Crawford Notch State Park, New Hampshire

We woke up Tuesday, the first day of October, to dense fog. It burned off quickly when the sun came up and turned into another beautiful fall day. As we were packing up, I bent to pick something up off the couch and must have twisted wrong because I was immobilized by some very intense back pain. It took awhile before I could even attempt to move. Ibuprofen and moving slowly got me through the morning:)

On the way to Crawford Notch State Park we passed a pretty little lake.

 

A little further up the road we saw the Mount Washington Resort and stopped to take a picture.

 

After entering the state park, we stopped at an overlook and discovered the Silver Cascade, a waterfall visible from the road.

 

Next we came upon Willey Pond . . .

 

And then the Ripley Falls Trail. We figured it would be manageable since the sign said it was only half a mile to the falls. Mark said they lied:) They must have measured as the crow flies, because it sure seemed a lot longer than half a mile! Of course the path was rocky and mostly uphill, and I was moving pretty slow . . . But everyone else we met commented that they thought it seemed longer, too:)

See those rocks in the trees? Yep, that's the path . . .

 

It was a pretty falls. The Avalanche River flows 100 feet down over granite in a rippling cascade to form the falls.

 

By the time we walked back to the camper we decided it might be a good idea to stop early and take it easy for the afternoon. We checked in at the Crawford Notch State Park Dry River campground about 1:30. It was a restful afternoon. I took a nap and Mark sat in the sun.

Wednesday morning we went for a three and a half hour hike to Arethusa Falls and the Bemis Brook Falls. Most of the trails we've hiked in Vermont and New Hampshire are full of boulders, rocks, and roots! This one was no different. Mark made the comment that it seemed like someone had gathered all the boulders and threw them on the path:) We took it slow on the way in since it was predominately uphill. It felt like a very long trek but it was totally worth it.

A rocky path . . .

If there's no rocks, there's roots!

 

The Arethusa Falls was quite spectacular. While we were there we met a young couple carrying their two year old in a backpack carrier. They have traveled ALL OVER THE WORLD to see waterfalls and write about their experiences on their website: worldofwaterfalls.com. It is incredible all of the places they have been! Now that I've seen their website, I'd like to talk to them again about some of their experiences.

The couple with the red backpack behind us have traveled the world visiting waterfalls.

The log Mark is standing on is farther above the rocks and water than it looks. If he had fallen, he would have gotten hurt:(

Arethusa Falls

See Mark?

View looking up from the foot of the falls.

 

The Bemis Brook Falls was smaller but had some interesting rock around it.

Bemis Brook Falls

 

When we returned to the trailhead, we were just in time to watch the Conway Scenic Railroad train pass by full of tourists admiring the fall foliage.

 

When we left the state park, we went looking for Madison Boulder State Wayside which was marked as a place of interest on our New Hampshire map. It was out in the middle of nowhere and the last leg of the drive was a one lane dirt road. Basically, what we found was a HUGE boulder sitting in the middle of the woods:) It's claim to fame is that it is one of the largest "glacial erratics" in the world (a boulder left randomly by a retreating glacier).

One lane dirt road . . .

See Mark?

 

We stopped early (about 2:30) for the day at White Lake State Park. Mark sat by the lake for the afternoon and I rested in the camper. This is the second New Hampshire state park we have stayed in. Their campsites do not have electricity, but are very pleasant ($25). There are very nice restrooms with pay showers. Although this one has a dump station, we were surprised to find that most New Hampshire state parks do not.

The lake across from our campsite.

 

We have heard from several people who have been praying for my back pain. Thank you so much! It's still complaining some, but is doing MUCH better than I expected. . . A wonderful answer to prayer.

 

Posted with Blogsy