A Tribute to Brad

On Friday April 6th 2012 the world became a poorer place and many of us lost a great friend with the passing of Brad Bradstreet.  I had sadly only known him for the last few years and was privileged to have had him as a friend.  These are my reflections on that time and my small tribute to his life.

Brad at Seek the Peak 2010 at his favorite place - 

the summit of Mt Washington

I first "met" Brad in late 2007 when I joined the Mt Washington Observatory forums.  Nat and I had just started to seriously get into hiking in the Whites and I was looking for a good source of information.  When I posted my first "hello" message the first one to respond was someone named Brad.  User names on the forums are often trail names or FirstnameLastname combinations or something to distinguish the different individuals.  In this case that wasn't needed.  Just Brad.

Brad was definitely the most prolific poster on the forums.  He started many threads with information , photos, contests to guess temperature or wind speed on the summit.  He also responded to every post where someone was looking for information - particularly about Mt Washington or the Observatory.  These were his passion.  After joining the forum one of the first things that I learned about was Seek the Peak.  Although we had spent a night at Lakes of the Clouds on our way across the Presedentials the previous summer we had actually skipped the summit and we were looking forward to going back to do it.  Over the next six months my fascination with the mountain and the observatory both grew - largely in thanks to Brad (and the rest of the forum community).

In July of 2008 I finally met Brad in person for the first time.  We were heading up the Tuckerman Ravine trail for Seek the Peak.  When we arrived at the Lion Head junction we met Brad, Charlie and Corey taking a break.  I immediately knew who they were.  There was certainly no mistaking Brad and Charlie - the "twins".

Brad heading up the Lion Head trail on his favorite mountain

Brad and his twin Charlie with Corey close behind

Photo taken by Brad of Nat and I with Charlie

We unfortunately didn't get to hike up together that day as complicated circumstances intervened.  I'm not really sure why, but over the coming years we never actually hiked with Brad and it now saddens me that we never found an opportunity.  At the dinner after Seek the Peak Brad had also driven the creation of a "forum table" where all the MWO forum members could sit together and get to know one another in person.  It was a wonderful idea and we met many of our online friends that day.  This was something else that Brad was particularly good at - bringing people together.

Over the next year Brad and I communicated frequently on the forum and occasionally offline as well.  I had become a supporter of the Observatory thanks in large part to Brad's encouragement.  For my second STP I was determined to be one of the ones to raise $1000 and earn the coveted MWO STP fleece that goes to the highest fund raisers.  Brad of course earned one of these every year.  It was another great event.  The hike was wonderful, the forum section at the dinner had grown to several tables and I had reached my fundraising goal.  I stood next to Brad with the rest of the group that had earned the right to be in the drawing for the lease on a new Subaru.  We had all kidded before the event that we already had the plans for it after we won.  Brad had been the most insistent that it was already his, but I don't think there was anyone more surprised than he was when his name was actually drawn.  He was simply ecstatic and the rest of us were equally happy for him.  Nobody deserved it more.

Erich, Brad and I standing together waiting for the winner to be drawn

Brad reacts as he hears his name

The official winner!

Brad and his new baby

Brad and Erich kid with each other about who finally won

During the next year Brad drove that car everywhere and always took pictures of it in the many locations with the MWOBS logo and license plate prominently displayed to promote his beloved institution.  Of course driving all over the place was nothing new for Brad.  When we first met, he was still driving back and forth between North Carolina where he was working and his home in Maine on a near weekly basis.  I could never believe this, but Brad said he never found it to be a big deal.  That willingness to drive anywhere led to a number of other events.

Brad was the kind of person that would give a stranger the shirt off his back.  He opened his home to friends and made them feel like family.  He also went out of his way at every opportunity to help people.  He would drive from Maine to Boston to pick up a friend that was coming up for an event in New Hampshire.  He would drive hundreds of miles to meet someone for lunch.  One of my favorite memories was several years ago when a stranger who was planning a winter hike posted a message on the MWO forums and asked if anyone knew the conditions of Cog road and parking lot.  Brad quickly responded that he wasn't sure, but he'd find out.  Later that day he posted a message saying that the road and lot were plowed and that everything looked good.  He had driven from his home in Maine, 130 miles round trip, just for this purpose.  That was Brad.

