Sargent Mountain South Face Trail

When reading poems by Mary Oliver, it seems her desire for deeper spiritual understanding, achieved by communing with nature, motivates her to rise early in the morning for outdoor experiences. I wouldn’t mind anyone thinking I had similar motivations, but in truth that would be more of a happy side benefit. I have the more prosaic desire to avoid people and reduce the chances of suffering from heat stroke later in the afternoon.

It all worked out wonderfully today though, when I found myself on top of Sargent Mountain taking in the 360 degree views without anyone else in sight. Wandering across the rocky summit everything was quiet and still, except for the clear notes of some white throated sparrows calling to each other. I was very glad to have motivated early.

I went down to a small pond tucked away on the mountain to enjoy some “breakfast,” and that’s when I ran into other hikers - a young couple who were approaching the pond from a different direction. We mechanically exchanged the usual pleasantries:

“Good morning,”

“Hi, how ‘ya doin’.”

At which point we all paused for a brief moment, and spontaneously started laughing with delight.

“Pretty well!”

“Right?”

And we continued on our separate ways.