So, going through the whites, you have options of where you can stay. Option 1: pay $8 to stay in a shelter/campsite. Option 2: Do work for stay at a hut and get leftover food and sleep in the common room. We chose option 2, and it worked for us most of the time, even though the guidebook warns you not have more than 2 people.(we had 4) We folded blankets and swept most times, and most of the 'croo' people were friendly, except one at Madison hut, which I won't discuss further.
We did small mileage days, which meant we could enjoy ourselves a bit more. Going over the presidential range was a trip because you're continually above treeline for 25 miles, which ended up being 3 of the prettiest days of our trip so far. We all got a little sunburnt walking over Mts. Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. Freefall and Circumstance have become part of our group, which is really nice to have other people to talk to. The past couple days, we've gone over the Wildcats and Carter Mtns, which are lovely in their own right as well.
And here I sit, in Gorham, NH, about 20 miles from the Maine border and just under 300 miles to Katahdin. We've got the 'hardest mile' coming up, at Mahoosic Notch, as well as the Mahoosic range and the Bigelow range to go over, then it's mostly flat from there (*wink*)
Maine, here we come!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
too much has happened, this might take 2 entries
Alright, last time I left you was in Glencliff, NH. We went over our first above tree line mountain after that- Mt Moosilac (sp?), then down into a notch, and some people who were doing trail magic were nice enough to drive us into Lincoln, where we stayed at a wonderful hostel owned by a gentleman named Chet West.
Chet had the unfortunate incident of having a camp stove blow up on him a few years back. Also, because he was using the stove in his house, the house burned down as well. His whole torso got burned, as well as some of his muscle tissue around his hips. He also inhaled some of the flames, and now only has one working lung. He is very forthright about this incident and is the greatest guy we've met on the trail so far. Chet normally uses a walker to get around, but semi-recently broke his heel and severed his achilles tendon in a bike accident, so he was wheelchairing it when we came through. He bought the house he lives in now with settlement money, and has opened it up to hikers on a work-for-stay or donation basis.
Needless to say, we got vortexed @ Chet's, and ended up spending 4 nights there, though we did slack-pack one 16.2 mile day, and were waiting out weather to go over Franconia Ridge. Thanks again for the ride back Ari!(He's a former thru-hiker)
We left Chet's on a gorgeous morning, then proceeded to hike the 3,000ft, 6 mile climb up to Franconia Ridge. When we got there, it had to be one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen in my life. Being above treeline is an experience. Even while getting nearly blown off the ridge in 40-50 mph wind gusts, Wookie, CC, Freefall, and I stopped to take many pictures and even one video of us leaning at a 25 degree angle into the wind with our packs on.(I wish I could post it)
The man in the mountain may not still be there but the views definitely are!
Chet had the unfortunate incident of having a camp stove blow up on him a few years back. Also, because he was using the stove in his house, the house burned down as well. His whole torso got burned, as well as some of his muscle tissue around his hips. He also inhaled some of the flames, and now only has one working lung. He is very forthright about this incident and is the greatest guy we've met on the trail so far. Chet normally uses a walker to get around, but semi-recently broke his heel and severed his achilles tendon in a bike accident, so he was wheelchairing it when we came through. He bought the house he lives in now with settlement money, and has opened it up to hikers on a work-for-stay or donation basis.
Needless to say, we got vortexed @ Chet's, and ended up spending 4 nights there, though we did slack-pack one 16.2 mile day, and were waiting out weather to go over Franconia Ridge. Thanks again for the ride back Ari!(He's a former thru-hiker)
We left Chet's on a gorgeous morning, then proceeded to hike the 3,000ft, 6 mile climb up to Franconia Ridge. When we got there, it had to be one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen in my life. Being above treeline is an experience. Even while getting nearly blown off the ridge in 40-50 mph wind gusts, Wookie, CC, Freefall, and I stopped to take many pictures and even one video of us leaning at a 25 degree angle into the wind with our packs on.(I wish I could post it)
The man in the mountain may not still be there but the views definitely are!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The sun'll come out tomorrow.....or maybe the next day?
