Thursday in New Hampshire proved an absolute, utter wash-out. The morning began with light rain but by the time we had finished breakfast the rain had picked up substantially and it was clear that if it kept up there would be no hike in the woods for us that day. We've often enough encountered rainy days on our mountain holidays in the White Mountain Range but generally we can find the opportunity to get out at least briefly for a trail hike when the rain relented, between downpours. Not this time. So we decided to drive to Antique Alley and mosey about there.

The prospect for Friday according to the advance weather forecast held out little hope for any improvement. It had rained copiously all the night before. In fact, rain had been so heavy at times visibility was diminished to a few feet, and to venture out into the rain was to invite a personal deluge. So we weren't surprised when we woke to continued rain on Friday.

We were resigned to the rain, and decided we'd have to make the best of it. We had no intention of remaining cooped in the cottage to avoid getting wet, even if it was cool out as well. Some discussion of our options led us to decide to return to Franconia Notch, only a half-hour away, and to visit The Basin, a spectacular spot on our hiking itinerary -- that this would be as a good a day as any.

We would all wear raingear, and forge on, and this is just what we did. We'd expected to see a mostly empty parking lot reserved for The Basin, but a surprising number of vehicles sat there. Clearly others saw no reason themselves to waste a day by sheltering from the rain. And by then it had changed to a fairly light patter. Under the tunnel we went, Jackie and Jillie eager to begin our day's adventure. Any time we would park at a site throughout the week they would become excitedly animated, voicing their anticipation of a pleasant experience, and this one wouldn't disappoint.

At the Basin itself there is always a crowd of people gawking at the smooth bowl that thousands of years of gushing mountain stream water had carved out of the granite at the foot of Cannon mountain. Most people who visit the site go no further than the adjacent areas where the mountain stream gushes over smooth granite, continuing to carve its gradual signature.

We decided we would take The Flume trail before heading up to the trail leading to the various cascades where the stream tumbles down the mountainside to eventually reach the Pemigewasset River below. This is a relatively, short, narrow trail hemmed in by old yellow birches and hemlock, where the stream runs alongside, roiling and boiling until it reaches what is called the Baby Basin then continues on its way.

In fact, we find the Baby Basin to be just as spectacular as the Basin itself, perhaps more so, and we were surprised, though we shouldn't have been, at the intense volume of the water this year, and the accompanying roar of it flushing downriver. We did encounter a few other people making the side trip, and it was well worth the time and effort.

Just as we feel ascending the larger, much longer Pemi Trail has always been worth the effort, to us. There was a time when we didn't mind extending the energy and devoting the time to do the entire trail which took us eventually to a mountain lake. Now, in our 80s, we're content with making our way over the root-and-rock-strewn trail, to emerge from time to time on side trails onto the bare rockface of the mountain where the clear, clean and cool mountain stream burst down the slope.

We have never before seen the volume of water that tumbled endlessly from the mountain down to its foot and into the Pemi. It was a magnificent sight, and a memorable one that emphasized the force of nature in its raw magnificence. We encountered few other people making the trip upstream on the trail which was itself sodden with rain and beyond boggy in areas as it winds its way through the forest.

Stopping from time to time on the ascent to make those side trips onto the rockface to view at close hand the spuming, rushing stream bouncing down the mountain was a true trip highlight.