Gorham, NH to Maine Route 17 (1891.5-1956.2)

Wednesday 9/6; Gorham, NH (1891.5)

Zero day waiting out the weather. We stayed at The Barn at Libby House. It is a pretty decent hostel. Not our favorite, but among the better hostels we've stayed in. Highly recommended for a quiet stay in a nice little town. We meet a couple of Mormon missionaries in the street after dropping some post cards in the mail. They were nice young men who asked questions about our hike and politely have us a very quick spiel about The Book of Mormon before handing us our very own copy. We thanked them and promptly took it back to the hostel and added it to the obligatory Hiker Bookshelf. Every hostel has one; sort of a take one leave one sort of deal. Maybe someone will use it.

Thursday 9/7; Gorham/Crawford Notch to Lake of the Clouds Hut (1844.4-1855.4)

Guys, we managed to score a work for stay! We pushed 11 miles and are among about 20 hikers here, but the "Croo" is fantastic and allowed most of us to work for stay. This means we'll help out a bit in exchange for a spot to set up beds on the floor, and leftover meal that want eaten by paid guests. The food is very good and it's warm and dry. No complaints here!

Today's hike was a good one, overall. I was a little down and cried some for no apparent reason. Bean was super patient and very sweet, and we got through 11 tough miles to land here, 1.5 miles below the summit of Mt. Washington. The forecast called for rain and clouds. We had some mist and lots of clouds, but no real rain. As we hiked, the clouds lifted some and we got some unique ridge views with low clouds and shadows, and the light on the hills was spectacular! We even got a rainbow! So now, it's about time for sleep. We hope to avoid the rain again tomorrow while going over Washington!

Friday 9/8; Lake of the Clouds Hut to Madison Hut (1855.4-1862.6)

Today sucked. We started the morning with work for stay at lake of the clouds which involved opening windows and scraping the black mold off to help prepare the hut for end of the season closure. It was FRIGID outside and all our fingers were numb. All in all, not a great work for stay, especially since all the hikers are dinner last night regardless of their work status. So we got started very late (10AM) on the day we're going over Mt. Washington. The climb wasn't too terrible, though the fog was very dense. We made ok time and approached the overly clouded summit. Yard Sale and I came upon the weather station which was barely visible through the cloud cover. It was quite eerie to look at, to use YS's word. We found the summit, took our photos, found the visitor center, got warm drinks, and moved on. It was somewhat anticlimactic as we got absolutely no views and it was pretty cold. The day was very, very long, and was made longer when YS and I got off our trail and onto another. We went quite a ways before realizing it and making our way back, and lost week over an hour in the process. By the end of our second day above tree line, we were all exhausted and ready for safety and dinner. We approached the hut knowing this one notoriously doesn't accept with for stays, but knew we had no other choice. It was 710 when we arrived and sunset is approximately 725. And... They ACCEPTED us!! We were SO relieved!! They didn't have enough dinner for us, but we didn't care. We slept on the floor and woke this morning to wipe down the walls in the hut, and stomp down the kitchen compost. We did get some breakfast.

Saturday 9/9; Madison Hut to Pinkham Notch (1862.6-1870.4)

Thank G-d, we're finished with the Presidents! Coming down Mt. Madison today was painstakingly hard! We inches or way down lots of Rocky trail, all still above tree line. We did have some really nice views coming down as we headed for the trees and below the clouds. It wasn't a particularly bad day, though I wound up pretty grumpy this afternoon. I'm so entirely exhausted and really need a break, but we really want to get through the Wildcats, which are the last peaks in our Whites. Two more days and we'll be finished! Assuming, that is, that we hit our mark tomorrow. 13 miles is an awful lot in this terrain and with tomorrow's climb, and we have to stop at under 6 or go all the way to the 13. Makes a challenging day! We plan to start with a solid breakfast, though, so hopefully that helps.

Sunday 9/9; Pinkham Notch to Zeta Pass Stealth Camping (1870.4-1878.9)

Well, today didn't go as planned (really, what day does?). We'd hoped for 13 miles to Imp Campsite, but it turns out The Wildcats are no stinking joke! U-Turn, you weren't kidding! Anyhow, despite all that, it really wasn't a bad day. The weather has been absolutely beautiful! I bit windy, and a little cool in some spots, but clear skies and sunshine make for stunning views! Plus, we started the morning with breakfast at the Pinkham Visitor Center. A buffet that has giant, fluffy, whole wheat pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, blueberry coffee cake, and an assortment of other options...a thru hiker's perfect morning! We were up early to take advantage and still try to make it 13. When we arrived at the hut 5.8 miles into our day at 2PM, I knew we weren't going to make it. So we decided on a stealth camp site, and we're here with Yard Sale, Ma'am, and Smash Newton. Apparently Bear Pop may show up at some point, too. They're working on a fire, dinner is soaking, and life is good. The tent placement options leaves a bit to be desired, but we've reconfigured the arrangements for tonight inside the tent and I think it might prove to be pretty darn comfy. I'm tired and hope I sleep well.  We'll finish the Whites tomorrow and head into Maine. Big things coming...

