August has always been a complicated month trying to balance work, vacations, and preparing for the next school year. Being a 2020 graduate, this is the first time in my life where the school year isn’t starting in September. It feels like I should be packing up college materials or texting my roommates to see what they’re bringing to our apartment, but instead, I’m doing my Americorps member duties, and in my free time, hiking... Lots of hiking.
Living in New Hampshire has given everyone here at the SLA great opportunities to explore and find new places they enjoy. For me, it’s been the accessibility to the White Mountain National Forest. Well known for the 48 4000-foot mountains, this forest brings hikers of all ages and backgrounds to share a one of a kind outdoor experience. Being from Central Massachusetts, I had only been to the White Mountains twice. Once in 2018 to hike and camp on Mount Washington, and once in 2019 to hike Mt. Cannon. While hiking Mt. Washington, my friend and I had a conversation with a scraggly man in his 50s who had completed all the 4000-foot mountains. He was telling us about his adventures while ascending the 48 peaks, and he eventually showed us a patch on his backpack with 3 green mountain peaks and a number 4000 above. We thanked the man for his stories and parted ways with him. One thing that baffled me was the fact this guy put so much effort into climbing so many mountains and for what, a patch?!
Before this summer, hiking has always been a fun, affordable activity to pass the time, but I didn’t consider it one of my passions. That interest changed after my first big hike of the year. I climbed Mt. Osceola (elvation 4,340 ft) and I thought to myself, “if I hike another .9 miles, I can get to the East Osceola peak and cross off my fourth 4000 foot mountain“. After walking across a windy ridge trail to the other peak, I envisioned myself with a long term goal of finishing all the 4000 footers. It seemed almost pointless for me to put in the extra effort for nearly the same view, but I changed my goal from 1 peak, to 48.
I had that realization on June 15th and have since summited 12 mountains in 6 trips. There is a great sense of accomplishment when summiting another peak because I am fulfilling this long term goal. I used to just hike for the view but now I enjoy every step along the way. Each mountain and each trip exposed me to something different. You may not have a view, you may not find parking, but you have fun doing it because it’s part of the adventurous process in the White Mountains.
I have taken those same ideologies to our trail days here at the SLA. It’s been a blessing to even get to hike and do trail work with this service position. I recently ran an Adventure Ecology program that took a group of folks hiking through Cotton Mountain to explain the importance of trees and what forest succession is. The three guys who came along for the hike loved hearing my explanations of why certain animals or insects use trees at different stages of their growth. Being able to combine my love for hiking with topics I genuinely enjoyed during college allows me to gain a deeper understanding about my body, my mind and environmental education.
Steven is an all around good sport serving at the Squam Lakes Association. On an off day, you may find him hanging out with the rest of the crew, peak-bagging, or trying to find a campsite in the dark. Learn more about Steven here!