Being in the mountains always makes me laugh. Why? Because they’re hill-areas.
Jokes like these are the ones I was telling myself while I was somewhere in the Belknap Range, to get me thinking about something other than the setting sun. For some reason I’d decided to start hiking in the mid-afternoon, and walked, and walked, and walked for miles, until it dawned on me that I had a long way to go back in a short time before sunset. The trail I’m on is not a popular one – it offers no summits and only has views of big trees – and a lack of people means there’s more activity from animals. While walking past tracks from coyotes pursuing deer, and beech trees scarred to oblivion by bear claws and moose teeth, I’m trying not to think too hard about how large animals tend to be more active at dusk.
This was the situation I found myself in as I stared earnestly at my wiggly compass and low-resolution map, trying my hardest to figure out just where I was on the mountainside. The whole reason I’d come out here in the first place was to practice my navigation skills, and at this point pulling out my phone to find my exact GPS location just felt like cheating. For most of my life I’ve subscribed to the “learn by doing” crowd, which has worked so well for me by offering incentives such as “either you find your way out of this forest, or freeze.” In truth, being able to apply what I learn on paper is what actually gets anything to stick, and it’s amazing to actually feel confident in my own skills. Trying to approximate my location based off of the angle between the summit of Mt. Major and true north brings way more catharsis than studying at a desk.
Walking that fine line between danger and excitement for my own personal growth is one of the reasons I, a native Ohioan, came to New Hampshire in the first place. The opportunity to come here was exciting; here I am, in this new state, new people, new challenges, and all sorts of new plants and animals. All of this ‘new’ has given me chances to challenge myself and grow as a person simply by stepping outside and taking it all in. Whether from driving boats in the rain, climbing mountains in 2 feet of snow, or definitely trying not to get lost in the woods, this state has given me challenges to rise up to, and memories to last a lifetime.
Nick is a half-time member with the SLA. You can find him bouldering, baking , bopping to sickj beats. You can read more about Nick here!