We have a yummy, healthy breakfast and pack for our big hike. As we are getting things ready I look outside to see snow!!! Granted it was a VERY faint "flurry" that looked more like dandruff, but I was thrilled! I scurried around taking pictures. Kara just laughed at me. Why would she laugh at me dancing around and saying "Snow! Snow! Snow!"...? Because here is the extent of the snow:
I took pictures because I was convinced that it would be the only snow I saw on this trip. Little did I know... Fast forward an hour or so and we are driving into the White Mountains of New Hampshire to go for a hike. This is what can be seen from our car....
Then fast forward another 20 minutes and it was THIS:
That's right folks- I was there for the first snow of the season!! It was thrilling for me. Kara, on the other hand, was mildly disappointed. She really wanted me to see the views of the beautiful mountains. But even more so, she was bothered because the crazy long and challenging hike she had in store for me couldn't happen if there was blinding snow storm!!
As we drove further, the snow got heavier. I began to fear for my life because Kara seemed determined that we would do SOME sort of hike. I kept reassuring her that I was having so much fun inside the warm car watching the snow, that I would be FINE with not going on a hike. In my dreams...check out this video:
We made a quick swing through the driveway of the Mount Washington Resort . This place has special significance because this is where Kara & Mike got engaged!! It is a beautiful place but most of the beauty I learned from the website because it was buried under snow while we were there!
We then arrived at the lodge at the base of where Kara intended for us to hike. We went in to find out the weather... apparently they were caught off by the snow as well and couldn't really tell us what the rest of the day would be like. Finally, realizing that we couldn't brave the blowing snow to hike, Kara came up with Plan B and we headed that way.
Plan B was a great hike that I really enjoyed. It was very cold and super snowy... which meant beautiful!!! There were several waterfalls along the way. Most of them were in the beginning phases of freezing. It was a very challenging hike and even if I hadn't already been sore, it still would have been a challenge. I was quietly VERY thankful that it had snowed... if this one was a challenge for me and Kara was just scooting up the trail- I could only imagine her original plan.
As an inexperienced hiker, this was interesting for me. Dealing with 3 inches of snow proved to be tough at times because I couldn't tell if where I was planning on stepping would support me! Thankfully, Kara had given me walking poles that helped in "testing" the ground before stepping. It made me feel very "official" having those poles... at least I LOOKED like I knew what I was doing!! However, I would be lying if I said that I didn't slip and fall a few times. :o) They were fairly soft landings because of the snow, so all I could do was lay there and giggle. Then I would try to get up as carefully as possible. My fearless leader fell once too- maybe just to make me feel better!
We got all the way to the top to see the biggest, most beautiful waterfall called Kinsman Falls.
We enjoyed it for a while and headed back down! After driving back to the condo and peeling out of all of our layers, we packed up the car and headed back to the Hines house in Boston.
We were greeted by Mike who had made a cozy fire for us and had all the fixings for dinner. He had also bought "Wall-E" on DVD for our entertainment. I just adore Mike. I honestly couldn't have picked a better mate for Kara. They compliment each other so well and obviously have a deep love and commitment to one another. One of things about Mike that is so awesome is his "domestic" side. We kid him about it, but honestly it is rare to see a man that does some of the things he does. It makes me so happy to see how he cares for Kara and makes her happy.
Kara and Mike made super yummy pizzas. We settled in with some adult beverages, a great fire, pizza, an animated movie and sleeping kitties. How good can life be??
1 comment:
Ahhh!! My kitties are so cute! It really was a fabulous weekend but it just went by too fast! Let me know when I can start planning boot camp part two.
Oh, and go easy on the mushy stuff next time. That stuff just makes me want to vomit. ;-)
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