Mahoosuc Notch and Arm. The hardest mile on the AT. Given the time crunch of summiting 9/11, my general distaste for the Whites and New Hampshire and the advice of Wingit (who thru hiked previously), we decided to jump up to 1900. Originally we were gonna go out for 2 days and do the notch on Wednesday but there’s the possibility of rain and we all wanted to do it together. this is not a section to do in wet weather. Lots of scrambling, using hands to pull and rock climbing. We actually put our poles away. It was actually fun-challenging in a different way and a whole body workout. The arm was super steep and more climbing. Old speck mountain was the same but a lot more exposed so felt more scary. But overall the day was good- nice views, decent hiking. Maine actually has blazes and some regular trail between the hard stuff.
Day 175. Zero in Gorham. Steady and Dogtag did the climb up the Wildcat Mountain and took the Ski gondola down. Will and Silverback and I didn’t want to put extra miles on our legs and chance injury. Also the wildcats is supposed to be one of the hardest climbs and isn’t even on the official AT this year due to a bridge being out. And I am allowed to have a zero and relax. We hung out at the Joe Dodge Lodge for a while, then went to Gorham to see if we could get checked into the hotel or at least drop our packs there, and the rooms we ready! We grabbed steady and silverback, got some ice cream, had soup at the visitor center then went to back to the hotel. I planned the next couple of days, got meals and such ready for that and then we had Chinese buffet for dinner.
12.9 trail miles to Mt Washington (9 real miles). Wingit had suggested to Puck and Frickles to slack up Mt Washington, and I am all for a slack pack, especially over hard climbs. Dogtag and silverback were also going to be going up Washington and so we figured we would be able to meet them, one person Go get the car and then come back up and get the rest. There was a trail that headed up to the AT, Crawford path, which left right from the Highland center so we decided to take that. After having breakfast and saying goodbye to princess peach we headed out. It was a much better day of hiking today. We stopped at 2 huts and got water and a snack. There were a ton of day and weekend hikers out which was kinda nice but kinda annoying. Lots of trail runners which just blows my mind. The weather was great, 360 views, and a feeling of accomplishment for doing a big climb.
3 miles to Rt 302/Crawford Notch. We hit trail magic at a parking area just before and had a breakfast sandwich and some snacks. Then we went to the car where Dogtag and Silverback were supposed to be waiting. We planned to meet and discuss if we were going to push on or go into town for the night. Wingit informed us that Dogtag and silverback were already walking. Since we were pretty tired from the past few days we decided to go over to AMC Highland center and check it out and get some lunch. We also wanted to see Princess Peach!!!! We haven’t seen her since her birthday in June in Harper’s Ferry, she went on vacation to Ireland and then decided to flip flop up to Maine and go SOBO. It was great visiting with her and hearing her advice on the next chunk. I got laundry done at a different hotel and there was all you can eat buffet included. The bunkhouse was reasonable, pretty empty when we went to bed but several people came in pretty late. My mood was awful today-the stress of everything is getting to me and going home is on the top of my mind. The deadline of 9/11, trying to plan and coordinate, plans changing, the difficulty of the hikes themselves…. It’s all overwhelming. I am exhausted. Even on days off there are so many chores and I do the brunt of the planning, so I haven’t had a break or been able to relax in a really long time.
14.9 miles to Ethan Pond Campsite. Descending after Garfield was rough, it’s down a section called the waterfall, super steep and rocky, would be disastrous in rain. Sourpatch hiked with me for that bit. We made it past Zealand falls and the hut there. A nice flat and mostly reasonable section of trail after that. I was able to make up some time since we had so far to go. But also it means that the trail designers do know how to make nice trail when they want to. I got into camp just as the sun was setting over the pond but it was too cloudy to have a pretty one. Got set up as quick as possible and had to eat in the dark but better than hiking in the dark for sure
10.3 miles to Garfield campsite. Today was Franconia Ridge, one of the iconic places in the Whites and along the whole AT. Honestly, I am not feeling it. Everyone says this is the best day for views and the hard parts of the Whites and steepness are totally worth it. I am just meh-the views are nice but the difficulty far outweighs any enjoyment I am getting. I was also worried about thunderstorms, there wasn’t a lot of water along the trail and I didn’t eat well last night so that all probably has affected my mood. Did talk to a girl planning to do the hike next year who works at a state park in Vermont which was fun.
