White Mountain National Forest
10:36 PM
After a long night in Portland celebrating Maureen’s completing her med school boards, we got around late today. It wasn’t until after our lunch at 1:00 that we hit the road for the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We said good bye to the highway and drove on 302 toward Mount Washington. Small town after small town passed us by. Some new friends from Portland told us about Pinkham Notch, but the nice lady at the information desk in Conway pointed us in a new direction. Rather than veering off on 16 and up to Pinkham, we stayed on 302 and drove past the mammoth Mount Washington Hotel. Feeling like high rollers, we called about a room, but $389 a night quelched that. It did include a four course gourmet meal and breakfast. We went with a spot at Above the Notch Motor Inn for $84. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it had what we wanted: two beds, a cot, and a bathroom. No time was spent in the room; there were too many sites to see.
On the way through the forest we passed the Appalachian Trail as well as many hiking signs. The ups and downs of the presidential mountains made getting stuck behind a truck painful. It was all worth it when we arrived at Silver Cascade. White water rushed down toward the bridge from a few hundred feet above us. Fellow tourists stared and took pictures. The huge boulders made hiking up to the waterfalls dicey and there was no path. We decided to create our own path and hopped up the 45 degree pitched cascade. Starting next to the water, it became too steep in place to use the rocks. Entering the woods, we tried to identify and avoid poison ivy as well as the slick rocks. After a few pauses to plot a course, we veered back to the rocks and the water. We found a great spot to rest and absorb the sounds and mist.
Smiles were all around as we stared up at falls that were not within view from the road. The rocks smoothed out up here and the water ran fast and smooth. We found large flat rocks with foot holes and laid down. I was down the cascade from the Sean and Mike. Lying there, with the 6:00 sun shining on me and the water serenading, I was at peace. The previous weeks had been spent thinking about writing, speaking, consulting and all of that stuff, but being out in nature can strip all of those things away. There is a connection with God or spirituality or whatever your belief is in nature. As I laid there with my eyes shut, I thanked God for this spot and time. My good friends were quiet up top and we stayed that way for 20 minutes. The sound of the water flowing down the mountain and dropping into falls was amazing. The sun felt great on my face. That moment is why we made this trip. It also reaffirmed my love of being on the road and being in nature.
We arose and attempted to climb to the top of the cascade, but it was too slick and steep to do it. There was more to see. After saying goodbye to the peaceful spot, we went back to the car and found a 20 minute hike to Ridley Falls. This hike was much easier than the first and was cut out for us with blue painted markers along the way. The dark woods blocked the sun, but we still were sweating at the end because of our hiking pace. These falls were not climbable and there were no rocks next to it. It was just straight down. The mist of the water immediately cooled us. We sat on the rocks below for about an hour, laughing at the trip thus far and the beauty we were seeing.
My travels have been wonderful thus far, but it is even better when you can share it with other people. I guess I have been doing that in a way with these journals, but to have someone in the car and at the sites doing it with you, it makes it even better.
The hiking ended and we at Fabyan’s, which is very close to Above the Notch. The chicken parm dinner tasted wonderful and was needed after the long day. The food knocked all of us out. There is a not a nightlife in the forest, so we sat outside in the cool night air. Time for bed. I am a fan of New Hampshire.