Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. — John Muir
Mt. Moosilauke (4802)
Trail: Gorge Brook – Carriage Road – Snapper Tr.
Date: 09/28/2011
Attending: Joel Lapoint, Chris Croteau, Shawn White, Simone, & John Chicoine
Miles: 3.7 up, 3.8miles down Time: 3 hours to summit. 6 hour total
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: Moosilauke Ravine Lodge
Weather: Sunny, clear, gentle cooling breeze
Another great hike to our old friend in the whites, with two new 4k hikers on their first official Bag. What a great experience! I think this hike surprised the boys just how long it was, just how much time it took, and just how tired they were. That’s peak bagging!
I say without hesitation, God has blessed Simone and I with this opportunity to get to know these boys and we count ourselves lucky to consider their friendship ours! What a pleasure it is to be lucky enough the share the excitement of standing on their first 4000 footer, and to share for the first time the wonder of God’s greatness alive in His creation from the summit of this great mountain. Neither they or we will ever forget it.
God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools. — John Muir
For us we were treated to a new and absolutely out of the ordinary and unimaginable happening; we stumbled right into the middle of the Dartmouth College Orientation week. It was a collage of East meets West, Woodstock meets Lolopalooza, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and the 21’st century all thrown into a social blender, laced with a heavy dose of Positive Self speak Ego Brainwashing, all spilled out on the holy ground of the base of Mt Moosilauke. We had to walk better than a ½ mile to find ourselves out of ear shot of the roar of the crowds, and blare of the over amplified sound system. (It was… We are here, and we believe we deserve to be noticed.) The summit was a cacophony of large groups of self absorbed College freshmen, the epitome of this 21’st century spawn of the upper middle class, Self centered, Self gratifying, Self aggrandizing plebes, all seeking to impress and be impressed by each other. The majesty of this spectacular mountain was only but a cool backdrop to the presence of these little deities.
The smiles in this picture says it all.
(This picture was taken before the looonnnggggg slog back down to the car.)
- Moosilauke1 Matt Leblank, Gabe, J&S (Winter 1998)
- Moosilauke2 Shawn, Ralph, Gabe, J&S (Winter 2000)
- Moosilauke3 Shawn, Ralph, Gary, Gabe, J&S (Winter 2002)
- Moosilauke4 Gary & Pete, Gabe, Noah, J&S (Winter 2003)
- Moosilauke5 J&S (Spring 2009)
- Moosilauke6 Chris, Joel, Shawn, J &S, (Fall 2011)
- Moosilauke7 J&S (Fall 2017)