Road Trip: Spring in Mt. Washington Valley

every spring we are called to the white mountains. it is my favorite time of year to visit this area of new england. the skies are bright, the air is crisp and the weather is never too cold or too warm. the black bears have not awoken from their winter slumber just yet. the land is so peaceful right before its bloom. the morning of our departure the stomach bug reeked havoc on my little one. delaying our highly anticipated road trip. with a lost day and a not quite himself baby boy we made our way north. i get totally stressed when our little one is sick. the feeling of helplessness it has over a mother is consuming. but, once we arrived kingston was excited to be on a new adventure and the much needed change of scenery was welcoming.   

the next morning we woke early ready to get outside and explore, but our little boy was not. his stomach was still not right and kept us in for the next few days. is it just us or do kids always seem to get sick at the worst times. it was a bumpy start to our holiday and we had to adjust to crankier than usual toddler.

our first hike of the week, if you can call it that, turned into someone wanting to turn back about a half hour into the trail. i wanted to press on and he wanted no part of it. we ended up enjoying a slow walk back to the truck. unfortunately, the next few days were rainy, so the pool, little shops and st. patricks day celebration kept us busy.

keith and i were so thankful our scheduled dog sledding day wasn't until later in the week. the weather was good and everyone was feeling tip top by that point. what an amazing experience. the muddy paw sled dog kennel is awesome. the location is beautiful and they care mostly for unwanted sled dogs. my kind of people. some of the dogs stories are heart breaking, but the kennel gives them a second chance and a renewed purpose. you even get to meet the dogs and help pick your team before your ride through the forest. our musher, brianna, is super passionate about her job. her excitement and extensive knowledge about the dogs is incredible. we absolutely recommend checking them out. 

the weather and toddler cooperated through the rest of our trip. and we were able to get in a few miles in on the trail. my little adventurer was back to his ambitious self and excited to trek up a mountain to check out a frozen waterfall. if we return this summer i will had to repeat the walk so he can see arethusa falls in motion. and maybe next time i will remember to snap a family photo when our little guy actually has his eyes open.xo, beth-ann