Outdoor Adventuring

About an hour north of Plymouth is Mount Washington. If you head toward Mount Washington and North Conway area there is a train on the side of the road. This train is advertisement for the COG railroad that goes up the Mountain. However if you take the turn up past the train and over the bridge there is a long road that goes through the woods. This picture was taken at the entrance of the trail to get to the jumping spot and swimming holes. One of my friends took this picture as we got out of the car, but nobody brought electronics beyond that due to the water. As you continue down the trail there is a drop off of about 35 feet into the water. Next to this is a big waterfall that continuously dumps water in breaking the rock down more and more over the years to create a swimming whole that is safe to jump into. One at a time we all took turns jumping off the cliff and into the water. We then swam around for a little before moving downstream some more to go fishing. The water was full of good trout to fish for, and some of the best fishing I’ve ever done. Up near Mount Washington there is so much to do. You just need to know where to go looking for it.

About an hour north of Plymouth is the Mount Washington Hotel. On a clear day you can see the top of Mount Washington from the hotel. My friends and I have gone several times to just look at the views and check out the grounds. There is also a nice bar inside that you can go in and get a drink at. I’m not a big golfer, but there is also a golf course on the hotel grounds.

Just up the road from the hotel there is a gas station and a bridge next to a big train that advertises the cog railway. If you go up the road past the train there is a lot of little swimming holes and fishing spots in a river that runs off of the mountain. There is also ledges and drops that you can jump off of into the river there. I wish that I took pictures when I was there, but I left all my electronics in the car. I would definitely recommend checking out the hotel and the nature around it. There is a lot to do in that area, and a lot of beautiful scenery to take in.

One great outdoor activity I like to do with my younger family is kayaking. You can kayak in a wide variety of places like a pond, river, ocean,

or many more. My personal favorite place to go kayaking is through the marshes in Scarborough Maine. They are my favorite, because I find them the most interesting to explore. There is tall reads everywhere, and occasionally there is an abandon shack or some other structures. The wildlife also tends to be more lively, and of a greater variety. This is especially perfect when you are going with younger kids. What kid doesn’t love to see a crane, beaver, turtle, or some other cool animal. Also you get a good workout paddling around through the water, and you can always do a little bit of fishing while you are out there. The only negative is that everything looks kind of similar, so it is easy to take a wrong turn.

Another great place to explore near Plymouth is the Flume Gorge. You have to pay to go unless you go during

the winter, which is when I went. In the winter time with the snow and ice there is another aspect of breath taking beauty. Along with the beauty comes more activities that you can do. At one point there is ice built up on the walls, and I watched people climbing up the ice for a while. It was very interesting to see how they used all of their gear. The ice and snow does make it a little slippery and more dangerous than normal to explore. I would recommend wearing shoes or boots with a lot of grip. As you can see from the picture to the right ice builds up on the walkway as well. It was also much colder at the Flume Gorge than it was at Plymouth, so I would recommend dressing warm if you go in the winter.

One year while camping in upstate New York my family and I went white water rafting. It was one of the most fun experiences of my life. Not only do you get the fun and thrill of white water rafting, but the scenery is absolutely beautiful. Where we started it was just a nice open area with big banks dropping down into the world, and one sloped sandy bank leading into the water. This is where we launched from. As we got further down the river the forest became thicker than any forest I have ever seen in my life. It looked like it would be hard to even walk through because the trees were so big and close to each other. The water had some calm parts like in the picture, but there were also very rough parts. We would be going smooth and the guide would warn us that the rapids were coming. We would then duck in and hold on as we were all tossed around bumping into each other. One of the rapids got so rough that we were getting thrown all over the raft into one another, until my cousin went over the side of the boat and into the water. I quickly reached in and grabbed his hand, and the guide jumped over to us grabbing my cousin by the life vest and hoisting him back into the raft. After that the water became calmer and it was about half way so we stopped for some lunch and to swim. Right next to where we stopped for lunch was a big rock hanging out over the water, and the water below it was very deep. We began to climb up the side of the banks and up over the rocks. Looking down into the water it looked like at least a 25 foot drop. After we all ate and jumped we continued our journey down the river. White water rafting was a lot more than just sitting in a raft, and I would highly recommend going to anyone.

There is a lot more to do outside than just go for hikes and take in the nature. There are many outdoor adventures and activities where you interact with the environment, and in my opinion these can be some of the most fun ones. Fishing is one of those activities. Fishing is one of my favorite things to do in my free time, and even when you aren’t catching anything it’s just so relaxing feeling the sun slowly warm you along with the gentle sway of the boat as you take a sip of a nice cold drink. It just makes it easy to reach complete bliss and push anything out of your head in a therapeutic manner. On the other hand it is even better when you are out on a boat in the ocean going for big fish that will actually put up a fight. Fishing in the ocean is very different than in a lake or river. It is also usually an all day event, so when we go we bring a cooler full of drinks and foods. We make a big trip and adventure out of it, because the best way to live is making everything an adventure.

When you are fishing in the ocean you have to use bigger hooks, and you need to use bigger bait. Typically when we go we take a dead fish and put it on the hook. Once the boat stops you hold your pole over the water and flick a button to start letting line out, but you need to keep pressure on the line with your thumb making sure to let out line slowly.