In 2010 Brad decided to organize a series of get-togethers for MWO forum members.  Since we'd had such a good time meeting at Seek the Peak each year, he figured it would be good to extend this to regional events throughout the year.  There were events in NH, MA, CT, NY and PA to cover many of the local areas with MWO friends.  Brad of course went to all of these himself - thinking nothing of driving back and forth to PA for a day trip.  We were fortunate to be able to attend three of these and connect with a number of old friends as well as make some new ones.  Brad of course always documented these with group photos.

MA forum get-together

Mystic CT forum get-together

My favorite of these events was held last June at the Blue Hills Observatory - a sister organization to MWO.  Rather than just going out for lunch or dinner, this event included a hike up to the Observatory and around the Blue Hills Reservation, a great tour by the Observatory program director Don McCasland and a picnic lunch on the grounds.  As usual, Brad was the "official group photographer" for the day.

The official photographer gets ready as Don flies his kite on the summit

He always hauled all that camera gear

Getting the tour

Nat and Brad apparently sharing a joke

The master at work

Brad and Chris taking it all in

Setting up for the group portrait

The Blue Hills forum get-together crew

The planning for Seek the Peak 2011 was lots of fun.  This was the first year that the event allowed teams, and a regular group of us registered as the Kilted Clan.  This came about based on a number of the team members being avid kilted hikers.  Brad and I did not share their enthusiasm.  The team members continually egged us on and my continued response was "I'll wear a kilt when Brad does".  I figured we both were safe. As the event approached, Brad and I continued to kid each other about this.  With about a month to go Brad, who was now a member of the MWO Board of Directors, issued a challenge to Scot Henley and the Board.  If they could facilitate the team raising enough money, Brad and I would both wear kilts.  Wait, how'd I get volunteered for this?!?!  It was all for a good cause and the banter continued up to the day of the event.  In the end, the team raised over $11,000 and Brad and I donned our new kilts before the dinner and awards presentation.

I only saw Brad once again after that day.  In November he sent me a note and said he was coming to Rhode Island that Saturday and wanted to know if we could meet for lunch.  He was driving down from Maine to North Scituate to take photos at a track meet that one of the students from a local school in Maine was competing in.  Yup, that's Brad.  We met that afternoon at a nice restaurant overlooking Narragansett Bay and had a great lunch and caught up on things.  So glad that we did it.

A few weeks ago we were in North Conway for the weekend and were trying to arrange to get together, but unfortunately it didn't work out.  We agreed to try again soon.  I found out later that on Sunday morning, as I was driving past Peaches restaurant on the way to the store, he had been sitting inside Peaches waiting to be seated for breakfast.  That was as close as we got.

Perhaps my strongest memories of Brad will always be his love of photography.  You just never saw him without his camera around his neck or that huge camera pack on his back.  His photos were beautiful.  Landscapes of lakes and mountains (and lighthouses) were obviously his favorites.  He thought nothing of leaving the house in the middle of the night and hiking out into Tuckerman's Ravine to be there for sunrise.   He was also a great "photo journalist" and we could always count on him to capture images from every event.  I'll miss seeing all those images...

Yesterday I was still trying to come to terms with the news of Brad's passing.  I wanted to find some way to pay tribute to him and to say goodbye.  I settled on the idea of taking a photo.  I think Brad would have liked that.  There were unfortunately no mountains or spectacular landscapes to be had.  I wandered around with my camera and decided to simply capture the most beautiful thing that I saw.  This was it.  I know that the Brad's wishes were that people not send flowers.  I hope this exception is OK.

So goodbye my friend.  Our time together was way too short, but I'll never forget it.  Rest in peace.

An UP Evening in Cambridge

For those of you that read this blog regularly this post may seem out of character.  It isn't a hiking trip report or a day of paddling.  It's not even the occasional "urban ramble".  It is however the story of some amazing challenges and successes and the connections that can bind so many of us together in this amazingly small world.

I'll begin with a short segment more in the usual Ramblings character - an afternoon of wandering in Cambridge, MA on an absolutely beautiful April day.  We had an event to attend in Cambridge on Tuesday evening, but it was too nice a day to not take advantage of.  We arrived mid afternoon and spent several hours walking from Harvard Square along the banks of the Charles, through some of the surrounding neighborhoods and around the Harvard campus.  Cambridge is one of our absolute favorite city environments and I expect we'll be spending even more time there in the coming years.  (More on that later)

Picture perfect day in Cambridge

Rowing crew on the Charles

Harvard over the Charles

Spring in full bloom

We stopped for an early dinner and then headed to the Harvard Coop bookstore for the evening event - the book signing for "UP: A Mother and Daughter's Peak Bagging Adventure" by Patricia Ellis Herr.  This was the launch event for the first publication day of the book and one that we'd been looking forward to for a long time.  I'll get to talking about the event and the book, but first I need to rewind a few years.

