Not all who wander are lost...

Last weekend, my friend Richard and I took a group of friends up Mount Potash (Doreen, Jody, Terri, Mark & Kay).

We like to call these outings "The Epic Adventures of Batman & DumbAzz!!" ( You may remember my blog about our White Water Raft trip this Summer)

I guess I should explain. Hikers pick up Trail Names through their actions, their words, or personality quirks. They are usually bestowed by someone else. I got the name "Batman" because I once said "I'm Batman" in a conversation and the name stuck. Richard got the name "DumbAzz" because he is a dumb ass (not really) for following me on all my crazy adventures.

Anyway, we picked Potash because it is a short easy hike, with spectacular views. I didn't realize how fortuitous this would turn out to be.  When I met the group, I saw that someone brought a 4 year old girl with them!!

Now, I knew Potash was a doable hike for the adults, but I had serious reservations about the young lady. This was going to be a 4+ mile hike, with a short steep section near the top. I was not convinced that her little legs would be able to make it.

However, her grandparents assured us that she could do it. They were right. She did fantastic, never complained or asked to be carried, and had a smile on her face the entire time! In short, she was delightful to have with us.

As I said, the Mount Potash Trail is very easy in the beginning, just  a gentle walk in the woods. There is one stream crossing that is not too difficult in low water, and the trail doesn't climb too steeply until you are near the top.

We did have a minor medical emergency. One of the hikers, Jody was on blood thinner and scraped his arm, which bled profusely. Not too worry, because Terri had a first aid kit that was just shy of a full Emergency Room. Terri assited me as I practiced a little Field First Aid, bandaging up Jody's arm.

There were quite a few other hikers on the trail, and the summit was a bit crowded when we got there. However, just to the left of the actual summit, there was a clearing with just as good of a view.

We chose to park ourselves there for some snacks, lunch and drinks. Richard even brought a stove and offered everyone Hot Mulled Apple Cider. I stuck to my traditional Hot Green Tea. After about 40 minutes, we packed up and headed back down, and reached the cars rather quickly.

Once we packed everything up, we headed to The Woodstock Station in Woodstock, New Hampshire for the obligatory post hike beer and food. If you haven't been to this restaurant, you should seek it out. All in all, we had a great day.

Here is a video of the hike. Thanks for reading and happy trails to you all! Onward! Batman & DumbAzz Gratitude Hike