By: Matt Pyster, Interpretive Ranger at White Lake State Park & Ellacoya State Park.
On a recent hike up Mount Chocorua, I took the Brook Trail up, and the Liberty Trail down. The following is a journal entry that I made when reaching my first breathtaking sight of the lands around me…
“I see mountains encircling me, stretching as if trying to meet the clouds, floating above in the shapes of an elephant, a gopher, Boba Fett’s space ship, a plane. The distant lands fade into the mist on one side, towards what I think may be White Lake. Green trees fill my vision on rolling hills in every direction, dotted by the occasional blanket shadows from passing clouds. On my right side, I can see until the mountains block further sight, rising up as they are. I see from the view of an eagle…ah and yes I see a swarm of black flies around me too, attracted to my sweaty, muddy body after this difficult climb. Clouds lazily and almost imperceptibly move across the sky, their shadows in tow. It seems as if time passes slower up here on Chocorua.”
– 6/18
My knees hurt, my body was sore, my hand was cut, and every bit of it was worth the journey up. Oh and remember, these pictures aren’t from the top; that final visual will be saved for you if you go and see it in person.
If you want to scramble up a mountain, come out to camp at White Lake State Park and take a day hike out to one of the fantastic mountains nearby. Chocorua is my first, and I must recommend this mountain, where the earth and the sky almost meet.
P.S. Do you have your own favorite hike in NH? Post its name and any pictures you took in the comments to help others find great spots!