I first became acquainted with Trish on the Mt Washington Observatory Forums sometime in 2008.  I had joined the forum not long before, looking for information and advice on hiking in the Whites, which we had just gotten into in earnest.  Trish and Alex began their quest for the NH 48 in June of '08 as documented on their original blog (Post #1).  I was an avid reader of the forums at that time and read pretty much every trip report that everyone posted.  I was really interested in this mom that was hiking 4000 footers with her 5 year old daughter.  We had started going to New Hampshire with our daughter Jamie when she was a bit older than that and although we all loved being in the mountains we never tackled anything nearly so ambitious.

I often commented on Trish's forum posts and generally said how great I thought it was that she was doing this with her kids.  In September of that year we actually ran into each other (by chance) on the summit of Mt Jackson on Flags on the 48.  It was already their 12th 4K.  I actually recognized them first on the summit when I saw this girl that looked way to small to have hiked a 4K sitting with a huge smile on her face and a flag in her hand.  I walked up and said, "you must be Alex".  It turns out that this was the last time we'd meet until this week.  But the connection was not lost.

Alex on Mt Jackson

I'm not going to talk any more about their journey - the book and their blog tell the story in detail and it's definitely one worth reading.  Here are the references:

The original Trish and Alex Hike the 4000 Foot Whites blog:  http://trishandalex.blogspot.com/
The current Trish, Alex and Sage blog:  http://www.trishalexsage.com/

There is also a great interview with Trish and the girls posted yesterday on Dan Szczesny's EKP Adventures blog titled "Climbing as a way of life: An interview with White Mountain hikers and girl power adventurers, the Herr ladies".  It's a great read!

I do have a couple of thoughts to share beyond the stories though.  When Trish and Alex first started hiking and publishing their stories of the 4000 footer quest there were many in the hiking community that were shaking their heads.  The title of the first chapter in the book is in fact "Are You Out of Your Mind?", acknowledging what many were saying and thinking.  My initial reaction was how great it was that Trish was giving her kids such a wonderful opportunity by taking them out there and letting them challenge themselves and most importantly have that connection with the amazing outdoor places that are more and more becoming lost on today's youth.  I wasn't without my doubts though.  When I read the early trip reports of the hail storm on Mt Tom and the encounter with the "ax-wielding shirtless man" (chapters 1 and 5 in the book) I found myself questioning whether Trish was going beyond beyond what was reasonable and actually putting her kids in danger.  What I saw though, was that each time she acknowledged the lesson that was learned.  She was taking many significant precautions - way beyond what most parents do when taking their kids out on the trails.

After those first few doubts I never again questioned whether they were doing the right thing.  We put our children in danger every day.  We do it when we let them go out on the playground or walk across the street.  We do it when we put them in the car and take them to the store.  But mostly, we do it when we let them sit in front of the TV or play video games all day rather than getting them out to fall in love with this beautiful, natural world that we live in.  Are there greater risks for a 5 year old hiking in the Presidentials with one adult than there are on the playground?  Probably.  Are the potential consequences worse?  Probably.  Is it really worth that risk when you could just be taking that child for nice, safe walks in the woods rather than climbing mountains?  In my opinion, yes.  What those kids have gained through those experiences will shape the rest of their lives.  It will give them the confidence to believe that they can accomplish anything - and in this case I believe that they absolutely can!

There was another question that was asked often and that I pondered myself.  Was Trish pushing the girls to do things that they really didn't want to do?  Was she not allowing them to just be kids?  To play in the yard and have fun with their friends?  The answer to this was always easy for me.  Trish said it best during the talk at the book signing.  You can make a kid hike up one mountain - you can't make them hike up 150 (which is about the number of 4Ks Alex has now done).  I know from experience that this is true.  Jamie always loved being outdoors and was truly happy when she started climbing mountains (small ones) with us.  We never pushed her too far though.  I have to confess to a couple of times where the promise of a chocolate treat on the summit was used to convince her not to turn around when she was tired and a bit unmotivated, but she was always happy when we got there.  I wish we'd been able to do more of them since she might not have lost interest as a teenager and stopped hiking with us.  I hope that those childhood memories draw her back to the mountains someday though.