After letting out line you feel a slight tap and you quickly real up a little. The tap is the bottom of the ocean and you need to real up so you don’t get stuck. Typically when you first get it off the bottom you will feel a quick hard pull on the line. This is when the real fun starts. You need to slowly fight the fish, but make sure it doesn’t get away. After a long fight the fish will typically breach the water near the boat. Then you need to get them alongside the boat and net it. One year we got extremely lucky off the coast of block island while we were striper fishing and caught our limit within a half hour of being on the water. Since fishing is so diverse in the area we were able to continue fishing for fluke, flounder, porgy, and black sea bass all day. The entire day we were just getting hit after hit catching a variety of fish. Another great place to fish is off of the coast of Connecticut. Every year that we go there we don’t always catch our limit of striper, but we catch a surplus of blue fish. At the end of every trip we make sure to fillet the fish off the back off the boat and watch as all the birds trail us and dive bomb through the surface of the water to get our scraps, but sometimes you have the few who will grab the fish right out of the air.

I have always thought about hiking Mount Washington. I had been on so many easy hikes, like rattlesnake, but I wanted to go on a hike that would actually challenge me a little bit. Considering that this is a larger hike I would recommend going prepared, and I am very happy I listened to advice from a close friend about going to Mount Washington prepared. You need to make sure to bring all sorts of things such as food, water, extra clothes, and whatever else you think you may need. The trail that I hiked was Tuckerman’s ravine. When we got to there it was pretty hot, probably because it was the middle of the summer. From the very beginning there is a beautiful waterfall and a lot of breathtaking nature to take in.

The further we got into the hike the more beautiful the scenery around us got. The trails got steep, and at some points you would have to climb up rocks. About half way up the mountain there is a place to stop and just hangout, and there is also an old water pump so you can refill your waters. There is also a nice lake there, and if you look in the distance past the lake you can see what looks like a bowl in the mountain. As I continued up the mountain a storm started to roll in, and I could feel a chill in the air. I learned the hard way that you need to check the weather before going on a large hike like this. The higher we got and the more that the storm started to roll in the colder it got. As we got higher and crept out of the tree line we could see a thick line of fog. As I stepped through the dense fog I felt a chill down my spine, and I had to layer up to try to keep warm. I could hear my friends voices, but I couldn’t see them at all. I couldn’t see anything at all. I could put my arm straight out in front of me and I wouldn’t be able to see my fingertips. It was the most dense fog I have ever been in in my life, it was truly amazing. On the other hand it was kind of scary because we couldn’t see each other or any landmarks. As we continued trying to reach the top I began to feel the moisture of the dense fog sitting into my clothes chilling me to the bone. Not long after walking into the fog a gust of wind hit me hard enough to almost knock me back, and soon after that the gusts turned into a consistent whipping wind. The winds made the cold even worse, and every step forward was a struggle as it would push you back. When we finally reached the top the storm was getting terrible, and we couldn’t see a thing due to the fog. After about an hour we were done waiting for it to clear so we just sent it back down in the storm. The whole trip took about 5 hours, and was one of the most fun experiences of my life. I would recommend planning ahead for a trip like this and checking the weather. I would also make sure to bring plenty of clothes, food, and water. Even though it was a hot summer day when I began the hike, it was breathtakingly cold at the top. Most importantly take in as much of the hike and nature as you possibly can. It’s not all about the summit and the view, but its about the journey of getting there.

Outdoor adventuring is the most fun thing, because it is typically always available. You don’t need much money, and you can easily make time in your day for it. Being in New Hampshire outdoor adventuring is even more available, because there is just so much nature around us and so many things to do. One of the more popular things to do around Plymouth is hiking, and a very well known trail is Rattlesnake. It is a short, very well kept and marked trail that also has a beautiful view of a lake. It is more a a laid back easy trail for anyone. My favorite view that I have ever experienced was a fall morning while the sun was rising. After a long Thursday night my roommate and I decided that we would wake up early and hike rattlesnake to help clear our heads before we had to take our tests Friday morning. When we were driving to the hiking trail it was very foggy out, and we were very concerned that it may ruin the hike. As we drove past the lake that the mountain overlooks we couldn’t see 5 feet into the fog, which concerned us even more. We got to the parking lot and started our journey to the top. The whole way up it wasn’t to foggy, and the weather was actually pretty nice. It was on the cooler side, but it was nice for a hike. The walk up was very quite and calming.

As we got to the top it was still dark and foggy so we couldn’t see much. As I walked from the tree cover and the trail out onto the rocks overlooking the lake I felt a crisp breeze run across my neck and send a shiver down my spine. It almost felt ominous out on those cold rocks. After about 15 minutes of sitting in the cold the sun pierced through the break in the mountain in the distance, and as the rays of sunshine hit my skin I could feel them warming me. The sun then cut through the dense fog and clouds leaving us on a rocky platform barely peaking through the fog with not a cloud in the sky. I felt like I was on top of the world. The longer I sat there I could feel the suns rays warming me more and more. As I felt the warmth consuming me I felt completely content and clear headed. It was the perfect time to take a hike, and the perfect way to start the day. I’m sure if it wasn’t for waking up and going on that hike then I would’ve failed my test later that morning.