The experience is worth the price of gas

We are so fortunate to live and work right in the heart of the White Mountains. It is an area that relies heavily on tourism visitors. This summer, we've been hearing concerns that the price of gas may deter visitors from driving here. However, we have long maintained that if the experience is unique and that differential is marketed effectively, visitors will come.

Today, travel is not considered a luxury...it is a right, a necessity, a "payback" for all the hard work and long hours we put in, and it is a necessary way to reconnect with our families. Travel isn't going away....despite the price of gas. We will be more discerning and more demanding with our dollars (see previous post about the guest service) and may wait to check out the forecast before we commit...but we will travel.

Which leads me to the point of this post....one of my sons and I spent the weekend hiking around the Presidential Range and stayed up at the Mizpah Hut. At dinner the first night, we sat next to a man from Philadelphia who had driven up with a friend and their 4 sons, ranging in age from 8 to 11. When I remarked that I was surprised he made the drive with the price of gas (in a Suburban, no less), he said that it really wasn't that bad...between the two men they figured that they would spend about $150 each on gas. He said that "it wasn't a bad price to pay for this experience, and it was definitely worth it." He made an analogy about bottled water and that people were buying it despite the price and waste..."it is all a matter of perspective, and what is important to you."

The next night, we sat next to a couple from Austin, TX who was at a conference in Boston. When the conference was over, they rented a car, drove up and then hiked up to Mizpah for the weekend. "For the experience...we can't get this in Austin, and we were 'right' here, so we had to come do this." Sunday morning, they left the hut at 6:30 am to hike down and then drive to catch a noon flight out of Manchester....squeezing every possible minute out of this experience.

And, finally, we bunked with a couple of chaperones for a high school class trip. They were from an hour north of Toronto and do this every year with their junior Outdoor Education class. Did the price of gas deter them at all? "This is nothing compared to our prices in Canada...and it is well worth it. The kids get so much out of this experience."

Here you can climb the tallest mountain in the Northeast and its surrounding peaks, stay in a mountainside hut, eat hearty meals family-style and meet lots of interesting people.

I'd say that this unique experience is well worth the price of gas.