In the late afternoon of the 4th of July we hiked to the summit of Kearsarge North, a small peak to the north of the Mt Washington Valley. The plan was to watch fireworks in the valley and brush up on our backpacking skills. The forecast was for warm temperatures and clear skies. We packed dinner, plenty of water, the bug tent and sleeping bags. We walked the 3.1 mile sustained ascent, which felt strenous with our gear, with Kokee leading the way. This was also the another step towards getting Kokee her back on the trail with a more strenuous hike. She did well.
We arrive at the top to find the fire tower aglow in the evening light. We were somewhat surprised to find we had the place to ourselves. We pitched the bug tent in a dip below the fire tower for protection from a steady wind. On a broad rock we set up for our dinner with a view to the setting sun and valley below. We tested rehydration of the misirwot (Ethiopian lentil stew) and vegetables that we made and dried in the food dryer and it was great.
Eventually were were joined by a few other people, including a family of 6 who later would hike down after the fireworks, and a couple who stayed the night in the tower. After this sun set we gathered in the fire tower to watch the fireworks. The North Conway show was excellent views from above. Looking east into Maine we saw displays across the farmlands and into distant mountains. We could even see what appeared to be a big finale in Portland, ME.
After the show we settled into the bug tent under the blanket of a stars and a light breeze. We woke to a glorious morning, singing birds and a beautiful sunrise.
You can see more photos of our trip at the lin below
1 comment:
You guys are doing some serious hiking this summer. Jo and I are going to struggle to keep up with you in August.
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