White Mountains, NH & Green Mountains, VT

 “Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,
For I would ride with you upon the wind,
Run on the top of the dishevelled tide,
And dance upon the mountains like a flame.”  – W.B.Yeats

 For fall break, we decided to take a roadtrip up to New Hampshire/Vermont to see the foliage. We planned pretty last minute, but were able to book  a car very quickly. I was a bit skeptical as I didn’t think we would be able to actually have time to do any legitimate exploring with only 4 days (it’s a long drive), but we made it work and had perfectly enough time to complete all the hikes I wanted!

Thursday bright and early we set out in a Hertz rental car (back then, we didn’t know about the secret code I have now to get rid of the under 25 fee) and drove 9 hours through beautiful foliage all the way up to the White Mountains. It took a little longer than it should have because we took the scenic aka NO TOLL routes. I was asleep for most of the ride…I really hate long car rides as they make me carsick!

We arrived at our hostel in the evening, after a few scenic stops. The hostel was a nice little farmstead in the middle of the mountain (D Acres of New Hampshire) with a little farm and its own trails. A little pricey ($36.50 per night per person in 2014), but everything was green and organic (even the toilets were composting toilets). We also were able to get our own little loft in the private library. There are many other options to rent out in D Acres too, if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative – sharing a room (or floor) with other people comes out to significantly less.

We really appreciated the library, little cats, organic farm with groceries we were able to eat, and communal pizza nights and breakfasts (paid a little extra). The homestead seemed to promote community living and environmental activism, which we participated in every night by listening to talks or watching informative videos over homemade pizza.

  The hikes we did in the mountains were breathtaking. So many different trails through really high elevation, beautiful waterfalls and pools, and amazing views. We also took a skytram up to the very tallest mountain (near Old Man’s Peak), as it was more of a skiing mountain and almost impossible to climb ourselves.

On the way back to Philadelphia, we stopped in the Green Mountains in Vermont; White Mountains are more beautiful and lofty, but Vermont was very quaint to drive through!

Such a wonderful trip through nature – one of my favorite roadtrips! The weather was perfect for some chilly hiking. Our only costs were the rental car, hostel, and groceries (we bought from Wal-Mart and ate sandwiches or participated in communal dinners).