I intended to write this yesterday, but life gets in the way sometimes... I restarted my "Mountain Education" in the woods on Sunday. It was a simple, short winter hike to the AMC hut on Lonesome Lake. A beautiful 1.5-1.75 mile hike from Lafayette Campground offers some views across Route 93, but the view is best once you've crossed Lonesome Lake and arrived at the AMC Hut on the other side and look back across at the backside of Cannon Mountain.

One of the first things I remembered on this hike was the fact that there is such a thing as "hiking shape" and I'm certainly not in it. One of the toughest things was remembering to look up at the beautiful scenery and not just plod away staring at the ground. Despite the cold, once arriving at Lonesome Lake it was beautiful. Taking in a quick lunch it was time to get back on the trail, it was too cold to dress down too much, but we were a little moist from moving up the trail. Best to keep moving back to the car where you can regulate the temperature, but not without snapping a few quick photos.

All in all, a great introduction back into the woods, and hopefully as I continue on this journey I will regain my "hiking shape" and be able to spend more time enjoying the scenery without having to force myself to look up.

Starting out...

I started considering blogging months ago. After all, isn't nearly everyone doing it these days? I read all the websites I could find thinking they would lead me to the perfect blog topic, title, URL... essentially that innate American response that the answer to everything lies out there in cyberspace.

I quickly found that all the "advice" I was getting was getting me no where fast. Recommendations such as "write about what you know" didn't help, as even after 10 years in the Army, I've done so many different things that I'm not sure I could yet write as a subject matter expert on any of the jobs I've had. Instead the answer came to me today, in what would have been one of the most unlikely places if you'd asked me all of a week ago...

I hiked as a kid with my family. I rock climbed for many years through High School and College. I even had the distinct pleasure of serving with an Army unit that trained to fight in cold and mountainous areas. I grew a great appreciation for the outdoors and enjoyed them regularly. That is, until a few years ago, when I stopped climbing and hiking. I don't really know why exactly, you get a real job, a real house, and real life gets in the way. Suddenly fixing the faucet or mowing the lawn is more important than heading out to the mountains. So I had an epiphany on the trail to Lonesome Lake (Franconia Notch, NH) that maybe this should be my topic. Not something I know about, but something I used to know and forgot. Take a look at the mountains through new eyes. Maybe some people who have never enjoyed it can get some inspiration. Maybe those who have lived in these mountains can remember what it was like on their first climbs. So I encourage you to come with me and rediscover the mountains.