On top of the Fire Tower before our first Overnight of 2013
Not wasting any time, Team Nano has marked another milestone of our 2013 Adventure - our first overnight of the year. Over the course of two days, we broke out the big backpacks, hiked almost 20 miles and summited two decent-sized mountains. It was the perfect time to be camping, too. Perfect weather, constant breeze, plenty of shade trees to pitch a tent under. There were several interesting sights too. On our first day out, we passed a sign advertising free ice cream and croquet (a classic combination if ever there was one) for hikers in a local's yard. We also climbed a fire tower on top of our first mountain and had lunch at the old Fire Ranger's Cabin, which now serves as the hiker shelter.
Picnic at the Fire Ranger's Cabin
This stretch of trail didn't have as many accessible roads as previous sections, so we didn't get to see our Trail Angel for a night. But after refilling our water bottles in the stream at the bottom of our first mountain, we found a great camping spot. We set up camp nano in the woods overlooking a steep ledge. It's rare to find a place to camp that has the magical trifecta of 1) being a permissible place to camp (the park service is sometimes picky about where they officially allow hikers to overnight) 2) a place flat enough to pitch a tent and 3) a view. With this spot, we hit the jackpot. We made ourselves some Ramen and happily settled in.
Dinner and a Show at Camp Nano
We had made really good time on our first day of hiking, so on Day 2 of our overnight, we didn't have much farther to go for our rendezvous with Trail Angel. We did have one more mountain to climb - Mount Cube - and it did not disappoint. The top of Mt. Cube was exposed and offered a great view.
Mt. Cube in the Morning
We continued to make good time hiking and made it to the rendezvous in time to spend the afternoon taking in some local culture. Rural New Hampshire, much like Vermont, is known for its Maple trees. And Maple trees can only mean one thing - Maple Sugar. Sugar farms are abundant here. Most of them family owned and run and very neat to visit. We drove by several, and on many of them you can see the rubber tubing running from the trees downhill to the collecting houses. We also got to take in some local cuisine at the Whippi-Dip, which serves everything from burgers to fried clams and whose medium ice cream cone would feed a family of 4. After two days of hiking we were definitely glad for the treats.
Genuine New Hampshire Maple Sugar Shack - Probably one of the last places on earth you can shop on the honor system.
The Whippi-Dip. Home of the most generous ice cream portions ever.
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