Glenclif, NH to Gorham, NH 6/22/2009-6/30/2009

Pictures: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/573311599EczLsP?vhost=good-times



6/22/2009 - 8:30 PM - Eliza Brook Shelter - 17.0 mi today - 1796.8 mi total



Got up at 7 to find the hostel empty. All the old fogie section hikers got up at 5. Not for me thanks! Made breakfast and hit the post office to ship a couple things home. On the trail at 8. My nice dry shoes were wet within 5 minutes as I had to ford a stream. Almost was able to rock hop the whole way across, but my right toe took a dip on the last leap. So frustrating! Pretty steep climb up Moosilauke. Passed a section hiking couple that I met yesterday. Must be tough for them to hike the Whites without "trail legs." The summit was cold, wet, windy, and under a cloud so I didn't get a view. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg58ma0iDnY Had lunch at Beaver Brook Shelter. Descent from Moosilauke was fun! Very steep, but they have put in step and rebar handrails in certain tricky spots. You follow a waterfalls all the way down the mountain. Very pretty. This is what the AT is all about! Only 7 miles from Kinsman Notch to shelter, but it dragged by. Had to skip around the mud a lot which slowed me down. Fun hiking, but I felt like I had gone farther than I had, which is frustrating. Got to the shelter at 7:30 and met Pi and Old Fat Dad. They were already in their sleeping bags, so I quietly went about my business. Blackflies are out tonight. I must have passed Panama Red somewhere because I haven't seen him in any of the shelter logs. Hope to see him tomorrow.



6/23/2009 - 9:00 PM - One Step At A Time Hostel - 8.8 mi today - 1805.6 mi total



Woke up to find one shelter mate already gone and the other loading up. Checked my watch and it was only 5:30! No wonder I was tired. Hit the trail at 6:30, probably my earliest start ever. Climb up Kindsman was tough. Steep and rocky. Trekking poles were more of a hindrance today. Took me 3 hours to go 4 miles. Slow going today. Stopped in at Lonesome Lake Hut to see what those were all about. Met two southbounders (sobos) names Mr Hungry and Stumbles who told me about this hostel. Glad they did. Got picked up from Liberty Springs Trailhead parking lot around 1. Met Chet, a really inspirational guy. Showered and walked into town for a large mushroom pizza. Yum. Walked by the movies and was just in time for the 4:10 showing of The Hangover. Very funny! Wierd to go to the movies alone, though. Hit up P&C for some oreos and chocolate milk. Came back to the hostel and hung out with everyone. Met Watchman and SOHO. Panama Red and Little Tree showed up late. Must have passed Panama the second day out of Hanover. Really glad I took a half day here.



6/24/2009 - 10:30 PM - Galehead Hut - 13.0 mi today - 1818.6 mi total



Got up at 7:30 and decided to go out for breakfast. Went to Pam's in North Woodstock with Panama, Little Tree, Watchman, Soho, and Dutch. Had the Hungry Man's breakfast and split the stuffed french toast special with Panama. Wow! Really good. Went back to the hostel and packed up. Said goodbye to Chet and hit the trail with Panama and Little Tree. Sun was out, though the mountain tops looked under cover. Huge climb out of Franconia Notch. Had an energy drink so I flew up the hill. Once we got on top of the ridgeline, we were walking in the clouds. Took a snack break and the clouds opened up. Absolutely beautiful views. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cvfFCj4ioU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpLb19XvJ-w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q--NTi4vtbA Awesome walk along the ridge up Mt Lincoln and Mt Lafayette. Dropped below treeline and cruised for a while. Took a break at Garfield Pond and I went in for a swim. My feet sank about 6 inches into the muddy bottom, so I did more of a belly flop than a graceful dive. Panama got half a toe in and then jumped out. Felt alive and refreshed after the swim. Quick climb up Mt Garfield with more beautiful views. Last couple miles to the hut were tough. Arrived at 8 and were welcomed with a huge dinner. Great end to a perfect day. We did "work for stay" which meant that we did the dishes and they gave us the leftovers. I went to bed stuffed and happy. Best day on the trail to date.



6/25/2009 - 7:25 PM - Ethan Pond Shelter - 11.8 mi today - 1830.4 mi total



Woke up at 6:30 and hung around the hut. One of the crew sang to wake the guests in the bunkroom. Made my breakfast and planned out the day. Ate up the leftover pancakes and bacon. Swept the floor to pay for our stay. Panama and I hit the trail at 9 about 30 minutes behind Little Tree as she was trying to meet someone. She must have also taken one of Panama's gaiters by accident because one was missing this morning. Big climb to start with and some nice views back to Franconia Ridge when the clouds burned off. Met a bunch of dayhikers from the huts. Got to Zealand Falls Hut at 1:00 and scored 2 pounds of deli turkey. Panama and I ate some and the packed the rest. Somehow our food bags are getting heavier the farther we go. Flat five miles to the shelter. Very buggy, but no caretaker yet so we didn't have to pay. Think the weather may finally be clearing for us. Hoping for good views tomorrow.



