Nature generously gifted us with a perfect weather day on June 22nd while we were away in New Hampshire. We acknowledged that gift with gratitude, and took up her challenge to make the most of it. The high for the day was to be a tolerable 74 Fahrenheit, with a nice, cooling breeze. And, best of all, no rain in the forecast.

The sky was a crystal blue with the most beautiful, fluffy white clouds coasting leisurely along its width and breadth, the kind of clouds that make one think of sheep browsing in a pasture. How bucolic can you get without even glancing at the landscape below? We had a number of potential choices to work off our breakfast of honeydew, bananas and waffles, tea and coffee.

Serendipitously, this would be a longish drive along the Kancamagus Highway, but one that offered two sites for us to enjoy in one afternoon's outing. In and of itself the drive along the Kancamagus is interesting; it rises precipitously, and the highway snakes along between the mountains so there are plenty of scenic areas where you can stop, get out of your vehicle and goggle at the mountains, forests and valleys below.

Well, because it was also a Saturday we knew that anywhere we'd go we would come across other summer vacationers. This area is not all that far from Boston, and it's a popular destination for people from Massachusetts. And although Motorcycle Week was over, there were still frequent parades of motorcycle groups driving through the mountain passes to enjoy the incomparable scenery. So the overlooks were crowded.

Not nearly as crowded, however, as the parking spots at popular trailheads where enthusiastic mountain trail hikers were determined to spend the better part of their afternoon on this guaranteed-no-rain-day making their way on an ascent toward the many summits that offer the challenge of a view of endless mountain peaks once attained, of the many and varied peaks in the White Mountain range. We're familiar with the sight, viewing one peak after another into the distance, but long past the physical challenge ourselves now, relying on fond memory to recall what that's like.

Anywhere the trailheads were, the roadsides were bumper-to-bumper parked vehicles. When we used to ascend those trails with our teen-age children so many years ago, it was rare to encounter very many other hikers on the trails and particularly above the tree line. Now, it must be like Grand Central Station on most of the trails. We hoped, as we drove on to our destination for the day's outing, that the parking lot and consequently the number of people there to gawk at Sabbaday Falls wouldn't be too awkward for our purpose.

We did, in fact, find a parking spot on our arrival, but free ones were in short supply; just good luck. While we're away from home Jackie and Jillie are always harnessed and kept on leash to avoid any potential problems. We found that despite the number of vehicles parked below on the lot, there were not in fact, all that many people at the Falls. We've seen it far more crowded in the past.

The ascent to the chasm where the falls roar down over an ancient rockbed is medium-steep, and well worth the effort to approach the falls. The forest on either side of the trail features a suite of tree specimens that seem to predominate elsewhere in the region, with hemlock, pine and yellow birch growing to a notable size, and of course ubiquitous dogwood everywhere in the forest understory.Not many wildflowers in evidence but there was bunchberry.

The falls storm their billowing way ferociously down the stone runway. The pool below has a lovely blue-green cast as it adds its never-ending volume to the waters rushing into and through the Swift River Gorge. Quite the sight to behold, the sheer volume and power of the gushing water as it noisily trumpets its sovereignty over the landscape; simply awe inspiring.