August 26
451.3 down, 1734.6 to go
Katy with her free doughnut
All kinds of goodies!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Day 43, Hanover Free Food Tour, Vermont
Day 42, From a good morning to an awesome evening
August 25
The cabin that we stayed in
The sign for the Ice Cream Man's house
Bill, the Ice Cream Man
436.3 down, 1749.6 to go
We woke up in the fire warden's cabin and started off the day a little earlier than usual. Stopped in at the ice cream man's house for some ice cream and coffee. Bill is an older man who enjoys having hikers over for conversation and croquet - apparently he only loses if he wants to. Afterward it was back off into the woods to get in some more mileage and take advantage of the easier terrain.
We met a man who was hiking with his son's girlfriend and it was her first backpacking trip. He had hiked the Maine section before, and used his experience to take her out and show her the ropes. Later in the afternoon we ran a little low on water, so we stopped at the next water source which is now dried up to a puddle. We treated it twice to be safe.
Later on we arrived in Etna, NH where there is a place called "Tiggers Tree House" where we were intending to stay. We called several times and hitched a ride to the general store where they informed us that the couple that runs it was out of town. As we started looking into our options and considered heading back into the woods a lady named Vick offered us a bed in her home, so we decided to stay there. Eric and Vick treated us to an amazing evening. It started off with custom made survival bracelets made by Charlie and Will, their sons. Yellow and purple for me (go dawgs) and rainbow and green for Katy (a reminder that no matter how hard it rains, it can't last forever and the sun will come out). We had burgers and wings for dinner and then had the most glorious night's sleep.
Survival Bracelet (thanks Will and Charlie)
Day 41, Fire Tower
August 24
418.8 down, 1767.1 to go
We intended to wake this morning to see the sunrise...that didn't happen.
Even with two climbs, we got in our biggest mileage yet, around 19 miles! We had some pretty amazing flats in some spots, so we were able to cruise over those areas.
Near the top of Smart's Mountain, our stopping point for the day, we were overwhelmed with hunger and had to stop for a snack. The climb was gradual, over 4 miles and we kept a great pace, but we had no idea how far we had left to go, so we stopped real quick.
After our snack break, we realized we were super close to the top, less than a quarter mile. Oh, well. We put our stuff down in the cabin, which was an old fire warren cabin, and headed to the lookout. A nerve racking climb up, apparently some people actually sleep up there...but a wonderf view! Overall, a great day. We are ready to start putting our miles in!
In the lookout
The view from the lookout
Day 39 & 40, Moosilauke
August 22 & 23
Chet's place
Ah man, should we turn back now?
The window atop Moosilauke 
Snack break
Scenery change
View from our campsite
Zero & 400 down, 1785 to go
Guess who was at Chet's while we were waiting for our filter to come in the mail? Unitic! He came from the other entrance of Lincoln, so a day behind us on the trail. It was great to see him and catch up! We got pizza together. When our filter finally came, it was already past two. We had Moosilauke to go over right from the start, which was quite the climb, or so we'd heard, from NoBos who slackpacked it the SoBo way, tsk tsk...so, we hung out and got some rest.
The next day we got a decent start up Moosilauke, after saying a sad goodbye to Unitic. It wasn't bad at all, the NoBos just hadn't hit Southern Maine yet...definitely a climb, as well as our last 4,000 footer for a while. Atop the summit it was cloudy and windy, we bunkered down behind some rocks and had a snack. We did get an awesome view in a window of clouds. As soon as we started the descent, the clouds burnt off. It seemed that at the bottom of Moosilauke, we were in different terrain right away. We passed through a beautiful field, which we hadn't yet seen. A new chapter in our AT book, the hardest part is over! Woohoo! We heard a NoBo say, "I've got 80% of the trail done with 80% of the work left to do."
Great news for us, eh?!
