Loving the Mountains!

 **Inspired by dmsherriff’s post about her family’s shared love of mountains

My family also loves mountains! 

One of the top ten days of my life was when I climbed Mount Washington in New Hampshire when I was 25 or 26. We were staying at an Appalachian Mountain Club hut which, in itself, was quite difficult to hike to. We had no intentions of climbing up all the way to Mount Washington the next day, but then everyone staying at the hut was. They made a giant breakfast for everyone, including bacon and eggs, and people’s excitement to begin the hike was too contagious. It was a pristine day, with blue, cloudless skies, 72 degrees: what could be more perfect?  And so we embarked on this wonderful journey above tree line, with these magical, majestic views of all the mountains in the region. We hiked to Lakes of the Clouds hut which is located a mile before the final ascent to the top. The last mile was rough, with lots and lots of rocks to climb over. Once on top, after hours and hours of hiking, I felt like I could do anything. I felt like I had achieved something really special and important in my life.

We have climbed many mountains since, and many with our two daughters. We have hiked the Green Mountains, the White Mountains, Yosemite and a whole host more. 

And in recent mountain news, my daughter’s now husband proposed to her on the top of a mountain they hiked in Lake Placid. They got married at the West Mountain Inn in Vermont last June, in a meadow overlooking mountains and llamas. It was exquisite!