Well, we're officially out of Vermud/Vermont and onto the (hopefully) less muddy places ahead. So, last time I updated, we were in Dalton, Mass. Since CC wasn't feeling well, we took a half day off, then Slack-packed 23 miles from North Adams back to Dalton. It was a beautiful day, little did I know it would be the last beautiful day for a while. After slacking, we met back up with Enoch, Moc, OD, Bea and Kbomb. We hiked with them from N. Adams to Manchester Center, where we met up with Freefall and Wookie, then took a zero @ Freefall's parents' house. Her mom cooked up a storm and we went canoing, it was great!
After that, we meandered our way back onto the Long Trail/AT. This is a high-use thoroughfare, so much so that some of the shelters charge usage fees in peak season. From about 5 miles into Vermont to about now, it has rained at least once a day, if not the whole day. There were also a few thunderstorms that made me move faster over the ridges. The ridges have also gotten progressively higher, preparing our muscles for the greuling steepness of the Whites (or at least it looks that way on the profile maps).
Back to the point- I HATE WET FEET! Since the beginning of Vt, my feet have only stayed dry outside of my sleeping bag for a total of 2 hours, and that was yesterday. There were a few days that just about every other step I took, the mud suctioned it so I nearly lost my shoes, thank goodness I tie them tight. Though it does make for some fun puddle jumping in the beginning, walking through a stream/waterfall/trail gets old after a few hours. I did have 'it's raining men' stuck in my head for most of the past week though....
Oh, and about 6 days ago, someone informed me that Vermont has already gotten it's average rainfall for the month of August. Yes, that is this month.
But now we're in New Hampshire, and everyone's been saying it's time to get to work, as I think 'If this is the work, what have we been doing the past 4 months?!' Apparently, the rule on the trail is, we've now done 80% of the trail but only 20% of the work. So, with only 450ish miles left, it's time to work hard through the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the southern part of Maine. I've got my cold weather gear back, a couple new pairs of socks, and a good attitude- bring it on!
Note to Aunt Deb and Uncle Don- We hear the Leaf season in Vt this year won't be very spectacular because of the exorbinant amount of rain they've gotten. That is all.
After that, we meandered our way back onto the Long Trail/AT. This is a high-use thoroughfare, so much so that some of the shelters charge usage fees in peak season. From about 5 miles into Vermont to about now, it has rained at least once a day, if not the whole day. There were also a few thunderstorms that made me move faster over the ridges. The ridges have also gotten progressively higher, preparing our muscles for the greuling steepness of the Whites (or at least it looks that way on the profile maps).
Back to the point- I HATE WET FEET! Since the beginning of Vt, my feet have only stayed dry outside of my sleeping bag for a total of 2 hours, and that was yesterday. There were a few days that just about every other step I took, the mud suctioned it so I nearly lost my shoes, thank goodness I tie them tight. Though it does make for some fun puddle jumping in the beginning, walking through a stream/waterfall/trail gets old after a few hours. I did have 'it's raining men' stuck in my head for most of the past week though....
Oh, and about 6 days ago, someone informed me that Vermont has already gotten it's average rainfall for the month of August. Yes, that is this month.
But now we're in New Hampshire, and everyone's been saying it's time to get to work, as I think 'If this is the work, what have we been doing the past 4 months?!' Apparently, the rule on the trail is, we've now done 80% of the trail but only 20% of the work. So, with only 450ish miles left, it's time to work hard through the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the southern part of Maine. I've got my cold weather gear back, a couple new pairs of socks, and a good attitude- bring it on!
Note to Aunt Deb and Uncle Don- We hear the Leaf season in Vt this year won't be very spectacular because of the exorbinant amount of rain they've gotten. That is all.
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