“Lower your Expectations and be Happy”- Experience of “Railways to the Moon”
Expectations! It is a commonly used word that significantly impacts every aspect of our lives. We all have certain levels of expectations for everything we engage with. For example, when planning a travel, we expect it to be fun and exciting or successful if it is for business. The more detailed the plan is, the higher the expectations are. And we want the outcome to be fantastic. Isn’t it? Even during Vacations involving Travel, we strive to control every moment to maximize the fun. We have high expectations, which becomes the standard we want to accomplish. And if things don’t happen as planned and expected, we become frustrated and disappointed. Have you ever been on a vacation when you expected the least, but it turned out to be excellent? The power of expecting less work and make such vacations or travel more exciting and memorable.
Here’s the story of my recent trip to New England state, Massachusetts, and how it turned out exciting despite little planning and no expectations. I have always desired to see Harvard and MIT’s large, green, and beautiful properties in Boston. Finally, my wish came true, and we traveled to Boston this long weekend. I didn’t plan much for this vacation as I wasn’t sure if there was any other popular tourist attraction in the city. Hence, my expectations were relatively low. I planned to go there, enjoy the sightseeing downtown, and eat different cuisines at restaurants.
Most importantly, I wanted to enjoy the intellectual environment of MIT and Harvard, and I hoped my teenage son would get some inspiration, too. This trip differed from other vacations, where we race against time to cover as many tourist spots as possible. I had three days here but no concrete plans. But as it said, when you expect the least, then the good things happen. After I reached there, I learned about the other New England State — New Hampshire was nearby, just a 150-mile drive from our hotel in Boston. From talking to locals and flyers, I learned about the Mount Washington Summit by COG railways in New Hampshire, a historical and exciting destination. We booked the Train tickets the night before and drove to OG station the next day. The drive was scenic and beautiful. On the way we could see many resorts to stay in the middle of the mountains. The White Mountain range spans the north-central portion of the state. Of the 50 U.S. states, New Hampshire is the fifth smallest by area and the tenth least populous, with a population of 1,377,529 residents. New Hampshire’s motto, “Live Free or Die,” reflects its role in the American Revolutionary War; its nickname,
The Mount Washington Cog Railway, also known as the Cog, is the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway (rack-and-pinion railway). The railway climbs Mount Washington in New Hampshire and uses a Marsh rack system. It was Marsh’s invention, using a ladder-like rack with open bar rungs engaged by the teeth of the cog wheel. This system allows snow and debris to fall through the rack rather than lodging in it. It is the second steepest rack railway in the world after the Pilatus Railway in Switzerland. The train ascends the mountain at 2.8 miles per hour (4.5 km/h) and descends at 4.6 mph (7.4 km/h). Steam locomotives take approximately 65 minutes to ascend and 40 minutes to come down, while biodiesel engines can go up in as little as 36 minutes.
It was a memorable ride to travel on that train. While going up, when I tried to stand on the train to click some pics, it was hard to maintain the balance. I was standing on the slope at a greater than 33-degree angle, and at any moment, I could fall and roll backward like a ball. The engine pushed the car from behind, and the sight was clear in front of us to enjoy the view of mountains, another rail on the descending track. There were two tracks on the mountain with a single crossover juncture, where a climbing Engine must wait and give the path to the Rail coming down. Walking to the small door in the front while the train was moving was challenging. However, I tried to be a brave soul to click some pictures and enjoy walking on the slope. By the way, walking with caution was allowed by the Captain of the Engine. However, it wasn’t allowed to get up from the seat and step while coming down. You could fall and hurt yourself badly because of gravity pull and downward slope.
Well, let me also share some history of the COG Railways.
In 1869, Sylvester Marsh built the COG Railways. He got this idea in 1852 when he was climbing the mountain. Initially, his vision was treated as insane by state legislators, considering the steep elevation of Mt. Washington. Building a railroad on the side of a steep mountain is almost impossible. The average grade of Mount Washington is 25 percent, with some spots at nearly 38 percent. However, he succeeded in getting the permit. Cog Railway was sometimes referred to as the “Railway to the Moon” sometimes. Due to the steep terrain, a traditional railroad was out of the question. Instead, Marsh applied the cog gear and rack technology to create the first mountain-climbing railway. Each train consists of a locomotive pushing a single passenger car up the mountain, descending the hill by going in reverse. Both locomotive and car were initially equipped with a ratchet and pawl mechanism to prevent any roll-back during climb; during descent, both locomotive and car are braked. There are recent improvements in the design of the braking system of the locomotive, ensuring the safety of the passengers.
I never planned to visit this place as I wasn’t aware of the captivating landscaping and scenic locations of New Hampshire. However, this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, not only from the fun perspective but also from learning something new about the Cog system and the entire mechanics. You may call it my ignorance. But ignorance is bliss sometimes.
Similarly, keeping a low key and less expectation is therapeutic and could sometimes be thrilling. If I had planned this trip in detail, covering all the places, I doubt I would’ve enjoyed this trip as much. When we plan too much for Travel or anything, we spend much time executing the plan and begin to expect a lot. I am not saying you don’t plan. Based on the situations, sometimes it’s fun to plan just enough to discover the unknown and to get a thrilling experience. Low expectations make us happier and more satisfied, which is crucial for our mental health. People find it hard to lower high expectations as we think low expectations mean degrading our standards and quality of life. However, lowering expectations means setting them according to reality. We feel less disappointed this way and can live a meaningful life.
