The Adirondacks used to be intimating to me. It seemed like such an invincible place. After I climbed that Volcano though, I just felt like I could conquer any mountains. I knew that was a difficult hike, but I wanted my friends to see the best and worst of hiking. It is rough and steep, but the view is something you will not forget. Your best stories will not be the little hikes on Saint-Hilaire…it will be how you slid down those slippery rocks on your butt, how scary it was to be on the unsheltered top, how awesome it was to have lunch on the summit, admire the other summits, and maybe have a sweet little nap there!
I didn’t anticipate this hike to end this late, I started my day at 6:30 am because I had to pick up friends. We arrived there at 10:30 am; it always takes more time when there are more people. We started hiking at about 10:45 am, and I’m not sure when we reached the top, but two of my friends did not make it. One had vertigo, and one was worried about the descent.
On the way back though, my car was searched at the border. I was grilled with a million of stupid questions at the Canadian border.
It started like this, “3 people?” the border guard asks.
“Yes,” I answered.
“How many people are with you?” he goes again.
What a stupid question I thought, can't he do the math? but I still answered politely “two”.
“Huh?”
At this point, I was pretty irritated. First, he asks a stupid question, and second, he makes me repeat? I said “one” and pointed towards the friend in the front seat, and “two” pointing toward the one in the back sit. I know it’s not a good thing to do...but I really have difficulties dealing with dumb people.
“How do you know each other?” he continues.
“We’re friends,” I said.
“Where did you guys go?”
“Algonquin Mountain.”
“Where?” he asks again.
“Algonquin…the mountain, Algonquin,” I know I had a little bit of an attitude, but can you blame me?
“To do what?”
“To hike.”
“What’s on the mountain?”
Like, are you serious?! What’s on the mountain?! “Nothing. We went hiking.”
“Whose car is this?”
“Mine.”
“Who?”
“It’s mine. My car!” Grrrr.
“What’s your job?”
“Accountant.” He then asked all my friends about their job as well, I had to repeat some of the answers because he never seemed to hear properly. He asked what we bought, I said nothing. One of my friends said he bought a pack of cigarette and the other one said he bought a bottle of juice. I’m not sure if they had to declare this, but maybe this made us even more suspicious? I have no idea.
I know I was bitchy, but who wouldn’t be? In the end, he asked us to drive to the searching area. We waited for 15 minutes before someone came for us. Two ladies searched my car for 5 minutes, and found nothing of course. He wasted our time and his co-workers' time. He had his little revenge. That’s great for him. Where does he think he will go in his life with this little victory? Seriously. The nature of his job only attracts idiots in the first place. No one with any reasonable intelligence and skills would want sit there all day to ask silly little questions to people or stare at an x-ray screen.
Anyways, it was midnight by the time I got home.
