House built of Walls: mount washington adventures

We went up to New Hampshire last week for five days. The long trip is inevitably structured around our annual hike up Mt. Washington. The last two years I haven't hiked (pregnant + small infants do not make for good years for mama to hike). This year, I was determined to get back at it. J has been joining us on this hike for years now. I think the first time I dragged him along was when I was in graduate school and he keeps coming back, so I guess it can't be that bad.

Mt. Washington is such an interesting hike because it's a mix between a moderately paced walk in the woods at the very start and a heart pounding sweating work out at the end climbing over huge boulders. Each time I hike I forget how hard it is- and how pretty it is. Each time we hike I am so excited to reach the summit and feel the sense of accomplishment. Each time we hike, I forget how badly my quads and ankles will hurt the next day because there is just.no.other. work out like heading straight down rocks for hours on end. And each time we hike (by three days later) I'm looking forward to the next time. I'm always grateful when my dad starts the emails or texts rolling asking us for good dates for "the hike" every fall.

There's nothing quite like Washington to me- it's a family tradition. It's a powerful natural beast of crazy weather. It's sun shining through freezing cold biting air at times. It's snow in August. It's heat in October. It's sitting on the top of the headwall of Tuckerman's ravine, admiring the amazingly gorgeous scenery, and eating lunch before finishing the last part of the hike. It's my dad eating chili at the top (hello, my stomach + chili would be a disaster, I stick to a chocolate chip cookie). It's my uncle Kurt taking the best photos even if it does mean making me extremely nervous hanging off cliffs and edges. It's my brother switching gears from joking with me to asking if I'm okay as we approach the summit... and the end of the hike on the way down. It's having my husband be a part of something that is so inherently a part of the Tuohy clan. It's a clear view from the summit on crystal clear blue days. It's spending eight to nine seriously quality hours with my family without any interruptions. It's like home.