Sixty-Something: Memorable Walks in the Rain

Usually when one thinks of a rainy day one does not use the word fabulous. The standard for wonderful walks, hikes or treks are the ones on sunny days. Yet I believe the most memorable walks I have experienced were, in fact, on rainy days. There have many been walks and hikes in my life. Summer walks in the Alps and others along the shores of the east end. Special ones that come to mind occurred around Paris, France with my wife Cindi.

While I am not a rainy-day guy, I do love the weather. Make no mistake about it, I definitely do not enjoy sailing in pouring rain or even drizzle. The fact is, the first time I ever sailed my sailboat into Three Mile Harbor it was pouring. To add to the misery, it was the only time in twenty years that I was stopped by the Marine Patrol to see my registration. This was while it was pouring as hard as can be. Somehow, I had the proper documentation in a waterproof pouch. What made the experience bizarre was that it was my first week owning and sailing my sailboat.

The most peculiar walk in the rain for me was back in the year 2002, when I was the leader of a hike up Mt. Lafayette in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. It was with the New York Athletic Club’s “Extreme Club.” Somehow, I was instrumental in promoting the idea for this climb. We all drove the 7-8 hours to Franconia Notch, N.H. from Manhattan. The forecast said possible showers, but not pouring rain. I had been so looking forward to this hike, and seeing and hearing the pouring rain that morning made me mad.

The drive to the Lafayette Mountain trailhead to meet with all these Manhattanites was torturous. I was thinking how do I tell folks who drove seven hours that I was canceling the hike? Instead, when I arrived everyone was wearing plastic garbage bags and other rain gear, excited to go to the top. It was amazing to see their enthusiasm. The rain heighted their excitement to do this climb.

I suppose I forgot to factor in that almost all of the folks on this climb were runners and had done a few New York Marathons. They knew about doing things in inclement weather. When we reached the Greenleaf Hut perhaps 4/5ths from the top they actually decided to race to the summit. I walked up and was the last to the top! When I arrived, everyone was so joyous. There were no photos being taken of amazing views, just rain, high-fives and big smiles.

As I said, my favorite walks in the rain were in Paris with my wife, Cindi. While on our honeymoon we had a gentle drizzle for a few days. We both had excellent raincoats and hats and we walked everywhere. One day it was to the Notre Dame area. Another day to the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower. We also really enjoyed walking the historic Marais district and getting a falafel. We joked that somewhere in Paris lived the rich daughter of the falafel king of Paris! It was romantic as we kissed on the famous Parisian bridges in fogs, sort of like Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the movie, Casablanca.

Rain can also change plans. One summer Saturday a few years back it started to rain so we canceled our Gardiner’s Bay sailing. Instead, we walked around Louse Point and The Springs General Store. From there we went to Ashawagh Hall as it was having yet another art show.

That day, on impulse I bought a painting of Michael McDowell called Girlfriends. It had been painted in 1983 but is timeless. We had often noticed it hanging in the McDowell home. It now hangs in our kitchen. It features two bathing suited women sitting in beach chairs with their feet in the surf. Yet, ironically purchased after a walk on a rainy Hamptons Saturday.