My First Backpacking Adventure in the White Mountains of New Hampshire
The Presidential Traverse
“Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world.”
I was born and raised in the beautiful mountains of Lower Santa Cruz, Trinidad & Tobago, so I’m no stranger to the hills. Though the mountains in New Hampshire are a different kind of beast, my journey started when a hiker I know invited me on her conquest to conquer the Presidential Traverse. I was humbled by the request to join the team but at the time very hesitant to do such a tough terrain with people that I haven’t had much experience hiking with.
I’m always up for a challenge and it coincided with my Berlin Marathon training schedule, so after weeks of Facebook messenger chats and two Zoom calls, I was set and ready to join the group for a weekend of adventure.
Growing up in the mountains of Lower Santa Cruz, the mountains always felt like home to me. Being able to survive in any situation thrown at me even as a child really helped me battle many mental health challenges. What happened on this trip came as a surprise to me, because I had some expectations of the people I was hiking with. I will spare you the details of the drama for now and focus on the best parts of the trip and the things that it has taught me.
View from My Childhood Home
After my dad passed away in 2014, I visited the site of the home I grew up in for most of my childhood. Though the structure is no longer there, all the memories live on. “The mountains feel like home to me”
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity.”
Day 1 of My Presidential Traverse
With sun in the skies and no rain clouds in sight on the radar, the day was set to be perfect weather for hiking. We woke up at 3:00 am on Saturday morning to get ready for our day-long trip. We ended up at the trailhead around 4:30 am (we were supposed to start at 4 am). If you know me, you know I’m a bit of a stickler for being on time, but when you are doing things with other humans you must leave room for the unexpected.
After taking pictures and waiting for two other persons to join us at the trailhead, we headed out at 5:10 am. We took a detour to check out some amazing waterfalls on the way up to the first summit. I don’t remember their names but I’ll be sure to post photos in the collage below. After viewing the waterfalls, we took the USFS AMC Valley Way Trail, heading towards Madison Hut. This was a deceiving trail that looked easy from the start, but got steeper as we ascended. This is where the “Stick together” motto went out the window. It was a challenge for all of us, but some of us were faster and had lighter backpacks. It would be useful to note here that most of us were carrying over 30 pounds on our backs.
I ran the Mohonk Preserve in Novemeber 2021, with nothing but a light waterpack and was able to finish in 12 hours with stops, but this was different.
Six grueling hours later, we summited the first peak - Mount Madison - without two of our friends. This was super emotional and as much I would have loved for all of us to summit together, it didn’t go that way. We spent a lot of time at the hut refueling and getting ready for the trek to the next peak and eventually to the campsite.
