After a restless night filled with tossing and turning it was finely morning. The sun was starting to peak out of its nighttime placement. As I pulled the sleeping bag off of my overheating body, the cold swept in and I was instantly reminded where I was, the mountains.
“Rise and shine, sleepy heads,” my Mom announced, “it’s time to get hiking .”
She was answered with echos of mumbles.
My family and I were going too finally, after three years and one attempted try. We were going to fulfill my grandfather’s death wishes to drop his ashes on Mount. Haystack, his favorite place in the world.
After getting up we had to eat and put on our bulky hiking boots on. Later I had to put on the dreaded pack. The day before, it weighed about 20 pounds .It felt like one hundred pounds after carrying it on my back for five miles.
I stepped out of the large, warm and cozy cabin. The cold morning breeze sent goose bumps down my neck. It may have been summer but it sure felt like winter.
“Come on guys let’s get going now,” I yelled into the cabin, “Let’s go.”
“Ok we are ready now” said my mom
Everyone marched out to begin the ten mile hike.
After hiking and hiking and hiking and yes more hiking, the trees were getting smaller and not as lush as before. The beautiful thing that meant we were getting to the peak of the mountain.
The big boulders in front of us seemed so perfectly placed on the trail compared to the map that we were studying in front of us. Could this be the mountain, how could it be this easy?
“Yes we made it to haystack, yay!” We all chanted in together.
As victory filed our minds another Hiker pasted us.
“Did you know that this is not even little Haystack? Little Haystack is that big hill in the distance,” the Hiker told us.
We all looked at each other in astonishment. We had no idea that it would take so long it was already one o’clock and we had not even eaten lunch yet. Feeling disbelief we headed on to Little Haystack. Which surprisingly looked a lot closer than it really was?
Now we were far past the tree line and everything was getting even steeper than before. Our group was 75% of an elderly age. It was hard for them to keep up with me and my sister. At one point it was as if walking up a wall and that was a challenge for everyone.
Next we were nearing a muddy pit.
“Come on Guys follow my lead” said Uncle Dana
He put his walking stick against a boulder so that he did not get his boots covered in of the mud pit. It was a clever move, but unfortunately Maeve did not copy what he did and stepped right into the mud and got her shoes all dirty.
“Eww, Maeve you’re all muddy, are you okay?” I asked Maeve
“Oh, I’m okay. My shoes are just dirty.” replied Maeve
As we reached the last part of getting to Little Haystack, it was as if it was getting steeper, and steeper, and steeper in an unsafe way. As I clenched the rocks when I looked to the right off the edge I could see the distant valleys far below. Knowing time was short we couldn’t stop and look at the breath taking views we had to venture on.
The rocks where tinted green because of the lichen it was spectacular in a kind of way that you can only get from nature. As we neared Little Haystack we all started to worry. Worry about what time it would be when we got home?What we would run into if we got back after dark knowing that it was bear country out here?
“Okay, I’m hungry we’ve made it to Little Haystack I think its time to eat now.” announced my Father.
“Yeah let’s eat,” My Mother said “It’s already 1 o’clock.”
So we all sat down on Little Haystack, on the hard rock overlooking the wonderful Mountain View and I bite into my apple. Instantaneously, a swarm of gnats buzzed all around in our faces as we devoured our food.
After eating we decided to keep on going.
“Come on,” said Dory, “Burr, this is cold up here.”
We started hiking up again, but now our bellies were full.
“Hey guys, it’s almost one thirty we can send a couple people up to Haystack to throw Chuck’s ashes into the wind and then the other group of people can start going back down the mountain its getting rather late.” Said Uncle Dana
“I think everyone will want to go to the top together,” Said my father “It’s important for everyone to experience it together.”
We all continued up the mountain finally we sighted the tippy top of the mountain every step took us closer and closer to that perfect spot where we would put grandpa’s ashes. That spot was one of the few places with alpine grasses. Once we got there we pulled out the ashes that we had and each and every one of us: Dad, Mom, Uncle Dana, Dory, my sister Maeve, and I. We all took a pinch of ashes said a couple of words and spread it out evenly so it lightly covered the rocks and grasses.
After 7 hours of hiking we had finally completed our mission, all that was left was getting back before dark. It was already 2 o’clock and we could sense the evening creeping towards us.
“Guys lets split up I will take the youngsters so we can get out of here before dark we will go as fast as we can, I think this would be best so you all don’t slow us down and make us wait for you to catch up at every turn.” Suggested Uncle Dana
“Ya, that sounds like a good idea.” Reapplied my dad
We waved good bye and we were off. Our pace quickened and before we knew it been multiple hours since we had seen the rest of our party. We recognized tree stumps and mushrooms were we had about seven hours ago past by them. Everything seemed like fairies could have lived there it was so enchanting. The last mile felt like the longest in the whole 18 mile trip every time we turned a corner it brought our hopes up and we would jump up with joy because we thought we were done.
When we finally got to the end we were so over the whole hiking thing all we wanted to do was put our feet up for a moment. The other half of our whole group had stayed back they stayed back for a number of reasons. Some of the reasons were because my sister Clare, had sprained her ankle, my Aunt, was sick with a cold, and my cousin Jeani flew all the way from Australia and still was jet lagged . All of them came and met us with a big hug and more trail mix.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so happy you guys made it here in time!” explained aunt Alice, “wait, where is everyone else?”
“We were going too fast for them so we split up we don’t know when they are getting here but hopefully soon.” Answered Uncle Dana
“It’s getting late what we should do?” questioned Jeani
“I think if in the next thirty minutes they don’t come back we should get a search party out looking for them, said Aunt Alice, “for all we know they could have been attacked by a bear.”
For the next thirty minutes we waited and waited but they didn’t come.
I started to really worry they not prepared if anything bad were to happen. They didn’t have a pocket knife or extra food. What if they were attacked a bear! What if we never found them!
“We should go meet them with a search party we don’t know what could have happened to them.” Said Jeani
“Right they don’t have flash lights,” Uncle Dana reminded us
“Do we have enough lights?”asked aunt Alice
“Did you all say that you all still had hikers hiking?” interrupted another hiker
“Yes,”answered aunt Alice
“Well I here there is a mother and cubs out there, it would be unsafe to be out there at night,” stated the hiker, “I could help y’all find them.”
“That would be great!” Aunt Alice said, “lets go now.”
It was already dark when they started out on that hike looking for them. It was only fifteen minutes down the path when we all saw a little bit of light shining and three dark shapes, Dad, Mom, and cousin Dory.