Monday 9/11; Zeta Pass Stealth Camping to Gorham, NH (1878.9-1891.5)

These last couple of days have been so hard. Today was definitely better than/slightly easier than yesterday, but I just kept feeling how tired I was as I walked. My mind and body are so overwhelmingly exhausted. We only had 13 miles to go today which is a long day here, but we believed doable. So off we went. Ultimately, we did manage it, but I felt like we were simply never going to get there. The last 3-4 miles of the day were super nice and well graded, and we got a hitch pretty quickly after hitting the main road. We opted for a motel room for just the two of us. We enjoy hanging out with all our friends, but when we really need rest look we do now, the quiet of a private space is so important!


Tuesday 9/12; Gorham, NH, zero (1891.5)

Wednesday 9/13; Gorham, NH to Dream Lake stealth site

We heard that the first miles out of Gorham would be relatively easy. They were and we managed a couple miles past where we'd planned to stop. Our general process is to plan on a stopping point and then evaluate. Often, there is a further option, and a shorter/fallback option. Today, we landed in between the two. We camped with Yard Sale near a quiet lake. It was a nice evening of discussion over dinner and early bed time. Apparently we hot 1900 miles today, which we totally missed. But we're excited nonetheless! Tomorrow... MAINE!!

Thursday 9/14; Dream Lake stealth site to Carlo Col Shelter (1901.2-1908.5)

The challenging terrain had been quite frustrating as it's slowed is down considerably (as you can see from our mileage). We're trying to keep our cool and not worry about time, but it's hard with such short days. We stopped short of our goal today. As we were stopped filling water for the final 4.4 of the day, a SOBO showed up at the shelter beat down and ready for the end of the day (at 3pm). We know this feeling. It sucks. We had just been arguing (again) over pace an whether or not to push the 4.4/what time we could realistically expect to arrive if we did, and this guy (On Again) shows up and shares that today has been his absolute hardest day in Maine. This is saying something, guys. So we promptly agreed that it was probably smart to stay put. Bean too a spill after collecting water and has a big gash in an arm and hand, so it makes the most sense. It's frustrating, though, because it's only 3:15. We've got hours left in the day, but no water or camping until the next campsite. If we hope tomorrow and find stealth and a stream in a few miles, we'll both be ticked. But I guess it is what it is. We're excited to be in Maine and entering the home stretch. I'm hesitantly ready to find the end of this journey.

Friday 9/15; Carlo Col Shelter to Bull Branch Shelter (1908.5-1915.6)

Mahoosuc Notch is finished! This is "the most challenging/fun mile on The AT." I did find it challenging, not so much fun for Fresh. Bean enjoyed it very much. Basically, it's a rock scramble/maze that you have to shimmy and squeeze through, and then balance over for a mile. There were a couple of moments that I was truly scared I'd fall and Bean had to help keep me calm and moving. It was another short day due to the difficulty here. This one mile took us (me) 3 hours to traverse. Literally. We hoped to make it another 2.4 and we probably could have. But there's a camp site just after you finish The Notch, and we opted to stop here. It's actually quite nice. So we'll walk out of camp in the morning straight uphill for 2.5 miles to conquer Mahoosuc Arm, and then I think we'll be finished with the Mahoosucs. Thank goodness!!

Before all this today, we had some hard climbs, but they were we'll worth it. We going ourselves above tree line again, though for the first time in Maine. It's gorgeous with the fall leaves beginning to show their reds in the valleys. Have I mentioned how much I love Fall?! In fact, I'm super excited to be going home in time for all the fall festivities! Anniversary, birthday, Halloween, THANKSGIVING (my Favorite!), and all the fall themed everything around town. Plus.... Pumpkin things! Pumpkin Noosa Yogurt is a new favorite!

We're camped again with Yard Sale tonight which is a treat! We like her a lot and it works out well that we've been seeing a bit of her lately.

