The morning of the hike I woke up excited, a little bleary-eyed, and hungry. When I got downstairs the air was crisp with excitement Brad, Mike and Rudy were busily gathering everything we would need and packing up the car. Strangely enough, though, no one else seemed to want breakfast! So I concocted a lovely mix of yogurt, granola, almonds, and fresh fruit to take on the road and Brad brewed me a travel mug of coffee... gosh I love him. He gives me coffee. :)
With everyone loaded into the Toyota (puppies included) we headed up the highway to New Hampshire. You would think I'd have been more concerned than I was that Mr. Brad had absolutely no appetite on the morning of a big hike. I mean; you need sustenance for this kind of thing! But oh no, I just ate my yogurt and snoozed. Though I was curious about his mom's seemingly unending (and adorable) excitement for a hike she wasn't even going on! Again and again she asked if I was excited for the hike... "Are you excited????" "Um... yeah! I like mountains!" Haha! Boy was I dense…
We arrived at Pinkham Notch at the base of Mt. Washington around 10am after a four hour drive… stretched our legs, took advantage of the facilities, took some pictures, said our goodbyes (lots of hugs), and headed up the mountain!
This is exactly the kind of environment I love to hike in… lush, tall trees, rushing rivers and streams, big rocks, crisp air, and fantastic company.
It didn’t take long before I started to realize that I hadn’t moved much in the last week. I was becoming somewhat nervous about the hike ahead so I developed a system to arrange mini-breaks without Brad realizing that I was a big wimp. “Oh wow! Look at that view! I need at least twelve pictures!”, “Do you need some water? I’m a little parched”, “Wow! Look at that bug!!”, “Can I have a hug? I need a hug.” So many options… :)
Soon enough, however, I got into the swing of it and actually felt pretty energetic. Heck, I was skipping up those rocks with the best of them! Ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration. It is. Actually. But I was doing a lot better.
Before I knew it we were at the Caretaker’s Cabin where we had agreed to stop for lunch. It’s amazing how warm all that physical exertion keeps you… ten minutes after we sat down we both had our fleeces on. I had no idea that it was chilly up there until I stopped! We enjoyed some peanut butter on a whole grain bagel and took in the incredible views for about 15 minutes before continuing the climb.
Our next section was the “headwall” (whatever that means) of Tuckerman’s Ravine. The “trail” quickly disappeared as we scrambled up and over boulders and rocks… it was something like a never-ending, evil stairmaster.
Ninny, if you are reading this, think Atlanta stairs times 100. They paint yellow arrows on the rocks so that you know where to go. Luckily the amazing views kept me from noticing any pain… almost any pain... it really was so so pretty.
When we got to the next little section I was awestruck. There were little streams coming down the mountain, wildflowers, mossy rocks, and a view that quite literally took my breath away. It was one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. Tucked away in the middle of this crazy mountain range. Wow.
Brad suggested we rest on this big flat rock for a little while. I was thrilled to stop and take some pictures! Brad was snapping away as well… though mostly just of me. Hah, always a little awkward, but adorable.
I pulled out a snack pack of cheez-its that had been in my backpack. It was tiny so I figured even though I’m not a huge cheez-it fan it might be a good snack. I also thought it might be fun to alternate popping a cheez-it in my mouth, then popping one in Brad’s mouth until the bag was empty... what? Was that cheesy? Hehe. Poor Brad got sick of this game unusually quickly. “Can we be done with the snacks? Please?” “What? No way! It’s a tiny bag – if I put it back like this the crumbs will all settle at the bottom of my bag… gross.” “Ok, ok. I’ll finish it.” I couldn't figure out why he seemed so nervous! Wasn’t it his idea to rest??
Once we finished the bag he waited for some people to pass us and then hopped up and scrounged around in his backpack, pulling out a balled-up sock. He slowly walked over and knelt down in front of me. I looked around… wondering why he was sitting like that… couldn’t be comfortable I thought. (Again. Why am I such a dunce??). Stupidly, I start to open a fruit snack much to my Bradley’s chagrin. “Julie! Enough snacks!” He cried pleadingly.
Suddenly I realized what that look in his eyes was and why he was on one knee and what he was holding… and I started to cry (happy tears of course!!). He said some really really sweet things and asked me if I would marry him. ………. sigh………….
I was a mess of tears and blubbering... I couldn’t even get a simple “Yes!” out! I just threw my arms around him and laughed and cried. “Should I take that as a ‘yes’?” “Yes!!” :-D
Just at that moment another couple was passed by and Brad asked if they would mind taking some pictures for us – she was probably wondering why in the world this guy would want pictures of me crying. Hah! When I told her what had just happened she shrieked, “What?! Just NOW??? AAAHH!!! I’ll take LOTS of pictures for you!! YAY!!” Haha! She was awesome.
Once all of the pictures of us glowing and blubbering and laughing had been taken we took a moment to revel in our new ENGAGED status… “Hello fiancé…” “Hello fiancée.” Wow. :)
Having come (a little bit) back down to earth, we put our packs back on and continued up the mountain… which is tricky when you can’t stop staring at your hand. :) I was flying up the mountain at this point – I felt no pain. I starting singing Sound of Music songs and spinning around (no, I’m not kidding). I was so excited and joyful and foggy I hardly noticed the steep climb.
Except that I was concerned about nicking or scratching my beautiful new ring! How could he give me such a beautiful piece of jewelry while I’m supposed to be climbing a mountain?? Agh!
Climbing, climbing, scrabbling, teetering, climbing, singing, climbing… it kinda went on forever… At one point this group of hiking-folk passed by and looked at me working my way through a tricky spot and pleasantly called out “How ya doin’?” Most likely expecting a pained moan and a “Are we getting close??” or at least a conservative “I think I’ll make it!” but oh no… they got, “FanTAStic!!!!” and a big, beaming smile. They thought I was on drugs. Brad was laughing so hard I thought he might fall off the cliff!
The last stretch was the hardest but we finally made it to the top and were instantly enveloped in a cloud. It was cold at the top! Mt. Washington has the worst weather in the world! That is documented fact. They have clocked the world's highest wind speeds on the mountaintop. Once inside the warmth and comfort of the observatory we began calling our families to tell them our news!
It wasn’t long before we realized that it had taken us a little longer than expected to summit and that at this point, if we decided to hike down the mountain, we would be hiking in the dark. Now, don’t worry, Brad is ALWAYS prepared so we had headlamps and warm clothes and anything and everything we could ever possibly need, but still… It seemed wiser to go ahead and take the last shuttle down the mountain. While we were waiting for the shuttle we sent a postcard home, rested, and reveled in the bliss of our future together.
The shuttle ride was actually really fun! Our driver was very informative and really enjoyed picking Brad’s brain about the AT and the PCT (two crazy hikes he’s done). The sun was setting over the mountains and the views were golden and amazing.
Once we got down we enjoyed a celebratory reunion with Mike and Rudy, lots of hugs, tears and laughter, and then went to dinner. We didn’t get home until 3am, we were SO exhausted… but not too exhausted to talk to one of my best friends in Bulgaria. :)
Oh my goodness… I’m engaged!!!!!
