New Hampshire Adventure

You would be surprised with the number of opportunities that come to me and Bill as Americorp volunteers. I think something about having so low an income that it needs to be called a “stipend” instead of a salary makes people feel bad for us. I would say it is just because Bill and I are amazing people, but when Dan was in JVC he got to do cooler things than he was able to do for quite a while afterwards, so I am back to the theory that we evoke pity and people try to remedy this feeling by giving us free stuff. Such was the case last weekend when we wound up in a mountain-top condo in New Hampshire. One of the teachers at Julie’s owns a “second home” in New Hampshire and her present to the Americorp workers was a free stay. Five of us enjoyed luxuries as one would a five star resort – heat all night long, a dishwasher, and a guaranteed parking spot. The fireplace and air hockey table were the icing on the cake. It really was high class. So high class that I got almost a little too used to having different floors. Upon arriving home, I remembered how small an attic apartment really is. There is nothing like realizing someone’s “second home” is three times larger than your not-even-owned first home. But that’s beside the point. The highlight of the trip went a little something like this…

After relaxing the day away on Saturday at the Rec Center pool and Jacuzzi, we decided to be highly active on Sunday. Someone found a hiking path flyer on the refrigerator that we thought we would give a try. That was our first mistake. Backpacks and water were deemed unnecessary. That was our second mistake. We drove to the beginning of the trail. Alas, the biggest mistake. After hiking for about a half hour, we realized the hikers coming from the other directions were grossly over-equipped. They looked a little foolish with their hiking packs, boots, and sticks. A half hour later we made it to the top. We took in the view and snapped a bunch of pictures. We were ready to head back down. But then something funny happened— the trail kept going up and not at a gradual incline. It felt like we were walking up a vertical plane. We were slipping and sliding down a wet rock face. Suddenly our fellow hikers with their fancy boots and sticks did not look so foolish. In fact, we were embarrassed that, once again, people were pitying us. But this time it was just like the time that Bill and I biked to High Cliff with the wind and “rode” AKA pushed our bikes against the wind on the way home. A man, of course better equipped than us, stopped his bike, pulled a cell phone out of his fanny pack, and asked us if there was anyone we could call to pick us up. Highly embarrassing. Back to the mountain… we stopped a couple and asked them if we were close to the top. They consoled us in saying that we had already done the hardest part and it was just “a bit longer to the top. Then another little hike to the second peak.” The second peak! They were also lying in that we had completed the hardest part. We got through the two peaks alright, but here’s a tip: if you plan on climbing a mountain in early spring when the snow is just melting without nice equipment, change your plans immediately. We had multiple falls on the way down with sore muscles and large bruises to prove it. We basically spent the rest of hike in fear of catastrophe. The thought of carrying someone down the hill with multiple people offering help, cell phones, and first aid kits was just too awful. I was secretly threatening the rest of the hiking group in my head. Safely back at our resort, we discussed our ordeal. Bill said he was also worried about someone breaking something, but he stayed calming knowing he could “make a splint out of branches and twigs.” Right. Then the real shock came to light. While revisiting the flyer for the mountain we noticed right on it the elevation and level of intensity. When we asked the “someone” who found the flyer about it she replied, “Oh I read it. I just thought they were lying.” Interesting.