08/14/2008
Well not exactly canoeing up the mountain, more like hiking up the mountain (which is 3,165 feet at its peak, a climb of about 1,800 vertical feet) with a canoe OVER your head.
Who is the crazy Lotus Notes person who did this?
Our very own Dan Calkin, who manages our Lotus Notes software development. |  |
I asked him the obvious question, "WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THAT"?
"Well, back in 1997 I was hiking that mountain just about every weekend during the summer for almost 3 years in a row. My friends and I were joking around about what we could do to make the hikes more interesting or challenging. We finally settled on a canoe because it was absurd (no water at the top of the mountain) but do-able."
"As we were unloading the canoe in the parking lot of the Mt. Monadnock State Park Headquarters, one of the park rangers walking by stopped and asked us "where are you taking that canoe?" Carsten and Dan looked at each other, looked back at the park ranger and then said, in unison, "UP!" The ranger, much to his credit, didn't even blink. He merely asked us which university we were from."
Here is an action shot during the climb, negotiating a difficult section of the mountain:
"This picture was taken at one of the most difficult parts of the ascent up the White Dot Trail.
Lovingly dubbed 'The Chute', this section of trail is smooth, steep, and has a ledge you have to hop up as well. Not very difficult at all for guys like us who are in reasonable shape and have some experience in rock-climbing. However, lugging a canoe up this stretch of trail requires a little more effort. Teamwork like this was half the fun of the trip."
Here is what he told some passers-by:
"The most frequently asked question people asked was "WHY?" After having given a serious explanation too many times to count, we started telling people silly things like "It's a new fraternity initiation rite", "We lost a bet with our girlfriends", "What do you mean, there's not a lake up there?!?!?"
Finally, at the top of the mountain, in what little water they could find. That is Dan Calkin in the back. Notice that they did not forget the paddles, nor was safety forgotten, hence the life preservers.
"The ascent took somewhat over 3 hours to complete. This seemed like an eternity compared to our usual non-canoe-carrying ascent time of about an hour."
Finally, Dan makes this last comment:
"I have hardly been back there in the last several years, but we did it one more time last year for the 10th year anniversary of our first trip. That canoe has been up the mountain 4 times now. 1997, 1998, 2002, 2007. I think it has made its last trip."
To see the full adventures of the Canoe climbing Mount Monadnock, visit Dan's website here:
http://www.dcalkin.com/ and click on photo gallery.
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