The hike for October 22 was Mt. Chocorua via the Champney Falls Trail.
Recap:
Sorry, but again, y'all missed a helluva day. It was a bit chilly, particularly on the North side of the mountain (where the Champney Falls Trail lies). However, the air was crisp and the forest smelled great (right Jen!?). The wind was blowing like hell, but it wasn't a factor until the summit. There were some icy spots above 2000 feet, but a little caution was enough for most of us to make it by without any problem -- Doug didn't fall!!! I hadn't hiked this trail in nearly 18 years, but nothing had changed, it remains one of my favorites in the White Mountains. The Champney Falls Loop (a jug handle off of the main trail) is right up there with the Mt. Washington Cascades aesthetically speaking. The stoney "stairs" that climb steeply alongside the falls make for a fairly fun climb, but the view of the falls and the sound of the water steal the show.
The cast of characters included Doug & Pam, Coco (Doug's sister), Jenn (also Doug's sister) and Sammy (Doug's niece). We dined on sandwiches and my own black bean hummus at the summit. This impressed Coco greatly -- or so she said -- but I think that she was just feeling bad about emasculating me in front of the fellow hikers we spoke with on our ascent. Unfortunately, I was not able to get pictures at the summit, as my camera chose this as a good time to break. For Chocorua summit pictures please check out Doug's Hiking Pics Page.
Here is the happy couple, Pam and Gervais. Uh, er, I mean Pam and Doug!
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Coco the emasculator, having a snack. She wanted proof of having climbed, this was the best we could do, more on that later.
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Here is another of my attempts at autobiographical photography. In the background, not nearly done justice by this photo is Jenn. For the record, my shotty photography ruined the only picture that included Sammy.
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This was the last photo taken before my camera bit the dust. This is a spectacular view of the summit as we saw it shortly after the intersection of the Champney Falls and Piper Trails. I'd love to take the credit, because I think it's outstanding, but Coco gets her due, she wielded the ax.
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