And on the third day

Today we rested. Well kinda. To be honest, even with the wonderful poles I was a bit sore. The legs just weren't holding up to the sudden jolt from spending 8 hours at a desk to hiking 8 hours on the trail. In my work at ACO I often wonder at the folks who come in and announce they're going to climb some huge mountain the next day, with no preparation whatsoever. And now I know why they do it, and I know how they feel. Exhilarated and perhaps more than a bit sore.

But it was a beautiful day, and while none of us liked shopping, it seemed that a trip to North Conway and Eastern Mountain Sports, than driving North around Mt. Washington would be a good way to recuperate.

Ah, EMS. Way back when, when I was just a little girl. Mad as heck that my parents dragged me up and down mountains (preferring to explore them at my own pace) we used to stop in at EMS. For those of you who missed the original North Conway store, it was located in a huge Colonial Revival building. The biggest structure in town at the time, and the most imposing. I'll always remember how walking in, no matter how often, I'd be expecting some grand, almost museum-like atmosphere. I'd have to stop and take a minute every time just to adjust to all the gear, and the smell. (Gear has a very distinctive smell - not describable - but once you smell it, you know it).

But we only stopped briefly at the old edifice. EMS has moved and I don't want to see what's in the old one now. Probably some foo foo shops of some kind. The kind that smell like new mall stuff. Eww.

The new EMS is down the road to the South. A nice enough building. A big enough space. And no matter where you find it, techwick is always the best. That and shot blocks. I love shot blocks.

After that we headed North on RT 16, then West on Rt 2 and back to the little cabin. Not so sore anymore...and ready to climb another day! Only one question remained. Which mountain(s)?