We went a few miles past Moosilauke and decided to call it a day, stopping early, but enjoying the scenery at Wachipauka, a beautiful pond. Probably one of our favorite camp sites so far, aside from Antler's. We enjoyed a luxurious hiker meal: tacos. Here's how we did it: chicken breast, refried beans, cheese and avocado in a tortilla shell.
NOM!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Day 38, Lincoln Waiting
August 21
Waiting for a ride. You better believe we were listening to 80s music.
New Hampshire has so many different trails the AT borrows from. You really have to pay attention. So many of the trails were there before the AT.
Not the best, but quick pictures of Mt. Moosilauke from the road. Our next climb and the last of the harder stuff for a while!
In a backpacker magazine. Hey! What about the SoBos? Didn't know we are gaining 500,000 ft in elevation. The AT is considered the "root canal" of the Triple Crown, the three long trails in the US -- Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail -- for that reason.
389.4 down, 1796.5 to go
NotYet and I were up early with the sun. We had a slow time packing up, enjoying the fact we didn't have a long day ahead of us. He showed me how to adjust the back of my pack differently to fit my height (I've been having sore shoulders for a while)...what a difference it made. I feel guilty for not reading the owner's manual. Gulp.
On the way to Kinsman Notch, we saw GoodNewsTom, he was the elderly gentleman who we met waiting the rain at Rattle River Shelter on the rough day near Gorham. He really encouraged us. We didn't think we'd see him again, but the trail has a funny way of doing such. He skipped The Whites because of a time constraint and was hiking with his son, who was from Seattle and was sporting a Seahawks pillow on the side of his pack -- woo! Go Hawks! A little taste of home... We also met two friends who thru hiked in 2010. The guy was from Australia. He said, "speaking of trail magic, take this." He gave us some Australian jelly beans and taffy.
When we got to the road, about 7 miles from our stealth site, we attempted to hitch a ride to Lincoln. Route 112 was not very well travelled so it took us a while. But finally a young couple picked us up.
Back at Chet's, we chatted for a while with him and then went to retrieve our mail drops. Woo hoo! It was like Christmas! So many goodies and fun stuff to eat. We are so blessed with love and support from both of our families! We spent the afternoon running around town and enjoying riding bikes. It's nice to not have to walk! We almost feel like, if it doesn't count toward the trail mileage what's the point? Hehe...
We got a text from Unitic, he was doing Franconia Notch, we were crossing out fingers he would push into Lincoln today and we'd see him, but he fell going down and needed to rest. Bummer, so close! He is just two days behind us now. We also got a message from Floss, he had just left Chet's before us. He is a day behind us. We should see him soon.
Waiting for our filter to arrive tomorrow and it's back on the trail! Just 50 more miles and we will have our second date under our belt...I really think we will feel like we're making more progress as we pass through some of the little states, which will take a few days or weeks. Maine took us about a month. So enjoying this!
Day 37, Flexibility Required
August 20
382.5 down, 1803.4 to go
This morning we had breakfast with some other hikers and rode around town on bikes. Our mail drops hadn't come in yet and were supposed to be here by the end of the day. Luckily, Lincoln is one of the few towns that have a second entrance near the trail. It was too late in the day to do the 16 miles to the next entrance of Lincoln, but we had enough food to make it a two day trip and be back the next afternoon to pick up our package. We also ordered another Sawyer Squeeze filter with Amazon's two day shipping, so that will arrive Thursday. Not really much of an option there, the local outdoor store did not have it. So we will spend another night at Chet's in Lincoln on Wednesday and head out Thursday as soon as we get the filter...hopefully sooner than later.
NotYet and I were talking on the trail today about how much flexibility and patience is needed on the trail. Just like in life, so many times we think things will go a certain way, but plans change and we really have no choice but to just go with the flow and deal with it. If we are there a while on Thursday, we might see Unitic again! He is planning on getting in to Lincoln Thursday, meaning he is just two days behind us.
