We will be exploring and experiences the white mountains in the depths of winter. You will have the opportunity to learn how to safely navigate difficult terrain using snow shoes and micro-spikes. You will come away from this week feeling confident in your ability to summit snowy peaks and having developed a new relationship with the natural world immediately around us. You will also get a crash course on building fires, tying useful knots and basic wilderness safety.
Day 1 of project week with the "Take a Hike" crew was a huge success. The day began with a brief meting where we made sure that everyone had the right gear. We hit the road around 10:00 am for the Castle in the Clouds trail system in Moultonborough. It was a cloudy day but the group's spirit was bright and the muddy conditions only increased enthusiasm. We made it to the top of Bald Knob and enjoyed a stellar view while we ate lunch. Just before returning to campus we made a pit stop at Dunkin' Donuts. We're expecting a little rain tomorrow but I think it would take more than that to put a damper on this group's spirit.
Day 2 of "Take a Hike" was another smashing success. The hiking gang conquered the West Rattlesnake trail, which normally has fantastic views of Squam Lake. Unfortunately, it was too foggy today to be able to see much of anything. On the bright side, students got to experience what it is like to be in a cloud. The decent was wet as it started to rain just as we finished our lunch. After returning safely to the bus we stopped at Cafe Monte Alto in Plymouth as a reward for another day's hard work in the mountains. Hopefully the rain will hold off until later in the day tomorrow so that we can avoid deploying our ponchos.
Day 3 on the trails did not disappoint. The parking lot we originally planned to use was blocked with snow so we had to call an audible and park at Gunstock. Luckily, this added about 2-3 miles to our day, which was sunny and beautiful. This was our longest hike and the group had the opportunity to push themselves a little bit. We eventually conquered the long hill leading up to Round Pond and stopped to appreciate the view and have a snack before heading back. After returning safely to the car, the group went to Mr. Saunders' parents' house where his mom had a huge home cooked meal ready for them. We returned to Husky Nation only after making sure the cookies had all been consumed.
Rather than spend the entirety of Day 4 in the rain, the group decided to go to Evo Climbing gym in Concord, NH. After a tutorial on safety knots and climbing from Ms. Laucks, students pushed themselves out of their comfort zones and hit the walls. Some kids utilized the auto-belay machines which allowed them to climb without another person belaying them and others tried out the bouldering walls that don't require ropes at all. After the gym, we hit a local Mexican spot called "Dos Amigos" for Burritos.
The final day of project week had some unexpected turns. We had half of our group out of commission with various ailments. Additionally, the hike we had planned on completing for today was inaccessible due to terrible road conditions. Luckily, Ms. Laucks was kind enough to let us help her with her maple sugaring operation at her beautiful house about 15 minutes from campus. Students were tasked with retrieving the sap from 20+ trees around Ms. Laucks' property. This sap was than deposited into an evaporator. We spent the day stoking the fire, chatting, and learning about the maple sugaring process. It was a great way to cap of a wonderful week outside.