Chelsea arrived on July 13, so we spent a couple of days touring DC as well as a embarking on a warm-up hike at my favorite spot in Great Falls National Park - Billy Goat Trail. The trail was easy, we hopped from rock to rock, scrambled across boulders along the Potomac River, and pulled ourselves up the side of a rock wall. I'd done this hike before so I knew what to expect, difficulty-wise, but I still felt good about being so able to do it. It seemed to bode well for me and my travel companion and our impending rigorousness.
As we had wandered about the hotel, we saw a few people wearing the REI shirts we were told to don that day. There were two older gentlemen and a youngish guy. We knew our trip was booked and were anticipating who else would show up. We were advised to meet at 5:30 in a special room. Still a little nervous, we made our way to the meeting place where we were greeted by our guides, Katie and Bill. Both fresh graduates from college/grad school. Both very granola. In addition to Katie and Bill were the rest of our group:
Jeff, a retired Urologist. Aged 64 (he later told me.)
Joel, a doctor of some sort. He has teenagers.
Neil, a hilarious Brit with an American wife and a job in the charity world. Maybe in his 50s?
Dewer, a retired missionary pilot who has lived on four continents and is SEVENTY FOUR YEARS OLD. Amazing!
Phil, Dewer's BFF, a retired principal and avid hiker.
Jonathan, a biology PhD candidate from Boston who spent 5 years in Utrecht, Netherlands and has been all over the place. He is literally trying to cure cancer in a lab with rat cartilage and a protein or enzyme or something from poison ivy. Very tall, very handsome, very fit, very impressive all-around. Oh, and he is Phil's nephew!
Ethan, an adorable college boy who doesn't know what he wants to do but who, we discovered, has a big heart and works in the family electrician business for now.
Frank, formerly a Russian orphan (four years in the Russian cold has caused him to have pneumonia FIFTEEN TIMES) who is also an art education/history/restoration major in Pittsburgh.
and Scott, Frank's buddy who just graduated and is going to get a master's in sustainability.
Notice a trend...these. are. all. men. We were surrounded by men. Initially this was both intimidating and quite a bummer. But Chelsea and I would come to realize we wouldn't have it any other way. More insight on that later. The one thing that really impressed/amazed me about this men was that most of them came ALONE. That is such an admirable quality to me. I liked them all immediately.
We got acquainted, signed forms that said REI wasn't responsible for our deaths, etc. etc. etc...and then went to dinner as a group. Dinner was family style and we were all chatting and getting to know each other when this tall, super white, stick thin man came in and awkwardly lingered at our table until someone acknowledged him. Turns out he was the missing 12th member of our group. Stan or Sten, I never figured it out, from the Czech Republic. So we were complete. Chelsea and I were still the only 2 girls, besides our female guide, Katie, but we were quickly learning that these men weren't so bad. Soon, dinner was over and we went back to our meeting room to make our lunches and pack snacks. Our choices were a mix of candy bars, Cliff bars, PB&J, hummus, carrots and other veggies, trail mix, cheese, and sausage. We stuffed stuff into bagels, pitas, and tortillas, and headed off to our rooms to get a good night's sleep before the big adventure started promptly at 8:45 the next morning.
We woke up early, got dressed, packed our packs and stashed the stuff we didn't need in the car, ate breakfast with our new BFFs Jonathan and Ethan, and headed off to the van that would take us to our first trail.
The bus dropped us off at the Gale River trailhead at 1,600 feet that would lead us to the most remote hut in the White Mountains at 3,800 feet. The trail started off easy. My pack was a little uncomfortable but I'm pretty sure it was because I wasn't used to carrying 25 pounds on my back. The trailed winded and ascended gradually for a while up dirt paths lined with rocks and roots and along rushing waters and trickling waterfalls. It was all very beautiful and not what I was expecting of a vigorous four out of five. But then suddenly I understood. The elevation gain became apparent really quickly as we continued our 2,200 foot ascent up an overgrown rockslide. It was like going up really steep stairs with obstacles in between as well as mud and water running down. I was panting like a dog. It was rough. I often thought about stopping, but the fact that I was one of two girls and I wasn't last was what kept me going. And the song "One Foot" by fun. was playing in my head, with the lyrics "I put one foot in front of the other one, oh oh oh..." repeating with each step I took.