We hitched a ride back to Franconia Notch and were on the trail by 1:00. Another beautiful day -- we're really starting to get used to this nice weather streak! Quick lunch break at Lonesome Lake Hut, the last hut, and we were on our way up to North and South Kinsman Mountains. The view of Lafayette and the Franconia Ridge was beautiful! Franconia Ridge was our hike yesterday, one of our favorite views so far. It was cool to see it from farther away, realizing that we walked all across the top. We met Orange Peel and Sparky, a father/daughter NoBo couple. We chatted with them and got a secret white paper stashed in Sparky's wallet...a list of trail angel names and phone numbers in Hanover! They were waiting for the right SoBos to give it to. They started their hike with Karma in Georgia and since she is flip-flopping that means they will run into her very soon! How exciting! They warned us about a crowded campsite at Eliza Brook. Indeed, when we got there it was full of Yale students on an orientation trip (we also saw some yesterday on Franconia Ridge). I completely believe the outdoors are for everyone to enjoy, but it is slightly frustrating when you get done utilizing a full day of hiking and come into a campsite with enough daylight left to set up camp and eat...only to have the site full with 25 people from one group... We peaked in and there were no sites to be had so we passed the forest protection area and found a site to stay about a half mile away. We had enough time to put up the tent and make food before it got too dark. Again, with the flexibility thing! We are learning many valuable life lessons. NotYet should be getting school credit for this trip!
Tomorrow we will hike the remaining 7 miles in to Lincoln, via the Kinsman Notch entrance and enjoy our time in town...why not make the most of the unexpected?
Also, no sign of Floss. Is he ahead or behind? The bets are on. I'm betting we might run into him tomorrow in Lincoln.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Day 36, Lafeyette and Chet's
August 16
With Mudslide, before parting ways
At the top of Lafeyette. Super windy! Notice my braids blowing in the wind.
After eating at McDonald's.
373.1 down, 1812.8 to go
We got an early start leaving Galehead hut, out by 6:45. We had the most awesome time playing the song game with Mudslide. Rounds included 90s pop, classic rock, Disney and Christmas (guess who won that one?) A little over two miles in, we said a sad goodbye to Mudslide, who was going slightly slower than we needed to go to get to Lincoln in time to make it to the post office for a mail drop, 13 or so miles.
Lafeyette was an amazing view. We got to the top and were out of the tree line for two miles. It was super windy, probably 40-50 mph. Down the hill, we had a pretty solid pace going until I tripped and landed on my kneecap. I winced in pain and stretched my leg. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, just a few scrapes.
We made it to the road and tried our hand at hitching. Luckily, there was an AT sign right over us and we had our backpacks. Perfect conditions, it took less than a minute. A business man pulled over in a brand new Acura SUV, leather seats, still smelled like new car. He told us to just push his briefcase and papers in the back aside to make room for our backpacks, which were by no means clean. He told us he felt for us, he had hiked in the past and had a hard time finding a ride. He dropped us off right in town. Neither of our packages had arrived so we did what any thru hiker would do, spent $30 at McDonald's. we hadn't had it yet on the trail, so it was good!
We met Cusie, a SoBo who was heading out of town. He told us about Chet's, a man who ran a hostel out of his garage, but it was not listed in the book. We weren't sure if it was a legit place, we'd heard about it earlier on the trail from a hiker who stayed there in 2009. He told us to just ask around when we got in town, he couldn't remember the name.
When we got there, Chet interrogated us with a ton of questions on our hike. After we couldn't answer one, there was an awkward pause and he laughed and told us to come on in. Phew, we passed! Chet told us we could do work for stay and pitch in a little for laundry and shower. What was the work for stay? Pick up after yourself. Not bad!
The place was packed! Probably 15 hikers. Chet is absolutely awesome. He doesn't want to be listed in the books, he's done this for 20 years by word of mouth and it works for him. He's got such a giving heart and is hilarious.
