Actually, what brought us to the White Mountains for the third weekend straight wasn’t the opportunity to bag another Four Thousand Footer in prime hiking weather, but NAFTA. Yes, the North America Free Trade Agreement. That NAFTA.
Mr. Pinault, who isn’t about to renounce his EU or Canadian citizenships after seeing Sicko, was required to make a pilgrimage to the Quebec/Vermont border to have his visa credentials inspected in anticipation of his new job.
We stopped at Mount Moosilauke (elevation 4802 ft), a popular mountain with excellent trails maintained by Dartmouth College’s Outing Club. Mount Moosilauke proved to be the easiest Four Thousand Footer yet (or maybe our hiking muscles are getting honed, toned, and zoned.) The trailhead started way up at 2500 feet, and the rest of the elevation was gained gradually. The luxurious dirt cushion was mostly free of rock slabs, although the trail’s popularity was evident from erosion that left tree roots protruding like a New York socialite’s clavicles. We finished the loop in under 5 hours despite dawdling over snacks and photos.
Pictured to the right is Mount Moosilauke’s exposed summit from about a quarter mile away. Below is Mr. Pinault in his new “Live Free or Die” t-shirt that I bought him in celebration of his visa extension. (Hallmark, take notice! Isn’t it time “Visa Extension” be recognized as a greeting card-worthy occasion?)
