btowne33

Tecumseh

Boomer leads the way

Top of Tecumseh looking East

I was not expecting to hike a 4000-footer this weekend however my girlfriend Stephanie surprised me with an egg sandwich and asked if I wanted to go. I did not think she was serious as she is the most ardent supporter of this journey of mine but it’s certainly not her cup of chowda'. Stephanie has a 9-month-old Goldendoodle named Boomer who she has taken up walks in the woods to keep him active. I have a 2.4-mile trail off my street which I take Boomer on 'Good Boi Walks' with me, so he has been gearing up for this hike.

There has been a good amount of snow lately so snowshoes were a must, and I attached the leash to my backpack waist belt which proved to be a good system. Boomer likes to lead on the trail, and he ended up pulling me up the trail which was nice but then he also pulled me down the trail which was a bit tricky as he is a 65-70 pounds of young puppy. I choose Tecumseh as the trail - it’s the shortest in terms of elevation and miles of all the 4000 footers. I thoroughly enjoyed this hike up the side of Waterville Valley ski area although I kept looking back at Stephanie to see if she were enjoying it and I just couldn’t tell if she was cursing my name or just breathing heavy or both. Stephanie works out every day so this hike was just a doubling down but I haven't hiked in a couple weeks due to a snowmobile accident (just a tad bit of internal bleeding) so I was fresh and soaking in the winter wonderland.

As Boomer and Stephanie got to the top there was six or so people and I exclaimed "First 4000-footer" to which the people cheered. I was very proud of her and the 'good boi' did excellent. Then the talked turned to hiker nerd talk to which I could see the virtual eye roll from Stephanie. The top was cold, so we changed out of snowshoes and into spikes for the quick walk down the trail. There was a bit of fuss around hand warmers and gloves, but we soon were sliding down the trail in comfort, well, Stephanie told me after that "every step hurt" on the way down. She was a trooper for sure and I appreciate her immensely.