Mt Lafayette

Today began after a horrible night’s sleep due to a extremely loud snorer! But after I awoke from a night with a blanket over my one ear and my other up against the pillow it was off to Mt Layfette for a strenuous day of hiking. We headed off to the mountain and after a short bathroom break hit the trail head on green leaf trail where it was 3.8 miles to the summit. It was a relatively steep trail but we took our time on the first portion until we arrived at a hut at the base of the major trek to the summit of the mountain. While on the first portion we ran into several streams that I talked with professor zorn about and we believed they led to a waterfall somewhere down the mountain. Also we ran into a mossy forest for quite some time where every rock tree and speck of ground was covered in two inches thick of moss! It was absolutely gorgeous and a site I have never been able to see back in good old Wisconsin. As we got to the hut we were exposed to more beautiful views of the green mountains. In one direction we saw a major ridge which had its two major peaks Layfette and Lincoln right there in front of us. What didn’t look like much of a walk in 1.1 miles to the summit was more than I expected. Once I got above tree line I couldn’t help but contain myself and nearly run to the summit of the mountain where the views were something to behold. The visibility was better than I ever expected and we were able to see literally endless mountain ranges in all directions and even into Vermont and Maine. It was the first time in this trip that I got the feeling of being on the top of the world that we often associate with mountain climbing and it really took my breath away in more than one way. We sat around on top and took pictures for a few minutes before we had to head down because of the cold but today without a doubt was the most rewarding hike that I have ever taken. After nearly 3 grueling hours of heading back down on wet and rocky terrain we all managed to survive and then headed off to see the old man on the mountain. The man had fallen in May of 2003 but they have a memorial set up where you can see what the old man would have looked like and it is a very cool site to see. Our last excursion was to the basin where the water has worn away at the granite so much that some of the rivers look like water slides built with granite and it is just amazing to think how powerful the water flowing must be to wear away at such a dense rock over time. All and all today was a ten out of ten and it is the kind of day I came to New Hampshire to have. Cant wait for many more to come.