December 31, 2018
Trails: Champney Falls, Loop Trail to Pitcher Falls, Middle Sister Cutoff
Miles: .7 redline miles, 7.1 total miles
Elevation Gain: 1,854
Nancy’s Facebook Post: We brought in the New Year and celebrated Pat’s birthday by doing what we love. We hiked up Chocorua all to get .7 miles of trail that we needed for our redlining (hiking all the trails in the White Mountains) — Champney Falls Loop and Champney Falls Cutoff. Then we gave some hikers a ride from the trailhead back to their car on the other side of the mountain. It felt good to return the kindness that has been shown to us by other hikers on so many occasions. My hope for us, and for all of you, is that 2019 is filled with “doing what you love” and “returning kindness.” That would be a great year!
Pat’s Trip Report
Today is my birthday hike. We decide on Champney Falls Trail so we can pick up the .3 cut off miles to Pitcher Falls, and the .4 miles of the Middle Sister Cutoff toward the summit of Chocorua. Temps start in the 20’s and warm throughout the day into the mid-30’s. On and off with layers all day. No snowshoes, just spikes on a well-packed trail. Pitcher Falls is spectacular – great to be close to that beautiful ice – not too close though. Steep, slick up as we climb beside the falls to meet the main trail again. A half a mile up the trail, I ask Nancy if my shirt is still attached to my pack. I had taken it off when I stopped to pee on the falls cutoff trail. It’s my purple and black techwick and I don’t want to lose it. It’s not there.
Without pausing to consider, I suggest to Nancy to keep moving while I drop my pack and take off, practically jogging down the trail. I hear her say, “It’s just a shirt. We can pick it up on the way back,” but I make the poor choice and go, leaving Nancy standing in the trail.
I don’t know why I run, but in doing so I abandon my hiking partner. We have no way of communicating. Nancy will get ferociously cold if she stands around waiting for me. We never separate. It’s a rule between us. And on I go until I find it hanging off a tree branch close to where the cutoff begins. I grab it and start scrambling as fast as my tired legs will take me back up the trail to Nancy. I hear her call at one point and I call back but she doesn’t hear me. I walk up to her – she’s carried my pack 2-3 tenths of a mile down the trail to find me. The first thing she says is, “I’m really angry with you.” 
I scared her – she thought I might have fallen or been injured. She’s cold and terribly upset by my decision to go back, leaving her alone, for that stupid shirt.
I stand there and let her hurt, fear and anger wash over me. She’s right. I stand before her and say I’m sorry. I feel horrible as she turns and begins walking up the trail. I am sweating and out of breath – my legs trembling from the effort – so I drink some water, put my pack on and head up after her. She stops at one point, in tears, to tell me again how angry and frightened she felt. Once again, I stand and apologize. I have no excuse and defending myself doesn’t even occur to me.
The distance and silence between us lasts for a while, but eventually we hug and try to let go of the rift. When we reach the Middle Sister Cutoff, we see it has only partially been broken out – a couple of snowshoes and a post-holer. I take the lead. The going isn’t hard. We reach a viewpoint that gives us an astounding expanse of mountains to the west north west. When we connect to the Middle Sister Trail, we turn right to get back to the junction of the Champney Falls Trail. There are no cairns, the blazes are covered in snow, and there aren’t any footsteps to follow. Nancy is still in her wet clothes and suggests we go back the way we came, get under cover so she can change her clothes.
It’s very hard for her to change – it’s always a trial – I give her some hot chocolate when she finishes and its warmth is appreciated. Down we go with me leading the way. It’s a quiet descent – a few hikers coming up – and we return to the parking lot at 3:10pm.