Up by Patricia Ellis Herr - Excerpt

8/2/2019 Up by Patricia Ellis Herr - Excerpt

1/19


2/19
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3/19

opyrigh 2012 by aricia llis rr

ll righs rsrvd.

ublishd in h nid as by roadway aprbacks,

an imprin of h rown ublishing Group,

a division of andom ous, nc., w ork.

www.crownpublishing.com

BROA DWAY PAPERBACKS and is logo, a ltr biscd on h diagonal,

ar radmarks of andom ous, nc.

Library of ongrss aaloging-in-ublicaion aa

rr, aricia llis.

p : a mohr and daughrs pakbagging advnur / aricia llis

rr.

p. cm.1. ounainering. 2. ohrs and daughrs. . il.

GV199.8.47 2011

796.522dc23 2011034574

978-0-307-95207-3

978-0-307-95208-0

PRINTED IN THE UNIT ED STATES OF AMERICA

hoographs by aricia l lis rr, xcp for p. 218 phoograph, by

ark uckrman

ovr dsign by Jssi ayward righ

ovr phoographs by aricia llis rr

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

irs diion


4/19

L E S S O N T W O

Know What Youre Getting IntoFailed Moun Tecumseh Atemp, April 13, 2008

Is bs o sar a hiing narraiv wih xampls o

hings ha can go wrong, spcially whn your hi-

ing parnr is a vry young child. My inn is no olav radrs shaing hir hads wih dismay, bu o

inorm and prhaps btr prpar h would-b ou-

door advnurr, spcially a ponial parn-child

am. Im no mbarrassd abou h hundrsorm

incidn, sinc, in rrospc, I do bliv ha anyon

could hav ound hmslvs in h sam siuaion.W didn hi ino somhing prdicdha sucr

ormd righ ovr our hads. Howvr, h ollowing

includs an accoun o somhing ha could hav

shouldhavben prvnd. For h bn o hos

who migh b spard a similar xprinc, I includ i

blow.

5


5/19

UP

W rs sumbl upon h ida by accidn. T girls

ar running around a bnch by a roadsid ios o

h Kancamagus Highway nar h own o Lincoln,

Nw Hampshir, jus a w wes ar w buy our

small wend hom in h Whi Mounains. I had

jus pulld ovr during a lisurly driv on his amous

mounain road o btr njoy h viws and o a ad-

vanag o h fsh air. Is March, and h snow sill

blans highr ground; w can se h sun glining o

h icy pas in h disanc.

T Whi Mounain rgion is bauiul, a brillian

conras o h drab ci li w liv Monday hrough

Tursday, o hours souh in Somrvill, Massachu-

sts. I am so happy I prsuadd my husband, Hugh, o

buy a iny wend hom hr, or I wan h girls ohav a hug and rgular dos o naur, and, sinc w

innd o homschool, an opporuni o us h nau-

ral rsourcs around us as larning ools. Addiionally,

h girls ned a plac whr hy can saly run fe, a

plac dvoid o polluion, a plac whr hr ar pln

o waralls, res, and hiing rails. T Nw Hamp-shir hous will b our hom hre days a we. Evn

whn my husband, a prossor a h Massachusts

Insiu o chnology, has o say in Massachusts

bcaus o his wor, which is on, h girls and I will

com hr ach Friday hrough Sunday.

Alx has ben a high-nrgy id sinc birh, alwaysino vryhing and complly uninrsd in r-


6/19

Know What Youre Gett ing Into

h siz o a posag samp, dos nohing o allvia

hr ned o mov-mov-mov. T ci playgrounds ar

small and lld wih cold, plasic srucurs. T only

ims Alx vr sems ruly happy living in Somrvill

ar whn w lav i o visi oudoor placs such as

Waldn Pond or Drumlin Farm, boh nar h hisoric

own o Concord. Ts o stings aord rails on

which o run bac and orh, somims giving h il-

lusion ha w ar in h mids o a wid xpans o

wildrnss. W hough o moving o Concord, bu w

couldn aord i as a on-incom amily.

