On Sunday, my friend Riley and I set off in the morning to do Mt. Eisenhower, one of the tallest mountains in New Hampshire. Mt. Eisenhower is the 11th highest mountain in the state, and apart of one of the 48 4,000 footers. One of my life goals is to accomplish the 48, and I’ve been slowly working towards them through the last three and a half years.
The Hike
The first trouble we ran into came through our attempt to park the car. We got a little too close to a snowbank on the side of the road and momentarily got stuck. Luckily, it wasn’t too deep and it only took a little bit of shoveling snow away from underneath the tires. However, we decided it was best to try another trailhead to begin from so we went around the entire mountain to find better parking conditions.
It landed us 2.25 miles from the actual trailhead, walking along a snowmobile and cross country skiing path paved down. The walk was relatively decent, at least on the way. There were a few hills here and there, but it was a quick 45 minute walk in general. This is when the hike turned downhill (but really uphill: downhill was merely a phrase).
We decided it was smart to throw on the snowshoes so we didn’t risk falling in deep. At the trailhead, there was more than likely 1-2 feet of snow deep that would put us to our knees if we fell. Snowshoes, albeit very tiring to use, are helpful in this regard.
It was extremely beautiful outside, with all of the snow on treetops, piling high on rocks and branches. My facial hair kept getting frozen from my breath as I opted not to use the baclava right away. This was a mistake you’ll learn about later.
The hike seemed to continue as normal for about an hour and a half until the cold really started to be felt. The temperature on the ground was around 3-6 degrees Fahrenheit, but halfway up a mountain in the Whites was probably feeling like -10 windchill.
I think my mental strength, along with my physical strength, completely disappeared by the time we reached a dangerous part of the hike. We were snowshoeing on a ridge with an undefined cliff on the left and straight uphill on the right. If you weren’t careful with each step, your shoe would slide and you needed to immediately balance yourself. Somehow, I lived through that part but the next part somehow got worse. That’s when I had to do something I’ve never done before.
The Descent
I decided to turn back. I’ve never had to turn back before, and it sucked. During the entire ridge part, I was thinking how to even talk about turning back. We were 1/3 of a mile from the top. How could you possibly turn back?
My reasoning eventually came down to this: it’s almost noon, the sun goes down at 3:30 if you’re still on the peak. If it takes me another 30-45 minutes to hike to the summit, and that’s being generous considering the energy I did not have. Then we need to get back down the mountain within two and a half hours. The math might not be mathing, but trust me on this one.
Riley wanted to still see the top because the clouds were supposed to be fairly low, but I couldn’t stand in the cold for thirty minutes or I’d turn into a life sized icicle. So, I started the descent before Riley and got about 30 minutes down until he caught up to me. The summit was cloudy at the top, so at least I didn’t miss much.
The hike down was tiring, as we still had our snowshoes on. The worst came when we reached the “semi-flat” section paved for snowmobiles. I felt like a zombie walking on this part. Every inch of my body was aching, and the 15 pound backpack started to feel more like 50 pounds. I eventually took off the snowshoes and walked in my boots, but I’m not sure it helped. Nothing would’ve helped that situation. Riley had disappeared along the trail but eventually he came running back to help me with my stuff. Godspeed Riley.
The Aftermath
My body was sore. My lips and underneath my nose were chapped (still are, a few days later). Maybe I picked up a cold. However, I’m proud of myself for making a tough decision, because I think ultimately it was the right one. Plus we got to get subs for dinner after. I just wish my lips weren’t so chapped.
There’s so much more I could’ve talked about, but that’s human nature. You need to find an ending to each story.
Today’s cover photo is from the hike, which I normally don’t do but whatever.