was looking around at the summit ledges and the views, and he said to me, "I can do this. I can do this." At that point I just about lost it.
We stopped briefly on the way down to admire a quarry full of water, but this wasn't a swimming day. When we got back to the trailhead Sherp's calves were a bit sore, but it was muscle soreness and not the kind of discomfort that has kept him down for so many months. He was (and we were) relieved and happy.
It was so fantastic to see him back on the trail, in the environment he loves so much. I wish everyone on VFTT could have been there to see it. But since you all couldn't be, here are a few photos of the man and the event.
So DougPaul, Cath, Bubba and anyone else out there who's on the physically unable to perform list, take heart! You can do this! You can do this!
Well, everybody cheer, because SherpaKroto is back on the trail!!!
On September 1st, he and I and some of his neighbors from the camp climbed Singepole Ridge, just outside of South Paris, ME. It's not the highest or longest hike in his book, but I'll bet it's one of his most fulfilling. Singepole Ridge is somewhere around 1700 feet high, and the hike is about a 3 mile round trip. Sherp put on his pack, grabbed his poles and set out for the open ledges of the ridge summit. Oh yeah, and he did wear his compression stockings, too.
It was a beautiful clear day and he was feeling good. Along the way we made sure to stop fairly frequently (amazing how many excuses a few friends can come up with
), and everyone was watching out for any sign that things might not be going well. None of those signs ever appeared, and he worked his way up the trail and the ledges, taking his time but intent on the goal. You should have seen his face when he got to the top! Happy doesn't even begin to describe it.We were sitting there admiring the view and the accomplishment when a couple families arrived. The parents were trying to tell the kids what mountains they were seeing, without much success, and Sherp in his inimitable, friendly way began to recite them.
Now if anyone here should think a hike like this isn't worth taking unless you, like Sherp, are returning from the dead, let me set you straight. The views are unbelievable! Starting from the southeast you see Pleasant, Chocorua, Passaconaway & Whiteface, the Tripyramids, Carrigain, and a bunch of summits neither he nor I were sure about. Then there was Kearsarge North, Washington with Isolation in front and to the side, Jefferson, Adams, Madison. Then there was the whole Carter range: Carter Dome, Hight, South Carter, Middle Carter, North Carter and Moriah. In front of them were the Baldfaces and the whole Evans Notch set of mountains, ending with Shelburne-Moriah. And I'm probably forgetting a few. He beamed as he went through the list, and the listeners were amazed at how much this fellow knew about the Whites. His pleasure grew with the name of each mountain, all of which he has climbed.
A bit later Sherp was looking around at the summit ledges and the views, and he said to me, "I can do this. I can do this." At that point I just about lost it.
We stopped briefly on the way down to admire a quarry full of water, but this wasn't a swimming day. When we got back to the trailhead Sherp's calves were a bit sore, but it was muscle soreness and not the kind of discomfort that has kept him down for so many months. He was (and we were) relieved and happy.
It was so fantastic to see him back on the trail, in the environment he loves so much. I wish everyone on VFTT could have been there to see it. But since you all couldn't be, here are a few photos of the man and the event.
So DougPaul, Cath, Bubba and anyone else out there who's on the physically unable to perform list, take heart! You can do this! You can do this!
