The White Mountains
Day 1:
Today we left for the White Mountains at 6:00 AM. Around 11:30 AM we stopped for lunch at Athens. Three hours after that we arrived at the Lost River Campground. Uncle Rob arrived a few hours after us. He had a big eight man tent. Uncle Rich arrived shortly after that. After we all had dinner we told stories around the campfire. We also made coffee cake in the reflector oven.
Day 2:
Today after breakfast and everyone got ready we headed for the Lost River Valley Gorge. It was 2 miles down the road from the campground. We went on the gorge trail down to the gorge. The whole trail was on a boardwalk. They named the river The Lost River because the river becomes lost and disappears from sight at some points underneath big boulders left over from a glacier. The first part of the walk was down steps. When we got to the gorge the first place to see was the sun alter. This was a big pothole with a small boulder in the middle where the sun would shine onto. All along the trail there were caves that we could climb through. On some of them it was hard to imagine how I would fit through that hole. Our favorite was the lemon squeezer. We were only allowed to go through it if we could fit through the squeeze gauge. I just barely fit. It was fun getting on our hands and knees just barely making it through the cracks. At one point we could see the river flowing under the rocks. Just beyond that was the tightest squeeze of all. We all had to get on our stomachs and crawl between the rocks. Uncle Rich almost got stuck but, managed to wiggle through. The smallest hole was about 18 inches wide. After our picnic lunch there we went back to the campground. Katie, Allison, Mom, Dad, and I went to see the Old Man in the Mountain. Cornelia, Chris, Timmy, Aunt Michele, and Uncle Rob stayed at the campground while Aunt Burchel, Uncle Rob, and Sam went on the Dilly Trail at the Lost Gorge. The old man really looked like an old man. It's amazing that that's all natural and no one carved it. At one side we could tell what it is but, on the other side it looks like a pile of rocks. After we got back we hung out and played mallet pool which is a big pool table flat on the ground played with big balls and mallets. We also played alphabet games around the campfire.
Day 3:
Today after our breakfast we headed for Aremuza Falls. Aunt Michele and Uncle Rob had been there on their honeymoon. The drive there was very scenic. When we got there the parking lot was packed. It looked as if there was a summer camp that just arrived. The 1.5 mile walk there was very rocky and steep. It took all of us an hour to an hour and a half. Parts of the trail looked like they've been washed out. The first sight of the falls was just breathtaking. They were just so beautiful cascading down the cliffs. We were all surprised by the number of people there. The bottom of the falls cascaded over many rocks which we could sit on and eat lunch. After our quick lunch the crowd thinned and we were able to get to the bottom and stand underneath the falls. We stayed there for a couple of hours playing on the rocks and in the water. At one point Chris had climbed onto a ledge on the side of the falls. Tim went up with him and Dad and I went on after them. When we got back down Uncle Rich took part of the trail to the very top of the falls. After th e fun we had to go back down. Going down was quicker. At the bottom we bought drinks and rested for awhile. The rest pf the day we hung out around the campground. We had our $1 sundaes at the camp store. Around the campfire we had riddles for each other. It was early to bed for everyone.
Day 4:
Today we decided to do a short hike on our last day in the White Mountains. The hike we decided on was the Sabbaday Falls Trail. The trail was 1 mile long and wasn't steep with no rocks. The falls had two parts. The first fall fell into a big pool. One of the pools I heard was supposed to be 60 feet deep. The lower falls fell into another pool. At the top we went wading for awhile. Next, we went to Rocky Gorge. The gorge was really neat. We were able to go swimming at the top of the gorge. We went down the rapids. Ther e was only one problem - the water was freezing. The rest of the day it rained. Uncle Rob, Aunt Michele, Chris, and Tim decided to go home rather than sleep in a tent in the rain. They went out to dinner with Uncle Rich, Aunt Burchel, Cornelia, and Sam before heading home. We played games and told spooky stories in the camper.
Day 5:
After we got packed and helped Uncle Rich get packed we left at around 10:15. Around Warren we barely made it before they closed the roads off for the Fourth of July Parade. We drove down the street with all the people on the sides of the road. We arrived in Granville, Massachusetts around 2:00. We saw a sign for the state park that pointed down a dirt road. It was about a mile before we saw another sign for the park. But, we saw no one and nothing. It was another mile or so before we saw the headquarters. We set up on site 17. There was only abo ut another 3 or 4 people there, We went down to a pool in the river which was about 9 feet deep. People were jumping off the cliffs into the water. Soon after the ranger came and took one guy out. When we got back to the car it started to pour. It came out of nowhere. After dinner Mom was able to start a fire.
Day 6:
We left for home around 10:00 AM. We went the opposite way we came in on the dirt road towards Connecticut. Right when we got to the Connecticut part of the park the road was nicely paved. We went by the Hitchcock Chair Factory where Mom and Dad have been before. We made it home around 2:00.
More Information
Links:
The Lost River Campground
White Mountain Contacts from backpacker.com
White Mountains Info Server
Wikipedia: The White Mountains
bravenet.com
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