6.1.05
85°F
3.75 hours
5.5 miles
n/a
red eft, deer scat, beaver-chewed trees

Ah, to be hiking in New England while back at home Texas is roasting! While still warm, it was at least 10° cooler with far less humidity. Although Lori and I were plagued by persistant mosquitoes and the infamous black flies (which weren't in their frenzied bite-stage just yet), the cool and frequent streams combined with the hills, rocks, and vegetation that makes New Hampshire a hiking dream made this a memorable hike.

This hike also marked the first longish hike in my new Asolo boots, fresh from a pre-trip visit to REI in Houston. As much as I hate shoe buying, selecting the right hiking boots was critical to help keep the shock minimized to my back. My effort paid off and the boots worked well, although it will take another 4 or 5 longish hikes to break them in properly.

Another new piece of gear made its debut on this hike: an EMS hiking staff with camera mount threads under the cork handle top. I've read about how trekking poles/staffs can help knee shock going downhill, as well as the usual bennies of having a "stick" in hand. I'm now hooked on using this collapsable staff on hikes. Not only did it help stability, but using the camera mount to help stablize the digicam for low-light shots was great. And having something non-flesh to "poke" at mysterious objects is comforting as well!

Considering this was my first hike longer than an hour or more than 2+ miles in over two years, I did pretty well. It's hilly in New Hampshire and I found out quickly why they call it the Granite State. Rocks are as ubiquitous as the damn insects, which could be minimized by constantly moving, whereas the rocks have to be dealt with whether standing or walking. But for someone used to hiking the flat, dry forests around Houston, the hilly paths and mountain streams and waterfalls were a delight.