As for wondering if Alex (and Sage) really wanted to be out there or whether Trish was "making them do it", the evidence was clear (at least to me).  The thing that I always liked most about Trish's trip reports were the pictures of Alex with that ear-to-ear smile across her face, those twinkling eyes and the hilarious clowning poses that she so liked to strike along the trail and on every summit.  There is no way that such unbounded joy can be faked.  Each time I would smile, shake my head and think how wonderful it was that she found such joy in something that was going to be such a great influence on her life.

Is this the face of an unhappy child?

(Photo courtesy of Trish Herr)

There was a second connection beyond hiking that formed between us last fall.  Since she was a little girl, all our daughter Jamie has ever wanted to be was a writer.  When she was not much beyond the age where she could read, she started to write.  Stories, poems and even some "books".  As she got older that passion continued to grow.  Last fall, as a senior in high school, she had to choose a topic for her senior project.  Her choice was to explore the publication process.  She would edit some of her recent short stories into a manuscript and submit them for publication.  The senior project requires that the student have a mentor and work with them for a significant number of hours in completing their work.  The school had found someone local for Jamie to work with and all the logistics had been worked out.  On the week before the project was required to begin Jamie contacted her mentor and was informed that she'd no longer be able to do it - she was too busy.

Jamie was in a panic.  The senior project is a key requirement for graduation.  I immediately thought of Trish.  It was not long after she had received the news that her first book had been accepted for publication.  Who better to mentor Jamie on this than someone that had just been through it?  I sent a note to Trish and explained the situation and she immediately said yes.  Jamie was so incredibly happy, relieved and grateful.  This was going to be more of a challenge though.  The majority of the work with the mentor has to be face to face and we live almost 200 miles apart.  Nat and Jamie drove up to NH for their first session together.  We're more than used to the drive with our hiking day trips, but it still seemed a daunting task for the rest of the project.  Trish then made a suggestion.  She and the girls were going to Boston once a week and she offered to have Jamie meet her there instead of driving all the way to NH.  They did this for all the remaining meetings and it worked out wonderfully.  In the end the senior project was completed, presented and was a total success.  Although she has received all rejections from her publication submissions, she understands the process now and has gained greatly from the experience that Trish has shared with her.  We're all so grateful that this worked out the way it did.

Jamie applied and was accepted to a number of colleges.  Last week she finally made her decision. In September she will be starting in the Creative Writing program at Lesley University in Cambridge - right next door to Trish's alma mater Harvard.  My favorite author, John Muir, said "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."  So amazing the way that experiences bind our lives in this very small world...

And so we went to Cambridge this week.  It was wonderful to be there for the book signing and see Trish launch what will hopefully be a long and successful writing career.  It was also great to meet Hugh and Sage for the first time and see Trish and Alex for the first time since that day on Mt Jackson in 2008.  Congratulations to Trish and Alex on not only finishing the 4000 footer list (which they did in 2009) but on also finishing the winter 48 on Mt Flume this March and on Sage finishing the 4Ks as well - one month younger than Alex did.  Just amazing stories and accomplishments made by three amazing ladies!

As of this morning I'm about half way through reading Up.  Since I followed all of the adventures in real time through Trish's blog and forum posts the stories are all very familiar.  The re-telling of them however puts them in a new light.  They are all presented as lessons, and I believe that there is much to be learned from them.  I'm really looking forward to reading the rest, and even more to hopefully sharing the trail with them soon!

"Signs" of things to come

Urban hikers?

Trish and the girls ascending to the Coop highpoint

Alex, Sage and Trish during introductions

Trish begins the reading

Hugh and Alex look on

Alex gives Trish a suggestion.  There's that smile!

Standing room only crowd

Signings begin

Sage giving her autograph

Alex doing a signing

Dan waiting for his autographs from the girls

The full album is here:  https://picasaweb.google.com/114856685929776719960/CambridgeAndUPBookSigning4312#

Witnessing a Vision Realized on Cannon

This was a day of many emotions for me.  It was an incredible day and a wonderful hike, but it was so much more.  Where to begin...

