08-15-13 Together in Maine

Successfully climbed Mount Success first thing in the morning. Our next success: crossing the New Hampshire / Maine border. Our fourteenth and final state. 282 miles to go. I don't think it has really hit us yet.

Up and over Mount Carlo we went, then Goose Eye West and Goose Eye East. We stopped at the top with Morning Kid and Mash for lunch. The wind and cool temps cut it short, and we were up and over Goose Eye North in no time. I take that back. The terrain in Maine is still a little slow going.

We stopped at Full Goose Shelter to prepare mentally for what came next: Mahoosuc Notch. A jumbled pit of boulders billed as the "most difficult or fun mile of the Appalachian Trail."

It was fun alright. And difficult. Up. Down. Over. Under. We took our packs off twice to squeeze through two rocks; then again to squeeze under. After two hours of this madness, my upper body strength was shot.

I slumped into the campsite, strategically located right after the notch, and barely moved. We weren't the only worn out souls. A whole slew of NOBOs joined us: Bamboo, Shaman, Morning Kid, Mash, Grey Cloud, Peaches, Fire Hands (and Lucy the pup), Tugboat and Chickadee.

08-14-13 Somewhere near Gentian Pond

Had a scrumptious breakfast burrito to jump start our day then headed back out onto the trail.

Now that we are out of the Whites, the trail has tamed. We hiked up Mount Hayes then up Cascade Mountain. The rocks and mud were a bit slippery, but we were so thankful for easier terrain.

We were treated to a couple of picturesque ponds today, Page Pond and Dream Lake. We've heard that we will be seeing more of these untouched, wilderness ponds in Maine.

We had lunch with a view at Wocket Ledge, then stopped for the night at Gentian Pond Shelter. The wind and cool temps kept us from swimming but we still enjoyed its beauty.

08-13-13 In Gorham, New Hampshire Together

The rain pattered on the roof as we looked at each other this morning and decided to zero. A rest day to celebrate finishing the Whites. Or rather to recuperate from the Whites. Either way, my mind and body was ecstatic.

We stayed at White Mountains Lodge and Hostel again. The owner, Marni, purchased the property two weeks prior and is joined by her mom, Molly and son, Sam. This might be our favorite hostel. It is well maintained and Marni and her mom are so hospitable. I almost felt like I was part of her family. Plus the location is perfect--right on the trail.

Once we decided to zero, our entire day and our demeanor relaxed. Molly shuttled us into town to resupply, then dropped us off at the coffee shop where we plugged into the free wifi.

We caught a ride back to the hostel, and enjoyed the rest of the day resting and catching up on trail gossip. Old friend Nova was there and we met a few new faces.

Had chili and ice cream for dinner and watched the trail movie "The Way" with a room full of hikers. Back in March before leaving for the Appalachian Trail we watched it, but with the second time around, the movie had a different meaning for us.

08-12-13 Saying "good-bye" to the Whites Together

Slept in so we would hit Carter Notch Hut after breakfast for free left-overs. It worked, and we nibbled on blueberry muffin bars before climbing back up to Carter Dome.

The trail was amazing and we stopped for lunch on Middle Carter Mountain with a view. Once up and over North Carter the trail plummeted down to Imp Campsite, and plummet it did right along with my heart.

Back up to Mount Moriah then a steady down to Gorham, New Hampshire. The trail eased out and we made it to the outskirts of town. Right off the trail we stopped for the night at White Mountains Lodge and Hostel.

Showered, sheltered, and seated on a couch with a delivered pizza, we almost felt like real people again. Had a nice private room upstairs, albeit, I Love Lucy style, and slept soundly knowing the Whites, in all their glory and difficulty, are behind us.

08-11-13 Somewhere on Wildcat Mountain

The agreement for staying at Madison Spring Hut was that we had to be gone by 7:00 a.m. The SOBOs weren't moving to fast, but we had no problems getting out the door in time.

