giant

I hiked Giant Mountain on October 14, 2007 with my father. Husband did not come down with the affliction of needing to hike all 46 mountains and therefore I needed to enlist a new hiking companion. So, I am pretty ecstatic to share my new love of the mountains with my Dad. He is just as excited as I am. We started up my third and his first high peak. He was calm and patient and pointed out a lot about the forest and nature that I have curiously become interested in. The peaks seem to have cast a spell on me. Well, realistically, I believe I have begun this endeavor at a time in my life when I needed it (number one) and have a bigger appreciation for nature and the vastness of the wilderness (number two). The day is cloudy and cold, but we warmed up quickly with the exertion of this more difficult climb. Halfway up gave way to views of the Dix range that were awesome. I thought a lot about my grandfather on this hike. I considered myself lucky to be standing on the side of a mountain, taking in more beauty than my mind could register. Continuing on to the summit, we encountered the first snow we had seen of the season. Standing at the summit marker it was as if a white sheet was draped in front of us. After quickly eating lunch, we anxiously hiked back to the views we had enjoyed so much on the way up. Even without the reward of a view from the top, we were motivated for the next climb and began planning for it on the way home.