NotYet loves the way his mustache is coming in. He's considered using pine sap to twirl it with. I didn't like the idea of a bear coming into our tent at night to eat his sap filled mustache.
Chet chatting with hikers.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Day 36, Work For Stay
August 18
360.1 down, 1825.8 to go
Leaving Ethan Pond, we had the easiest five miles of trail! We stopped at Zealand Falls Hut. As we got there, a man approached NotYet and told him he was his 600th hiker! "What?" His 600th ice cream sandwich! I was hoping that his 600th wasn't his last. Luckily he was handing out a 601st! His goal was to hand out as many sandwiches as AT miles, over 2,000. We volunteered to help him cover more miles. He didn't fall for it. Ha. He packs his cooler with dry ice so the sandwiches stay cool.
We caught back up to Mudslide, who ended up going a few miles further than Ethan Pond last night. Mudslide is 29, recently quit his job and is enjoying being on the trail. He has a glorious beard. I know I've seen NotYet admiring it, secretly... Mudslide has lost 88 pounds since starting the trail! He is hoping to lose 100 total and keep it off after. We told him what we've learned, that after the trail, you can allow yourself one last hiker meal, but no more eating like you're burning 6,000 calories anymore! We talked to him about running.
We enjoyed chatting with Mudslide more on our way to Galehead Hut, where we weren't planning on staying, but did anyway because they had work for stay available at 5:30, when 4:30 is usually the prime time to show up and ask. They usually take two workers, since they are a smaller hut, but accepted the three of us. While we waited for dinner leftovers, Mudslide introduced us to the song game, where you pick a topic and have to sing at least eight words that fit within the topic. The topic was... guess... that's right, food. We started running out of songs after a while, when we decided to include songs about alcohol. That's when a lot of country music came into play. The game entertained until leftovers were ready.
NotYet's work for stay was to talk to the people staying at the huts about thru hiking, but Mudslide really wanted to share his stories, so he talked instead. After a delicious, hearty, and warm dinner, Mudslide talked and NotYet and I did our own dishes and scraped ice from the fridge. Too easy! We felt like we should've been doing more!
It feels good to be doing a good amount of miles (11-15) through The Whites, which are right up there with Maine for hardest trail sections. We feel like we've finally for our hiker legs and are ready to pick up the pace in Vermont. We are really, really excited for some easy terrain!
Day 35, Ethan Pond
August 17
His pond!
346.3 down, 1837.6 to go
After a hearty breakfast of pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes, we got going with Floss. It was a quick five miles to Mizpah Hut. Floss started back up during our break to meet up with a friend at the next road. Wonder when we will see him again.
We passed a mountain originally named Pierce, but was renamed Clinton...what? We climbed up a hill to Ethan Pond and met Mudslide, a flip-flopper. Near the end of the day, we were tired and the hill was wearing on us but chatting with Mudslide made the time pass quick. He hammocks, so would not be staying at Ethan Pond Shelter, a pay site. Since NotYet's name is Ethan, we had to stay at the shelter. We said goodbye to Mudslide, not sure if we'd see him again.
After we got to the shelter, our Sawyer Squeeze broke. It was attached to a water bottle and dropped. We'd had it a few days. Luckily, we were able to get some filtered water and a few drops of AquaMira to hold us over. We have iodine but sent back the tablets that remove the flavor, so are trying to avoid using it. We are still by a few huts as well, so able to fill up with potable water there.
Day 34, Mt. Washington
August 16
334.3 down, 1851.7 to go
Beautiful day. We started over Madison, a steep climb. We kept asking around if anyone had seen Floss, they hadn't, we wondered if he was behind us, if we passed him stealthing last night.
We made our way over The Presidentials, which were quite easier than we've heard them talked up to be. We expected to be going down more before going back up, but we more so just hopped along ridge lines all day, climbing a bit. Seeing Mt. Washington get closer all day was awesome.
