Sixteen intrepid scouts along with six somewhat more cautious adults spent the St. Patrick’s day weekend in Gorham NH, specifically Pinkham Notch, the sylvan surroundings of Wildcat Mountain and the bucolic Joe Dodge Lodge (JDL). After arriving in Gorham, we were treated to a splendid repast of pasta and various fixin’s where we all ate like trenchermen with the sole purpose of fueling our muscles for the day ahead. Friday night wrapped up with a film on climbing the nearby Tuckerman’s Ravine (named for botanist Edward Tuckerman). If you’ve never done Tuckerman’s it was a great introduction to the glacial cirque and if you’ve done the climb previously, it was a chance to relive those glory days.
Saturday morning started with a truck driver’s breakfast of bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, potatoes, pancakes, muffins, cereal, fresh fruit, juice, coffee and hot chocolate plus more. Three-quarters of a mile down the road at Wildcat was truly one of the most spectacular sites many of us have seen skiing. At the base of the mountain, we were literally socked in with fog and severely overcast skies. A gray day to say the least. On the way up to the summit for the first run, one of the skiers was informed by a chair-mate that the view from the top was quite incredible but that he would let us see for ourselves. As we ascended, we travelled through a cloud and emerged towards the top into brilliant sunshine and crystal-clear blue skies. From the summit (where the Appalachian Trail passes by literally feet from where the chair drops you off), we were looking down on the cloud that was covering everything below and as far as the eye could see. It was *exactly* like being in an airplane above the clouds. Many of the skiers who were there said they’ve never seen anything quite like it. Of all times not to have Walter and his ubiquitous camera available, this was the most unfortunate. The skiing on Saturday was excellent spring skiing. Temperatures were in the 50’s at the base and around 70 at the summit. The bold skiers who made the trip despite of the mild temperatures were rewarded. For those of who were undone by the prospect of spring skiing, well, you probably wouldn’t have liked it anyway. It took some skill and pluck to get down the slopes. Back to the JDL Saturday night for another excellent meal. The evening ended with a talk from a NH state biologist on the moose population in NH. In 1950 there were 50 moose (easy to remember) and today there are over 6000. “Brake for moose” was his message. Actually, the evening ended for everyone but a scout and the scoutmaster. While children and adults alike were winding down after a big day of skiing and mountain air, Ian was hard at work going over the requirements for a snow sports merit badge with one of the scouts. Even after a full day of skiing, he continued to donate his time and talents to the troop. It was inspiring for those who took the time to notice.
On Sunday morning, we woke to another big breakfast (with the only substitution from Saturday’s breakfast being a buccellated coffee cake in place of the muffins), warm temps and spring skiing. Many doffed their jackets and skied in a t-shirt. We wrapped up mountain operations between 1:00 and 2:00 and headed south in the cars. A few stopped at the Army Barracks and other just drove straight through but all seemed to enjoy the weekend in Gorham. Many have a good goggle tan as their favorite souvenir. Photos at