I learned a lot of things about New England in the past week while we were on our vacation away from reality. In the process I guess I leanred some things about myself too. Like maybe when you give yourself 1.5 hours to hike >3000 feet in 3 miles because you start the hike too late in the day (...cough...4 pm...cough) you can make it!
To sum up the week, here are 10 things I learned, discovered, or already knew but came alive to me this week in New England:
1. Hiking up the second highest peak in the state and reaching a gourmet restaurant feels odd
We knew from the start of the hike that it would be atypical for us, because it was in the setting of a ski resort.
Now don't get it twisted, this hike and the setting were gorgeous.
It was just the first time in our lives that we hiked under a gondola that was running, and had mountain bikers riding it to the top and whizzing by us on the way down.
Tom took a lot of photos of me like this because I was sucking wind for a lot of the journey...turns out when you're indoors for 60-80 hours a week the10 minutes of cardio you get every few days by running (okay jogging) around the block, doesn't prepare you for a hike very well.
The hike was incredible though with tons to see and explore
And, as usual, the view from the summit was beautiful.
To finally be back in the mountains felt amazing! One of the chief residents here is from Oregon and she told me that after a while my heart would stop aching for the mountains. Well, that certainly hasn't happened yet, and I was so grateful to get out and see them!
There was a restaurant at the summit that looked rather fancy. Of course we dined in our usual fashion- PB&J's and carrot sticks. Although even the setting where we ate felt extra fancy--since when do we get to sit at a picnic table behind a protective fence line while at the top of a hike?
2. Vermont is CUTE!
Seriously, everything about this little state is cute. From the ice cream shops to the "cities" that are small enough that using the word town for them feels like hyperbole.
If it weren't cute, why would their t-shirts say this?
Or why would they have a flannel company on main street?
Or why would they have cow terms posted for visitors?
Or parking restrictions for even numbered, but very short, intervals?
I mean, seriously, when two different people told me to stop by the general store for breakfast and I was like "how will I know which general store to go to?" I obviously had no idea how small and adorable everything is, and that it would become very clear which general store it was. The ORIGINAL one, of course!
3. Front porch rocking is now my FAVORITE THING
Maybe that's too small a point to take up #3 on my list all by itself. But, seriously, sitting in the sunshine, holding a cup of tea and rocking my cares away is something I aspire to do every day in my retirement (but why wait until then?).
4. 360 degree views make you feel alive
I wish I could bottle it up for you all and take it home for you to experience. Seriously, this was an unexpected hike in New Hampshire that literally blew me away. We got to hike along the brook (or maybe it's creek, or maybe stream?...doesn't matter, it's beautiful)
We gave ourselves a time crunch -- 1.5 hours for 3 miles. We came in about 5 minutes slow off of that goal.
5. Wooden bridges are impractical but beautiful
6. Cheese = better when you know where it came from
We stopped by a place called sugarbush farms on our way from Vermont to New Hampshire and sampled some of the best cheese (cheddar to be exact) we've ever had!
It's a tiny little farm that is definitely locally owned and operated as evidenced by their tiny but effective work room.
They also make maple syrup and you can bet I tasted that as well!
7. Cicada's make it sound like an electrical wire is about to blow up
After Sugarbush farms we stopped by a science museum to discover all sorts of things, including the name of the bug that has been peaking my curiosity since we moved to Rhode Island. I haven't seen one in person but it looks like this:
The science museum had a little outdoor walking trail where we learned about the critters and birds in the New England woods.
8. Chasing waterfalls in the rain feels like coming home
Our last day we intended to go to Mt Washington but those plans were halted when we woke up to rain. That didn't stop us from exploring and it made us feel more like we were back in the Northwest. Our hiking boots and Taku pants came in handy when we lost the trail a few times and had to wade through the mud!
The photo below is of a body of water called the basin--so cool and so tempting to jump into. Alas, there were clear signs and a fence between us and it (although the fence was definitely easy to get over....but we held back).
The usual fine dining of our hikes: PB&J!
9. Candy never looks better than after spending the past three days burning all sorts of calories :)
Check out all of that fudge!
I was shocked at the selection of black licorice options (yuck!)
10. Lobster + Lighthouses + beaches = Bliss
Our final stop of the journey was at a place called Sunset Tiki bar. It was incredibly cheesy but also a wonderful way to end the trip with live music, tiki torches, and delicious grub.
I learned so much more on this trip, and was given an ever-important reminder of how important it is to step away from screen-time and the business of life (especially in residency) and get out to the world and LIVE! There are hundreds more photos, but I think you get the idea of how great it was :).
I can't believe how spoiled I am for so many reasons, not the least of which is my husband who not only planned this whole vacation but went on it despite needing to take a standardized test this past Saturday (48 hours after we returned)! He took the ethics portion of the bar exam (so to speak) and now he'll be able to sit for the bar in February.
It's been a long road, and it's not getting any shorter! For now, we're reflecting on the beauty of the mountains we just saw and looking forward to getting back to see them again soon. For me , it's time for bed because that 4 am alarm is coming for me tomorrow as I return back to the wards of gynecology oncology. Two more weeks of that before I transition to the medical ICU at Rhode Island Hospital.
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