There is a story thru hikers know about the train on Mt. Washington. The man who was building the train was told that he might as well try building a train to the moon. He did indeed build a train on Mt. Washington. Hiker tradition is to moon the conductor. All afternoon we'd seen trains going up and down and after a while assumed they were done for the day. Right as we got to the tracks a train was coming down. Remembering Orrin, the 2000 SoBo we met at Baldpate Shelter Day saying that one of his regrets on his thru hike was not mooning the conductor... I will leave the rest to your imagination.
Shortly after the train went by, we were near the summit. Instead of climbing, we were going around the summit. It was quiet. NotYet was in front of me. He sat on a rock and pulled out the guide. The inevitable....wrong turn. Another great moment using Awol's guide. His direction for the trail said the trail was just north of the train track...wrong. We backtracked, adding two miles on to our day, and looked at the sign, we were on a trail directly to Lakes of the Clouds Hut, that skipped the summit of Mt. Washington. We to back on the trail and made it to the summit. The entire day, the skies were clear and not a single cloud covered Mt. Washington, very rare for the place known for the world's worst weather. When we got to the top, clouds rolled in. We took our summit picture and kept trekking, realizing it was already 7, just an hour left of daylight and an almost 2-mile downhill to the hut. We were hoping to get work for stay, but seeing as it was so late, realized our chances were slim.
We got in to the hut, barely missing the amazing sunset that turned into the amazing downpour. They already had six hikers in the dungeon (creepy, dark, cold and wet storm shelter) and seven doing work for stay (the usual is four at a big hut). The girl at the front counter looked at her list of hikers working, as if she was contemplating whether she should sent us out into the stormy weather near the summit of Mt. Washington, or take pity and let us stay. Yay! She took pity and told us she would find work for us. She was very sweet, because our "work" was to inventory what was in the freezer and carry up four frozen turkeys. It took no more than ten minutes. A warm meal and a dry place to stay after a 15 mile day. Life's good!
Guess who was at the hut? Floss! He was behind us stealthing the night before and passed us when we stopped for lunch at Madison Hut.
We saw a family of them on another summit a few weeks back with Unitic. We are guessing pheasants, does anybody know?
Day 33, One Month To First Anniversary
August 15
Mt. Height
The pond at Carter Notch hut, our lunch spot for the day
Enjoying trail magic. The wonderful folks who hiked up 24 cans or soda and snacks are on the right, standing
321.4 down, 1864.5 to go
Our first wedding anniversary is one month from today! We cannot believe how fast it has gone by, this first year. We are so excited to celebrate it on the trail. We are planning on zeroing at a bed and breakfast, hoping to plan it just right. Not sure where we will be in a month so that's the challenge. We will get some dinner, maybe enjoy some champagne, the longest shower of our lives with the strongest soap we can find and uh, maybe let what uh, happens happens. Ha!
On a not so private note, we haven't seen Floss this morning, wondering if he is ahead of us. Another hiker told us that Between Wildcat D and E, there was trail magic, but they were leaving at 5. It was 4:20, we booked it from Wildcat C and made it just in time! Soda, candy bars, chips, cookies, bananas and oranges galore! We were in heaven. And, to top it off, the people had to leave and didn't want to take anything so we were able to pack some goodies. There was a NoBo, MagicScout, who had all of "Oh, The Places You'll Go" written on paper and was recording hikers reading a line. He recorded us with Mt. Washington in the background. We will post a link when he puts it all together. What a cool project.
We hiked down to Pinkham Notch and were looking for a stealth site. By this time, it was dusk and getting darker. We were told there were great sites in the area. We kept going and didn't find any. Eventually we found one. It was dark, our first time hiking in the dark. Half eerie, "is that branch up there a moose waiting to attack us?" half really fun. We pitched the tent and thanks to the trail magic a few hours earlier, we didn't need to make dinner. No sign of Floss. Hitting thePresidential tomorrow!
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