Week 14

Week 14 Wednesday-Monday The week started out rough. As I mentioned in last weeks entry, leaving Vermont was taxing. The hills that followed our turn East, off the Long Trail, were both constant and steep. The state ended wonderfully, however, with two amazing visits with two different trail angels. The first stop was in West Hartford, VA with Jeff and Kim Merino. The Merinos house is located right on part of the trail that runs through the town. I connected with them through my friend, Kimber Maxwell, who hiked the trail in 2015 and came across the Merino home as they were having their "back to school" party that year. Jeff is principal of the local high school, and Kim works in special education at a near by school, so they were having an end of Summer hoorah at their house. Kimber walked by and made instant friends with the Merino family. Jeff and Kim are amazing people so I understand why. They took Wolfdog and myself in, showered us, laundered us, and fed us homemade lasagna. We were in heaven. 

They even had a piano in their living room that I was able to play for a little while. Their three kids were visiting grandparents at the the time, so we were not able to meet them, but we did get to sleep in their cozy basement bunks in the game room downstairs. The next morning, Jeff cooked us a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, and fresh apples from the tree in his backyard. I absolutely fell in love with Jeff and Kim, and hope to never lose touch with them. Their home was a truly magical experience.

Later that day, we made it to the Hanover, NH. We crossed the Connecticut River, took our picture at the VT/NH border, and headed into town. My trekking pole had broken, yet again, and I needed to visit an outfitter to replace it. Hanover was beautiful. The Dartmouth College campus green sat right smack dab in the middle of the quant New England town. The streets were chucked full of freshmen being dropped off by their parents to begin a new school year.

After spending a few hours dilly dallying and eating town food, we hopped back over the border to stay with the second amazing trail angel named Betsy in Norwich, VT. Like the Merinos, Betsy's house was right on the trail. She had a son who thru hiked in 2007, and has been doing trail magic ever since. Her son was helped immensely by some trail angels when he was hiking and that experience inspired her to pay it forward. She opens her home to hikers completely free of charge and only asks that the hikers she helps pay the favor forward themselves. I also met a really awesome Sobo tramily while I stayed at Betsy's house. The family was a mom, daughter, son, and family-friend who thought it would be a cool idea to thru hike together. Both kids took a year off from school to complete the journey. I loved the mom's response when I asked her why she thought the hike was important for her kids to experience. She told me, "There are so many ways to skin this cat we call life. I can only show my kids one way. The way I live. I want them to see and experience all the ways people live life." Lori was her name, and I absolutely loved her spirit. 

The next morning we took the bus back to Hanover and hiked out. The first fifty miles of New Hampshire were pretty easy going. We did pull one crazy 20M day in which we climbed down from the mountain we camped at (Moose Mountain) and climbed up over Smarts Mountain, Mt. Cube, and then back up 1000ft to camp on Orr Hill. 

We were pushing miles because we were eager to get to Mt. Moosilauke, the first climb of the AT in the White Mountain National Park. I'll never forget that moment after climbing for two hours straight, when I finally reached the ridge of Moosilauke, glanced to my right, and saw the White Mountain Range for the first time. "Holy Shit" came whispering out of my mouth, and for the second time on trail, I got teary-eyed. Unlike my first night on trail, these were not tears of worry and fear. These were tears of joy. It was a kind of joy one can only experience after knowing 1,400M of trail trial and tribulation. After 99 days of blood, sweat, blisters, scrapes, and bug bites, I had made it to everyone's favorite part of the trail. 

All of the gossip of how amazing it is and how hard it would be had built up such anticipation and apprehension inside of me. I tried my best to prepare, research, and plan so I could be ready for them, but nothing prepares you for that beauty. The Whites, as they are referred to by most, are intense climbs, but they are the most breathtaking thing I have ever seen. They completely surround you with ear-piercing silence, serenity, and wonder. 

Our hike down Moosilauke was straight down a steep pile of jagged rocks that ran along side a waterfall. It took us over two hours to climb down the trail. By the end my knees were screaming at me. I was ready to be on flat ground for a minute. We arranged for a shuttle to pick us up and take us to the Notch Hostel. 

This hostel is one of my favorite stops on the trail yet. It is an old house in North Woodstock, NH that has been converted to house about 30 visitors. The kitchen is communal and the staff is sweet as can be. We stayed there two nights so that we could slack pack the Kinsman Mountains the next day. This hike was one of the hardest I've had on trail. It was full of rock scrambles and super steep boulder climbing, but when we got to the top, again, the view was magical. It is fascinating to climb up so high each day and look back and see where you were the day before, and where you are going the next day. Hiking in the Whites is slow hiking.

Our slack pack hike over the Kinsmans was a 16M hike and it took us 10.5 hours. This is much slower than our usual 2-3 MPH and is going to take some getting use to. It is a lot more mentally exhausting to be concentrating on your stepping for so long and not get very far. It will be a new challenge, but I can do it! It's not going to hurt that I am going to get a shower and warm bed tonight either. It will definitely revitalize my psyche for the hike to come. I will also get to make tacos in the communal kitchen and carb-up for the my next day in the Whites.

I am eager to hit Franconia Ridge. It is suppose to be one of the most beautiful hikes of the entire trail. We will bundle up and hike out early tomorrow morning. Woo hoo!