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| Galehead Hut |
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| People just hanging out! |
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| Chelsea called this the "cell phone lot" where people could find a signal. Jonathan, Dewer, and Phil were excited. |
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| Our guide, Bill. Just relaxin'. |
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| Hanging out on the porch with Ethan, Jonathan, Frank, and Chelsea. |
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| Bonding with Ethan. |
After a little while we were invited to choose our bunks. Chelsea and I settled into a room FOUR BUNKS HIGH. I took the one above Phil and Chelsea settled above me. Scott was above her. Dewer was across from Phill, and Jonathan was across from me. Frank was above Jonathan. It was a good little group. The rest of us were in the other room in various levels of bunks.
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| Scott coming down from the fourth bunk up! And Chelsea in the third. |
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| Frank in his top bunk. |
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| The view from the third bunk! |
Once we put our stuff down, we embarked on a short trail to the mountain's summit at 3,800. Pictures were taken, etc.
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| The summit had no view but there was a pile of rocks to pose on. |
Then we went back to the hut. It was still early but it was time to get comfortable. Boy, was it awesome to take off my boots and hang up my pack! Out came the flip flops and the fleece and Chelsea and I searched for some form of entertainment in the hut's library. There were books and games but we settled on cards. Chelsea invited Jonathan, Dewer, and Phil to play and we were shortly joined by Ethan. We played several different games of Kemps and Spoons and we laughed and laughed and laughed. We had inside jokes and nicknames within 20 minutes. It was a great time! Eventually we were ushered out by the hut staff so they could set up dinner by 6 pm.
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| A relief to hang our packs. |
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| We had no spoons so we used comment cards... |
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| Apples to Apples with Jeff, Ethan, Jonathan, and Neil. |
Dinner was delicious! There was freshly made bread, a curried split pea soup, tandoori chicken, peas, and for dessert....red velvet cake! The entire meal was family style and we were instructed to take only what we could eat and wipe our hands on our neighbors sleeves. I was stuffed from eating every single scrap on my plate. The hut staff hike in and out every two days with loads of trash and more supplies. They have between 60 and 90 pounds on their backs! EVERY TWO DAYS UP THAT HORRIBLE INCLINE! How do they do it? They are a mixture of college kids and recent high school grads. Young and strong, I guess!
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| The menu |
After dinner we invited more of our new friends to play some rounds of Apples to Apples. More laughter, more bonding, more insides jokes. Lights out was at 9:30 so we all got ready (no showers though, just some cold water and sponge-bath type stuff) and went to bed. Our wake up call was going to come at 6:30 am.
Sleeping was interesting. I brought a sleeping bag but was provided with three wool blankets and a pillow. By the time I was ready for sleep there were people already snoring, so in went my earplugs and into a slumber I went....like an hour later. I just tossed and turned, full of adrenaline and endorphins from all of the exercise and excitement of the day. The sleep was restless, with me waking up every once in a while with only one ear-plug in (I tend to wake up and panic that I can't hear and remove one, then fall back asleep). There was a symphony of snoring and my mind would go wild with anticipation each time I woke up. At 6:30 I was finally awoken by the gentle sound of a ukelele and one of the hut staff strumming and singing Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours". What a delightful way to wake up! I'd love that for an alarm clock every day...
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| Headlamps are necessary. |
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| The crazy incline! That's the odd Czech guy. |
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| Jonathan taking it all in. |
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| Our crew reflected in my sunglasses. |
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| It was a little bright out... |
We spent a while taking in the sights and getting good pictures and began our descent to the hut. We still had 6.2 miles to go! We hiked down and the trail was steep but not too difficult. Eventually it sort of leveled off and became pretty easy...until I rolled my left ankle. The very ankle I badly sprained 8 months ago resulting in crutches. I was pretty calm about it, but it HURT. Let's go back to the fact that I was surrounded by able-boded males. I think that was the only thing keeping me from crying. It wasn't so bad that I had to limp...I could walk on it with only a little pain. But the thought of walking over uneven terrain that went up and down and had obstacles like roots and boulders was the thing that made me want to cry. So much pressure on my feet and so many opportunities to roll it again!!! I rallied, though, and pressed on. Luckily I had a trekking pole. I hadn't needed it up until then, but I think it saved me. It acted as a third leg, especially when I had to go down. The awkward Czech guy also offered me his pole and so did Jeff, the retired urologist. Such a great group of people. I declined, however, because I wanted a free hand!
