Mount Pemigewasset

The White Mountains of New Hampshire are part of the Appalachian mountain range. In New Hampshire the White Mountains National Forest covers a major portion of the north eastern part of the state. More than 100 miles of the famous Appalachian trail, 48 peaks with an elevation of 4000 ft. or more, innumerable waterfalls and ponds and trails... all of this makes for endless opportunities to hike, camp and go wild in general.

Mount Pemigewasset (Indian Head) was my first hike in the White Mountains and I loved every minute of it. Mt. Pemigewasset is located in the Franconia Notch state park. The trails starts from the Flume visitor center which is located just off of exit 34A on I-93. Its a nice, quick 2.5 hour drive from Boston. Travelling northbound, after you pass Concord, NH; the highway becomes a toll road. After this there are a couple of rest areas near the highway. The very first rest area gave an opportunity for some interesting observations and snide comments about New Hampshire in my mind (I was travelling alone so there was no one else to develop the theme further).

In most states, the license plates have some "motto" or "tag phrase" on them. In New York it is "The Empire State", in Massachusetts it is "The spirit of America" and in New Hampshire it is "Live Free or Die". Now, that is a catchy one... very inspiring too. For me, driving along America's endless highways is the perfect expression of the "live free" spirit. Rest areas along roads serve the purpose of giving the drivers a place to relax a bit in their journey. Everyone knows that taking a break serves well to avoid the "die" part while "living free" on the highways. So... going back... in the very first area in New Hampshire one will find a "New Hampshire Liquor and Lottery store". After a bit of Google search I found that this is a state-run, tax-free store. In New Hampshire, I guess the state has decided to make both the options in their state motto easily available to the drivers coming. Here, my fellow drivers, is a rest area where you can not only rest and relax but also avail yourself of some nice liquor... so that you can "live free" or "die" (or kill someone else) while you drive drunk. What a neat idea!

That aside, the hike up the trail reminded me that by being lazy, avoiding exercise and eating junk food I had become devoid of the kind of strength and stamina that is dearly needed to make up to the top. The trail itself is fairly moderate. It is well trodden and very easy to follow because of the blue blazes. The foot-hold is good and it's not too rocky or steep or slippery at any point. The distance to the top is a moderate 1.8 miles and the elevation gain from the parking lot is about 1250 ft. So in all respects this is a moderate-to-easy hike. At one point on the trail, while resting on a rock, sweating profusely and worrying about having enough water (I had also made the mistake of forgetting one of my water bottles in the car) I was seriously thinking whether I should continue or just head back. I continued nevertheless and what a good decision it was.

The views from top of Indian Head are amazing. There is a spectacular view of the Kinsman - Cannon ridge and the valley in between to the north and west. To the south one can see a good part of the Pemigewasset river valley. Since a picture is worth a thousand words here are some pictures.

Indian Head

Endless mountains

View of the Pemi river valley and the highway

On the way back, on a pretty lonely portion of the trail I heard the "knock knock" sound of a wood-pecker. For once, I was able to spot the bird. It kept hopping from tree to tree but it was gracious enough to hang around nearby, not be scared and carry on its knock-knocking while I changed the lens on my camera took a couple of snaps. I noticed that it kept hopping on to those trees with the white bark (they are Birch, I think) which make a good camouflage for it. I thought was very neat. Here are some of those snaps. (click to see a bigger image).


Lessons learned:
1. Eat well, exercise and stay in shape if you want to beat the trails.
2. Even when you don't follow lesson#1, the rewards of all the sweat, pain and self-loathing are sweet and sublime.
3. While lesson#2 maybe true, following lesson#1 and "always being prepared" helps... so don't forget the water bottle in the car.

Happy trails!

Technorati Tags: Hiking, White Mountains

Why do we wander?

Why do we wander? I ask... what makes us go out and hike on trails. What pushes us to take our bike and roam on wild paths? What inspires us to take a raft and drift down wild white water? What makes us go out and gaze at the stars at odd times in the night? Why do we pursue the numerous hobbies that we do? What drives us....

My wife and I had gone to the Banff National Film Festival world tour this Sunday. We saw these amazing movies of people pursuing a variety of adventure sports...free climbers...bikers...hikers...white water enthusiasts...all kinds. It was really really fun to learn about all these sports... I would surely like enjoy some of them myself.

I have been trying to pursue a couple of hobbies myself for quiet some time now. I have been trying to learn photography. I have been trying to pursue astronomy. I want to hike regularly (even in winter snow if possible). What I have learned is pursuing any hobby.... not just an adventure sport... but any activity where you have to spend some time regularly...learning... practicing and enjoying something apart from your work...needs quiet a lot of discipline. Many of us have passions... likes and dislikes. But often we fail at turning that passion into a hobby. To do that you need discipline.

Most of my hobbies started with trekking or hiking I guess. I started going on small hikes with a handful of school friends. I guess the start was small bicycle trips to Kedya's farm house in Amanapur which is a small village near Kirloskarwadi - the town where I grew up. Then followed bicycle trips to Sagareshwar - a small animal sanctuary and temple near Kirloskarwadi. Then hikes to Machindragad (a small fort on a hilltop), Sajjangad, Chafal and Pali... all under the guidance of Gole doctor who used to hike a lot himself. Then while I was doing my undergrad in Pune I went to a lot of treks in the Sahyadris. Rajgad, Torana, Raigad, Sinhagad, Shivthar-ghal, Ram-ghal, Bhairavgad, Dhak, Harishchandragad, Lohagad... all of these forts and places in the Sahyadris are amazing places to hike. That somehow instilled the love for outdoors... a passion to be in the wild I guess. The love for adventure sports has come from these small wanderings in the beginning. So has the love for photography.