I've deduced that I love the camping part of backpacking. I even like the hiking part when it's minimal miles per day and there's no real deadline to meet. But camping is my roots and it's really what I love.

Saturday 9/16; Bull Branch Shelter to Bald Plate Shelter (1915.6-1924.9)

Thank goodness for the end of today. I was starting to think that all of Maine was gonna be less than fun. But finally, this afternoon we got an actual trail which we could actually hike rather than rock climb. Though we're told not to get our hopes up because the next couple of peaks are apparently very hard. The southern half of Maine is very, very hard!

We ran into a number of day hikers today. One lady gave us a whole pint of blueberries! They were SO good!! We ate the whole container on the spot. All after climbing vertical rocks to see a hazy view of fall colors below. It was a beautiful day that brought a better mood for Fresh. Looking forward to town couple of days and PANCAKES!!

Sunday 9/17; Bald Plate Shelter to Andover, NH (1924.9-1932.9)

Finally a decent day with a decent pace! At least for the second half of the day. The first half was quite challenging, though the views we're stunning! We made good time and called for our ride into town to the hostel. First things first, showers. Then food, of course! Then a decision to slack pack tomorrow. We are super excited to get some miles in AND sleep in a bed again! A shower at the end of a hiking day is an absolute novelty.

Monday 9/18; East B Hill Road to South Arm Road (1932.9-1943.0)

Slack packing is AMAZING! We are back on our pace, for today at least, and knocked out 10 miles before 3PM. It felt great and had me feeling like I might actually be able to do this. After weeks of slower pace than we'd become accustomed, it feels like I just can't possibly finish. My body is simply exhausted. So this splurge which includes a bed at night and showers at the end of the day is so nice! And...we're doing it again tomorrow! 13 more miles will take us one day out of Rangley. We're looking at 3 or so more weeks to finish, and we are getting so excited! More tomorrow before posting this...

Today 9/19; South Arm Road to Maine 17 (1943.0-1956.2)

Another successful slack pack in the books! Today really was a great day. The hiking was moderately hard and we moved quickly without packs on. We're a bit concerned about putting them back on tomorrow. They'll feel so heavy!

Yard Sale and I had another great discussion, and OG and I had a first. We're all full of emotions about coming to the end of the North bound section. These emotions seem to range from relief and excitement to apprehension and fear. Most of us feel a jumble of many emotions, and for some of us, it's very overwhelming.

Wishing all who celebrate a peaceful Rosh Hashannah and a meaningful Yom Kippur fast.

And wishing Jessica and Marc and Jazz and Branden beautiful wedding celebrations! I know you'll both be gorgeous brides. Wishing you only happiness in your marriage! Remember that everyone there celebrating with you (and some of us who aren't) are your village. We are the people you'll call on when you are ready to celebrate, or when you're struggling.

I'm sorry I won't be there to celebrate these occasions with all of you. You're in my mind and heart as we continue on our journey toward Katahdin, and then home!

North Woodstock, NH to AMC Highlands Center/Gorham, NH (1816.7-1844)

Thursday 8/31; North Woodstock, NH/Franconia Notch to Liberty Springs Campsite (1816.7-1819.4)

Remember how we mentioned yesterday that we made our way to the little inn in North Woodstock, NH? Yeah, well leaving this morning was no easy feat. I wish so much that we'd made the move earlier and spent our recovery days there. Kind service, a warm bed, climate controlled room, a TV, and real food just steps from the door all made for a lovely afternoon. We splurged a bit on dinner last night, but we'd been eating ramen and Pop tarts from the hostel for two days. When your appetite is finally returning and you see red meat on a menu (which you basically haven't eaten in 5+ months)...Yeah. Included with our stay was breakfast at the lovely little restaurant there and oh my gosh, was it so good! In case you couldn't tell, food pretty much rules our lives at the moment.  All this to say that we went back to our room after breakfast and very briefly discussed staying another night. I had been texting with Yard Sale about locations and plans, and she told us that a local hostel owner warned her of very bad ridge weather for tomorrow. So if we'd stayed today, we'd have stayed tomorrow as well. Which sounds AMAZING, until we pay for it. However, as we sit hunkered in our tent to the sound of drips and wind, and pretty much know we aren't going anywhere tomorrow, it sounds more and more appealing to go back down the mountain and make our way back to that warm, cozy bed.