Sag is asir o plas; shs conn whrvr

sh happns o b. Howvr, sh oo is happir whn

surroundd by res and dir. Ts placs o naur

brah joy ino my childrn; hy giv boh my girls apac o mind no ci amosphr can provid.

I can rla o hir snimns, or I hav ond

mmoris o roaming h oudoors as a young child.

T suburbs o Columbia, Maryland, wr, in h

1970s, an xrmly sa communi whr vryon

in h nighborhood nw who you wr and whryou livd. Mos o my ar-school hours wr spn x-

ploring h local cres and playing wih garr snas.

Id com hom jus in im or dinnr, covrd in dir

and mud, eling happy and fe.

Hughs childhood was also spn xploring h

naural world. H grw up on a hundrd-acr armnar Lancasr, Pnnsylvania, and dosn rmmbr


7/19

UP

spn running hrough cornlds and climbing res,

his summrs in various naional pars. By h ag o

lvn, h was allowd o ravl h counry wih his

brohrs by Gryhound bus and xplor a will.

Whn w grw up, naur was a par o who w

wr and how w livd, so eping Alx and Sag in

h ci day ar day, monh ar monh, has nvr l

righ o ihr o us.

I wach as my daughrs cavor ousid h ios.

Ty a urns chasing ach ohr on h grass,

acs brigh wih dligh, ches rd fom h chill

air, sraigh sras o yllow hair ying vry which

way as hy coninually run, urn, and mov wih ach

ohr. Ty ar h ssnc o Youh, and sinc hr is

no on around o disurb, I l hm chas and umbland pounc, o itns joyully pushing hir physical

and sisrly boundaris in h brigh Nw Hampshir

sunshin.

I am much lss aciv, choosing propr, adul r-

pos ovr h imprompu scamprings o childhood.

My lbows lan agains h ioss woodn rails; myorarms rs agains a cnrd inormaion placard.

Evnually my gaz urns fom my childrn o h

conn blow. Trs a word down hr saring up

a m, shouing in larg bold prin: Pabaggrs. In-

rigud, I sraighn and urn my atnion o h nir

x.T shor paragraphs dscrib a gam o sors,


8/19


mounains. Nw Hampshirs local pabagging gam

has an organizaion ddicad o h rcogniion o is

mmbrs: h Four Tousand Foor Club. Sponsord

by h Appalachian Mounain Club, i awards a cr-

ica and a pach o hos who ascnd all or-igh

o h Whi Mounains whos summis ris abov

our housand e. I conmpla h words and hin

abou my olds daughr. Always a consan bundl o

nrgy, h id nvr sems o ir.

Hy, Alx, I call ou o my v-yar-old, who is

now running around and around h ios, lapping hr

hre-yar-old sisr vry w sconds.

Wha? sh calls ou brahlssly, joyously.

Do you wan o ry o hi a grown-up mounain?

Alx brings hrsl o a hal and loos up.You don hav o i you don wan o, I

quicly add.

Sur! Hr ac bras ino a grin. I wan o!

Sag runs up o my lg and ass i sh can ry as

wll. Tough I srongly suspc my youngs daugh-

r is no y rady o hi mulipl mils on hr owno e, I gur Ill giv hr h coursy o allowing

hr o ry. Ar all, on o h rasons Hugh and I d-

cidd o homschool is bcaus w el childrn should

b m whr hyr a, inllcually and ohrwis.

W don wan o orc our childrn o conorm o any

group man. Trs no rason o insanly dismisshir goals solly bcaus o hir ags; o undrsi-


9/19

UP

hre dos no man sh should no b allowd o giv

h mounain hr all. Sur, I answr.

Boh girls whoop in joyul anicipaion, hn r-

sum running around and around h ios.

5April coms a w wes lar, and, sinc h snow

around our hous has ully mld, I gur is im o

giv on o hs mounains a go. Moun cumsh, a

si mounain my amily has noicd whil driving ino

narby Warvill Vally, is no oo ar fom our hous.

