One of the never-fail items I attend to when we're planning a trip to the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire is to check the weather forecast for the days when we'll be there. There's a ten-day forecast and what it portends regulates what we'll be packing in clothing, whether for cold and wet days or primarily sunny warm days. This time was no different.

And when the weather forecast advised that we'd be heading into wet, wet, cool days with little relief in the offing we mostly packed cool-weather clothing with ample rain gear for us and for Jackie and Jillie. Better be safe than sorry, right? Well, turned out the never-fail advance weather forecast was not only wrong, but spectacularly so. We used very little of the cold weather clothing and none of the raingear.

No complaints, really. We did have enough warm-weather clothing to do us for the week away, stretching it a bit. And when we were off on the forest trails we were grateful to see blue sky above between nice white fluffy cloud formations. Just as well we spent so much time on the forest trails where the tree canopy shielded us from the sun in fact, since three or four of those days were warm at 80+F-degrees.

At Rocky Gorge off the Kancamagus Highway not far from Conway, we admired, as usual, the ancient effect of powerful mountain streams scouring the granite into a deep channel as runoff from the mountainsides into the Swift River roared and foamed through the gorge. Our destination, though, was the trail that looped the Falls Pond just beyond the gorge, a mile-long forest trail that offered Jackie and Jillie and us the opportunity to enjoy a pleasant hike through the forested area whose geology is so incredibly spectacular, drawing us back to visit, year after year.

The still beauty of the small lake in its serene setting, reflecting the forest that surrounds us, is one that anyone would appreciate. There, the blue sky and its attendant white clouds were mirrored in the lake, along with the brilliant green of the trees.

The Lovequist loop trail that we take is picturesque, the trail itself steeped in orange pine needles and the surrounding trees of various vintages soaring on elevated areas reaching out to the mountain slopes presenting a wide and fascinating canvas. There's a modest series of ascents and descents, and for the most part the lake can be glimpsed through the screen of the trees. The sun, streaming down on the lake transforms its ripples into diamonds of brilliant light.

The modest effort it takes to complete the loop and arrive back at the gorge provides us with an experience we all enjoy and value for a multitude of reasons; the physical, leisurely effort, the aesthetic of the scenery, and the satisfaction in once again being immersed in some of nature's most remarkable landscapes.