Hello from Maine!

We are in Maine, and what a day we have had!  We woke up at the Town & Country Inn (in Gorham, New Hampshire) and enjoyed a (slow) breakfast looking at the mountains.  We were awake at 7:00 AM, but didn't make it to the Tuckerman Ravine trail until 9:30...shows you how sllooowww breakfast was (at least 45 minutes).  Anyway, we signed in at the visitor center and browsed the gift shop, and then we were on the trail.  My first thought?  It is a tough trail.  Going up is going UP -- as in stepping up over one, two, and three foot rocks.  Add to that a steep grade, and you'll want to stop about every 10 minutes.  And I had twisted my ankle at Silver Bay, so that was slowing us down.  But regardless of huge rocks, aching muscles, twisted ankles, and a hard climb, it was beautiful.  The entire walk up was definitely worth it to touch snow at Tuckerman Ravine, see the views, and realize the accomplishment of climbing most of the way up Mt. Washington.  If we had just gone up 0.7 of a mile, we would have been at the summit, but we weren't prepared for that and we didn't have time for that.  It was okay...it is a good excuse to come back! :)  Seriously, though, we had a great time touching snow, walking out on it just a couple of feet, making snowballs, and just enjoying the crisp mountain air and views...SO fun!  I can't even begin to explain how amazing it was.  We probably hiked about six miles round trip, and it took us about five hours with the stops and everything.  But I timed just hiking up, and it was an hour and forty-five minutes, which I think is absolutely phenomenal, considering everything.  It was a great feeling when I walked up to the car at 2:45 PM this afternoon, tired and aching but still amazed at God's beautiful scenery.

We then drove on to Maine, enjoying the lovely drive with the smells of the ocean drawing us closer. We checked into a Comfort Suite, then headed down to the water.  We enjoyed dinner at Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster Company.  I tried the shrimp roll; my mom and brother tried the lobster roll; and Val tackled a whole lobster with a couple of sides, too.  It's a pretty setting with great food; the prices are a bit high, though, and they only accept cash.  But you can't beat those shrimp or lobster rolls, especially when you're in Maine!  After dinner, we had ice cream at Derosiers, an old grocery store founded in 1904.  It now serves simple lunch food and delicious ice cream.  We then headed back to our hotel and are ready to get a good night's rest.  Tomorrow we will enjoy touring Maine...yaay!  Enjoy the pictures!

Here I am with Matthew and my mom.  Tuckerman Ravine is the white snow above us.  We hiked all the way up there!

I am holding a small snowball in my hands as I stand on the snow at Tuckerman Ravine. Notice the six-foot-deep crevice behind me.

Tuckerman Ravine; you can see how blue and pretty the sky is.  Once again, we were really blessed with great weather.  

This is the common American toad.  He was the only animal we saw, much to the dismay of my mom.  She really wanted to see a moose or bear.  Me?  I'm glad we didn't! :)

I did it!  It's about 2:35 PM, and I just finished the hike.  Tired, fatigued, and exhausted?  Yes.  But it was totally worth it.

~Anna~