A quic Googl sarch lls m i sands mor han

4,000 e high4,003 e, o b xac. Anohr

quic sarch rvals ha is pa can b rachd aronly 2.2 mils o hiing2.2 mils! Alx can do ha;

Im sur o i. Sh hid 4 o 6 mils vry day wih-

ou complain during las yars rip o Mains Acadia

Naional Par, whn sh was only our yars old. Sh

shouldn hav any problms. Sag? Wll, wll se. W

can always urn bac i sh gs oo ird.Tough hrs no snow on h ground by our hous,

I gur hr migh sill b som l on h pas, so I

bundl up boh xcid ids in hir rgular snowsuis

and boos. Feling proud o mysl or hining ahad,

I pac som glovs, has, war, and ood ino a small

bacpac. How proud wll all b whn w rach hop! Wha a gra a w ar going o accomplish! T


10/19


h grand viws ha awai us a h op o our rs

Four Tousand Foor.

Alx chatrs nonsop all h way hr, asing i

wll se any bars, i wll ned a roc climbing har-

nss, i wll b bac in im or dinnr. I answr, No,

no, and ys. Im airly crain our nois will ep away

any bars, I now his is a hiing rail and no a climb-

ing rou, and h hour is arly . . . jus bor noon. W

should b n.

Sag is qui and loos ou h window, and I won-

dr how ar up h mounain shll hi bor asing

o b carrid. Iv no xpcaions ha shll ma i

up on hr own o e, as hr probably isn nough

chocola in h world o ep hr moivad all 4.4

round-rip mils. Sill . . . i I carry hr whn sh irs,h hre o us should b abl o summi. Sag won

b abl o apply his hi oward h Four Tousand

Foor Club, bu sinc sh dosn rally undrsand or

car abou his, i dosn matr. Is Alx who appr-

cias h clubs concp. Is Alx who posssss h

srngh and nrgy o pull his o. Wll jus a iasy and se wha happns.

W pull ino h si paring lo and nd h rail-

had, h sign ha mars h bginning o h hiing

pah. Moun cumsh rail, h capial ltrs an-

nounc. I zip up h girls coas and srap on my litl

bacpac bor lading my daughrs condnly, ar-roganly, ino h ors.


11/19

UP

romp hrough h war and our boos do hir job.

Evryons e rmain dry.

Now h pah gos slighly uphill and mandrs by

a broois bauiul. Alx commns on h sound

o h alling war. Is li music, sh says. Sag is

lss nhralld. Can I hav a snac? sh ass.

Evn hough is only ben n minus sinc w l

h car, I pull ou a bag o rail mix and hand i o Sag,

whos ac brighns ino a smil. Mayb ha will ep

hr happily occupid or a good hal mil or so.

W ollow h sram uphill or a w hundrd yards,

and hn w rach snow. I dosn loo li anyhing

w can handl. In ac, i loos inviing. T snow

on h rail has ben so pacd down fom prvious

hirs ha i rsmbls a a sidwal. Fanasic! I isli his all h way up h mounain, hn w should

b good o go.

T girls and I sp ono h snow, slid a litl, hn

nd our balanc and gingrly coninu on our way.

Sag loss a w brighly colord chocola pics hr

and hr, laving a candy zigzag bhind us. W lavhr consumabl litr whr i is or h im bing, g-

uring ha wll pic i up on h way ou.

W cross anohr sram, and h grad sepns,

maing h snow di cul o wal on. T rads o our

boos don adqualy grip h surac, and h girls

slip coninually, somims caching hmslvs boralling ino h snow, bu onims no. Sag bgins


12/19


se a rlaivly a srch jus ahad and urg h girls

onward.

W rach h a srch, bu insad o xprinc-

ing a rpriv, h snow on his srch has los is rm-

nss and w ar no longr waling on a a sidwal.

Evry v sps, somons oo punchs hrough and

mas a hol svral inchs dep. Sag coninus o

complain, hr voic gting loudr by h minu. Al-

xs orhad now has a urrow, and sh ass i w can

sop or a war bra.

