Veni, vidi, vici New Hampshire!

One of my best friends is getting married in a few weeks and since she wasn't in the mood for a typical bachelorette, we opted for a weekend get-a-way that involved hiking the White Mountains and some outlet shopping on the side. It seemed fitting that seven girls, who all met while playing sports, would choose this type of weekend for the bride-to-be.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. The sun was glorious and the sky was a perfect blue. The scent of pine enveloped us as we brushed past the trees and I don't think there's anything in the world as fresh, clear and crisp as the smell of early morning mountain air.

Tuckerman's Ravine, at the foot of Mount Washington, is a beautiful hiking trail that takes your breath away; both because of its beauty and its steep climbs. With snow still on the ground, parts of the trail were a challenge, but hard-core skiers, with their hiking boots on, walking poles in hand and skis strapped to their backpacks, were climbing the mountain along with us, willingly doing the 3-4 hr hike to a part of the mountain that retains snow well into the end of May. It's an annual spring ritual for many and they all looked fit, healthy and happy to be getting one more weekend on the slopes.

Young children, miniature hiking boots on their feet, were also climbing with their parents and it was a sometimes adorable and sometimes hilarious sight, as we would encounter kids in various stages of meltdown. Tired, bedraggled, eating granola bars with a pout on their face, fighting with siblings, anxious to get to the top, some annoyed, some hopeful and perseverant. I couldn't help but wonder how much of the personality they exhibited during the climb would stay with them for the rest of their adulthood.

Not wanting to spend an entire day shopping in outlet malls, I quickly informed everyone that I would much rather do something else other than shop. However, having never come across sensational deals like the ones found at the outlet malls in North Conway, I quickly had to abandon the high horse I rode into town on and participate in the shopping frenzy.

Mountain Washington may have showed us who's boss, but we easily conquered the Banana Republic outlet store! Like invading plunderers, the likes that could have put Genghis Khan and Viking fleets to shame, "we came, we saw and we conquered" all the sales racks in town. Veni, vidi, vici North Conway!

I came home to the news that Pauline Marois had thrown her hat in the ring for the PQ's leadership. While they say that the third time's the charm, I couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for poor Pauline. The party she'll soon be heading loves to devour its own and I have the sneaking suspicion that the clothes I purchased this weekend are sure to outlast the PQ's love affair with her.