Scouting

Yesterday I got to go "scout" a trip with Adam. He has a backpacking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in September and wanted to go check out where they'd be hiking into, the campsites, trailheads they would be using, etc. So we got up early, loaded up the Outdoor Explorations van with our backpacks, extra clothes - it was supposed to be a VERY wet day with thunderstorms producing "high winds and hail"...excellent, and of course, our trusty sidekick Duke. It rained the whole way up there, but as we got into Conway, a great little town that will require more exploring, the skies just seemed to lighten up and the rain stopped. We hiked into the campsite where the kids will be staying. The hike itself was pretty wet.



We were pretty much hiking up an active creek bed.



When we got to the lake where they were going to be camping, it took my breath away. My reaction surprised me. My eyes welled up and I was just overwhelmed by the beauty. This lake was crystal clear, the mountains rose up so majestically around it. It was just beautiful. Creation in all its glory. The pictures just can't do it justice, but we tried.



Duke was having a hay-day. He was so glad to be back in the woods again. Running up and back on the trail. Jumping full throttle into every river we crossed. He was covered in mud and all we could do was laugh. It's like taking a little boy to a giant mud puddle and saying "go ahead, go crazy" and all you can do is laugh at the unbridled joy it brings them!



He was pooped out the whole drive home.


Adam and I had prepared to do at least one or two more hikes that day, but a nasty storm rolled in, so we loaded up the van and headed south. That taste of the mountains again was enough to get us hooked. We've already started to look at our calendars to see when we can take a couple days to do some more hiking up there.