David hosted a wonderful half-day hike up Monadnok for me and Woody.  The morning started out cool and crisp, warming up through the late morning and early afternoon.  Barely a cloud was in the sky as the sun shone through the branches, leaving dapples of pinkish light on the forest floor, filtered through several layers of leaves.  We took the White Circle trail up to the summit.  Some parts of the hike were steep and rocky, requiring us to rest and also giving us the opportunity to snack, drink water, and enjoy the greenery.  A few mayflowers were still out, along with star flowers, clintonia, wild azalea, and even a few ladyslippers.  We joined the throng of people at the top to enjoy the unhindered 360-degree view of the surrounding area.  Heading back down, we took the White Cross trail for a less-steep descent.  The 4.2-mile round trip took us about 5 hours, including the rests and summit sightseeing.  On our way up, we met a guy training for the Full Throttle triathalon, with the run portion up and down Monadnok.  He finished the round trip in one hour!

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