Camping

Last weekend, Jay and I loaded up the car and met Peter, Candice, and Matt in the good old White Mountains for a few days of camping. Matt and I had talked about climbing Mount Washington a while back, and though we didn't get a chance to do many "conditioning hikes" in advance, we decided to bite the bullet and do the Mt. Washington hike anyway. I figured this was the make-or-break point in my mountaineering career--if I couldn't do this, I suppose I'd never make it to Everest. (Don't worry Mom, I'm not thinking about going to Everest. Not much, at least.)

We went to Moose Brook State Park in Gorham, which was a great place. Peter went a little crazy in the Bass Pro Shop and bought a machete for the low, low price of 19.99. It was ever-so-useful for hacking our way through the knotted underbrush and menacing neighbors.
Jay had a psychotic break when the machete came into his hands:
If there's anything that can distract a man from weapons, it's fire:
Jay also made us S'mores using his special technique. He assembles the cold ingredients, wraps them in tinfoil, and puts the foil packet in the fire. I even broke my vegetarianism for a night to have them.
Tomorrow: the hike.