In August of 2004 we hiked our first 4000 footer in the White Mountains.  We had started coming to NH with our daughter several years before and introducing her to the magic of the mountains.  Our hikes with her went from walking in the woods and discovering the White Mountain waterfalls to hiking small peaks.  On our visit in August of 2004 when Jamie was 9 years old she decided we needed to hike a bigger mountain.  The last time we had been up Cannon was in 1980 - long before Jamie was born.  We took the tram up with our best friends and sat on the ledges below the rim trail.  On that day I thought of returning someday to hike some of these mountains.  It had been a long time coming.  On that day the mountain looked very high.  There was no thought in our mind about it counting on "the list".  We didn't know there was a list.  We had a wonderful day.  When we had almost reached the top Jamie turned to me and said breathlessly "this is better than going to Disney World".  That was one of the happiest moments of my life.  That day we took the tram down.  It had been a great hike up - we didn't feel the need to hike down again.  If you don't hike both directions though, it doesn't "count".

Several years later Nat and I started hiking the 4000 footers and doing "the list".  It was never about doing the list as much as it was a map to a series of amazing places.  We were never disappointed about being on any of those summits.  As we continued over the next few years we knew that we were going to do them all (and hopefully many others as well).  I started thinking (as many others do) where we should finish.  I had decided that Cannon should be the place.  It was somewhere that would be easy to share with our friends if they wanted to join us, but it would be the perfect way to finish what we had started all those years ago.  But the best laid plans...

The last two winters we'd seen so many incredible photos of winter hiking on Cannon.  Not only the beautiful walks along the ridge, but the amazing views to Franconia Ridge (my favorite place in the Whites) and the other surrounding peaks.  Maybe we didn't need to save it for last.  With no winter hiking last year I really wanted some good ones this winter.  Cannon beckoned.  In the last couple of weeks there were additional practicalities.  A new pair of boots that needed breaking in before some potential long hikes next week.  Cannon would be the ideal place.  We planned a hike for this Sunday and then a friend (Kevin)  mentioned to me an event that we might want to be involved in.  Randy Pierce, a blind hiker, and his seeing eye dog Quinn were planning to finish an amazing accomplishment - a single season winter 48 (hiking all 48 of the New Hampshire in the three months between the first day of winter and the first day of spring in the same year) - on Cannon on Saturday.  I had followed Randy's 2020 Vision Quest when he began in 2010 but had not been keeping track of his recent plans and wasn't aware this was coming.  If you don't know Randy's story you can read about it here:  http://2020visionquest.org/.  It's simply amazing.

Watching the weather forecast for the weekend Saturday was looking iffy and Sunday much better.  This was a case though where a bluebird day wasn't the most important criteria.  I wondered how often Randy   thought about the weather before his hikes.  Blue skies vs. clouds weren't very important for him.  A sobering thought.  As we drove up Rt 93 on Saturday morning we went through several snow squalls that promised a new frosting on the mountain.  The weather had called for this for most of the day along with mostly cloudy skies. Not a problem.  By the time we pulled into the parking lot the skies had cleared and the brilliant blue was only punctuated by some drifting cotton candy clouds.  It's not always bad when the weatherman is wrong.

We got ourselves packed up and on the trail 40 minutes or so before the planned time for Randy's group.  We knew that it would be a big crowd and had decided to get ahead and wait for them at the top.  As we began our way up the Kinsman Ridge trail a flood of memories and thoughts entered my head.

Blue skies to begin an amazing day

Starting up the Kinsman Ridge Trail

Sculpture from the early morning snow

Nat making her way up

The KRT has a totally different character in winter.  All of the summer ruts and roots are gone under the winter white cushion.  What it doesn't lose is its steepness.  From the trailhead to the top of Cannon cliffs it is pretty much unrelenting.  I really didn't notice it yesterday.  This trail is interesting for another reason in the winter as well - it coincides with the Kinsman Glades ski trail.  It alternates between switchbacking across the trail and being one and the same path.  There were lots of skiers out on this beautiful day and we had to avoid playing bumper cars with them on numerous occasions.  We shook our heads multiple times at the thought that people would find it fun to basically ski through the woods.  A few of them stopped to talk to us and asked us about the hike.  The couldn't believe that people would want to walk up the mountain when there was a perfectly good ski lift on it.  To each their own...

Ski trails on the lower section of Kinsman Ridge

First views appearing

Into the blue

Apparently some people find this to be fun

Nature's sculpture

Many times on the way up I thought of that first hike with Jamie.  We passed several points that I could remember stopping for pictures.  I tried to remember what I was thinking then.  I'm sure it wasn't about what we were doing today.  As we approached the top of Cannon cliffs and the trail leveled off we entered the winter wonderland that I had pictured here.  Many new thoughts began to whirl through my head...

