And so the quest begins…

  Today, I started my quest to climb Mount Monadnock at least once a week, until snow cover in the late fall/early winter renders the hike too difficult, probably sometime in December. And by too difficult, I mean that until I don’t want to climb in the ice and snow.

Mount Monadnock is MY mountain and one of my most favorite places to hike. The Mountain is surrounded by NH State Park and is also the southerly terminus of the 50 mile Monadnock Sunapee Greenway Trail. There is an unofficial site which also has a lot of information about hiking Monadnock, and of course, you can always check out Wikipedia. Monadnock is reported to be the 2nd most climbed Mountain in the world after Mt. Fuji.

So, yes, I’ve made it a goal to climb my favorite mountain every Monday. Maybe on a Sunday, if the family or friends want to hike with me. And I’m still formulating a theme for my hike. I’m not sure what I want this to become, so far, other than a weekly adventure. Some thoughts were; To hike the same trail each week and document the change in seasons and the “look of the mountain”; To hike the same trail and document my own journey from winter blubber body to summer svelte; To hike every trail of the mountain at least once in every season; to just randomly choose a trail and follow whatever adventures and thoughts hit me, and write them down. Maybe I could do a photo journal of my hikes, although probably only with my IPod or Blackberry, as I don’t have a digital camera. At least when the family comes along, Tracy will have her camera and I’m sure she will capture some beautiful shots and interesting shots. I even thought of writing to hiking magazines and/or suppliers and see if i could get someone to sponsor my hikes, preferably with a great pair of hiking shoes.  I just don’t know yet. I’ll have to ponder. I’m open to suggestions.

Today’s hike was perfect. it was the first really warm day of spring, in the 70’s down in the valley, although it was probably more like 50 at the top and the wind was strong enough to knock you down. I started a little later than I had wanted, so I didn’t arrive at the Marlborough trail trailhead until 11:30. 

It seems like no matter which trail you select, there are some commonalities. You start at a road somewhere and for a ways, you hike an easy incline, sometimes an old woods road, discontinued town road or maybe just a wide trail.

And although the hike looks easy, the first 20 minutes found my lungs and legs struggling. I was huffing and puffing and soaking with sweat in those first moments.

At some point in any of the trails,  there is a sharp incline. You have to go UP at sometime. It’s even hand over foot crawling at some places. Today’s trail actually had two steep sections. As usually happens when I hike, after conquering the first incline, I found my wind and from then on there was a sense of euphoria.  Then the hike was much more enjoyable.

After the first steep section, the trail  opened up and the vegetation gave way to a less steep incline of bare rocks and warm sun. Not for long, though. Soon I was back into the dense spruce and fir, but now with the added joy of corny snow and dirty slippery ice. I met the one other person hiking the Marlboro trail at this spot, and he was headed back down, as the ice was a bit too much, I guess. It was a little worrisome at first. Then I did the unthinkable, and deviated form the marked trail, but as I was hiking on top of snow, I wasn’t worried about causing erosion and I skipped the worst of the ice and saved a broken leg or neck.

Finally, after trudging and slogging hand and foot up the snowy crags, I came out to the trees and from there, the hike was really an easy joy. The warm spring sun had melted all the snow outside of the tree line.

The top of Monadnock is bare, as it was deforested and the soils eroded over 100 years ago. The steep spots were behind me, so from here on it was just walk and enjoy the view. The wind doesn't stop blowing from there on, and there were a few huge wind gusts that almost knocked me over. Balance is a bit more critical. I hit the summit around 1:30, a pretty fast hike. The Marlborough trail is one of the shortest, although maybe one of the top 3 most difficult. Pumpelly Trail can take a full day to go up and down.

I took some pics and met a couple who took a couple more for me, then settled down in a crag on the sheltered side of the mountain to eat my lunch. It was delicious!  Just a sandwich and wasabi almonds and lots of water, but it certainly hit the spot.

After lunch and a short rest, I geared up and wound my way back down the mountain. This is always the most difficult part. Your legs are tired and your feet ache. More people fall on the way down than ever on the way up.

I noticed in myself a profound difference mentally. On the way up, I had all these thoughts and ideas; plans and epiphanies, worries and wonders. On the way down, just a verse from a Beastie Boys tune (of all things) going through my head in time with my steps…over… and over… and over… and over. I finally had to mentally force myself to focus on thinking nothing. Around 3:00, I made it back to my truck, sweaty again, exhausted and tranquil.

Words, at least my words, don’t do justice to the feelings I had on the mountain and delicious relaxation that I feel tonight from my hike. I’m just glad I went today, and glad that the weather cooperated.

Today, I traveled alone. I’ve never hiked Monadnock alone. It was nice. Meditative. Faster than hiking with a group. In the future weeks, I’m looking forward to more solo hikes, as well as hikes with the family, maybe a friend or two, or maybe a group…I guess whatever happens will happen.  I think I’ll probably try to take at least a few pics each time, and to write about my experiences here, if the muse hits me.

Maybe I’ll see ya on the trail.