This past weekend I went to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the Beyond Reality Conference at the Mt. Washington Hotel. I decided to go up a day early to test my mettle on Mt. Washington. As my alarm went off at 5 AM on Friday morning, I questioned whether this was really a good idea. Considering I already blogged about going, I figured there was no turning back now.
I got to the base of the mountain around 9:45 in the morning. Looking around, I saw that this might easily have been the finest hiking weather I had ever encountered. There were no clouds, the air was dry and warm, and my hiking boots still fit. Here’s how it went: 9:50 – I started up the Tuckerman’s Ravine trail.9:54 – I remembered just how rocky the trail was.9:56 – I realized from the amount of sweat pouring off of me that I may not be in as good of shape as I had previously thought.9:59 – Breathing heavy now, but still climbing…
9:59 (and a-half) – Taking a break (I’ve earned it).
My legs burned, my lungs ached, and the views were incredible as I climbed up past the tree line, onto the boulder-filled slope below the summit. The last half-mile took about 40 minutes of climbing, slipping, breathing, and pulling myself up to higher rocks, but dammit, I made it in just under three hours.
I ate lunch at the cafeteria at the summit — the clam chowder never tasted so good. As my legs began to tighten from the rest, I thought about the 4.2-mile downhill walk I still had ahead of me. I wanted to get to the Mt. Washington Hotel by dinner time because I was meeting friends before the conference. So I began the long hump down.
On more than a couple of steps I felt my ankle give out, but it didn’t twist. I remember thinking, “If I did sprain an ankle, how the heck would I get down? It’s not like there’s a road anywhere near here.” I pressed on.
For anyone who has never hiked a steep slope, the walk down is often more difficult because it’s all impact. I was making great time, and once I was back below the tree line, I was getting more sore and eager to get back to the hotel and have a beer (or twelve). I was more than half-way down when I saw a small group of guys standing around a stretcher on the side of the trail. When I got next to them I saw there was a dog strapped in.
“What happened?” I asked.
“His legs gave out just past the Lion’s Head trail,” one of the men replied.
I already knew the answer that would follow my next question. I was tired, and my knees were shaky, but if I didn’t offer I’d feel much worse than sore. “Do you need some help?” I said.
“Yeah, we really do,” he said.
Six of us carried the 80-pound dog down the rest of the way to the base. Even with six carrying the stretcher, we stopped often to rest and switch arms. I gave up on breaking any speed records down. I was just trying not to drop the dog or blow out my own legs. By 4:15 we lowered the stretcher to the parking lot where the dogs owner could get him into his truck and go to find help.
With my good deed done, I drove 45 minutes around the mountain to the Mt. Washington Hotel. After a well-deserved (and practically required by the hotel staff) shower, I met up with some of my friends who organized the conference.
What followed the rest of the weekend was one of the best paranormal conferences I’ve ever attended (and I’ve been to a lot). I saw a lot of old friends, made some new ones, and had some great conversations with people who were there to explore the ghosts and legends of the Mt. Washington Hotel. I appreciate everyone who said hello, picked up one of my books, or shared a story with me.
I gave two different lectures this weekend, and heard some good feedback from the audience. It was also refreshing to find that many of the speakers had some differing views on the paranormal. Though we disagreed on the hows and whys, the mood was always respectful and friendly — so refreshing in a field that often doesn’t take kindly to good debates.
We had a lot of laughs, we investigated some of the hot spots of the hotel, and we got to unwind near some of the most majestic views in New England. On the last day of the conference I was thrilled to learn that I’ll also be speaking at the next Mt. Washington event April 24-26, 2009. You should definitely go because we will rock that mountain to he ground (making it significantly easier for me to climb next time).