Mount Hedgehog - The White Mountains

The most beautiful things about hiking for me are not the big wide vistas. I do love the big views from on high to the valleys below or the to surrounding mountains, but what I really love are the smaller details amidst the vastness of the mountains. 

The wild mushrooms with their amazing colors and endless designs never cease to amaze me. I find myself often times thinking of various trails for what mushrooms I may have encountered. The trails of Mount Hedgehog certainly offers an amazing variety. 

The other small thing that gets me hiking the beautiful White Mountains is the light, the quality of the light; the way the sunlight flickers down on the leaves be they Beech, maple, oak or countless other varieties that I will never learn. The way the light looks on the floor of exposed roots and pine needles.

The sounds of water in the woods leave me in awe of the beauty around me. I try to think of which word best describes what I hear:

Dripping 

Trickling

Gushing 

Babbling 

Bubbling 

Murmuring 

Roaring 

Flooding 

Raging 

Seeping 

Dropping 

On one five hour hike, I hear all of these sounds and more, often I hear several of the sounds at the same exact moment coming from different directions. 

The little known Mount Hedgehog boasts some beautiful big views along the climb. The more challenging and nearly 1900 foot higher Mount Hancock is certainly beautiful but does not match with the magnificent views of Hedgehog. 

The views from the Eastern Ledges were striking, but I must admit it was rather intimidating being so close to the edge. Only once I actually had to go down on all fours to manage the steep slippery rocks.

Ayman S. Ashour

July 21, 2015