A small group of ladies met up in Conway, NH to spend the next twenty-four hours in the White Mountains. Upon meeting at the trailhead, we divvied up group gear and food, and then began our hike to Camp Penacook, a lean-to on the southern side of Mount Chocorua just off of the Piper trail. After about 3 miles of hiking, we arrived at the shelter and were pleasantly surprised to be sharing it with 4 more humans and 3 dogs. (Note: Our shelter-mates and their pups were great!)
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, making dinner, finding a water source, playing cards, and chatting in our sleeping bags. Somehow we all managed to stay up past 9 PM, which is definitely a record of some sort. Typically, we pass out cold before it's dark.; I'm not ashamed to admit that. We also tend to be up early the following morning with the natural light.
The next morning, we had a quick breakfast before packing our bags (which is a lot quicker when you don't have to take down a tent) and heading for the summit. With our early start on the trail, we beat the crowds and got the summit to ourselves. The descent and return to the trailhead led us down the rocky ledges and back into the heavily wooded on lesser-used, but beautiful trails.
Where did you find water? And did you finish your masters?
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