Asking for recommendations on where to go next, my dear friend divulged to me that he’s “not so good at Verticals. I only did easy walks in the White Mountains, the rather flat ones”. But he kept mentioning the mysterious mountain range, recommending I go there, vertical or horizontal. “White Mountains” obviously had some deep nostalgia attached to it, almost reverence.
He dug out an old map of the Kancamagus Trail (quite a spelling challenge…), marked a few spots he knew and handed it to me. It all sounded very romantic. We found the info center on the Net, typed it onto the GPS and Goggle Maps, and I was set loose on the road. This time I was willing to give mountains, rather than water, my time of day.
Departure was actually delayed a day, due to car hassles. The trip finally commenced on September 9th.
September 9th, 2016
After an initial searching, I discovered most campgrounds in the Mountains were run on the basis of “First come, first serve”. In a way, that made things easier. You didn’t need to make phone calls or Internet reservations. Being late in the season, it did not seem difficult to find a spot. Still, I preferred to get to the Info Center before looking for the campground, just to make sure.
As I set on my way, hunger overtook me, and I stopped in a small commercial center for a pizza. I decided to be a Roman in Rome and eat fast food if nothing else was available. The pizza, actually, was excellent, no comparison with most Israeli equivalents. On the road, and away from home in general, I try to balance what I’m used to food-wise with what is. Oftentimes, the atmosphere in these local fast food joints can be very friendly and warm, not to mention (here I mention…) that in this particular place, the guy behind the counter, was a real good-looker…