My hiking buddy had a strange experience while negotiating the rocks on the south face of Kinsman Mt. in NH. I was never sure what to make of it. Here's my journal entry:
Finishing lunch, we filtered water from Eliza Brook and began a very difficult climb up Kinsman Mt. The first part of the climb paralleled gushing Eliza Brook.Morning mist had given way to afternoon sunshine and the cool breeze coming off the brook felt refreshing. We reached Harrington Pond where the already steep ascent became a 1000 foot hand-over-hand climb up a near-vertical jumble of rocks and cliffs.Several days after completing the hike, Carlos reported to me that he had a “religious experience” on a particularly difficult section of the Kinsman climb.At a point where I had hiked slightly ahead, Carlos found himself facing a seemingly unclimbable series of cliffs.He began to wonder how he would get up the mountain and the possible consequences if he were to fall backward.He hoisted himself up and, glancing to his side, saw the figure of a woman in white robes reclining on a rock next to the trail.After successfully negotiating the climb, he looked back to the rock but the woman was gone.