Albany Mountain 10-9-20
Albany Mountain 1906'
Albany Mountain Trail
4.3 Miles 1184' Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy & Wicket
One of the great pleasures, (and treasures!) of hiking in the White Mountains and surrounding hills, is to see the care and attention that hard working trail adopters have spent doing countless hours of thankless and grueling toil, selflessly given to ensure hikers they most likely will never meet have an enjoyable experience while hiking.
Albany Mountain is a perfect example of this. Someone has given much of their time, and an extreme amount of effort, to build a trail that is not only esthetically pleasing, but will last a great amount of time so that future generations may enjoy it as well.
To make this commitment all the more amazing, this tortuous work is performed almost entirely by volunteers. There is no clock-punching. There is no paycheck at the end of the week. Unless actually caught in the act of working on the trail, the maintainer seldom receives compliments or thanks.
A vast majority of those who hike along the trail will give little thought to the effort that was selflessly given, or never consider the effort needed to move the boulders that created the step, or to trench the area where the rain collected so that it would drain and not leave a muddy mess.
As hikers we owe a great deal of gratitude not only to, but also for, these trail adopters and maintainers. Less and less of this volunteerism is evident in today's fast paced "Me First" society. Without these individuals the trails we all enjoy would soon fall into disrepair, and eventually disappear altogether.
What a sad world it would be if we could not enjoy these paths, created by those who owe us nothing, and who may never meet us in person, but who toiled all the same with our best interests and enjoyment in mind.
Most of these individuals are serious hikers themselves, and because of their love of the mountains and hills feel as though they need to give something back in exchange for the many hours of peace and comfort they have found on the trails.
The very least we can do to show our appreciation, not only for the mountains and trails, but out of respect for these individuals who maintain the trails for our benefit, is to treat these places with the same respect we would wish if we ourselves had put in many hours of labor for little reward.
Pack out what we pack in. Save the spray paint and "artwork" for murals in more suitable places. Leave things the way we found them so that those that come after us may enjoy them as well. It is little enough to ask, and if we do come across one of these individuals, or even a large group, take the time to thank them for their efforts just as you would want to be thanked if it was you.
Love and good will created these paths for our enjoyment, spread the love and good will!
Read MoreAlbany Mountain Trail
4.3 Miles 1184' Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy & Wicket
One of the great pleasures, (and treasures!) of hiking in the White Mountains and surrounding hills, is to see the care and attention that hard working trail adopters have spent doing countless hours of thankless and grueling toil, selflessly given to ensure hikers they most likely will never meet have an enjoyable experience while hiking.
Albany Mountain is a perfect example of this. Someone has given much of their time, and an extreme amount of effort, to build a trail that is not only esthetically pleasing, but will last a great amount of time so that future generations may enjoy it as well.
To make this commitment all the more amazing, this tortuous work is performed almost entirely by volunteers. There is no clock-punching. There is no paycheck at the end of the week. Unless actually caught in the act of working on the trail, the maintainer seldom receives compliments or thanks.
A vast majority of those who hike along the trail will give little thought to the effort that was selflessly given, or never consider the effort needed to move the boulders that created the step, or to trench the area where the rain collected so that it would drain and not leave a muddy mess.
As hikers we owe a great deal of gratitude not only to, but also for, these trail adopters and maintainers. Less and less of this volunteerism is evident in today's fast paced "Me First" society. Without these individuals the trails we all enjoy would soon fall into disrepair, and eventually disappear altogether.
What a sad world it would be if we could not enjoy these paths, created by those who owe us nothing, and who may never meet us in person, but who toiled all the same with our best interests and enjoyment in mind.
Most of these individuals are serious hikers themselves, and because of their love of the mountains and hills feel as though they need to give something back in exchange for the many hours of peace and comfort they have found on the trails.
The very least we can do to show our appreciation, not only for the mountains and trails, but out of respect for these individuals who maintain the trails for our benefit, is to treat these places with the same respect we would wish if we ourselves had put in many hours of labor for little reward.
Pack out what we pack in. Save the spray paint and "artwork" for murals in more suitable places. Leave things the way we found them so that those that come after us may enjoy them as well. It is little enough to ask, and if we do come across one of these individuals, or even a large group, take the time to thank them for their efforts just as you would want to be thanked if it was you.
Love and good will created these paths for our enjoyment, spread the love and good will!
Foliage along the way as we head north.