Is di cul o nd a plac o rs, sinc siting

mans sining ino h snow. Ar a w minus, w

nd a larg roc whos a surac is jus abov h

snowlin. I si boh girls down, dig ou h war botl,

and hand i o my lds.Alx loos discouragd as sh ils h botl o hr

lips. Sh dosn sem aigud, hough. I wondr how

ar wv com . . . a mil? Is obvious jus by looing

around ha w ar nowhr nar h summi. Can sh

ma i all h way up? Dos sh wan o?

Sag dosn loo discouragd. Sh loos down-righ ups.

Ar you oay, hony? I as.

No, sh mumbls, looing down a hr lap.

Gting ird?

Ys.

Would you li m o carry you?Ys.


13/19

UP

ino h snow wih vry sp. Sag rids on my hip,

hr shor lgs gripping my wais as I sruggl no o

all ovr.

Fien minus lar, h snow suddnly gs much

depr, and i bcoms almos impossibl o wal.

Each sp givs way undr our e, and I sin up o my

nes, Alx up o hr highs. I can coninu holding

on o Sag, so I pu hr down and as hr o ry a w

sps. Sh dos, and immdialy sins o hr wais.

Sh is no amusd, and proceds o loudly bmoan h

ac ha hr boos hav jus lld up wih snow. W

rudg onward, bu h snow bcoms depr sill. W

sin rpadly, and w xhaus ourslvs by coninu-

ally having o pull our lgs up ou o h snow. I noic

ha h middl par o h rail is rlaivly rmr, so Ill h girls o say in h cnr as bs hy can. Ty

ry, bu hy rpadly slip, all ovr, and sin.

W com o a sep hill lading down o a largr

war crossing. Iv no ida how w can saly g down

ha slop coninually slipping and sining in such

dep, roting snow. I com o a hal, loo down a mymisrabl ids, and nally admi o mysl ha w ar

no gting up his mounain. A las no oday.

Alx loos down h hill and voics my houghs,

loudly and rmly.

I don wan o ep going, Mama, Alx dclars.

I wan o g up h mounain, bu I don li all hissnow.


14/19


Sags ac is as scrwd up as a ac could possi-

bly b.

I squa down nx o hm, my ac lvl wih hirs.

Im sorry, girls. I didn now hr would b all

his snow. Would you li o ry again whn h snow

is gon?

Alx says ys. Sh lls m sh rally wans o g up

hr, bu no oday, no unil sh can wal normally on

dry ground. Sh hn adds ha no only is coninuing

on a bad idabu ha sh a ou won do i. Sh

dosn man o b a bad id, bu sh is notgoing on

sp arhr in his mss, han you vry much.

Sag dosn say anyhing. Hr ac coninus o r-

smbl ha o somon wih a mouhul o lmons. I

rach ino h bag and hand hr a granola bar. Hr acrlaxs innisimally.

Im disappoind and chagrind. I hadn orsen

ha hr would b so much dep snow on h rail, and

ha i would b so di cul o wal on. I had hough

I was wll prpard, wih snowsuis, boos, ood, and

war. Hc, I vn pacd a ashligh, map, and com-pass! Y hr w wr, dad and rady o go hom.

A man hiing down fom h summi approachs

us. Hs waring snowshos, and his bacpac, which

is much largr han min, has a rolld-up oam ma

atachd o is ousid. H as a good loo a boh

my ids, and a sligh wrinl appars across his or-had. I xplain ha w ar abou o urn bac, and h


15/19

UP

wrinl quicly disappars. Good movh snow

jus gs wors h arhr up you go, h xclaims b-

or quicly snowshoing o. I noic heisn sining in

h snow. Snowshos! Wow, I didn raliz . . .

W ma our way bac oward h car, h hi

bcoming asir as w lav h dep snow bhind. I

carry Sag, sinc hr mood has l h land o Irriad

and is now rsiding in Ourigh Misrabl. W rach

h ara o spilld chocola, and I do my bs o collc

h droppd pics.

W g bac o h car, and Sag scamprs ino hr

car sa, graul o b siting down in a warm, amil-

iar nvironmn. Fiv-yar-old Alx rmains sanding

ousid h car and wachs m closly as I pop h

run and oss in my bacpac. Alx has nvr benon o ep hr houghs o hrsl, and Iv a eling

Im abou o g a wll-dsrvd arul.

