Saying Goodbye to New Hampshire

It is officially my last full day in New Hampshire without shows. I am surprised at how quickly my time here has dwindled, and I'm kind of sad to see it go, too.

I spent my morning packing up my car so I wouldn't have to do it over the weekend (also so I could know if all of my things could actually fit in my car) and my room is now empty except for the few things I will need for the shows this weekend.

Now, I am sitting at Starbucks rewarding myself with a Pumpkin Spice Latte and enjoying one of my last days looking at the White Mountains. (Joni Mitchell's "All I Want" just came on. Perfect.)

But, it's time for the next adventure. It's time to try my hand at the midwest and to do a full length musical for the first time in a long time. According to the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse Facebook  the kids have already begun rehearsals! I can't wait to arrive in Rock Island and have a show already being put together. It is going to be an exciting rehearsal process and a great run, I can feel it!

For now, I am off to the outlets. I can smell a Columbus Day sale all the way from here.


Goodbye, New Hampshire. Hello, Illinois.
Meghan

Flume Gorge

This morning Nina and I woke up and decided to travel to Flume Gorge!

Flume Gorge is a walk through granite walls, over water, up and down steps, at the base of Mount Liberty. Here's a picture so you have an idea:

I think my favorite thing about Flume Gorge is how it was discovered. The gorge was discovered in 1808 by a 93 year old woman named Jess Guernsey. First of all, I cannot imagine living in New Hampshire in the mountains in the 1800's. Second of all, I cannot imagine being 93 and living in New Hampshire in the mountains in the 1800's! Anyway, Jess had gone fishing, alone, and happened upon the gorge. When she went back to tell her family and friends, they didn't believe her! She finally got them to see the gorge and they were shocked- wouldn't you be? I was surprised and it's 2013! Initially, when the gorge was discovered, there was a giant boulder between the walls. 

If the boulder were still in place, it would have been over my head in the picture to the left, but in 1883, a huge rainstorm came and swept the boulder away. The rainstorm also created Avalanche Falls, a waterfall within the gorge.









It was stunning. The walk itself was short (especially in comparison to Mount Washington!) But it was a beautiful, cool, fall day and we enjoyed seeing more of what New Hampshire has to offer!

More to come,
Meghan

Hiking Mount Washington

So about the second day I arrived here, Nina, my housemate and fellow performer, asked me if I would hike Mount Washington with her. I thought, "Sure! Sounds like fun, I bet it will never happen, but sure!"

Well, let me tell you one of the many good things and bad things about the life I am currently living. The good thing is that you get to meet new people all the time. The bad thing, is that you never know what to expect from them. 

Nina is an adventurer, thank God!, because she basically became my tour guide for the entire time I was here. She wanted to do anything and everything- and she brought me along for the ride.

So, September 25th, Nina and I woke up and decided to hike Mount Washington.

We started at one of our favorite breakfast places the White Mountain Cider Company to get sandwiches and coffee and get to the base of Mount Washington.

Nina decided that we were hiking the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail up and the Jewell Trail down. Here's us, before the hike around 9am...

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (or at least caffeinated) we began our hike. It was a cold,  cloudy day, not the best day to hike the mountain, but we were determined and there was no going back. Initially, it was easy. The Ammonoosuc trail was beautiful. We hiked much of the trail next to water and we were having fun taking pictures and talking.

As we got higher, we past the treeline and it got increasingly colder. We added more layers we brought in our backpacks and trekked on. We passed the Lake of the Clouds and up, up, up we went. We were completely in a cloud.

Did I mention that there were signs and memorial plaques commemorating people who passed away along the trail? (Granted most were from the 1920's, but ominous, nonetheless.)

We finally reached a point where there was no clear path, only cairns (cairns are manmade rock piles) and paint on the rocks letting us know we were headed the right way. 

After about 4 hours of climbing uphill, we reached the summit! Mount Washington's summit is the highest point in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 feet and is known for it's dangerously erratic weather. Learn more here.

At the top of the mountain, Nina and I ate some snacks, bought some souvenirs, took some pictures and began our descent.

We were taking the Jewell Trail down, a trail that is supposed to be much simpler and safer on our knees and ankles. We began our descent with the utmost confidence- we made it up the more difficult trail, down the simpler trail should be easy, right? Wrong!

We followed the cairns and painting on the rocks until suddenly, we reached a standstill. We couldn't find any more markings! Nina decided to hike down through the rocks, but we found nothing. We looked at the map, which wasn't much help, but we were stuck. In our back and forth confusion, we eventually found a sign that informed us that we had ended up on a different trail. We retraced our steps and ended up back where we were lost the first time. Out of desperation and with wide eyes, we found our paint marker! It was located down, but in the opposite direction of where we had descended the first time. The paint was white on a gray rock, and with the fog from the clouds, we had just missed it.

Now, an hour and a half off of our approximated route time, we had to rush down the Jewell or risk being on the mountain in the forest at dusk. We pushed ourselves and ended our hike right around 6pm. Here's what we looked like by then!

All in all, it was an amazing hike and experience. But I couldn't help relating everything to the craft I do. At first glance, theatre seems like an unachievable goal. But then, you're in it, journeying up and up with no end in sight. For a moment, it seems easy. But then, your body catches up with you and you need a break. By this time you think you should turn around, but now it's much too late. That's when you find you need mentors, cairns, to keep you on your  way as you go; positive influences that can only put you in the right direction. Sometimes, there is no one to guide you. You feel lost and look for another way, when you realize, it was you all along. You had the work, technique, and the passion, you just needed to trust yourself and find your way. 

Till the next adventure!
Meghan