Tecumseh

August 27, 2022 - Hiking with Cam

I was excited to get a hike in with Cam. I was more excited that he was excited to do it. We were looking forward to it all week, and as it got closer, it seemed likely that we would be getting good weather and would be able to get a good day of hiking in.

We left the house a little after 6AM. I had to wake Cam up, but because of what we had planned, it was easier to get him up for this than it ever is getting him up for school. We reached the parking lot on Tripoli Road right around 8AM. I opted for the trailhead on Tripoli Road because I didn’t really want to just hike up the ski mountain. I enjoy being in the woods and from what I was reading, if we parked at Waterville Valley, we would just be hiking up the ski slope. The parking on Tripoli was small, but we were able to get a spot. Once we got all our stuff together and made sure we were ready to go, it was about 8:30 when we hit the trail. Mt. Tecumseh Trail was the trail we took - real original name I know. It was just this one trail all the way to the peak, which made it super easy. The trail was plenty easy to follow, which was perfect for Cam to take the lead. And that’s exactly what he did. He led the way and absolutely crushed it. Like with all these mountains, it was pretty steep right from the start. Maybe not as steep as some of the other larger mountains, but still plenty steep. There were not really any flat sections so it was just constant uphill hiking. Cam didn’t even say a word or complain at all. He seemed like he was on a mission and just kept on going. I think he was a little tired from waking up so early, so he wasn’t really in the mood for much conversation yet. Finally when we got to about a mile, he asked to take a break and get some water. At this point, we had both started sweating already, so it was a good time to hydrate. From that point on, he was more talkative, which is why I think he was tired for the first mile.

It was a good hike the entire way. It wasn’t complicated, which was nice for his second journey to a 4,000 footer. It was just a nice hike through the woods. There were a few steep spots towards the top, but nothing too crazy. We reached the peak at approximately 10:30AM. There were a fair amount of other people there and more arriving after us. Most of them had come from Waterville Valley. There wasn’t much to this peak. There was not a large area to hang out so the few people up there made it seem crowded. We hung out for about a half hour, took some pictures, ate some snacks, and then got on our way back down.

We took it slow at first because Cam was worried about footing coming down some of the steeper sections. Once we got past that, we were moving pretty quickly down the mountain. At one point, I felt like I was running to keep up with Cam. He was moving! We got back to the truck around 1. We had lunch and hung out on the tailgate for a little bit before taking off. Some nice PBJ sandwiches hit the spot. Cam had some Gatorade, and I enjoyed a nice Harpoon celebratory cold one.

The marker at the top of Tecumseh shows 3,997 feet. It’s on the list though, that’s what matters. There are plenty of websites out there explaining why it’s on the list even though the marker has it at less than 4,000 feet. It has to do with different measuring techniques. If you’re interested in learning more about it, check this link out.

On the way home, Cam said he wants to do Washington next. My guess is because that’s the most famous one and the one he has heard the most often. I told him we absolutely will at some point. The goal is to do the whole Presidential Traverse with my buddy Tim in October, but maybe next year I’ll take him up there. We had a great morning. It’s great spending time with him one-on-one. A lot of the times that personal interaction gets lost a bit when we’re all together as a family, and he enjoys spending time with just me. He did so well and he really does enjoy being out there in the woods. It brings me a lot of joy to see him love the outdoors so much. He’s still learning and growing, but I’m glad he’s enjoying it from a young age. He has camped since he was a baby, so I’m sure that has helped nurture his love for the woods. It’s also great to see him push himself. Sometimes he gets down on himself when he can’t do something right away. I keep telling him he just needs to continue to try and push himself, and he really did that today without extra motivation from me. I do hope that this journey I’m on of pushing myself physically and mentally will rub off on him and he will see how important it is. I am proof that if you don’t have that trait in your from an early age, it’s hard to break the bad habits. I’m working on it, but it’s not easy for me. It’s so easy to relapse into bad habits. I’m hopeful he sees how important and fulfilling it is, and that it sticks with him as he grows and matures.

19 Peaks Down. Let’s Go!