Wow. I take back everything I have ever thought or said about the mountains in New England. I often scoffed at the White Mountains calling them “tall hills” in comparison to mountain ranges I have spent more time exploring like the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. Meek mountains they are not! (Click on the photo, or here, to see more images from our trip.)

The White Mountains are simply amazing. The few trails we were able to pack in over a few short days were gorgeous, challenging, and definitely of a respectable level of difficulty and intensity. I think it is a bit premature to say that I’ve fallen in love with the White Mountains, but I also think that is a pretty accurate summary of my recent experience. I am eager to return, and many times a year.

Caleb had a similar experience, climbing his first mountain, and honing rock climbing skills we never knew he had. He was such a sport joining us on hikes and trying out new and challenging things. On our first day, he and I did a moderate ~1.2 mile hike up the Crawford Path (a small portion of it, that is), exploring Gibbs Falls, and identifying as many mushrooms, ferns, spiders and various other natural features as we could take in. It was a lot of fun hiking with him, and it was even more fun seeing how much he enjoyed the activity and simply being in nature.

The second day Megan and I took Caleb on a hike up Mt. Willard, hearing from a number of guests that it would be a great trail to take him on. When he made it to the top on his own, we found out that most people assumed we would carry him up. I carried him down the mountain on my shoulders like a champ and almost everyone we passed said hello and asked if he made it up on his own. His confidence and pride built as each person showed amazement that our little (big) guy could make it up on his own. (We are very, very proud of you Caleb!) The photo of he and I on the summit is one of my favorite photos of the two of us together.

If you have yet to visit and experience the White Mountains, I strongly encourage you to do so, and soon. The Highland Center is a great place to start, but even a quick 30 minute hike on the simplest of trails should give you enough of a taste to hook you for life.

Happy hiking!