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| Going wayyy down. |
We continued our journey. I fell back a little, slowing myself and being SO careful. I was so mad this this happened to me. After so much prep and anticipation, how could I have rolled my ankle?! UGH. Fortunately, we came to a crossroad on the trail. The group had the option to take a detour to summit Mount Bond. It would take 1.5-2 hours. I stayed behind with Jeff and Dewer and iced my ankle and ate snacks. We had a good time, taking to each other and watching Dewer interact with the amazing amount of hikers passing through. We met several thru-hikers on this leg of the trip, either hiking the Appalachian trail from Georgia or heading the opposite way from Maine. FYI, the stench of thru-hikers is unlike and body odor you have ever smelled. You smell them before you see them. But I am so impressed and amazed by them. They have earned that smell!
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| The Hunger Games reference...there were birds that sounded like Mockingjays. |
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| Icing my ankle. |
It was during this two extra hours that I needed a "bio break" - a term coined by Jeff. The problem was that there were no woods to provide cover...only densely packed bushes. I would have to hike off and find some cover if I needed to use the restroom. I rallied my strength and announced that I was off to find a suitable place to use the bathroom when Jeff gestured to the aforementioned densely packed bushes that were not 10 feet from where he was standing. There was a convenient hole through which I could crawl and find shelter from the dozen hikers that were lingering in the area. I was hesitant, but Dewer assured me that he would distract anyone who hiked by and Jeff would guard the entrance to my bio-break shelter. As Jeff stated, "I'm a Urologist, so I've heard a lot of stuff." Needless to say, it was a pretty awkward experience, but I trusted Dewer and Jeff and had a successful albeit unusual bio-break in the bushes.
Our group came back shortly after, we had some lunch, and then we were off again. There were still 4 miles to go and again, they started off easy. I wasn't going super slow, but I was definitely slower than I was the day before, on account of my bum ankle. Chelsea was awesome and stuck with me. It wasn't until the last 1.5 miles that I realized I would have quite the challenge ahead of me. It was 1,100 feet down, just as steep as we had ascended earlier in the day. Down is harder on knees and definitely harder on ankles. I was terrified. I REALLY slowed down here. Better safe than sorry!
It was during this portion that we completely lost our people. The tough guys were ahead and the slow ones were behind. Chelsea and I were somewhere in the middle, all alone. I loved it. I loved hiking with the guys and chatting with them but I relished time alone with Chelsea where we could gossip and giggle and complain and take our time without the pressure of keeping up with a 20 year old college boy and the girl guide who does this every day. Every once in a while we would catch up to them when they stopped to rest. We had a beautiful view of the Pemigewasset Wilderness along the way, probably the best view of the trip, as well as a trip down a ladder!
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| Jeff going down the ladder! |
It seemed never ending. Eventually Chelsea and I really slowed down, dragging our aching feet and trying to avoid blisters on the bottom of our big toes. We passed several falls, which told us we were close, and some thru hikers who appeared to be hipsters reading poetry by the waterfall. Chelsea needed a bio break so we stopped for that. But about 10 minutes later we finally made it to the hut! The waterfall was literally right there. I immediately took off my shoes and put my feet in the icy cold water. It felt soothing on my burning toes and throbbing ankle. A great reward for a hard day.
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| Dr. Joel shared his Bourbon. |
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| Zealand Falls Hut |
We picked our bunks again. We were with our same crowd, with Phil and Dewer in bottom bunks, Jonathan on the second tier, and Chelsea and I in a sort of "suite" on top with a private wall two beds next to each other. Frank and Scott had their own "suite" on the other side of the wall.
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| Our "suite" |
By the time we were settled and comfortable, it was dinnertime. It was another amazing dinner of fresh bread, soup, salad, veggies, mashed potatoes, and turkey. And applesauce cake for dessert. I was stuffed again even though I barely ate. All that water occupied my stomach!
After dinner we played some more Spoons, Bananagrams, BS, and ERS. There was so. much. laughter. We played past lights out, with Jonathan and I duking it out in ERS. He is a quick learner, as I have been playing ERS since church retreats in High School (I'm quite a pro) and he had only just learned 20 minutes earlier. Eventually we gave up, but I am pretty sure I won. :0P
Lights out at 9:30 is too early. Chelsea, Neil, Frank, and I stayed up outside and chatted for a while before going to bed a little later. I didn't even bother with the sleeping bag. Sleep was a little better, but the symphony of snoring and the panicked taking out of earplugs plagued me all night.
