Relaxing on the summit of Mt. Monadnock

I hike alone, a lot. In fact, more often than not you’ll find me on a trail hiking solo. It’s not always my choice – friends can’t hike when I can and I don’t want that to keep me from doing something I love. But, hiking alone tends to make friends and family, and sometimes complete strangers, very nervous. Aren’t you afraid you’ll be attacked? What if you run into a bear or another wild animal? What if you get hurt on the trail and need help? It’s the last question that always gives me pause.

I don’t hike unprepared. From the Operation Venture class I took during my senior year at Londonderry High School, I learned about the 10 essentials, I learned to over prepare, I learned to prepare for the person you’ll run into on the trail who isn’t prepared. I carry extra food, I carry extra water and the tablets needed to purify water, I carry extra socks and appropriately clothing for unpredicted weather changes, I carry two headlamps, extra batteries, etc. And, I also carry a first aid kit, among many other things. But the reality is, if I really was hurt, if I fell and broke a bone that made it impossible to walk unaided, I’d be in trouble.

So far, I’ve been very lucky.

The first hike I ever did alone was on Mt. Monadnock during the summer of 2008. I was going through a divorce and yearned to spend some time in the area I called home before moving to Rhode Island four years earlier. Off I went to Mt. Monadnock (I had lived in Temple for 10 years) during what had been a summer of unpredictable weather, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. The air was thick and heavy when I started out, but the sun was shining through the haze. I typically choose the trails less traveled when on Monadnock and started from the parking lot near the old road to the long-gone halfway house. The summit, when I got to it an hour and a half later, was swarming with people, not unusual for Monadnock. Many of the hikers were unprepared for any sort of weather change, also not unusual for Monadnock.

Looking up to the summit of Mt. Monadnock.

As I started off the summit, I heard the distant roar of thunder and knew I had to get down into the trees quickly. Monadnock’s summit is breathtakingly beautiful with views in every direction, but those views come from a summit comprised of bare rock. Not a single tree anywhere. I moved quickly as another clap of thunder roared and then I saw a flash of lightning. Within a few moments, I felt the first drops of rain. I pulled my raincoat out of my pack and continued to scramble as quickly as I could down the smooth rock, which was becoming slick. I was glad I was wearing hiking boots with sturdy soles, and not the sneakers I saw on so many of the hikers on the summit. And as the rain came down harder, I was glad for the rain coat I had on.

The continued lightning and thunder pushed me down the trail faster and finally I made it to the cover of trees, which made me feel just a bit safer. I pulled my hood tighter around my head as the rain began to resemble a faucet at full blast. It was a deluge. I’m not a fan of thunderstorms, they’ve always made me uneasy, and this one was no exception. Hiking alone through this monsoon was….scary and I was afraid. Would lightning hit one of the trees I walked under and follow a root to the ground I stood on? What if I slipped and fell? That seemed like a very real possibility. The ground, covered in pine needles, seemed as slippery as ice in places.

I gave myself a pep talk, told myself to suck it up, I’d be fine.  That I’d reward myself after this hike with a late lunch at Harlow’s in Peterborough (my favorite post-hike eatery in that area.)  That’s when I felt something other than rain – hail – big chunks of it. I was being pelted by hail in the dense woods on Monadnock’s southern flank. At that point I couldn’t help but laugh. The fear I had felt instantly disappeared and I embraced the absurdity of the weather and the hiking conditions. When I got to my car a short time later, I was completely soaked. The Gortex rain jacket had not done its job; the pounding rain had seeped through every seam. My waterproof boots gave up the good fight, too. There wasn’t a single article of clothing I had on that wasn’t completely soaked.  But that was OK; I had over prepared and had a complete change of clothes in my car. My post-hike nourishment at Harlow’s felt very well deserved.

While that one crazy day on Mt. Monadnock may have dissuaded some from hiking alone, it did the opposite for me. It gave me confidence and the knowledge that I could hike alone, face unusual circumstances, keep my cool and be fine. I still hike Mt. Monadnock a few times a year; it’s one of my favorite places in New Hampshire. Monadnock may not be 4,000 footer, but for me, it’s the place where I learned that I could do stuff by myself and be OK.

Mt. Monadnock – November 2013