Sandy & Lori almost fall off the mountain!

We thought we were well prepared....I had my camel back with a 2 liter supply of water as well as a few snacks.  We were wearing layers as well as hiking boots, that is, Mike and I were  But when my friend, Lori, had asked whether or not she needed to wear hiking boots, I'd responded that it wasn't absolutely imperative.  Now mind you,  I just didn't want her to have to spend money on something she'd use only once (this was her first 4,000 footer)..... surely people have hiked without hiking boots!  

And so, we set off from southern Maine early that late October morning.  It had rained the previous night and as we drove closer to the White Mountains, we noticed that Mt Washington was covered with snow, but everywhere else looked green.  The plan was to do a loop, hiking up Jackson Mountain and down Mount Webster.  The guide recommended hiking up Jackson as there were several steep parts that would be difficult to descend.  

Okay so how did that (picture above) turn into this!????

Initially, it was just s a little icy.   And then, we came upon a little more snow...and a little more  ice, just a little more.   Still we persevered as it got a little slippery....in the back of our minds, we all were just a wee bit concerned.  That was until we each found ourselves at a ledge, clawing at a root with one hand, a crevice in the other, knowing that if we did not grasp it, we'd slip down....it would not be pretty!  At this point, I'm sure we were all genuinely concerned about whether or not we'd make it, whether or not we could be rescued as cell coverage is scanty, but we kept our thoughts to ourselves!  

We eventually made it up that ledge and reached the peak where we experienced gusting winds and more coldness.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed the view for a couple of minutes and even took some photos!   Our hands were freezing as we did not have waterproof gloves (I can't imagine how Lori's feet were at this point) and we needed to find the trail down the Webster Trail which was our only way down!

and yet, we took stopped to take some pictures!

the grey jay....

Lori saved the day!  She found the trail that would take us to Mount Webster...here we are below, playing in the snow, 

We knew we were going to make it at this point...

Some more photo shots.....isn't it pretty?

Victorious....but her feet are frozen!

The three of us....still friends!

Celebrating our survival at Moat Mountain Pub!

Now let this be a lesson to you all...get some hiking boots and make sure you are well prepared to hike the White Mountains!  Conditions can change instantaneousy!