The way of all the earth

I am not sure what Utahans would do if the red-rock arch featured on their license plate crumbled to the earth. I don't know what Idahoans would do if all of their potatoes vanished due to a blight. I do know, however, what New Hampshireans do when their State...umm...visage disappears. What? Oh, in case you didn't know, the profile of the famous all-natural rock face, "Old Man in the Mountain" can be found just about everywhere you look in NH...license plates, mile marker signs, tattoos. The Old Man was a big deal...and rightfully so. Then, one cold morning a few years ago, the rocks did what rocks eventually do...they broke away from the side of the mountain. And, the Old Man went the way of all the earth. Yet, NHerers seem to make regular pilgrimages to the site...to pay their respects. They remain centered. They refuse to give up their identity.

Daniel Webster is thought to have written:
"Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades:
Shoemakers hang out a gigantic shoe;
Jewelers a monster watch;
And a dentist hangs out a gold tooth;
But up in the mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty
has hung out a sign to show that there he makes men."

So, Emily and I did a quick overnighter up the Old Bridle Path trail...to see what we were made of. Now, I've done a lot of hiking in different regions...but, I'd have to say that this trail was the rockiest I've ever attempted. While lovely terrain, I believe the rockiness was the main contributor to Emily's IT Band flare-up. And, so, after making it to the Greenleaf Hut at dusk...and after a nice quick chat with Nathaniel in the very chilly wind, we decided not to ascend Mt. Lafayette. Rather, we worked our way down the Greenleaf trail to the "unofficial, unofficial" overflow camping site. We slept pretty well considering we both gave snoring a try. After a slow descent in the morning, and a bit of a tumble by Emily, we found the Pemi trail and hiked on some nice even terrain that made all four of our knees happy. We also enjoyed the wildflowers and wild strawberries.

Emily, as always, made some funny comments as she is known to do.

Emily: "Ned, how many clothes did you bring?"
Ned: "Umm, 12"

Emily: "This tastes purple."