Flags on Monroe - 9/9/06

Honoring the tragic victims of September 11th is the least any of us should do.

I woke up early on Saturday the 9th and went back to basics, starting with a breakfast at my mother’s house and an early drive up north. I pulled into the Cog parking lot a little before eight and met GO, Kevin, and Ed Hawkins, all ready to tackle Monroe.

We began up the Ammonoosuc Trail at a steady pace. The temperature was comfortable, clouds were overcast, and the ensuing storm was looming. The real questions was if GO’s or my flagpole would be the best lightning rod.

We shared several stories, thoughts, and memories of 9-11. Several groups stopped us and asked what we were carrying. GO, carrying two poles that were designed to connect together at the summit, joked that he was going to play volleyball at the top. I was carrying one wider pole that was able to be extended out to fifteen feet and replied that I was king of the mountain for the day.

Gary and Susan caught up with us at the start of the rocky area and the group continued on to the Hut. Here, we regrouped, talked with other fellow hikers, shared what we were doing that day, and anxiously looked to the ominous cloud to the northwest.

YAM caught up with us before we headed for the summit and joined the group for the last push. The wind was blowing at a good and steady speed out of the Northwest. GO and I rigged the two poles and hoisted two flags. My flag was sent up the taller pole (the extension pole going up fifteen feet). The other flag was GO’s which was amazing. It appeared as a normal U.S. flag, but in the red stripes were names of victims from 9-11. We tied down the poles as Gary began playing the “Stars and Stripes Forever” on his clarinet. He played for most of the two hours we were at the summit, sometimes just for our group and sometimes for newcomers passing through. That made it much more special.

The two hours was a great time to relax, reflect, enjoy life, and remember the good things we have. Most of all, it was our way of honoring the victims, the firefighters/policemen, the families and friends of victims, the armed forces, etc.

Upon the first drops of rain, we lowered the flags, broke down the poles, and headed back for the hut. The heavy rains hit hardest as we left the hut and proceeded down Monroe. Still, we got down to the cars before the lightning came through (and my lightning rod would be tested).

It was great to meet everyone and enjoy their stories and company. I was honored to be involved with such a great group on Monroe.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=67t3qkc.2jrsd5ek&Uy=-yzn1sq&Ux=0

Nice work! Two flags and music....I think that is a first.

- darren

Nice report, Len.
Good to see people come together to remember such an important day in a respectful way.
Thanks.

Flags on Monroe from down below.

Len,

I have some shots of the flags atop Monroe from down below. We had come up the Caps Ridge Trail to Jefferson, then over to Washington and after coming out of the clouds we could see Monroe looming there under the gray ceiling, looking like a war-torn fortress. On top, however, were your two flags, waving in the wind. We could hear the music as we approached the loop trail from the hut but decided against climbing up when the rain started. Instead we made our way down the Crawford Path and down to Crawford Notch.

The photos are numbers 71-75.

Nicely done, very nicely done...

Great job, glad to hear you got into the trees before the boomers came.

Nice report Len - glad that you were able to join in the fun!

Nice report and slide show, LenDawg. And, thanks for the pics from below, Tom. I had joined Gary, Susan, and GO the previous three years on Monroe, but got nailed with a bad chest cold this year, so with rain in the forecast I decided to lie low. I will definitely be recovered for next year on Mount Monroe.

Thanks for supporting such an important day. Monroe is one of my most favorite peaks! Flags and music, that is great.