Tourist Attraction

Today I rolled my wheelchair from the base to the summit of Mount washington, the highest place in the north eastern United States. I started at 7:30 am. I topped out at 2:48 pm. many people offered me encouragement along the way. I actually had large vanloads of children cheering me on. At the top I had many people ask to have thier picture taken with me. I began to realise that maybe I was a tourist attraction for those who chose to drive up Mount Washington's Auto road.

Really though, it made an impresion on me as I realised, about a half mile below the summit, that a lot of people were deeply impressed by my little choic e of summer recreation. I was moved by all this. I regained my composure beore reaching the top and the round of apluase from the tourists who assembled to watch me finish up. I was grunting and wincing by the time I finished, more so from painfully tender hands than the steep final few hundred yards.

It did seem slightly like being Smokey the bear or Mickey Mouse or something- all the people who asked to have thier picture taken with me. I did my best to be gracious and friendly. It was fun, but it was also kind of like a responsibility.

Anyway, hopefully I'll take a few days to let my hands and muscles recover properly and then I'll do some more practice runs around North Conway. I'd like to go up Mount Washington again before I lleave New Hampshire. Maybe I could do the trip more quickly. Maybe I could start from further away than right at the base. Maybe I will.