Monadnock In The Dark
Goose dropped by Saturday for a short visit.
Diane asked, “How do like college? On a scale of one to ten? â€
Goose answered, “I’d say a seven, and I knocked those three points off because of the work.â€
Seems to me most every kid we’ve talked to feels the same way. Should I be surprised?
Then Goose told us about his Mt. Monadnock climb with his girlfriend, Kristen. I think he said this was his third time up, but the first to watch the sunset. Now, the camping guys are always knocking around in the forest, balancing the need to explore with the need to come back alive. Hiking in the dark works – sort of – but only with good light, so I knew what was coming.
“It was hard climbing down.â€
Yeah, now there’s an understatement. When the sun sets in the woods, it’s not a pleasantly receding light experience as it is in the city.
“We had two flashlights but they only showed small circles in front of us.â€
The last time I hiked in the dark, I fell in a seven foot hole. Had it been ten feet deep, I’d still be there.
Goose really should read the blog more carefully. If I recall, there are some important warnings there.
Comment by Jennifer — November 5, 2006 @ 2:02 pm
I mean “cautionary tales”.
Comment by Jennifer — November 5, 2006 @ 2:03 pm
I don’t know what’s more impressive — hiking down by flashlight, or going up there for a sunset …
Comment by el Kib — November 5, 2006 @ 11:04 pm
I think it’s clear what’s most impressive: that they thought to bring two flashlights.
Comment by Jennifer — November 5, 2006 @ 11:36 pm
It is clear, and that may be something that he learned from my dad.
I’m sure me and my dad have been in this situation with no flashlights, and then I’m sure i told chris about it
Comment by matt — November 6, 2006 @ 12:29 am
Two flashlights, in my cautionary experience, is not enough. Maybe 6 is. Broad-beamed, narrow beamed, LEDs, extra batteries, candles. Tell us more about falling into the 7-foot hole–another cautionary tale for the blog.
Comment by rakkity — November 6, 2006 @ 1:16 pm
On one of our Maine camping trips, Mark Queijo and I, in search of a view, climbed a hill with a rocky outcropping on top. We sat around, drank some kind of alcohol, joked about falling onto the trees below and finally thought about heading back. But then the sun set and the lights went out. As usual, Mark thought we should go one way and I thought another, and rather than compromising and hiking together, we went our separate ways. But not like east and west, more like a degree or two apart over a short distance.
Anyway, neither one of us had a flashlight and soon the trees were scary goblins and the friendly forest sounds were slavering hounds looking for brain dead hikers. The funny thing is, on our hike to the modest summit, we’d come across holes in the ground called ice caves. There might have even been a sign carved on a tree, “Ice Caves Over Here.” On our way up, we’d stopped and climbed in, and sure enough, the temperature difference was such that maybe on into early July there’d still be ice after a very snowy winter.
These so called ice caves are bouldery depressions where bears might live, not caverns where you’d meet spelunkers. In a sense, this was a forewarning about the terrain, because as I stumbled down the hill, dodging eye gouging fingery branches, I pitched right into a similar hollow, this one created by boulders next to the base of a tree. A man sized hole it was, from which I yelped, “Mark, HELP.” But the surrounding ground muffled my not-so-loud voice and I knew if I didn’t climb out I’d be sleeping standing up.
When Goose told me of his nighttime hike with Kristen down Mt. Monadnock, I pictured at least a tumble or two. Instead he told us that Kristen, leading the way, suddenly leapt from her forward position to the safety found behind his broad shoulders. She’d heard the rustling of a wild animal which turned out to be a Fisher cat. But, whether holes in the ground or not-so-small mammals, it’s those lack of lumens that make it all exciting.
Comment by michael — November 7, 2006 @ 9:02 pm
Another exciting tale hidden down here in the old stuff.
How about a cross-linked category: Exciting Tales
And while we’re at it, another one: Broken Bones and Mechanical Accidents
Comment by rakkity — November 10, 2006 @ 4:44 pm
If Jennifer is the securtity camera then you are Joe Turner, the guy in Three Days of the Condor whose job it was to read everything. If so, you have a twin because recently I went back over the existing eleven hundred entries and scrubbed away most of those irritating garbage characters. Hmmm, let me check to see just what our current stats are…here they are: 1162 Posts and 5,032 comments.
Comment by michael — November 10, 2006 @ 7:20 pm