Our climb up Mount Madison for exhausting. Gusts of 50 mph with every step. I clung on, dreading to go higher. Once we reached as far up as I could see, we'd turn the corner to see Madison stretching up higher. Finally we were at the top. Now we had to go down with the same gusts.

I longed for tree line. Closer and closer it came, but not before the wind sucked all the life out of me.

The trail went through the "Great Gulf Wilderness" a section where they removed all the blazes, signs and foot bridges so hikers can have a "total wilderness experience". I've never heard such malarkey; if you want a total wilderness experience, go bushwhack. Thankfully, we had no problems navigating through it; all the day-hikers kind of killed our wilderness experience through it though.

The trail evened out and we made it to Pinkham Notch and the visitor center. I was totally wiped. My brother and sister-in-law sent us a care package of baked goods and we dug through it like kids at Christmas. Thank you Matt and Steph!

The goodies helped restore our energy and we began our climb up to the Wildcats (no, the range was not named after Willie the Wildcat). A gnarly climb, but with good weather and no wind, we had no problems getting up.

Tired, we stopped short of our goal. We found a stealth spot with a view on Wildcat Mountain Peak A. Ate dinner then slept like babies through the night.

08-10-13 Up on Mount Washington Together

Had a hearty breakfast of all-you-can-eat cinnamon rolls then were off and rolling. The weather didn't look promising at first--fog everywhere, limited visibility--but once we had cleared the tree line, it was as if God lifted a veil and all the views were visible to us.

We hiked along the exposed ridge, passed Pierce, Eisenhower, Monroe, to Lake of the Clouds Hut. Walking through 50-60 mph winds had worked up an appetite, so we gobbled up all of Lake of the Clouds' cookie bars then made our way up an unforgiving and windy Mount Washington.

Our planning worked out perfect and we got a clear view from the summit, and highest point in New Hampshire (elev 6,288 feet).

Mount Washington was a zoo--cars, people, a train, people, buildings, people. To get out of the wind to eat lunch we went inside to find it overflowing with people.

We began a windy ascent down, passed Clay, Jefferson and Adams. At Madison Hut we were exhausted and stopped for the day, hoping to get a work-for-stay, but nine other thru-hikers were already there (all SOBOs). We never heard anything definite, so we just sat there playing the waiting game.

By nightfall, there was nothing the hut crew could do to us, so they let all of the thru-hikers stay (no food) on the floor in the dining area. We were ecstatic--the last thing we wanted to do was have to hike another 3 miles in 50 mph winds.

We hunkered down in our sleeping bags and enjoyed a long night's sleep safely away from the wind.

08-09-13 Somewhere near Webster Cliffs

Thunderstorms rolled through the night and we woke up to the sound of rain. The forecast called for all-day rain, and the Doppler backed it up.

We spun our fingers for awhile then decided to pull the trigger. Doc drove us back to the trailhead. I had hoped the rain would have lightened up by then, but it hadn't. Luckily we were only hiking 6.4 miles to Mizpah Hut for the night.

The climb wasn't bad, although some sections were technical and required us to lift our bodies up and over. Up on Webster Cliffs, looking down on the valley it was actually quite enchanting. Eerie, but enchanting. The fog billowed up slowly like we were in a witch's cauldron.

Mount Webster and Mount Jackson offered similar views. Slightly exposed, neither are above tree line.

At Mount Jackson we met Heron, a Mizpah Hut crew member. She offered us cornbread, which we graciously accepted. Although in getting to the cornbread, B slipped down a rock face, then I fell and slid down it.

The remaining 1.7 miles of trail was either underwater or a waterfall.

We arrived at Mizpah Hut (Mizpah means "pillar in the woods") a little after 4:15 p.m. Heron had already told the other crew members about us, so we had spots #3 and #4 for the work-for-stay. Old buddy, Lush and another hiker, DC had made it in a little earlier.

08-08-13 Together in North Conway

It started raining around 1:30 a.m. and again at 4:30 a.m. When we began stirring around seven it was still sprinkling. Good. It is always heartbreaking to make plans around the weathermen, and then the forecast turns out incorrect.

