Bobby
Active member
Eric and I went up to Mt. Washington for the 13th Paul Perry Memorial Hike. Paul Perry was a Massachusetts State Trooper who, along with Trooper James Mattaliano died in the line of duty in a helicopter accident on February 22, 1995. Two employees of AT&T also perished in the crash. Paul's widow, Carol and her sons, Scott and Mike, organize this hike each year, and they honor Eric and I by inviting us to join them each year.
Over forty people, wearing burnt orange shirts with the inignia of the Mass. State Police Air Wing, began hiking from Pinkham Notch. Hikers of varying levels worked their way up, some as far as Crystal Cascade, others went to Hermit Lake, and spent the day exploring the area. Our group of about 10 went off at a good pace, reaching the Lion Head trail in about ninety minutes. It was hot and humid, the air was very heavy. The weather reports were sketchy heading into the day, with rain and thunderstorms in the forecast. We checked the weather at Hermit Lake, and the boomers were forecast for mid-afternoon. We backtracked to Lion Head Trail and began the climb up. Lion Head was steep, as usual, and it took its toll on me. For whatever reason, my body didn't feel up for the rock pile on this day. Eric's enthusiasm, however, made me keep going. He really wanted to reach the summit for his fourth time.
We took about a 20 minute lunch break on Lion Head, there were clouds blowing in and out of the ravines, but no rain and no thunder. We asked hikers returning from the summit about the weather forecast, and they gave us promising news...no thunderstorms in the area when the left the summit. At the Lion Head/Tuckerman Ravine Trail junction, hikers coming down told us that the Observatory reported no thunderstorm activity in the area, so we headed up to the summit. We got there at about 12:30, covering the distance in about 4:20 minutes, with me bringing up the rear. The lead group of hikers kept stopping to wait for me, in spite of me telling them to go on. I can't tell you how much I wanted them to continue without me, but I was grateful that they waited
.
A couple of people in our group looked into riding the shuttle bus down. Eric, ever concerned for his old man, made the suggestion that we go down by shuttle also. But, at $26 a head , the old man was all for walking down. I drank a liter of gatorade and a liter of water, ate, and began to feel much better. Six of us, Carol, Beth, Linda, Eric, Mark and I began working our way down, and the trail was packed with people. It was slow going for a while, but the crowds thinned out a little, and we picked up some speed.
I made a brief stop at the Tuckerman/Alpine Garden junction, where Eric and I buried most of my dad's hiking gear following his death in 2002. It was a brief, but emotional stop. My first hike ever was here with my dad in 1968, it seems like it was yesterday.
We arrived at Hermit Lake and had a short rest, then made bets if we could reach Pinkham in under ninety minutes. Carol, Beth and Linda were moving pretty fast. We kept up for a while, but Eric's legs began to fail him. Mark and I slowed down, letting Eric set the pace. I have to tell you, the kid has a ton of guts. He was hurting, but kept a pretty good attitude, although he let me carry his pack. After an elderly gentleman went by, with a pretty good sized pack on his back, Eric said "Man, my self respect just bottomed out. Can I have my pack?" We got from Ho-Jo's to Pinkham in 1:23, not bad.
It is truly an honor for Eric and I to be invited to join this hike every year. Carol is a remarkable woman, and she has raised two wonderful young men. I often hear that to gain the true measure of a man, you must look at his family and friends. From what I see of Carol, Scott and Mike, and their family and friends, I can't help but think that Paul Perry was the finest of men.
Pictures here
Over forty people, wearing burnt orange shirts with the inignia of the Mass. State Police Air Wing, began hiking from Pinkham Notch. Hikers of varying levels worked their way up, some as far as Crystal Cascade, others went to Hermit Lake, and spent the day exploring the area. Our group of about 10 went off at a good pace, reaching the Lion Head trail in about ninety minutes. It was hot and humid, the air was very heavy. The weather reports were sketchy heading into the day, with rain and thunderstorms in the forecast. We checked the weather at Hermit Lake, and the boomers were forecast for mid-afternoon. We backtracked to Lion Head Trail and began the climb up. Lion Head was steep, as usual, and it took its toll on me. For whatever reason, my body didn't feel up for the rock pile on this day. Eric's enthusiasm, however, made me keep going. He really wanted to reach the summit for his fourth time.
We took about a 20 minute lunch break on Lion Head, there were clouds blowing in and out of the ravines, but no rain and no thunder. We asked hikers returning from the summit about the weather forecast, and they gave us promising news...no thunderstorms in the area when the left the summit. At the Lion Head/Tuckerman Ravine Trail junction, hikers coming down told us that the Observatory reported no thunderstorm activity in the area, so we headed up to the summit. We got there at about 12:30, covering the distance in about 4:20 minutes, with me bringing up the rear. The lead group of hikers kept stopping to wait for me, in spite of me telling them to go on. I can't tell you how much I wanted them to continue without me, but I was grateful that they waited
.A couple of people in our group looked into riding the shuttle bus down. Eric, ever concerned for his old man, made the suggestion that we go down by shuttle also. But, at $26 a head
, the old man was all for walking down. I drank a liter of gatorade and a liter of water, ate, and began to feel much better. Six of us, Carol, Beth, Linda, Eric, Mark and I began working our way down, and the trail was packed with people. It was slow going for a while, but the crowds thinned out a little, and we picked up some speed.I made a brief stop at the Tuckerman/Alpine Garden junction, where Eric and I buried most of my dad's hiking gear following his death in 2002. It was a brief, but emotional stop. My first hike ever was here with my dad in 1968, it seems like it was yesterday.
We arrived at Hermit Lake and had a short rest, then made bets if we could reach Pinkham in under ninety minutes. Carol, Beth and Linda were moving pretty fast. We kept up for a while, but Eric's legs began to fail him. Mark and I slowed down, letting Eric set the pace. I have to tell you, the kid has a ton of guts. He was hurting, but kept a pretty good attitude, although he let me carry his pack. After an elderly gentleman went by, with a pretty good sized pack on his back, Eric said "Man, my self respect just bottomed out. Can I have my pack?" We got from Ho-Jo's to Pinkham in 1:23, not bad.
It is truly an honor for Eric and I to be invited to join this hike every year. Carol is a remarkable woman, and she has raised two wonderful young men. I often hear that to gain the true measure of a man, you must look at his family and friends. From what I see of Carol, Scott and Mike, and their family and friends, I can't help but think that Paul Perry was the finest of men.
Pictures here
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