Braving the Storm

It had been two weeks since my last long hike, so it was time to get outside again, storm or no. After spending some time reading through the storm warning and deciding the risk of danger was reasonably low, I arrived at the Notch Visitor’s Center to start hiking about 10:30. Completely full two weeks ago when I was last there, the parking lot now only had one other car in it. Apparently hiking through a tropical storm isn’t most peoples’ idea of a fun Sunday.

I set out into a fog and light drizzle. I started out wearing my rain coat, but quickly took it off and tied it around my waist after I began sweating profusely under it. By the time I was descending from Mt. Norwottuck, I’d decided it was warm enough I’d be fine just getting wet, so I stuffed the jacket into my backpack, not to be used again.

The hiking was a little slow to start with the steep climbs up and down Norwottuck, and everything was pretty socked in with fog, so there wasn’t much in the way of grand views. As the day went on, rain replaced the fog. Wind started picking up in the treetops, but all the greenery meant that I was pretty well protected from it down on the trail.

About 3 miles in to what I had intended to be a 14 mile hike, I was feeling a bit down. The rain soaked forest was pretty, but I was soaking wet, starting to get a little bit cold, and the mosquitos seemed to be coming out in force. I had hoped that the rain and wind from Henri would keep the bugs away, and while they weren’t as bad as the endless swarms I’d faced two weeks ago, they were still starting to get annoying. My blood sugar was also high because I underbolused too much for a bagel and cream cheese at the start of the hike, and it wasn’t coming down as quickly as I would have like. Because of all this, a lack of excitement about the 5 miles of out-and-back hike that made of the easternmost section of my planned hike, and a desire to play it safe with the storm, I decided to cut my hike a little short and turned back once I hit Harris Street.

The return journey was much more pleasant than the first half of the trip. The mosquitos weren’t as bad, my blood was beginning to cooperate, and while the rain continued, I got used to it, and stayed warm enough. I was finally getting into the zone of hiking. There’s something quite nice about hiking in the rain. Everything feels closer, more alive somehow. The colors pop a little more. And because the sounds of wind and rain drown out the cars from the surrounding roads, it easier to imagine I’m really out in the middle of nowhere. The lack of other hikers also helps with the wonderful feeling of isolation. A couple of times I just had to sit, take of my pack, put down my trekking poles, and just soak all in.

I made good time on the way back despite slowing down to play around taking videos with my phone (if I ever want to make some cool video records of my hikes, I need practice). By the time I made it back to the parking lot around 14:30, I was really enjoying myself, and was a little bit disappointed that I had cut out 5 miles from the hike. A couple more cars had found their way to the parking lot while I was gone, so it seems a few more people are as crazy as me.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and once I’d acclimated to the weather after Harris Street, I would have been happy to keep hiking all day. That being said, it’s possible knowing I was heading back also helped to shift my mindset, and the extra five miles would have been too much. At least this way I get to finish wanting more.

Click here for a map of the hike.