Doc drove us to the bus stop to drop off Cliff Note. We met Cliff Note in Vermont, a real nice college kid from North Carolina (we won't hold his UNC ties against him). Nicknamed a "mayfly" because he started in early May, he flew by us because he wanted to finish before the school year started. Not long after, he realized he had to hike high 20s through some of the hardest but most beautiful sections of the trail. Instead, he opted to spend the remaining time on the trail enjoying the scenery, culture and people. Although it was sad to see this part of his journey come to a close, we wish him the best of luck.

The sun started shining around noon, but the clouds remained and clung tightly to the mountains. I'll just assume that it was absolutely miserable and windy and rainy up there. It helps us justify taking a zero.

Our legs are antsy. We're ready to hike, but we have to be safe. To ease our wandering spirits, we walked around town and caught a movie, Despicably Me 2. We also killed some time at Books-a-million reading about new adventures.

We fired up some hiker food for dinner and settled in for the incoming thunderstorm.

08-07-13 Somewhere near Crawford Notch

We slept under a table in the dining room and got up and packed before the guests. We hung around until after the guests were fed, then ate all the leftover pancakes and pineapple. To finish off our work-for-stay, we swept the floors in the dining and bunk rooms.

We began the eight mile stretch to Crawford Notch with Cliff Note. The trail was uncharacteristic of the Whites--graded, smooth, easy. We flew.

We reached the notch around noon. The next section is the Presidential section of the White Mountains, 20 miles of ridge line walk all exposed and above tree line. The forecast called for evening showers, and thunderstorms all day Thursday.

Mount Washington is not the place to be in a storm. It is famous for its "dangerously erratic weather" and until 2010, held the highest wind gust record at 231 mph. Yes, I typed that correctly, 231 mph! Over 137 deaths have occurred on the summit due to the weather.

We called an audible and decided to let the weather roll through before tackling the Presidentials. A hard decision, especially since it was still beautiful out. Cliff Note joined us, and the three of us caught a ride into North Conway, New Hampshire.

Typical Americans, we crashed at McDonalds for cheap food, air conditioning and a place to recharge our electronics.

We walked over to Doc and Llama's house for the night. They are former thru-hikers of the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. After sweeping out the garage, we setup on a few cots in the garage. They generously allowed us to shower and launder our clothes.

08-06-13 Somewhere near Zealand Falls

Woke up early and tackled Mount Garfield before the sun rose above the ridge. Although rocky at times, the trail was kind to us today.

Stopped for lunch atop South Twin Mountain with majestic 360-degree views. I also got a halfway decent signal to call Merrell's customer service number. My new shoes are separating. Fortunately, Merrell has a one-time replacement for thru-hikers.

We continued along the Zeacliff Ridge, then dropped down to the Zeacliff Falls Hut. We actually got to the side trail at 3:30 p.m. but lingered for thirty minutes before approaching the hut.

At tinge after four, we went into the hut and talked to "Kroo" member Kayla about a work-for-stay. She was happy to have us, and after washing dishes for 45 minutes, we had an awesome (leftover) dinner of lasagna, soup and chocolate sour dough cake. We are joined by NOBO buddy Cliff Note, and SOBO Chicory.

08-05-13 Along the Franconia Ridge Together

After a 5:15 a.m. wake-up alarm of a SOBO hiker throwing up, we resupplied and were headed back to the trail.

It was a hardy climb up to Franconia Ridge, but very very rewarding. Up above tree line, we reached Little Haystack first. Without the protection of the trees, it was extremely windy. We ducked behind a few boulders for lunch.

The trail continued along the open ridge line to Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette each with magnificent views. We had to keep our center of gravity low, though, because of the sudden wind gusts.

The trail back down to the tree line was tricky, but once concealed amongst the trees, we were relieved to have a break from the wind.

We set up our stealth camp at an old shelter site in the 30s. Although nothing remains except a clearing, it was fun to feel somewhat connected to the past.

