Back on my birthday in May the family decided I got to choose the activity. I chose to hike up Mt. Monadnock in southern New Hampshire.
It's one of the most popular hikes near Boston. I didn't understand just how popular until we got there. I think the parking lot at the most popular trailhead could hold 300 cars (and there are multiple trailheads). The trail was as wide as a road most of the way, and filled with a constant stream of people. It was definitely the most people I've ever seen on a hike.
Those of us who grew up hiking on the west coast are spoiled by having hiked trails that were mostly built (or rebuilt) by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression. They built trails to common standards, including maximum grade. To meet that grade limit, they used lots of switchbacks.
Well, on the East Coast the trails predate any trail construction standards. They go straight up, over huge boulders or whatever else might be in the way. The trails are steep.
Nevertheless, the family made it very close to the top. We stopped out of the wind below the summit to eat lunch. Carol and Charlotte were tired and stayed where they were while Audrey and I continued to the actual summit.
The view was very pretty.
Afterward we stopped for ice cream.
It was a lovely birthday.
The geeks among you might like to read about the MIT's Haystack Observatory, which we passed on the drive to Mt. Monadnock. And this weird program that involved the observatory: Project Needles.
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