Sunday July 8, 2012

   This weekend I had a special treat. My friend  Noreen flew in town from Wisconsin to hike with me. We used to work together at SRH what seems now like forever ago and have been friends for over 20 years. I am extremely touched that she took the time to come out here to do this with me. We had hoped to hike on Sat but temps were high and there was a high chance of thunderstorms. We wanted to do some of the Presidentials which means that we would be above treeline most of the day and passing through thunderstom junction. Since we were going to be in an area where there isn't even a bush to hide under we waited until Sunday to hike. The temps were cooler for  sure but the wind was more than either of us had planned on. We made good time hiking and climbing up the steep rocky summit of Mt Jefferson ( 5,716 ft) but by the time we reached the top I had pulled on all the clothes I had in my pack as it was about 30 degrees with sustained winds of 50 mph. We made our way down Jefferson and through the saddle area between the gulfs where the wind gusts were up to 80 mph and we had to crawl on all fours ( literally) to avoid getting knocked over. We were not even able to talk to each other for about 45 min as you couldn't hear each other over the winds and we were using every bit of energy we had to stay on our feet. We made it up Mt Adams ( 5,799 ft) which is the second highest peak in NH behind only Mt Washington. Our original plan was to try to get in Mt Madison as well but that one will have to wait for another day as we ran out of time. I know I say in each blog that" this is the hardest climb I've had so far". But it is true each time as each hike brings new and different challenges to overcome...just as life does. Noreen stayed positive all day and was a huge support and source of comfort in the most challenging of moments. I am dedicating Mt. Jefferson to Mark Rosen, he has been a patient of mine for 10 years now and is still going strong. He is on his way to Israel and hoping to find a cure for ALS during his trip. I wish him a safe journey.