08-04-13 Somewhere in the Kinsmans

I'll start by saying today was a very low day for me. The Whites are breaking me down, but I'll try to put a positive spin on things.

We slept in an hour then proceeded down the trail to see that we hadn't reached Gordon Pond the evening before. Further north we hiked up Mount Mist to see a panoramic view of fog--no surprise.

For those who complain about the mud in "Vermud," they have obviously never been to New Hampshire. We came to one of many pools of mud and I leapt for a bog bridge half submerged in the mud only to land on my rear end, the left leg engulfed in mud up to my knee. Pulling my leg out was the easy part. Pulling my leg out, but keeping the shoe on was tricky. I struggled and twisted, ranted and raved, but finally pulled out a muddy leg and a muddy shoe.

Next up was Kinsman Mountain. I have nothing remotely positive to say about this. Hard technical climbs. Hard technical descents. Cold. Windy. Rainy. Chuppacabra caught up to us and brightened the mood, but it was short-lived. Hours and hours of bouldering and slick sheets of rock broke me down mentally.

We made it to Lonesome Lake around four, but decided to push into Lincoln, New Hampshire for the night.

OB and Danno ascertained a vehicle and drove back to the trailhead to pick us up. We ended the night at Chet's Place, a former thru-hiker who opened up his garage to other thru-hikers.

A neighbor was hosting a garden party to benefit the local theatre and invited all the thru-hikers. The party was amazing; open bar, buffet, homemade ice cream, local entertainment, all provided to us for free. At $75 a head, we were extremely grateful for the generosity--well most of us.

We had already returned to Chet's Place when a SOBO hiker punched and knocked out a yellow-blazer at the party. The police showed up at 11:00 p.m. to Chet's Place looking for them and searched the garage and the backyard. A policeman shined his flashlight into our tent, which we then opened to show we weren't harboring anyone.

That finally died down. Long story short, the SOBO jumped the fence and ran off.

Then at midnight a hiker started screaming outside at the top of his lungs. Chet never could locate him, but the next morning we could tell that several tents were gone and a lot of the SOBOs had gotten kicked out.

Never a dull day on the Appalachian Trail.

08-03-13 Together on Mount Moosilauke

Slept in and had a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon and blueberry pancakes. It may seem like we are slacking off now--sleeping in, eating town food--but it was all part of our plan.

The plan was actually to wait for the a.m. showers to pass through before conquering Mount Moosilauke.

At 8:00 a.m. we ventured out and up. Within five minutes on the trail my shoes, socks, gloves and rear end were wet. Oliverian Brook was not kind to me.

This fueled my motivation up the climb, that and not wanting a group of slack-packers to catch me. We summited around 11 a.m. in the wind and the fog. I'm starting to think that's what Katahdin is going to be like for us.

Mount Moosilauke stands 4,802 feet in the air, the summit exposed and up above tree line.

Luckily the clouds rolled in and out so we had a gorgeous view. But with the cloud rolling came the wind and the wind chill so we moseyed back down to tree line.

The descent was slow and rocky. We stopped after 2.3 miles at Beaver Brook Shelter for lunch. The remaining 1.3 miles down to the north base of the mountain were cruel and unusual. We made it safe and sound; my heart skipped a few beats on a few rock slides though.

At the bottom, strategically placed were two gals, one a former thru-hiker named Lady Pants, with trail magic. A welcome sight after a long and brutal hike. Thank you!

As I shoveled hummus into my mouth B reminded me we still had a few more miles to go. Up the trail we had planned to camp on a side trail to Gordon Pond.

Fast-forward several hours later as we continued begrudgingly forward anxiously awaiting the side trail. We finally gave up and plopped down next to the trail. At this point we're not sure if we missed it and are way ahead or if it's still ahead. Only time will tell.

08-02-13 Hikers Welcome Somewhere

This morning we slept in until 6:45 a.m. as we had a light day both in miles (11.5) and terrain.

