#23 Mt. HALE

In 2001 I climbed Hale while piggy-backing my 4-year old up and down this the 4.6 round trip of Mt. Hale. No wonder my only memory of this mountain ammounts to 5 miles of dirt and pebbles I recall from staring at the ground. August 27th was cold, rainy windy and wet. I had first planned to try another hike, ( Owls Head) but switched after setting the "O.H." alarm for 4:30 and looking out the window in Nashua. Rain and fog awaited this day. Plan B was Hale, and I knew I could get up and down it easily, even in the rain. I met some nice people on the trail; Craig the sky diver , Rick, in the bright yellow boots and a hitch hiker from NY, Denny, who reminded me of my red-headed brother. I couldn't stand to see him hitch hiking in the pouring rain so I gave him a lift to the Willey House parking lot. He and I both arrived at the bottom at the Zealand Campground. Denny coming from the Bonds. Wow. All in all, I tagged the pile of rocks on top and swiftly marched back down as fast as my soaking boots could take me. Ruby did not mind getting wet, in fact she now relishes the muddy conditions. For her rugged male peers, I'm sure her "wet dog smell" triggers as an aphrodisiac. For me, and I think for Denny the hitch hiker, it signalled," Whew! That is one dirty dog!" Yesterday, she finally got a bath and was smelling quite fresh . Even sporting a shiny black coat. This was only to be ruined hours later while running in Mines Falls Park where she had to take a dunk at the boat launch. Now she smells like a day old tuna in a blistering heat wave.