8.9 miles to Flume Gorge Visitor center over the Kinsman. Today is the hardest day we have had in a long while, probably the whole trail. Straight up scrambling, then scooting down. Lots of rocks and boulders. Not quite as sketchy as Lehigh Gap or Killington, but definitely a challenge and was a lot longer going. Almost would have been fun with a lighter pack. The views at the top of Kinsman were excellent and the forest is lovely. Silverback found a nearby VFW that let us camp-Commander Randy was incredibly nice and generous and this post has an amazing space. A huge pavilion that we were able to spread out in. We got our get and food bags organized for the next several days through the whites.
7.5 miles to Eliza Brook Shelter. Steep up coming out of the notch (aka Gaps in the south). Lots more climbing today than yesterday-I had to use my hands to help me get up big rocks. But with it being a short distance I just took my time and rested when I wanted and enjoyed taking my time. I also scheduled some post trail appointments 😭. I got to the shelter later as usual, but still had a few hours of daylight to hangout and chat. There are 20ish NOBOs and then several SOBOs and a couple of section hikers here so a full house, but luckily Sourpatch got here and got a great tent site. I chatted with Carefree from NC, a section hiker out here with her husband for a good while. Everyone was in tents by 8, and not having cell service should hopefully make for a good long night of rest
SOBO slack over Mt Mousilauke, 9.5 miles. This was our intro to the Whites and exactly like I expected. Super steep, rocky and slow going, but man oh man is it pretty. We went up Beaver Creek which is actually a long waterfall. When we finally reached summit it was open like the balds in the south. It smelled so fresh and had great views. The descent was also steep and rocky, but we managed. I saw Neutral again which was so awesome to catch up. At the hostel we had a pizza, shower, laundry and got ready for the rest of the week.
Lyme Dorchester to hidden parking area, 6.9 miles. Yellow blaze to Hikers Welcome Hostel. We went up Smarts Mountain, a steepish climb and got to go up the fire tower for nice 360 views. There is a wildfire in Canada so things are hazy, but we could still see the Whites and Presidentials looming in the distance 😬 We made the decision to bump up and skip about 10 miles to get to the hostel a day early. We have been on schedule so far but we know mileage is going to go down in the Whites and Maine, and we want to have a little more wiggle room to be able to be safe since our summit date is 9/11. Hikers Welcome is a lovely hostel, they are kind to help plan the next leg of the journey, have good resupply, great spaces and it was nice to have a lot of people there-Frickles, Wingit, Puck, ToGo, Mtn Dew. We also saw Tortoise and Bougie who we haven’t seen in ages!!
SOBO from Lyme Dorchester Rd to Etna Rd. 14 miles. More pretty trail-I feel like I say that every day up here. Sourpatch and I crossed paths with Chuck who had cold drinks and encouragement and advice about the White Mountains. He did all 48 of the NH 4000 ft mountains after he turned 80 and said if he can do it so can we. Steady, sourpatch and I stopped at Chinese buffet for dinner. We stayed at the St Barnabas church bunk room which was nice-they were having a Latin dance party upstairs which looked super fun but was loud and I don’t have that kind of energy lol.
15 miles from Podunk Road to Etna Road through Hanover New Hampshire. Today we crossed into the second to last state of New Hampshire. Trail was overall nice with good weather. We did have a long walk through Norwich, Vermont across the Connecticut river and state line and Hanover is a college town and has lots of good restaurants. It’s very hyper friendly, lots of things for hikers. We stopped at Ramuntos and got a free slice of pizza, sour patch and I went up to red kite candy shop and got a free caramel as well as scoop of ice cream. When I was walking through town, I heard my name being called and turn around to see wild child. I met her back in Irwin Tennessee. She is hanging out here over the summer before heading overseas. It was super cool to see someone randomly in town. We were going to try to stay at a local church, but that didn’t work out. I contacted a local trail engineering Bill who helped us get to a local park for camping. He slept under picnic pavilion.
14.7 miles Sobo from Podunk Road to route 12. Because we are coming on the white mountains of New Hampshire and have several days where we have to carry a full pack and stay overnight, I decided to start carrying my pack get used to that again. About a mile into the trail I noticed that one of the cords is fraying. I texted Will to stop and we went into a library where they were to help. I’m very upset about this fairly new pack. If this strap fails, the entire shoulder harness is obsolete. Because the strap is off balance the pack is more uncomfortable and rubbing on the side. Also, it started raining in the afternoon, which is always less fun. I was so far behind I texted to get picked up 2 miles early. The tramily was actually at cross road even earlier so I pulled off there. We Loaded up and went into Woodstock Vermont, to check out their farmers market. They were closing out because of the rain, but we were able to get some Indian food and cupcakes. We went back to Silverlake State Park to eat and then I used some 550 cord to repair my pack. Hopefully this will help for the next few days, but I think I’m gonna have my sister send my other pack because it was more comfortable and reliable. Not my best day, a lot of tears and frustration and fear-if this is so hard with the trail isn’t terrible how I am I going to make it thru the Whites and southern Maine?
