Mount Paugus

SMOKING IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

My best friend bats her eyes and says, “can I get a light?”

Only a year ago, our main indulgence
was spending all our allowance
at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on Pearl Street
getting sick from too many cherry cordials.

Now we’re standing on the toilet
in the girl’s bathroom at the Hotel Boulderado
trying to master the French inhale.

“I think we are supposed to-”
“-roll our lips inward?”
“Right, then-”
“Will they know if I don’t inhale?”
“Yeah, they check for it, and don’t cough!”
cough, cough
“Oh, yeah. Right. Definitely don’t cough.”
cough, cough, cough
“And hold it in?”
cough, cough
“Right. Then let it out slowly.”
“Yeah. And breathe in through your nose-”
cough, cough, cough
“-to catch the smoke before it-”

Coughing, laughing and choking
smoke is billowing out of our noses
instead of up into them when the door opens.

We freeze, hear some coughing, then the door closes.

Throwing our cigarettes into the toilet
we hop down, spray perfume, swing the door open
run out of the bathroom, down the hall
across the balcony, into the stairwell
down to lobby floor, past the arm chairs
into the turning glass doors, onto the sidewalk

backpacks swinging as we skip hand-in hand
down the street to the the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
just as the sky begins to color pink.

 

 

 

Hike level: Moderate
Location: Albany, NH
Driving distance from Boston: About 2.5 hours
Cost: FREE

Description: There are many routes to hike Mount Paugus, this 52 with a view. We did a loop that began on Bolles Trail then followed Whitin Brook Trail to Cabin Trail, then Lawrence trail up over Mount Paugus. On the way down we took Old Paugus trail to reconnect with the Whitin Brook Trail. The hike was about 8.1 miles with about 2,380 in elevation gain.