Ar you oay, Alx? I as, and brac mysl or

hr answr.

Tough my daughr dos hr bs o b rspc-

ul, sh mas i clar his was a bungld opraion.Why didn I now abou h snow? Why didn I urn

us around arlir? Wasn hr som way o now-

ing mor abou h condiions o h rail bor w

sard? Good qusions, hs. Ty pour ou o my

young daughrs mouh in on long, mid run-on

snnc. My v-yar-old has a wondrul capaci orlanguag. Sh bgan o rad a o yars o ag, and


16/19


Hr vrbal abiliis now shin in all hir glory as sh

scolds hr mohr or no bing mor prpard.

I allow hr his ouburs, as sh is absoluly righ.

I was a oolish and ill-quippd vnur. I didn now

wha I was doing.

Whn sh has nishd vning, I nel down and

pull hr clos. Im sorry, I say. You ar righ. I will

larn mor abou hs mounains bor w atmp

anohr hi. Do you sill wan o ry again, ar h

snow has mld?

Alx bacs away fom m a litl so ha sh can

loo dircly ino my ac. Ys, sh says, hn isss

my che. Bu Mama, plas gur i ou a litl b-

r nx im.

T nx o monhs ar spn doing xacly ha:guring i ou. Soon ar our aild cumsh atmp,

I nd a hic boo displayd on h counr o a local

sporing goods sor: AMC White Mountain Guide,

compild and did by Gn Danill and Svn D.

Smih. I pic i up and la hrough iwow. I con-

ains ino on vry rail in h rgion, and i comswih a bunch o maps. Whn I a i o h counr,

h sals rprsnaiv suggss I buy an addiional

boo, also auhord by Smih and a llow namd Mi

Dicrman: Te4000-Footers of the White Mountains. I

hand ovr my mony, a boh boos hom, and bgin

o rad.Now our hiing advnurs ruly bgin. No by


17/19

UP

and h various rail maps. On o h boos rrs o

a coupl o norhasrn hiing wbsis: Viws fom

h op (www.viwsfomhop.com) and Rocs on

op (www.rocsonop.com). I accss boh daily, rad-

ing qusions and commns fom xprincd Whi

Mounain hirs.

Using h inormaion Iv gahrd, I sar o

buy appropria gar or all hre o us. I nd war-

rsisan hiing boos or mysl and boh girls. I

buy bacpacsiny, school-p ons or h girls

and a larg, propr daypac or m. A salsprson a

ha aormniond sporing goods sor wals m

hrough h ps o clohing a hir neds o hav

wih hr. Layrs ar y. Somhing quic drying righ

nx o h sin ha wics war and swa away fomh body. Flec o go ovr ha wicing bas layr, o

ep h body warm whn h mounain air chills. A

windproo, warproo our layr o proc h body

fom h harshr lmns.

Along wih hs basics, h ollowing ims ar

also demd ncssary or purchas: a war ramnsysm; a bivy shlr (a hin, lighigh warproo

and windproo bag ha rsmbls a iny on-prson

n, usul or accidnal ovrnighs ou in h wil-

drnss); a lighigh sleping bag; a oam sleping

pad (o ep your body o h cold ground); a rs aid

i; duc ap; a compass; sunbloc; bug spray; had-lamps; mrgncy whisls; a pocni; warproo


18/19


T girls and I wai ou h las o h spring haw

by hiing a, snow-fe rails a lowr lvaions o ry

ou our boos and gar. W wal or hours a a im,

Alx consisnly happy and srong, and Sag conn

as long as w don go mor han our mils. A h nd

o our his, Sag is worn ou whil Alx only sems

nrgizd. Tr is no doub in my mind ha i w a-

mp a snow-fe cumsh, Alx will summi. I rad

and rrad h o guidboos whil h hre o us

wai or h springim sun o dry ou h rails.


19/19
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Up by Patricia Ellis Herr - Excerpt