We haven't discussed the Vortex that towns can be. What you've just read...That's what we call "The Vortex." It pretty much just means you get stuck in town eating, resting, being clean, and enjoying not hiking. Until you remember that you came out here to HIKE, and manage to get yourself out of town. Often, that means you may only hike a few miles like we did today. But, you're out and can think clearly again. Unless you freeze in the night. That said, Bean is often a furnace, and I think I mentioned that he opted to not get his warm sleeping bag back. I'm a bit concerned that he's gonna turn into an Erik-sicle. He assures me he's fine. We shall see how this night goes.

Since we've got some time this afternoon, I'll make this post even longer and touch on thoughts and reflections.

Bean contributes: "Up until this point, I don't know why the numbers are so low (meaning the number of people who successfully complete a thru hike). Anyone can do this."

To which I reply: Most people don't find this as easy as you seem to. Bean seems entirely unsurprised by anything we've encountered thus far. He says it's exactly as hard and as amazing as he thought it would be. We disagree on this point. It's far harder than I ever imagined it would be. I mean, my thoughts were "I grew up hiking and camping, and people of all genders, abilities, and backgrounds have successfully completed the trail, why not me?" And to some degree, that's a fair assessment. However, what it doesn't discuss is the mental game, the physical pain/discomfort, the hunger, the stress, the emotional--something, the rain, the snow, the cold, the heat, the thunder storms, the thunder storms on ridges (a totally different animal), the flat out bad days. The list could continue almost infinitely, I think. So, you may ask what are the redeeming qualities of this venture if there are so many negatives? There are a few, actually. The most important of which (2.5), in my opinion, are the amazing people we've met and fallen in love with. We have the distinct honor of walking with many people who are kind, humble, honest, driven, helpful, and simply beautiful souls. Each of them has brought a uniqueness to our journey that is ours alone, and without each and every one of them, our story would look so very different. We are forever grateful to these people, and look forward to continuing relationships with many of them for years to come. When we come home, we'll attempt to share our experiences with you. To answer your questions. To help you understand the transformation we have fostered in ourselves. But really, you won't entirely understand. You can't. You didn't do this with us. These people did. And that alone connects us in a very distinct way.

The other major positive I'll need to try to describe. Imagine it's been raining all day, every day, for a week. The power has been out so you haven't washed laundry. Your stove is electric, as is your water heater, so you've been eating peanut butter and jelly, dry ramen (or cold/rehydrated), Pop tarts, and whatever snacks you've got in the pantry. If you've showered, it was icily cold; so cold that it took your breath away and all you could manage was to flip your head over and wash your hair. Even that felt like it was freeze-burning your scalp, so you bird-bathed your unmentionable parts, dried off as best you could, and threw your clothes back on (in our case, they're also wet because we've been walking in the rain). Remember, they're dirty because you've been out of power. Have you got all that in your mind? Really imagine how grimy you feel, and how you'd like nothing more than a hot shower, and to run all those stinky clothes through a washer. Ok. Now, imagine you wake on the 8th day to no drips. You can see the sun shining through the window (or the rain fly). You open the door and feel the sun on your face. And now, you ask what's the point of all this? The point, my friend, is that when that sun comes out after days of rain...There is Nothing like it anywhere! You just turn your head up and enjoy feeling it on your skin. Look up though the trees and watch it glittering through the leaves (my favorite view in the world). The sun makes for a good day out here.

The other half of that is hitting a summit with a view on a sunny day. Especially a cool sunny day because in the cool weather, the haze is often at a minimum and you can see to forever.

These seem so random and insignificant, but they are the why's that have come to pass while we've been on this epic walk. They keep me going. And you all, of course. Seriously. Knowing you all are counting on us to succeed has literally kept me out here on a few occasions. More than I'd like to admit, as a matter of fact.

So, I'll call it quits for now. This is the longest post in quite some time. More long ones to come, I'm sure.

Friday 9/1; Liberty Springs Campsite zero (1819.4)

Well. Day two in the Whites and the ridge weather was so bad that we didn't leave camp. Headed up Mt. Lincoln tomorrow under sunny skies to enjoy Franconia Ridge. We have certainly learned to go with the flow it here. The trail has a mind of her own, and we're at her mercy.

