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Trail Work and beautiful views

© Lisa Marie Pane

Two approaching hurricanes this past summer had forced me to cancel plans to hike Mt. Isolation _ the last of my NH48 4,000 footers. But instead of staying inside, I decided to spend the time wisely: working on the section of the AirLine Trail I'd adopted.

I got up at a relatively leisurely hour and hit the road in Massachusetts at 7 a.m. By the time I got passed what appeared to be triathalon in the Pinkham Notch area, and picked up my tools, I didn't hit the trailhead until close to 11:30 a.m. I gazed up at the sky and wished I'd arrived sooner because it was an absolutely glorious day in the mountains _ only a few skimpy clouds atop the northern Presidentials (or "Prezzies" as area hikers call them). It's not often you see that, especially when a hurricane is on its way.

The lower part of the trail was in decent shape, but as you traveled north on AirLine, it gets muddier and muddier. Tried to clean out as many water bars as possible so that when the rain does finally arrive, it flows out nicely. Some spots were dammed up pretty good with pine needles, twigs and dirt.

The spring off AirLine was nearly bone dry _ a shocker given that much of the rest of the trail is very wet right now, and about to get wetter.

Just past the spring, I heard a rustling off in the woods. It puzzled me at first, since I didn't think any humans would venture into that thicket of brush, fallen logs and uneven terrain.

I stopped briefly but kept walking up the trail only to hear twigs snapping underfoot and more rustling. I stopped again and looked off into the woods and spotted the culprit: a moose! It was massive, its snout barely concealed by the foliage. She was munching her way along through the woods. Then, I heard some more rustling from the right and spotted the source of that noise: her baby moose. Wow! I stood there as quietly as possible for about 15 minutes as they inched closer to me. I prayed they would find their way across the trail _ but far enough away that the mother moose wouldn't feel compelled to charge me to protect her youngin'. But as I started up my camera to ready it in case they came close enough for a shot, somehow the beeping sounds of civilization _ however faint _ spooked her enough to slowly retreat.