Excursion to Cow Pasture

2007-09-17 17:28:37.000 – Peter Sciola,  Summit Intern

she could hardly contain herself

Intern’s log: Stardate 0710.17 – The intern task of the day: check and fix if need be, Cow pasture and Home Stretch road posts.

As the glaze and rime ice began to completely melt away today, I finally found the time to embark on my first hike off the summit. Although it was for work and not pleasure, I was still able to take in the beautiful scenery that the upper summits have to offer. After hiking a little way’s down Nelson Crag Trail with my fellow intern, Aubrie, we stopped at Home Stretch to inspect the posts lining the auto road. We fixed several of them before heading on down to Cow Pasture. On the way down, I couldn’t help but notice how peaceful and serene it can be on a calm, sunny day. Today was a far cry from the conditions on Saturday and into the night.

After fixing several more posts skirting Cow Pasture, it was time to return back to the summit. Between the lack of lung capacity and the awkwardness of the rocks provided for us by Mount Washington, Aubrie and I realized just how physically out of shape we were on our upward climb. We were a sorry looking bunch between her almost passing out and me twisting my ankle a few times. Anyways we made it back alive, but not before Aubrie took advantage of a photo shoot opportunity with a backhoe.

Peter Sciola,  Summit Intern