Some dreams start out as dreams from when we were kids. We fantasize about the day they'll be fulfilled and train for years to be ready for it. Other dreams start with an impulse, grow to become nearly impossible, and are eventually...completed.
Six months ago for Christmas, i was given a Backpacker magazine, with the cover story, "The 2015 Hikers Life List." Like all lists, it was a fun fantasy to read through, but would just be another list to fall to the wayside. Except one hike stood out to me, #77, the Presidential Traverse in a day.
Normally a 3 day trek with lots of boulder hopping and almost entirely above tree line, its no easy hike, especially if undertaken in a single day push. The Presidential Traverse is a 26.4 mile hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and crosses some of the only alpine terrain in the east coast. It is mostly along the Appalachian trail, but also uses smaller tails in the area for navigating on and around some of the peaks. The biggest issue is the weather. Mount Washington, approximately the middle of the hike, is known for having the worst weather in the world, and until recently, the highest ever recorded wind speeds on Earth. Not a fact to be taken lightly.
I asked my good friend Andrew if he was up for it way back in January, more of a joke than anything. We tentatively planned to do it the weekend before I graduated in May if notorious weather was good enough to do it. But, the weekend quickly came and past with out even a thought and life was going to move on. Except, life paused instead.
As a great way to end our week, Andrew and I decided to finally make this dream become a reality.
It was the most miserable fun I've had in a while.