The next morning I woke up at 5:30 and was restless. I was sad it was our last day. I knew our hike would be short and I would have to say goodbye so I got up, ready, and packed so I could maximize my time with my new friends. At 6:30 the hut staff convened with variety of instruments and played/sang, the song I cannot remember...
We ate breakfast (oatmeal, pancakes, bacon) and gathered to go at 8:00. There was an option to hike 5.1 miles back to the Highland Center, but my bum ankle and swollen knees told me that was the dumb option and that I should take the 2.6 mile journey to the van. Chelsea's hurting feet were in agreement. Ethan, Joel, and Stan/Sten opted for the long route with Katie, so we said our goodbyes and were on our way. The descent was short but steep. Once it was over, however, it was the easiest hike of the trip. Surprisingly easy. Depressingly easy. I think we all wanted a little more out of our last hike together. It was still beautiful, however, and we got to see some beaver dams and I kept scanning the distance for moose. I never saw a moose. That was sad.
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| Katie had already left so we took a picture with Bill. |
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| From left: Neil, Phil, Dewer, Jonathan, me, Chelsea, Jeff, Scott. Not pictured: Katie, Frank, Joel, Ethan, Stan/Sten |
We piled into the air-conditioning of our van and were relieved to put our packs down. We drove back to the Highland Center where people quickly parted ways. It was very unceremonious and anti-climactic after having been in such close quarters and bonded so well. I never got to say a goodbye to Jonathan, Dewer, and Phil. My heart is a little sad about that.
We were able to shower and change at the AMC Highland Center. Said goodbye to Frank, Scott, Jeff, Bill, and Neil. I was sad. I am still sad. We put our stuff in my car and set off for Brooklyn, New York. Shortly into the trip we passed through a town called Bethlehem and I spotted a store of local stuff. Of course I stopped. Chelsea and I went in and got some souvenirs and then we were finally on our way.
We got lost in New York, because of my GPS, who we un-affectionately call Tiffany. After too many hours of driving we found our Fairfield Inn and Suites (thanks again to Dieter for working for Marriott!), sat for 10 minutes, went on the roof for a view of the city, and then ventured off for dinner at Bogota, a Latin place in Park Slope with amazing reviews and a check-in offer on Yelp. We ate until we couldn't eat any more, had some Latin beverages, and went back to the hotel.
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| If you look really closely you can see the Statue of Liberty! |
Chelsea's best friend lives in Park Slope so she met up with her after. It was only then that I realized I hadn't even thought about facebook or pinterset or buzzfeed or any of my go-to apps in times of boredom. I was too busy enjoying the wilderness! So I spent the next hour and a half catching up on that before falling asleep.
Today was uneventful. We drove home, picked up the dogs, relaxed for two hours, and Chelsea flew off to Orlando. It was sad saying goodbye. I've never had a better travel buddy. I'm envisioning many more adventures with this girl!
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| One last descent with the pack on...the stairs. |
I've been a lot of places and taken a lot of trips. Somehow this one stands out as one of the most fun. I don't know if it is because it is fresh in my mind or because it is just truly and honestly is better than anything I have experienced. Maybe because it is so different from my usual travels through tourist populated historical monuments. One thing I know is that (and this will sound cliche/cheesy) I feel a profound sense of change. I feel like a different person. I feel a sense of renewal. Maybe it was the wild mountain air. Maybe it was the amazing company. Maybe it was the amount of physical and mental strength I exerted in the White Mountains. Whatever it was, I am so thankful for the experience. I haven't laughed that much in a long time. I haven't pushed myself that hard....ever. I haven't felt such accomplishment....EVER. I have struggled emotionally today and yesterday. I have felt pride, happiness, sadness, dread, regret...proud of myself, happy to have had this experience, sad that it is over, dreading having to go back to the real world, regret that I didn't get proper goodbyes and last names...
But mostly I'm happy. The mountains were calling me and I went. It was more than I hoped it would be. This was my own vacation, this was for me. I did this. It's mine. And I am so happy for that!
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