My 20 year old daughter as been taking classes this summer and she took her last final yesterday. Today she hurriedly packed a backpack and was heading out for a several day hike in the White Mountains.

She is a newbie at this. She has hiked with me when she was younger, but I always did the planning, the navigating, and humped the heavier items. I wish I had been teaching her instead of making things easy for her, but back then she appeared to have no interest in hiking with dad and I was just happy when I could cajole her along. Now Miss. Independent insisted this was going to be a solo trip, and barely allowed me to review what she was in her pack. Then she decided she wanted to hammock for the first time ever and my 15 minute tutorial on my kit now feels totally inadequate.

She is stubborn and obstinate just like her mother.

She agreed to let me drop her off and resupply her at road crossings, but I really wish I was coming along. Shortly after I dropped her off at the Glencliff AT trailhead it started raining a bit. I really don't like the idea of her heading down the wet Chutes and Ladders of the Beaver Brook Trail tomorrow (with her stubby little legs).

Anyway, not much I can do. I'm sure she will be fine, I just needed to vent.

Here she is at the trailhead looking rather pleased with herself. 'Thanks for the ride, now get lost Dad!'

Update to my worries.

The day I dropped her off there were some downpours on the drive home. That was not reassuring. So the next morning I drove back up to the North side of Mount Moosilauke planning to hike south to meet her. I knew she would not be happy at my helicoptering, but I could not help myself.

I made it to the summit of Moosilauke, and I still had not seen her. The summit was clouded in, cold and the wind was strong enough to push me around a bit. This had me concerned. I asked hikers heading NOBO and they had not seen her. I could not understand this, I was sure I had gotten there early enough to intercept her. How did she just disappear?

I hiked all the way to the southern trailhead where I dropped her off and still no Rory. No calls, no messanges. At this point I was officially panicked. I hitched rides back to my car a bit unsure how to proceed. Finally, towards the end of the day I got a text. She had taken the wrong trail down from the summit, down towards the Dartmouth Lodge where there is no cell reception, and had to hike all the way back up again. Great relief.

I hiked back up Beaver Brook trail to meet her as she came down, she was a bit bedraggled. She spent a tough night camped near the summit in horizontal rain and a howling wind. Her sleeping gear was soaked. I pulled the plug on this hike and brought her home. We need to regroup, she did not put up too much of a fight.

In retrospect I am pretty happy she struggled a bit. She needed to approach hiking with a bit more humility and respect for the forces of nature. She is now listening to my advice. We are going to review her trail navigation skills and teach her to pitch that tarp tight and low (the rain was blowing in and up from the sides). To her credit she never panicked and managed her clothing system well enough to keep warm.

Final Update: Back on that horse...

Rory just finished a two day hike from Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch. This hike went way better, better prepared, better weather, listened to my advice, no navigation problems. She had a fun hike and now is home getting ready to move back to school on Sunday.

And I was less worried this time. Until at 1 AM last night when my wife (who I thought was asleep) says out of the blue "If anything happens to her I am holding you responsible.' Cripes! I was plenty worried after that.