My husband was away this weekend. I asked Sage what she wanted to do, and she declared, "Camp!" I asked if she wanted to stay at a campsite by a pond/lake/waterfall or by a mountain. She answered, "Mountain!"
We looked at the map and chose Sugarloaf Campsite #2. It lies by a trail which goes up a couple of Sage-able mountains, North and Middle Sugarloaf.
We arrived at the campsite in the early afternoon. There was an unfortunate, intense ten minutes or so of sibling bickering -- you know, meaningful things such as "Stop standing so close to meeeeee" in whiny, earth-shattering screamy volumes. This caused my inner Joan Crawford to pop out...I told the girls that if they didn't knock it off then we would forget about camping and hiking, and just head home. There was great fussing all around, tears, and then finally tender assurances. Eventually we all chilled out and started on our hike. Ah, parenthood.
The Trestle Trail is a loop of sorts, and it goes right by the campsite. I looked at the map and saw that we could reach the intersection with the Sugarloaf Trail no matter which way we went. One direction led to a water crossing, but the guide stated that the bridge was out and that the crossing might be dangerous. Since said crossing was less than a tenth of a mile from where we stood, we decided to go check it out.
Yes, the bridge was definitely out.
And yes, the water crossing was definitely dangerous.
Alex and I scouted about, looking for a safe passage across. Upstream, the water was more shallow, but it was still moving fast. There was one particular place where it was do-able with some wading and good pole placement. If it had been only Alex and myself, we could have done it. However, Sage was with us, and I did not think it wise to try to take her across -- she has shorter legs than Alex and far less experience. I don't think I could have carried her without perhaps losing my own balance. In the end, I decided it would be wiser to just hang about and stick our legs in the nice, cool water for a while.
After a bit of relaxation, we turned and headed back the way we had come. The girls expressed their disappointment at not being able to cross the water.
We walked along the campground road and found the other entrance to the Trestle Trail. This bit went the other way around the loop. A conversation with other hikers confirmed that we could get up the mountain this way, no problem. We set out, came to a parking area, crossed a road bridge, and found the sign pointing the way toward the Sugarloaf Trail.
The girls were happy to be on their way up a mountain, unhindered.
This bit of Trestle Trail ambled nicely along the Zealand River. It was a pretty walk.
We came to the intersection with the Sugarloaf Trail...
...and started up. At first, this trail was fairly dry and flat.
Then, it became muddy and flat.
After the muddy bits, the grade steepened. The rest of the trail alternated moderate with steep pitches.
It was a muggy afternoon, and both girls tired quickly and asked for lots of water breaks. We took our time, and finally made it up to where the trail splits. One branch goes over to Middle Sugarloaf, and the other heads toward North Sugarloaf. The girls opted for the one with slightly less mileage.
It was much cooler along this bit of trail, and the girls pepped up significantly. A few ups and downs later, we came to the summit of North Sugarloaf. There were some nice views to be had up there!
The girls gaze upon Mt. Washington...
We ate our customary summit chocolate, took a break, and then headed back down. As always, the journey downward was much faster and easier than the trek upward. We reached the road in short order.
Back to the campsite we went. Sage was pretty pooped when we returned, and said she was going to sleep on Alex while I took this picture.
We spent the rest of the evening roasting hot dogs over a fire, and playing with the caretaker's grandkids (who were the same ages as Alex and Sage).
With the exception of the initial kids-fighting-out-pops-Joan event, and with the exception of two minor bits of sibling squabbling on the trail (followed by two brief re-appearances of Ms. Crawford), it was a good day. The girls enjoyed the hike and the campsite, and I enjoyed my time with them, as always.
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