We knew at the start that we were probably biting off more than we could chew when we set out for  a hike to Giant Falls in Shelburne, New Hampshire.  After all, our hikes so far have been fairly easy, and the trip to Giant Falls is both longer and, near the end, a lot more challenging.  So – why did we decide to do it?  Because springtime, when there’s lots of water, is the best time to view waterfalls and the frequently beautiful streams associated with them.  Also, before the leaves come out, Giant Falls can be viewed from Route 2 in Shelburne, looking across the Androscoggin River valley.  Although this is a very distant view, it does give a nice idea of the very impressive height of these falls.

Warner had been to Giant Falls once, probably at least 30 years ago, and had a fair recollection of what the hike entailed.  He was rather dubious that we’d do the whole distance and actually reach the falls, but we decided that we’d simply do what we could and enjoy the adventure.  We were aided by the description of the hike in the excellent book Waterfalls of the White Mountains, by Bruce, Doreen and Daniel Bolnick.  The distance and altitude gain are listed as 1.9 miles and 1100 feet, respectively.  We had not the slightest ambition to attempt going to the top of the falls, so we were looking at a potential hike of something in the order of 1.75 miles and 900 feet altitude gain.

It was an absolutely perfect day for hiking when we left the car and set forth on the trail. The air was crisp and cool, the breeze was gentle, the sky was deep blue, and the sun was shining brightly. After a short distance on a wide path with only a very gentle slope, the trail crosses a bridge over Peabody Brook, which is fed by the falls. It’s worth pausing on the bridge to enjoy the brook’s crystal-clear water, which tumbles down in miniature cascades and rapids.

Moving on, the trail comes close to the brook in several places, where a hiker would do well to pause, at least for a moment or two, and enjoy the extraordinary beauty of this stream.  The hike continues to be easy, with only a gentle slope and some stretches that are almost level, as it passes through evergreen groves – mostly hemlock, with an occasional tall, straight white pine.

We were wearing our day packs from L.L. Bean. Warner’s is a Day Trekker Pack, while Edie’s is a Bigelow Ladies’ Pack, and we were also using our trekking poles (much more about them later.) These packs are well-designed – light weight, surprisingly capacious, and, in addition to the main pocket, equipped with several smaller pockets for storing all kinds of items. They both have the necessary straps so that they can be snugged around the hips so your legs carry the weight, then adjust the shoulder and sternum (across your chest) straps so that the whole load rides comfortably without shifting. Edie, who isn’t used to carrying a pack, was a bit concerned about using one, but found that the Bigelow was very comfortable. Warner, with considerable experience carrying heavier packs, simply forgot that his Day Trekker was even there. One feature that he, as a writer, especially appreciates is a pocket with slots to hold pens and pencils, as well as room behind them for a notebook of modest size.

There’s also ample room in each pack for a hydration system, with ports to let the tube stick out of the pack easily. Edie’s pack contained a CamelBak Omega hydration reservoir, while Warner had an older CamelBak in his pack. These systems are wonderful: you can stick the end of the tube in your mouth at any time for a reviving swig. This makes a big difference in keeping your strength up, especially if the weather is warm. Of course, it’s possible to carry water bottles in a day pack, or attached to one’s belt, but these hydration systems are far more convenient!  Plus, you can carry a lot more; Edie’s 100 ounce is like carrying 5 big bottles of water.  And no buying bottles at the store, either!

The hike is easy and beautiful for about .9 mile until it comes to several huge boulders and, just beyond, an impressive rock wall, perhaps as much as 40 feet high, on the right. Here, as the book says, “…you begin to ascend more earnestly.” Earnestly indeed! According to the book’s description, it is “moderate climbing” from this point. This boils down to semantics. Probably the authors of the book are younger and in a lot better shape than most Seniors, so they easily climb much steeper slopes. As far as we were concerned, however, the trail at this point became steep, as well as narrow and very rocky! Thus, we had to watch our steps very carefully to avoid tripping, slipping, or falling. This is where our Leki Aergon Corklite Speedlock trekking poles really came into their own.

The poles had been a pleasure to use, though not a necessity, for the easy part of the hike. After we hit the steep section, though, they became a necessity. We were using the wonderful Leki Aergon Corklite Speedlock trekking poles that we’d recently treated ourselves to. These are more expensive than other trekking poles we’d tried out, but, in our opinion, they are well worth the price difference. Why?  Because they are simply an outstanding design. For starters, they are very light and extremely well balanced. Then there is the excellent system for adjusting their length. Some trekking poles need to be twisted in order to lock the sections together, once the length has been adjusted to suit the individual. Unfortunately, arthritic hands on some Seniors make that twisting difficult. The Lekis, on the other hand, use little levers that easily snap outward to loosen and inward to securely lock the sections together. Likewise the handle arrangement makes it very easy to adjust the wrist strap to the individual’s preference, and the grips themselves are very comfortable. We’re glad we tried out the others before getting these; it helped us realize why they are worth the extra money!

With the aid of the poles, we began to climb. After about .2 mile, Edie had had enough, and sat down in the shade beside the trail. Warner wanted to continue to the point where a side trail leads down to the falls. He had no intention, however, of following that trail to the base of the falls, for the slope into the ravine is extremely steep, and even the book warns that this trail is “rough, narrow, and badly eroded.” After hiking another quarter mile or so, he decided to call it quits, too. He never saw the spur trail, although he must either have been very close to it or somehow missed seeing it. He could hear the falls, and the trail was by then far above the brook leading from the falls – perhaps 200 feet higher. The sides of the very steep ravine had also pressed in quite close together, so the falls were not far away.

Warner went back to where Edie was sitting, and they ate lunch – Edie’s delectable egg salad sandwiches and a tasty granola bar. Nothing like a hike to make a picnic lunch taste even better! This idyllic lunch was marred only slightly by the appearance of a few mosquitoes. This precipitated an argument: Edie insisted that the mosquitoes were as big as eagles, while Warner scoffed and said they were only the size of ospreys!

Going downhill on that part of the trail was an adventure! Without the poles, Edie knew that it would have been impossible for her, unless she sat down and slid, and Warner admitted he would have been extremely nervous and uncomfortable doing it. One stumble on any of the myriad rocks would have meant a precipitous and potentially very nasty fall! However, using the Lekis almost like canes, placing them ahead and leaning on the top of the handles while taking steps downward, made for secure footing. The tops of the Leki handles, by the way, are also very comfortable when used in this fashion, and clearly were designed exactly for that purpose.

Once we had passed the rock wall and boulders, the rest of the trail out was easy and beautiful. When we reached the car, we agreed that we had had a wonderful day, with lots of exercise, lovely scenery, and many views of that gorgeous brook. Our experience shows that Seniors can go ahead and, within reason, tackle outdoor activities that may be more than they want to complete. That’s OK. There’s no shame in turning back before reaching an objective, if that turns out to be too much for one session. It’s fun, and good exercise to boot. Plus, when we’ve done more hiking and gotten in better shape, we’ll be able to go back and make it the whole way…what a great accomplishment that will be! Now we’re thinking about other waterfalls – and there are a great many of them – that we’d like to visit.  Maybe we’ll actually reach them!