Whte Cap on my Wedding Day

I wish I knew how many times I have hiked White Cap. It is an incredibly special place to me. When the 246 summit acres were up for sale a few years ago, I attended the Rumford town meetings to show my support for the Mahoosuc Land Trust's dream to preserve it for all to enjoy. I listened to idiots from my home town (sometimes I am so ashamed of Rumford; sometimes I am so proud) speak about increasing the tax roll and sputter about the environmentalists who want to "lock up" the land. And I cheered inside when a man I know, like and respect got to the mic, leaned toward it and captured what I feel and believe with his words. He said, "Some things do not have a price tag." I cannot put a price on the summit of White Cap - nor should anyone.

Thankfully the Mahoosuc Land Trust prevailed and preserved the acreage. My neighbor and longtime friend of the family is a big part of the Trust and when she learned I had hiked on the morning of my wedding day, she asked me to write about it so she could put it in the newsletter. What I wrote is below.

from the summit - with a good breeze - on the morning of 10/10/10

blueberry bushes on 10/10/10

I get up early while all members of my family sleep, check my CamelBack for water, softly call my dog Luna and slip from the house and to my car. I drive the mile to the trailhead in silence and appreciate the feeling of being up before many others in my childhood neighborhood. It is Sunday morning, and it is my wedding day.

I know the trail as well as I know my drive to work, although I enjoy the trail infinitely more. I know exactly how long the hike will take, which sections will get my heart pumping hard and where I will stop and wait for Luna to get a drink. I know I will likely be alone on the summit, steeped in silent beauty.

In exactly seven hours I will be standing on the bank of the Ellis River, under a trellis made of birch and maple saplings, stating vows of commitment.

I love the way mountains stay the same season after season, year after year. The leaves on the trees change with the seasons, and the level and pressure of the spring-fed stream fluctuates with the rainfall. But the granite of White Cap endures. The mountains I gaze at across the valley endure. Although logging and some development is likely, the view, with its layers of ridges all the way back to the Presidentials, will ultimately be the same when I hike again, season after season, year after year.

And today, because I am committing the rest of my life to one man, our relationship enters the realm of the mountains, one of constancy. I will undoubtedly change; I will be just a little (and, at times, a lot) different each time I visit the summit of White Cap, seeking the view, the peace and the preservation. Our relationship, White Cap and the mountains that surround it will endure. This is why I come here on my wedding day.

Karolyn Buotte
10/10/10

Looking down into the valley where we grew up - 10/10/10