Where are the pictures?

The further north I get, the smaller the towns and the slower the Internet service.  Maine has a very small inland population and Internet access is expensive, so the hostels request limits on traffic.  Pictures require relatively large amounts of data, so I'll be posting mostly my journal articles until I can get back to a city somewhere.  I'm still taking pictures, I'm currently over 2100 shots.

Gorham, NH to Andover, Maine

9/12/15 - Gentian Pond shelter

Cold or no cold, I just had to hike today.  Of course, the next two days are supposed to be rainy.  And I'll be trying to climb a couple mountains and also the infamous Mahoosuc Notch and Arm. Joy.

Was a bit tough today, what with my cold and the terrain.  Wasn't as bad as the earlier Whites, but there were some steep and rocky areas to negotiate.  It was only about eleven miles from Rt.2 to here, but it wore me out.  At least my lungs are coughing up the crap that been building up in them the last four days.

I met some new folks today, everyone out here is catching up and passing me. Mac and Pace are from Hawaii; Pace retired from the Army last year and they're discovering retired life.  They seem to be running my schedule the next few days; it'll be good to have company going through Mahoosuc Notch.

9/13/15 - Full Goose shelter

The rain arrived at Gentian Pond shelter sometime overnight. I woke up around three thirty and had trouble getting back to sleep.  I was anxious about today's hike, and as it turned out, for good reason.  Today was ugly.  Probably the worst day of hiking this whole trip.  The mist never let up, the wind was as bad as it was on Mt Lafayette and the trail was truly scary.  Big, wet and slick slabs that dropped fifteen to thirty feet with hardly any handholds.  More rebar "steps" that were slick with rain.  Going downhill was risky in the extreme. Fortunately I only tripped four times and fell only twice, neither time on a slab.  

Then there were the glacial bogs.  Hiking pole deep bogs.  Actual waist deep bogs, a section hiker just in front of me fell in one, and he stands nearly six feet tall! And the bog bridges were either rotted out or nonexistent.  I should have either stayed at Gentian or taken the 3.5 mile side trail back to town.  At least I'd be dry tonight.  Well, I am dry but my hiking gear is dripping.  The weather tomorrow is forecast to be the same, which means I will be zeroing here in the shelter.  I am not going to risk my neck in the Mahoosuc Notch and Arm the way I did today.  I'll have to do twelve miles Tuesday to Baldpate shelter, which supposedly tough, but it will be clear by then.

Freestyle, Downhill, Toasty, Goldilocks, Patches and Shaggy are here tonight, as are twelve high school kids in a leadership program. The kids are on their first backpacking trip and they have had problem with the rain.  They'll hike out tomorrow and take a side trail to a road, then start a four day canoe trip out of Rangley, Maine.  Mac and Pace got in just before dark, they left Gentian with me this morning.

9/14/15 - Zero at Full Goose shelter

I think this is only the second time I've zeroed at a shelter.  The day dawned cold, damp and surprisingly sunny.  I was suspicious and checked the weather forecast and my radar app.  Way out here in the woods and I have a cell connection.  Sure enough, the rain is still forecast to blow in later this morning.  I'm staying put, I don't think I can clear the Notch and Arm before I get wet again.  I should've stayed at Gentian Pond.  Mac and Pace (from Macadamia nuts and his constant hiking speed) decided to stay as well, as did Kylie in his tent.  It's cold, about 45 degrees, and the wind is blowing. I'm warm in my sleeping bag, leaning up against the back wall of the shelter.

A fat, bold deer mouse kept running around the shelter all day long.

By four thirty today, the temperature was still about fifty, and it was raining again. Freestyle (from White Mt Lodge), Deja Vu, Dapper Dan, Mac and Pace, and several others are here tonight.  I sure hope it clears overnight, as it is it's going to be sloppy tomorrow.  

9/15/15 - Andover, ME Pine Ellis Hostel

I woke up to a damp, foggy morning with the water dripping everywhere. I didn't bode well for hiking the Notch.  We were on trail by seven fifteen.