Saturday 9/2; Liberty Springs Campsite to Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite (1819.4-1827)

Holy moly, Franconia Ridge! We are so glad we waited for good weather to climb the summit. We spent a few hours ridge walking 2 miles and enjoying views to the horizon and beyond. There just are no words, guys. The beauty is incomprehensible. The hiking itself is hard. Like, really hard. It's frustrating to know that just a week ago we were capable of 15 mile days minimum. Bean is still able to push fast miles, but his pace has definitely slowed. Mine, however, has slowed exponentially. I am confident I could have moved faster over the ridge today had I not stopped to talk with every tourist who stopped to ask me/us about our journey. That said, we wouldn't have made it really much further. The issue with pace up here is that you have designated campsite and huts. You can stealth, though you have to be aware of weather conditions, and hope to find stealth at an elevation low enough to avoid winds and cold temperatures that the ridges and summits often see. The designated campsites are often paid (we pay $10 for a thru hiker card, and then $5 per stay), and seem to be pretty nice. We're currently hunkered in a shelter avoiding a giant rain storm, and it's quite nice. The huts are paid and are very expensive. People pay a lot of money (like a hundred dollars per person) to hike in, and stay at the hut where the crew serves food, and manages beds. Sometimes, if you time it just right, you can land a work for stay at one of the huts. When this happens, you do work they need, and in exchange you get to eat leftovers (which we're told are very good) and sleep on the floor. You can also sleep on the floor in bad weather sometimes, you just don't get to eat the leftovers. Though often if you're passing by after breakfast, they'll let you eat leftover oatmeal. Whatever isn't eaten has to be carried out, so they usually don't mind. They offer soups and baked goods for relatively reasonable prices. Our thru hiker cards get us one bowl of soup and two baked goods each, and 10% off other items for sale. So, that's the Whites in a nutshell. We stopped here last night, and now, because of the coming storm, the terrain, and the location of campsites/iffi-ness of the huts, we're hunkered. We could go 3 miles to the hut where they would likely let us sleep on the floor out of the weather, but the wind is crazy strong right now, and the clouds are blowing through camp at nearly 4,000 feet. I think the four of us here, us and Yard Sale, and a new friend called Brave Happy are pretty good to sit tight. Tomorrow is supposed to bring good weather and we plan to push a pretty long day. We'll hit town first thing Tuesday morning, resupply, and head back out.

Sunday 9/3; Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite (1827)

Zero. We are learning to trust our decisions. It's a hard line to walk, but a great lesson to learn. The weather sucks, and wee lose nothing in the long run from waiting it out. Our motto in Maine is "Low and Slow." Meaning low miles and slow progress.

Monday 9/4; Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite to Ethan Pond Shelter (1827-1841)

Have I mentioned what a difference a day can make? Oh my gosh, the views today! The day started in the clouds, and we arrived at our first hut yet to dreary fog and cold temperatures. We went inside, had some snacks and warm drinks, and moved on to find the summit if South Twin Mountain. It was a long final .8 to the top, and the wind and clouds up top made our time on the summit extremely short.

We made our way to Mt. Zealand which afforded a surprising view of the surrounding ridges and peaks. We continued in search of the hut, which was quite a ways away from the summit. We took a very short side trail after being told the view was not to be missed by a day hiker, and boy was he right! We finally made it to the hut, and they had soup for us and oh so yummy applesauce bread! We left to tackle 5 more miles, which might have been the easiest AT miles in the Whites. A 14 mile day here is not an easy day. But Bean was sure we could accomplish it, and we did. And...It was AMAZING!

We're camped tonight with two guys we met yesterday, Nick and Will. They are brothers who are out for a few days before their dad joins them for a few more. They are super nice and we've had great conversation about their studies and plans.

Tuesday 9/5; Ethan Pond Shelter to AMC Highlands Center/Gorham (1841-1844)

A quick 3 miles today and a hitch to the Highlands Center, then a shuttle to Gorham to resupply. And...We're back to waiting out the weather. I don't know how much most of you know about the weather here in The White Mountains, so I'll give you a quick rundown. Many of the summits are above tree line. The weather can turn, literally on a dime that high, and it can also be completely different from the weather in the valleys. This fact is never more true than on the summit of Mt. Washington, where some of the most extreme weather in the country occurs. As in, it snowed the other day. So, the fact that these hurricanes are spitting poor weather in this direction makes hiking a bit complicated. Please don't misunderstand--we feel for those affected by the hurricane very deeply. We mean in no way to diminish what these communities are experiencing in the aftermath of the storms. We're just also frustrated while trying to reach our goal. All that said, we're in Gorham, NH waiting for the weather to clear so we can safely summit Washington and The Presidential Range, and then The Wildcats to finish out the Whites. And if we're very, very lucky, we'll get to see dear family friends, Bruce and Michele!!

So stay tuned, friends and cheerleaders. You won't want to miss a second if these final weeks and the special crazy that's sure to come with them!