New frosting

What a beautiful section of trail

Winter wonderland

Franconia Ridge appears over Cannon cliffs

We turned off the trail and out to the view point on top of the cliffs.  It is hard to imagine a scene more beautiful than this.  We met another group and chatted for a while and swapped cameras to get our group portraits.  This is one of those places where you can be absolutely absorbed by the beauty, but today there was something that I simply couldn't get out of my mind.  Just a short way behind us Randy's group was coming up the ridge and would soon be in this spot.  What would it be like to be here and not see this incredible sight?  There is no way that I can understand.  I don't think I've ever felt such sadness and joy together at the same time.

Nat and I on Cannon cliffs

The last time we were here - 8 years ago

No words can describe this view

The summit peeking up ahead

Franconia Ridge splendor

Nat on the edge

Feeling very small

We left the viewpoint and headed for the summit.    As we left, the first of Randy's group had started to catch up and the rest were close behind.  It was a beautiful walk through the col and up to the top.  We took the long way around the Rim Trail and arrived at the base of the tower to find Randy's welcoming committee waiting.

Almost to the top

Looking back

We're here

Tower on the tower

We headed up the tower to take in the amazing views and get our summit photo.  There were a few other folks up there including Boo and Mad Hatter who we knew of through the forums but were meeting for the first time.  Always great to meet more of the folks in this wonderful community.  Boo was nice enough to take our summit pictures for us.

Nat and I with our frozen friend.  Cannon makes #36 (winter #5)

Thanks for the great shots Boo!

Kinsmans from the tower

More angles on Franconia Ridge.  I never get tired of this view

We'd only been on the tower a short time when we heard the cheers from below as Randy, Quinn and his large group of supporters came out of the trees and onto the summit.  It was an amazing moment.  Words aren't needed here - the pictures tell the story...

Randy and Quinn leading the way to the summit

The celebration begins

First congratulations from Tracy.  Success indeed!

A very high five from Justin!

The first award is announced

It's in Randy's pack

And it's a...

...beer.  (And guess who carried it up)

Guess Tracy is saving it for later

Quinn explores as the celebration continues

Cath begins Quinn's award presentation

The F.L.E.A. Order of the Golden Biscuit

And whereas Quinn...

And also...

A kiss for the award winner

Yea Quinn!

Dave Bear and Thor taking in the festivities

And now for Quinn's next award

Lunch!  Quinn's ready!

Can I have it now?  Please??

OK Quinn!  Good dog!

Thor

What this man has been able to accomplish in the last few years and even more in the last three months goes beyond a tribute to the human spirit.  I think about the days that I've complained about the weather or the drive or how hard some part of a hike has been.  It makes me feel ashamed.  How often we forget what we have and how fortunate we are.  Today more than ever I thought about just how blessed we've been.  I don't know that I'll ever be able to stand on a mountaintop again without thinking about Randy.  Every view is a thing to be cherished.

We had our lunch and headed down.  It was an uneventful trip and and we once again enjoyed the spectacular views along the way.  Some dark clouds moved in as we went an obscured much of the brilliant blue for a while.  It really didn't matter anymore.

Skier getting ready to head through the scrub.  Tough path!

Frosting and cotton candy

Nat heading through the col

Snow sculpture

Ski trail through the glade

A young skier negotiating the glades

Everyone agrees - this was a very happy day!

We had plans to meet friends later for dinner in Boston and had some time to kill so on the way back we stopped at the Flume Gorge and took another walk and checked out the ice.  The last climbers of the day were leaving just as we arrived.  It was a beautiful and peaceful place to end our day in the mountains.

Mt Flume over the covered bridge leading to the gorge

Pemigewasset River

Flows beneath the snow

Ice heading into Flume Gorge

Flume Gorge

We drove back to Boston and met Erich, Gloria, Chris, Cindy, Corey and Bethany for dinner.  It was wonderful seeing old friends and meeting a couple of new ones.  It was an evening filled with good food, conversation and laughter.  Much of the talk was not surprisingly about hiking.  Stories of trips past and plans for those to come.  It was another reminder, as had been seeing the group that came together to celebrate Randy's finish, what a wonderful community this is.  We're so glad that we're able to be a part of it.  And today more than ever I was reminded of one of my favorite John Muir quotes -


Going to the mountains is going home.  ~ Amen.

All the pictures are here if you prefer the slide show:  https://picasaweb.google.com/114856685929776719960/CannonAndFlumeGorge31012