Sunday, August 9, 2009

Three Days in the Mountains

I just got back from a 3-day 30something mile hike in the Whites. It kicked SERIOUS amounts of ass. I carried minimal weight (20lb pack, with clothes, including winter gear, water, gorp, etc) and stayed the nights in the AMC huts, where my brother works. Amazingly good weather, great company, filling food. And I made it up the Valley Way up Mt. Madison in 2 hours flat. Booyah. That's pretty good time, considering I also made it from Mizpah Springs hut to Zealand Falls hut in 4 hours, leaving me plenty of time for a swim in the waterfall. God i love hiking.
For my readers who have no idea what the White Mountains are, this means i did a very nice traverse of the Presidential Range, which boasts the Worst Weather In The World. While our mountains may not be as big as those out west, we have lots of elevation gain, and we have truly FOUL weather that shifts at a moments notice, often leading to summer snowstorms, sudden whiteout fogs, and all kinds of other delights. I got 100 mile views and a nasty sunburn in spite of SPF 70 sunblock.

1 comment:

Bats, S.N. said...

I'm about to do some hiking in Colorado myself (where, I do not know. I'm waiting on my boyfriend to pick a mountain and stick with it). Got any recommendations on hiking boots? I want to be able to attend to my patients when I get back, so I don't want my feet to be dead (I'm a student nurse too!)