A Night Away - Mt. Kearsarge

Well, Dylan's over a year old and, other than a couple of date nights, Mike and I haven't spent much time away from the little guy. Obviously, he's really fun and we don't like leaving him behind, but I felt it was time we had a little time to ourselves. So, I arranged for babysitting for an overnight trip (Mike's parents) and I surprised Mike with a little getaway.

One night away doesn't allow for a super far away locale. I had found an advertised combo deal for a place in NH which started the whole get away plan. Mike knew nothing of where and what we were doing until the day before (and then, just enough for him to pack properly). So, Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago, we packed up, dropped Dylan off at his Nana and Bumpa's and headed up to the Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire.

First stop was a little hike. Even though hiking up a mountain is challenging for just about anyone, it was nice to again experience how much "easier" it is without a 22 pound kid on your back. The hike I'd found for the day was Mt. Kearsarge - a relatively quick jaunt up for a beautiful view.

A friend at work has a family cabin in that area and he recommended the hike since it's a family favorite\tradition. The weather was perfect that day and we had a nice time talking (without entertaining the little one in between) and enjoying the scenery.

Mike Looking Up the Granite Trail

The View (Not Quite to the Top)

Mt. Kearsarge - The Peak

Beautiful Vistas

The mountain is definitely a popular spot. While we did see people on the way up, it was a bit shocking to see the crowd at the top. I've never seen so many people on the peak of a mountain before.

We Were Definitely Not Alone

Unfortunately for us, a big group of teenagers was tailing us on the descent. After having enough interruption to the peaceful sounds of nature around us, we stepped to the side and happily let them pass. We chose to take a different path down mainly just because it was a different way than our ascent. We found out the path up is more popular for a reason - it's shorter, has cooler rocks and trees to see and is more fun to take. So, the descent was rather uneventful and un noteworthy. But, we were spending time together, which was the whole point of the trip, so mission accomplished for that afternoon.

With the hike done, we continued to our resting spot for the night - The Mountain Edge Resort in Sunapee, NH. Our hotel room was a 2 bedroom suite, complete with kitchen, living room and a fireplace. It was a nice little home away from home. We spent the rest of the afternoon resting and relaxing before getting ready for dinner. Since there was a restaurant just across the street, we kept things simple, dined there then returned to the hotel for a movie and more relaxing. Tough life, huh?

A great first day to our weekend away. The next morning, we had a big adventure awaiting!