Mountain Adventures, Beaded Flamingo Progress, & 20%-off Sale
Mountain Adventures, Beaded Flamingo Progress, & 20%-off Sale
+ New Hoodie Dress & Maltese Bead Embroidery Kits!
Dear friends, I hope you are doing well and enjoying the fall weather! Things have been quite busy lately, so I have a mountain of updates to share!
This summer, my companion and I hiked to the top of Mt. Madison, NH (5367’) on a very warm day. We started at about 9am in the morning, reached the summit at nearly 3pm. We took Randolph Path→ Air Line. Of course we stopped at the Madison Spring Hut along the way. The last bit of the trail up to the summit from there was pretty intense, but we made it. Then I had the crazy idea to follow another pair of hikers down the Watson Path which was really tough rocky terrain. Eventually we came upon Brookside and followed that back to the car. We finally came out of the pitch dark woods around 9pm, So far, that was the first time I ever needed to use my headlamp!
Just 2 days later, we decided to hike Mt. Washington - the tallest mountain in the Northeast. The weather was perfect, much cooler than the day before complete with blue skies. This time, we started at 7:30am. We took Ammo to the Lakes of the Clouds hut. It was mostly just one long staircase all the way up, until the waterfall, than you were actually hiking up the waterfall. I slid & fell on a large smooth wet rock, and gripped the tiny crack in the rock to stop from falling down the mountain. After that section, it was pretty manageable all the way up. We did stop at the AMC hut for a bit, than continued onward. Eventually we made it to the summit at about 1pm, where it was quite chilly with no visibility. It was strange to see all of the people on the summit who mostly just drove up or took the Cog railway. It’s kind of like Disney World up there, which to me is still a magical place. After about an hour, we hiked back down the Jewell Trail- a gorgeous mostly- exposed trail which I thoroughly enjoyed. We arrived back at the trailhead at 6:30pm.
You would think that would be enough adventure for one summer, but I wanted more.. So, just before Labor Day, we drove up to Baxter State Park, ME. We purchased a Season Pass to drive in and out of the park everyday (which is a lot of driving), but it was still an unforgettable experience in the wilderness. One day, we got up at 3:30am to get to the park when they opened at 6am. Our goal was to get into a parking spot as early as possible. We started hiking from Roaring Brook Campground at about 7:30am. We hiked up the Helon Taylor Trail and summited Pamola Peak (4902’) at about 12:30pm… Our original goal was to hike the Knife Edge Trail, but the Chimney peak portion proved to be a difficult rock climb straight up. So we made the difficult decision to head back up to Pamola and head down to Chimney Pond Campground via the Dudley Trail. I think our decision was the right one, as an ugly gray cloud rolled in over Katahdin and the Knife Edge. It also got very cold and windy.. At that point we were in survival mode, trying to get from boulder to boulder without falling down a deep crevice never to be found again. Eventually, we did get to the campground, and took the Chimney Pond Trail back to Roaring Brook. We finally came out of the woods at 7:30pm! I will say that if you intend to hike in this park, follow all of the rules, be prepared and prepare for the worst. Remember, the goal is not to summit, but to make it back to your car safely!
In between all of our hiking, I have been working on Etsy orders as well as my beaded Flamingo cuff bracelet. I finally finished the second layer of beaded fringe on these little birds! Check out my Instagram to view more pics!
If you are in search of the perfect holiday gift, check out my Black Friday Sale! Save up to 20% on all ready-to-ship beaded dog pins, jewelry, and art, as well as 10% off all printed merchandise such as sweatshirts, tees, phone cases, accessory pouches, and wrapping paper! You will find something for everyone! Sale ends December 1, 2021.
Thank you for your interest in my beadwork! Wishing you all a happy healthy Thanksgiving!
♥ Diana