Getting high on mountains

By Jacqueline Vinar

Issue of Sept. 26, 2008

My earliest memories of the mountains were the Catskills where I summered with my parents as a child year after year at one bungalow colony or another. Then came the Poconos where I spent my camping years, followed by singles weekends at various Borscht Belt hotels during my young adulthood. I always felt a nagging pain upon returning to the city after basking for eight weeks in the glory of the mountain air. The city seemed so flat and boring in comparison.

Recently I experienced the same phenomenon upon returning from a week’s vacation in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I was awestruck by their majestic peaks rising above the clouds that enveloped them. My husband and I took the 100 mile scenic drive advertised in all the travel brochures which included the famed Kancanagus Highway, Bretton Woods and Franconia Notch Parkway. Wherever you drove you were surrounded by mountains, lush woods and refreshing waterfalls. New Hampshire is also known for its quaint covered bridges that abound in all the picturesque little towns.

We took a ride on the Cog-railway up Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast. As the train climbed the steep incline to the 6288’ summit, we were able to look behind at the lush landscape below as we rose above the surrounding presidential mountain range. I think of all the mountains we saw and I am breathless at their magnificence. One day we soared to the summit of Loon Mountain via a 7,000 foot Gondola skyride. Due to the high elevation, our ears became clogged and it seemed that the cabin became quiet as we neared the peak. Since it rained intermittently during our stay, a beautiful rainbow appeared across the sky, arched over the mountains. I immediately made a bracha. for how often does one get the chance to see such a splendid rainbow, a symbol of Hashem’s promise to mankind.

Another day we toured Cannon Mountain by means of an 80 passenger Aerial Tramway. In the waiting room adjacent to the tram there was a chalkboard where you could write from whence you came to visit New Hampshire. Someone had come from as far away as Hungary to partake of this natural wonder. When we reached the top we took a trail to the Mountain’s peak from whose vantage point could be viewed on a clear day the mountain peaks of several neighboring states and Canada.

We drove higher into the mountains and into the Great North Woods of New Hampshire, which reaches up to Canada and encompasses parts of Vermont and Maine. The Woods are an undeveloped area where we found ourselves at times driving all alone on the endless stretch of highway dividing the woods. We were looking for wildlife and we were rewarded. We spotted a bear scrambling into the woods, a wild turkey waddling on the side of the road, a solitary loon gliding on a flawless lake and yes, we even chanced upon a moose standing in the woods. It was nature at its best and it brought back found memories of my youth.

I think what makes me yearn for the mountain life after returning back home is the realization that vacation is over. In my camping days we called it the “return to civilization.” The return from the mountains signals the end of the lazy days of summer and the preparation for the coming fall. School begins anew and Rosh Hashana is around the corner. The days grow shorter and the air becomes cooler. In the mountains, life is carefree in the idyllic nature setting. In the city, it is harried and stressful.

As I prepare my children’s bookbags and fill them with supplies for the new school year, I find my mind drifting back to the beauty of the mountains and I long for the simple life. The thought comforts me for a while but the call of my job and the demands of kids and home jolt me back to reality. I guess I’ll just have to wait for summer to come round again to get high on mountains.