Vermont looks like a Bob Ross painting. Everywhere for trees. The trail has overall been very manageable. Definitely some ups and downs nothing strenuous. Lots of pretty little ponds. very cute towns. Nice experience through the state.
17.7 miles from Clarendon Gorge to Rt 4. We hit 1700 miles today!!! Less than 500 miles left in this adventure. Killington Peak is the 2nd highest mountain in Vermont and the first time we have been above 4000ft since Virginia. I had to rush to make it up before the gondola stopped running, and made it with 2 mins to spare. The blue blaze up was incredibly steep and rocky-very much what I expect the Whites to be. But very nice views from the top for the very short time that I was up there. I was excited because Will felt comfortable in the gondola on the way down. He usually hates Heights. After we got down, we went to drop IKEA and smoky off at their campsite and went back. Will and I went over to get dinner from a local pizza place and then stop at Stewart’s to get ice cream before heading back to the hotel for laundry and sleep
15.7 miles USFS 10 to Clarendon Gorge. We hit trail magic a few miles out and I was just physically and mentally done. I have been having a lot of preemptive post hike depression and worrying about what we are going to do after we are done. We stayed at the Hikers Hostel in Rutland which is run by the Yellow Deli. We were all a little worried but it was actually really nice, clean and comfortable
17.8 from USFS 10 to Rt 11/30. Smokie the cat is missing. Yesterday when packing up in the rain IKEA clipped him on the leash but he slipped out. He looked for him but didn’t have rain gear and was out of food so he had to go into town, and is going back this morning. We wanted him to get on trail as early as possible to have as much time, and he found him very quickly which was great news. then DogTag decided to drop off Ambassadors tramily since it was closer. So we ended up getting on trail at 10 am. It was a long day.
17.4 SOBO to Kelly Stand. Officially 3/4 of the way to Maine!! Today was cold and wet all day. Not a fun day of hiking, but we got some miles in. Did take a bad weather bypass to avoid a sketchy bit of mountain in the rain. Sourpatch wanted to zero but we slogged it out knowing we were coming back to a warm hotel with shower and could get dry. Since we have the goal of summiting on 9/11 we are trying to bank some miles knowing that hard hiking is coming up. I changed in the parking lot to get out of wet clothes and was so glad to have the tramily waiting to get in a warm car. After we got back to the Inn we got to hang out with IKEA, Ambassador, Second Chance and Ribbit, had amazing burgers and enjoyed some of the fun things around the hotel, as well as good conversations with our trail cousins. The thing about the trail is that it’s so real, we meet these people who we never would have crossed paths with, and they become so important and can have these deep convos whch can give you a perspective you never knew and learn so many things. I am so going to miss these relationships when we are done
Zero in Manchester. We packed up camp and went into Manchester. A super cute little town, very touristy for skiing. We got lunch at Zoey’s deli-amazing food, HUGE cookies. Also visited an outfitter and an awesome little bookstore and a farm stand. While having the car does change the way we hike it does allow for a lot more side quests and really getting to see the towns we are in which is so nice. We stayed at the Bromley View Inn, very comfortable and nice space. We caught up on some things, relaxed in the hot tub and enjoyed a nice ski lodge that was quiet and easy going.
SOBO 22.4 miles from Kelley Stand to Woodford Hollow. WE SAW A MOOSE!!! Dropping everyone off we were in the parking area and Silverback calmly says “oh look at the moose” and we thought he was joking. He was not 🤣🫎 After we got over the shock and took pictures it strolled into the woods. I realized that moose are scarier than bears and I have a huge gap in knowledge of moose. We hiked out since we had a long way to go. I got in late, had to hike with the headlamp a while but it wasn’t too bad. You do have to be very focused when night hiking. Also-so many spiders. But we got in and took a shower and had a sandwich Silverback had for us which was great. We did have an animal friend in camp-pretty sure it was a fox but never actually laid eyes on it.
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