6/26/2009 - 6:15 PM - Mizpah Spring Hut - 9.3 mi today - 1839.7 mi total



Woke up at 7 after a long deep sleep. Made breakfast and packed up camp. One of the work crew warned us about early afternoon thunderstorms. The rangers had issued a thunderstorm warning, which is serious business above treeline. Hit the trail at 7:45 and cruised. Descended into Crawford Notch and got some water at the Saco River. Chugged an energy drink and flew up the hill. Beautiful views from Webster Cliffs, Mt Webster, and Mt Jackson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph3v_idUsdA Had a clear view of Mt Washington and saw the cog train going up the side. About a mile from Mizpah Hut we started to hear thunder. Hurried along and arrived at the hut just before the rain started. Arranged to do work for stay and ate some leftover pasta for lunch. Played frisbee with some of the croo and then did our chores (dishes and refilling the salt and pepper shakers). Skies cleared a bit, but it was too late to set off for Lake of the Clouds. Don't want to tempt fate above treeline. Set up a slackline for the croo with Panama. He has a lot of experience with that. Had some bug juice and hung out with the croo. Played chess and Uno with some of the guests before dinner. Ate our fill and talked to some of the guests about thru-hiking until lights out at 9:30.



6/27/2009 - 9:00 PM - Madison Springs Hut - 11.8 mi today - 1851.5 mi total



Woke up at 5:30. slept terribly last night. The croo were playing guitar and singing for a while in their room. Had breakfast and hit the trail at 6:30. Sailed along in the morning. Got to Lake of the Clouds Hut at 8:45 and sweet-talked the croo into making us bacon and giving us leftovers. Yum. I went for a swim in one of the lakes. Very cold (lakes above 5000 feet are usually snowmelt). Panama got some great pictures of my plunge. Summited Mt Washington and had some views in and out of the clouds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7js8s_FHGA Bought some postcards and enjoyed the views. Descended from Washington and mooned the cog train as it chugged up the hill (another thru-hiker tradition)! Didn't get arrested (8 hikers were arrested in 2007 for indescent exposure). Rocky hike from there to Madison Springs Hut. Rained and thunderstormed for a while so I got soaked. Saw around 100 other hikers along the ridge because its a weekend and this is a heavily used trail. Panama and I were both wet and tired by the time we got to the hut, so organized work for stay again even though it was only 3:30. Ate all the leftovers and then scrubbed the fridge. Swept the floor after dinner and had roast turkey. After we ate, Panama and I gave a presentation on thru-hiking to the hut guests as we watched the sun go down. We were talking for close to and hour and answering all kinds of questions. Hope that we inspired everyone. Miles have dropped significantly here in the Whites, but I'm having a lot of fun and eating well. Miss Harley, but I know that he is having fun and recovering at home.

6/28/2009 - 1:00 AM - Carter Notch Hut - 13.7 mi today - 1865.2 mi total

Woke up at 6 and got packed up. Thick fog outside. Swept the floor to earn our breakfast. Ate our fill and hit the trail at 8:30. Must have taken a wrong turn immediately because we found ourselves walking around Mt Madison instead of over it. Very rocky and slow detour. Eventually found the trail again, but it was very slow going. After 2 hours, we had only covered one mile! Frustrating. Huge downhill along the Osgood Trail (about 3000 ft descent). Finally got to Pinkham Notch at 3:00 and had lunch at the visitor center. Very wet. Climb out of Pinkham was cold, wet, and windy. Trail took us up and over all five peaks of Wildcat Mtn. Trecherous terrain. One of those "grind it out" days where you really find out what you are made of. Was starting to get really cold towards the end of the day and started to worry about hypothermia. The White Mtns are no joke. Luckily, I was able to trudge on following Panama's lead. Got to Carter Notch Hut around 8:15 drenched and freezing. The croo let us sleep in the bunkhouse as they didn't have many guests. Changed my clothes and I felt better immediately. Croo made us dinner and then the beer started flowing. Epic night ended around 1AM when Panama and I staggered back to the bunkhouse. Tough day, but feels good to test your limits.

6/29/2009 - 10:00 PM - White Birches Loft - 15.2 mi today - 1880.4 mi total

Woke up really hungover at 9. Staggered to the privy and down to breakfast. Recapped the night over pancakes and apple crisp. Took some ibuprofen and packed up the bag. Did all the dishes and finally hit the trail at noon. Wet clothes, sore muscles, and a hangover is not a fun way to hike. Trail was a stream the whole way due to the ridiculous amount of rain we have had recently. June has been a very wet month. Hiked for a solid 4 hours through the elements to Imp Shelter. Panama decided to stop there as his knee was aching, but I pushed on. Met a couple sobos on the descent. Hitting the crowd now. Big downhill off of Mt Moriah. Had to ford the Rattle River three times at the bottom of the hill. Water level was very high and there were no bridges. Last crossing was very scary. Charged along the last 2 miles and called the hostel from the road at 8:15. I hiked a 8 hours without dropping my pack. Wow. The people at the hostel were very surprised that I made it across the river because a couple of sobos were unable to cross this morning and had to turn back. That made me feel pretty good. Full house at the hostel and everyone was impressed by my river fording skills. Showered and had dinner. Going to zero tomorrow to recover from the Whites and gear up for Maine.

6/30/2009 - 3:15 PM - White Birches Loft - 0.0 mi today - 1880.4 mi total

Pretty relaxing zero today. Took care of business in town and am at the library now. About to go stuff my face. Hope everyone enjoys the blog, pics, and videos. Onward to Maine tomorrow! WOOHOO!