Astronomy is something that goes back again to childhood. There used to be these book exhibitions in Kirloskarwadi and my parents always encouraged reading.... so they bought us a lot of books. (Thats how the love of books has come along I guess....that plus the fact that there was no TV till I was in the 5th grade). I remember I had a book called "Nilae Aakaasha" (The blue sky) by Bhalba Kelkar I think. It had all sort of information about the Solar system, the galaxies and other astronomical phenomenon. Then my uncle used to give me one volume for "children's knowledge bank" every birthday. That too had a lot of information about astronomy. My father bought a lot of books from NavKarnataka bookstore in Banglore where he used to go often for work. I used to go to our school playground and look at the sky and try to recognize the constellations. That somehow fell back when I was in Pune. Now I am trying to revive it again

I guess the passion or liking for something is just a seed. The hobby is like a plant... it has to be watered and nurtured and cared for. Otherwise it won't grow. I don't think watching TV is a hobby....or for that matter any activity in which you don't have to use your mind and energy to do something creative or instructive can't be called a hobby. But what does a hobby do for us really? Why do some people pursue hobbies and some don't? Hobbies satisfy creative urge....they satisfy wanderlust...they enrich a mind...they give us a break from routine...ah! break from routine!!

Here is a chicken or egg question... Did the hobby come first or the routine? To pursue any hobby seriously you need to have discipline which means you ought to have a well defined routine. Then your hobby can become a welcome break from that routine. However my contention is that our need and desire to pursue the hobby drives us to enforce a certain discipline on ourselves....and thus forces us to create a routine... from which the hobby can be a welcome break. There are in fact people who have infact turned this paradigm inside out and made their hobbies a source of income and a full time activity. This does not happen with everyone of course. For most of us the routine comes first...our inspiration for work comes from things other than our hobby or passion. But imagine how great it would be if we could also say.... I work eight hours a day so that I can pursue my hobby for the rest of the day...

Won't it be great to say... "I work so that I can wander."

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NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST.
(from Life Is Good)

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Technorati Tags: Adventure, Biking, Hiking, Banff

Out again

Spring seems to be here at last. Time to get out again...fulfill the wanderlust. I want to do all the hikes from the book Small Green Circles by Jean Aron. Sampada and I are thinking of getting new bicycles. Looking forward to a few good trips in India too... want to see the Narmada, Mandu, Ujjain. Will be going to Konkan again... This summers wandering objectives:

• Whitewater rafting in New River gorge (My wife couldn't come last time)
• Biking (atleast make the Black Moshannon loop)
• Hikes from "Small Green Circles"

Here's a poem from Small Green Circles that I really like..

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GREEN CIRCLES
(c) 1999 Jean Aron

In fresh and green of careless youth
we squandered salad days.
Exploring every turn of time,
we wandered countless ways.

We roamed in widening circles then
in endless forests green,
So filled with life, we failed to note
the bending of the stream.

Come walk with me in circles now,
between the trees, my friend.
All paths return to start again;
green circles have no end.

Technorati Tags: Jean Aron, Small Green Circles, Hiking,

Whitewater...

This story is a bit old... last October I had gone whitewater rafting in the New River Gorge in West Virginia. It was one of the best trips I ever had. Its about 6 hour drive from State College. New River gorge is a really scenic place with lots of hiking trails and other opportunities for adventure sports.

The Gauley river and new river have some of the best class 4 and 5 rapids in the Northeastern US. There were 6 of us in the raft and our guide (or captain I should say) Carl. Carl gave us a few rudimentary lessons in paddling in the beginning. Then after asking us to hold on for our dear lives...started yelling commands at us...like "all forward".... "Stop" to align the raft and make it go the right way into the rapids... within minutes we were totally drenched with water. I even had a chance to get out of the raft and swim (rather try to swim) in a rapid for a while... after the initial shock and panic subsided... that experience seemed very amusing... I even wrote a little poem on it.

Here it is ...

"WHITE WATER"

There's a mix of anticipation and fear..
Along the banks we check our gear...
We push the raft into the river....
Climb up n' hold-on to paddles dear...
"All forward" yells Carl....and off we go...

We learn a few tricks.. early in the trip..
Lean forward to paddle....hold the T grip..
The currents are swift n' the water is cold...
Paddle for your dear lives we are told...
The rapids are waiting for rafters adrift...

We pass the "insignificant"...
A little class four....
Everyone's still on board...
Soaked wet and cold....
But our little success..makes the heart grow bold

We are passing another rapid...I forget its name
As the raft turns and tilts through the current...
"Stop"...I hear Carl shout..paddles are out
One moment I am in there.....
And then I am OUT....

"Whitewater" all around me.....
I am not in my saddle....
Floating free with the river...
I have lost my paddle...
Panic first..n' later I grab hold of the rope....

I struggle...n' my mates
Pull me up...out of the water....
I've gulped a bit of the Gauley....
And seen its might....
Tasted adventure...but up for the fight...

I am ready again....
Many more rapids await...
we hunt for my paddle....
Going down with the flow....
"All forward"...there's Carl again....and off we go..

I like going out into the nature.... in fact most of my hobbies are kind of built up around the outdoors... adventure sports, hiking are a good way to get out... photography is a good way to record your adventures and capture the beauty of nature... skygazing or amateur astronomy is a great way to spend a night beneath clear skies...

I look forward to going to New River gorge this summer and fall...