When Mike and I got up this morning, we looked at each other and said, "What adventure should we have today?" I suggest climbing Mt. McKinley, but Mike thought that would be boring. He felt that we needed some kind of excitement. So, we put our two brilliant minds to work and finally came up with an agreeable plan. We would hike to Wickersham Dome in the White Mountains. Yes, that was the plan. Wickersham Dome, it would be!
As you may have heard me mention (or complaining is more like it), the weather has been less than summer-like this summer. Almost everyday has been cool and rainy. Many days we did not get out of the 50's and we have several inches of rain. Now that may not seem like a lot of rain to you. However, when you live in a sub-arctic desert, a few inches is a LOT! So, we were sure we would see some rain today. Mike planned ahead and packed rain coats and ponchos. I'll say it here and I'll say it now, "Thank you, dear sweet husband for packing the rain gear!"
After a brief stop to get gas, buy a book at Barnes & Noble, and grab a sandwich at Subway, we were off to the great wilderness of the White Mountain's, Wickersham Dome. As we drove, low, dark clouds hung heavily over the hills. In my mind, I was losing hope of seeing any sun. However, after we drove over a couple of ridges, the sun popped out and rained down beautiful rays of sunshine! It was a sight to behold!
Mike and I arrived at the trailhead with the sun still shining, but clouds in the distance. We happily strapped on our backpacks and headed up the 6.5 mile trail to the summit. The climb was 1400 vertical feet and trust me, my feet felt every inch! The hike, itself, was uneventful. We found some beautiful rock formations, incredible views of mountains and rolling hills, and furry little animals.
The furry little animals are called marmots. These marmots seemed to be of gargantuan size. We heard some marmots with very shrill cries to alert the other marmots of danger. These creatures were everywhere. They were sunning on rocks, running through the grass and darting in and out of holes. Cute and furry, they were, but I have a feeling if we got within a few feet of one, it would tear our heads off!
After reaching the summit and taking a rest, Mike and I started back down the mountain. It was at this point that we noticed the entire mountain range to our south was socked in with clouds and rain. I quickly pulled out my rain coat, put it on and pulled up the hood. That is when the bottom let loose! Mike raced to get to our ponchos. The rain was beating down upon us with great force. He finally found them and we put them on just before we were totally soaked to the skin.
It took us an hour and a half to get down the mountain. It rained the ENTIRE time. It rained hard and then it rained harder. From the knees down, Mike and I were soaked and I was covered in mud. When we finally made it back to the car, the rain stopped. I was never so glad to crawl in the car, turn on my heated seat and crank the heat up to 85.
While the hike was a little wet, Mike and I had a great time. We topped off the day with dinner at Hilltop (a trucker's restaurant). As you can tell, Mike and I are really living it up. A wet hike and dinner at a truck stop. I know you are jealous, but try to control it!
The Hike
The Marmots
The Flowers
No comments:
Post a Comment