drive up and mt willard

Ever since i received word of the trip i was teeming with excitement to get out on the trail. Over the past few months i have spent countless hours watching movies on the Appalachian Trail and reading articles. I have learned so much about the trail already and cant wait to finally get out and see the trail for what i have anticipating in the prior months. I expect an experience of the lifetime and hope this is only the start of a life filled with traveling and backpacking through mountains around the world. This morning we got off to an early start today from the hospitality inn at about 630 for a nine hour drive to our current location at crawford notch. The drive today seemed much quicker than the first day due to the scenery along the way. Starting when we hit finger lakes you began to see the gorges in the landscape and then came the rock walls along the road. From there it just got better and better with the rolling mountain rivers (Mohawk and Hudson) alongside the road and the tree covered mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. It was especially nice to see the old fashion small towns on the way up with more of a rustic look to them or an old Victorian style. Everything seems so comforting as opposed to the big city where strangers will just walk by without saying a word. Everybody here makes note to say hi on the trail and thank you for every small little thing. When we got here the climb up mt Willard was entertaining. We were able to see a small stream and the world underneath the trees or a silent and spacious wilderness despite the heavy traffic on this particular trail. The spacious wilderness gives you the feeling of being with nature and some sense of enjoyment comes from that. When we got to the top the view was incredible and the hard trek up was worth the time and effort. The lookout over crawford notch was a view to be seen and you just couldnt get your eyes off the landscape! The view allowed you to see the surrounding mountain like you couldnt imagine and made me appreciate the beauty of where we are at and reminded me just how excited i am for the next two weeks. After a long day we were able to enjoy a wonderful meal and now i will head back to the bunkhouse with a wonderful day planned out to Ker Sarge tomorrow. Cant wait for the rest of the trip!