October 6, 2017 - North Conway, New Hampshire

It was cloudy when we got up today – not at all what we were expecting. After a yummy breakfast of banana nut pancakes and ham, we got ready to head out for our hike … and then the rain began!

We decided to go ahead and at least drive the Kancamagus Highway which is a 34.5 mile scenic drive along New Hampshire's Route 112. It is designated as an American Scenic Byway for its rich history, aesthetic beauty and culture. We were not disappointed! We stopped at covered bridge over the Swift River, grabbed our umbrellas and walked to the bridge. The colors were amazing!Back to the car we continued on to the Lower Falls. The rain was letting up, but the clouds were still hanging low in the valleys.We took the small path to the overlook and were delighted with the beautiful views.By the time we got back to the car, the rain was stopping so we continued to the trailhead for the Hedgehog Mountain Trail.The 4.8 mile trail begins through the beautiful woods and winds its way up the mountain – with an elevation gain of 1466 feet. We took the “shorter” direction up to the top and the longer part of the loop on our descent.It was cool when we started off, but we were soon shedding our jackets as we climbed higher and higher. We talked to one man who was returning from the summit who had seen three bears on his trek, but we only spotted some bear paw prints in the mud. Bummer!We stopped at the summit for a snack and rest. We enjoyed the sunshine and seeing miles and miles of beautiful fall colors covering the mountainside.As the clouds began to roll back in, we started our trek down the mountain and across several areas where the trail was only granite. The rain started back up which made the hike quite slippery in places. Fortunately, the rain didn’t last long and we were soon back in the trees. The descent was about 2.5 miles and it was sometimes hard negotiating through tree roots and rocks. Our knees certainly felt it was harder on the way down.We made it back to the car after four hours of hiking and we were glad we made the decision to do the hike. Our route back to our B&B was by way of a shorter loop road, the Bear Notch. The colors continued to amaze us and we stopped for another view of the beautiful scenery!After a rest and pizza dinner, we went to a concert at The Theater in the Woods to hear the Peacheaters, an Allman Brothers tribute band. It was a fun concert (loud) and they did a great job. We found out after we got there it was actually a fundraiser for the Believe in Books Literacy Foundation. They are a non-profit which is dedicated to advancing the healthy development of young minds through literacy programs that encourage early reading, imagination, and physical activity. I was happy we could support their program!The weather forecast for tomorrow looks promising for another hike, so we will keep you posted!