Aside from water dripping off the trees, breaking down camp was a breeze as the rain had let up in the night.

It was a nice and easy day, and we took it nice and easy. Only a couple minor climbs--Ore Hill and Mount Mist--and road crossings.

At NH 25C, we met up with Sweet Tooth, wife of Molar Man. The last time we saw here was on the Blue Ridge Parkway, many moons ago. She supports her husband's thru-hike, and while she waits for him, offers other hikers sodas and sweets. It is always a joy to see her white vehicle at a crossing.

At NH 25, we hiked east down the road to the "Hikers Welcome Hiker Hostel." Laundry, shower and a bed for the night; can't beat that. B and I are both smushed onto a twin bunk. We are used to it though, as our tent isn't much wider.

The caretaker took us to the "Green House Restaurant." On the menu is an eight pound pizza called the "Moosilauke Monster." If two people eat it within an hour-and-a-half it is free; otherwise, it's $32.00. If you puke inside, it's double. Chuppacabra and Rail Splitter tried their luck but succumbed to the hamburger, bacon, tomato, olive, cheesy, etc heaping mess that it was.

08-01-13 Up on Smarts Mountain Together

Enjoyed a leisurely morning on Bill Ackerly's back porch with NOBOs and SOBOs alike. Shoved off a little after 7:30 a.m.

Vermont was fun, fast and friendly. New Hampshire, however, is posing new challenges. Our first of the day: Smarts Mountain. The climb was a tad shy of four miles, and the last two miles I slogged along at a one mile an hour pace. Frustrating.

B waited for me at the top and had the tent drying from the dew the night before. We climbed the fire tower cautiously, as the wind was whipping making it seem more dangerous than it really was. Once to the top was had 360-degree views--and no fog!

We began the four mile descent down the ridge line which turned out to be quite pleasant. Once we hit the gravel road, it was back up.

At Eastman Ledges, we ate a chicken, tomato sauce and tortilla lunch. We could see the darker clouds rolling in.

We continued climbing and crested Mount Cube with glorious views. I wish we could have spent more time on it, but we could tell something was brewing.

Safely down the ridge we stopped for the night at Brackett Brook minutes before the rain began thundering down. Dinner was a huge chore, boiling water out in the rain in our ponchos. We ate standing up and were happy to return to the tent once it was done.

The rain let up around 8:00 p.m. right as we were drifting off to sleep.

07-31-13 Together with the "Ice Cream Man"

A nice first day of hiking in New Hampshire. After climbing to the top of Moose Mountain, we stopped and caught up with old friend, OB (Old and Busted).

We pushed on another mile to Moose Mountain Shelter and stopped for lunch with OB, Pippen and Steady State.

We hiked down the mountain the back up to Holts Ledge for nice views. A short two mile plummet to Dorchester Road. Once across, we followed a short side trail to Bill Ackerly's house for ice cream, camping and croquet.

07-30-13 In Hanover, New Hampshire Together

Grey Beard and Short and Sweet talked highly of the town general store "Dan and Whit's" so we decided to give it a try. Yes, we were impressed. A maze of anything and everything. Food. Lawn and garden. Nuts and bolts. Clothing. And on and on.

Their motto: "If we don't have it, you don't need it."

We left the store with postcards, breakfast sandwiches, screws and free day-old wraps. A very successful visit.

We rode the bus to the Dartmouth Campus and setup HQ at the Dartmouth Outing Club building. B's mom sent us a mail drop with our winter gear and other goodies. I think we ate half the ranger cookies within thirty minutes. Thank you!

B went and saw "Wolverine" at the movie theater, and I relaxed on the front lawn of Dartmouth working on crossword puzzles.

For dinner we thought it would be a great idea to hit up the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet at "Everything But Anchovies." Fast-forward an hour later as we climbed the mile to the Velvet Rocks Shelter. Bad idea.

We're settled in now, though, with overstuffed food bags, overstuffed bellies and overheated sleeping bags. I'm not sure what this is a recipe for, but it doesn't sound pretty.