27 June, 2018.
Via the Marion Davis and Wapack trails.
The unexpected consequence of finishing the 48 was that I felt more than a bit disjointed. I had a sense that something like this would happen — anyone who’s done something big and long-term like this (maybe a wedding, or school, or an all-consuming project at work) knows that often, you just need to sit on the sofa for a bit and gather your thoughts as the dust settles. And so it came to pass. Compounding this is the AMC’s request for a short essay on my experience. While I know that I could just submit my last trip report, I’ve been told by people over time that my blog has been both enjoyable and informative reading, so in the spirit of that, I should probably do something a little better. (And really, shouldn’t we all push ourselves to do something a little better, just as a matter of principle?) So that landed on the pile, as well.
But I had to get outside, even just for a couple hours. Indecision coupled with proximity made the choice: Pack Monadnock is a short drive and a short mountain. And if you just look down, it’s still got things to look at that are plenty interesting. Flowers, ferns, a toad… the secrets that hide in plain sight are just waiting to be found by the observant.
It’s summertime, so a report on trail conditions is silly. Suffice it to say that bugs in the mid-afternoon were minimal, and although it was fairly hazy out, the views from the fire tower were still rewarding. A couple happy pups on the trail, smiles around, and a general sense of “all’s fair and good in the world” pervaded.
I’m making plans to move onto the 67, starting with Vermont. Regrettably, there’s not a whole lot as far as AMC-level guidebooks, but that doesn’t mean there’s no information out there — it just needs to be gathered and digested. Also, I have it on good authority that the AMC is planning on a new edition of the Maine Mountain Guide in a few short weeks, so I’m eagerly anticipating that. But yeah, the next big peaks are just around the corner.
More soon…