Freestyle caught me just at the beginning and we started into what is a narrow canyon filled with house sized boulders.  They are covered in moss and even the exposed faces were wet and slick.  Mac and Pace caught up and Mac became our pacesetter.  The Notch is definitely safer in a group.  And no place to do in the rain!  I took a tumble off one plate, slid and wrenched an arm trying to catch myself and ended up on my back.  I had to release my pack to get up.  One leg was hanging over the edge and I feared the pack would drop into a crevasse.

We crawled all over, picking up bruises and scrapes everywhere. I lost a water bottle to a deep pile of rocks, it disappeared completely.  All told, it took about two hours and forty five minutes to complete the scramble.  We stopped for lunch then it was uphill for a mile of the Arm.

The Arm is touted as the steepest uphill on the trail, but I found it to be a little easier than the Garfield Ridge climb.  Neither should be done alone or in foul weather.

Topping out, the trail turned boggy for a bit to Speck Pond.  We decided we could make it over Old Speck mountain, so off we went.  It was steep and had several plate rocks to scramble. It was also exposed, and the wind was blowing quite a bit. At the top, we stopped for fifteen minutes to enjoy the view back to the Whites and the warm sun.  Then it was gun for the road and the hostel.  The trail was a bit better and we made really good time.  We finished the ten mile day at five fifteen and Roadrunner showed up five minutes later to pick us up.  Tough, tough day, but so satisfying to make up the zero day.  

Pace has worked out a slack packing schedule for the next few days, so we will slackpack over to Rangeley and maybe beyond.

Pinkham Notch to Route 2, Gorham

9/7/15 - Carter Notch Hut

I called AMC from halfway up Wildcat Mountain and got Carter Notch Hut reserved for the evening.  It was a tough day of climbing, there were some sections of trail that were unbelievable, climbing up cracks in slabs or stairs rebarred into rock faces. The trail through the Whites is less hiking and more rock climbing.  I was glad to get into the notch and reach the pond near Carter Notch hut.

Antwerp and Pfunk came through on a southbound two day  hike from Rt2 back to Pinkham Notch.  They've been staying at the Hikers Paradise hostel in Gorham because White Mountain has been full.

One of the hut crew here is Cap.  I last saw him back at Wapiti shelter.  He finished his thru and took a Fall position here.  Krummholz stopped by, he's going on a bit and tent.

It's just me and several section hikers here tonight, few enough that we each got a private bunk room.

9/8/15 - Imp shelter

I woke up this morning and realized why I've had so little energy the last few days.  I have a cold.  My nose is stopped up and running and my throat has major tickles.  And I have a headache.  I hate being sick.

The weather report called for afternoon and evening thunderstorms. I got on trail at 7:45 and headed up Carter Notch.  It was steep and rocky but not too bad.  Up top I had occasional mist clouds and wind but nothing bad.  The trail was actual trail, a little rocky but real trail.

Coming down off Mt Hight was a bit steep.  I had to use the B.A.D. technique (Butt Assisted Descent) once or twice.  Zeta Pass had no water, the stream has gone dry.  Good thing I'd packed two liters out of the hut.  

The trail down from North Carter peak was insanely steep.  Even using BAD, I was worried I'd slip and bend an ankle or worse.  I had to resort to hand over hand backwards descent a couple times.  Very scary.  But after a half mile or so the trail settled down and the elevation slope smoothed a bit.  Still fairly steep, and rocky, but trail again.

The shelter is off the trail a good 0.3 miles. I got here before two, and had I felt good, might have tried for the next shelter five miles ahead or even town at eight miles.  But I'm worn out.  A southbound section hiker from Germany, Tinka, came in exhausted. She's only on her second day of a trip down to Hanover and was very happy to find she wouldn't be camping alone.

9/9/15 - White Mountain Lodge again

Tinka and I both woke around five thirty and said our goodbyes just before seven.  Climbing Mt Moriah wasn't too bad, at least not as bad as some other ascents.  I could tell it was a drought area, the ground was cracking and the moss was browning in the bogs.  Up on top, I came across a hen ptarmigan walking down the trail.  She was obviously leading me away from her nest.  She kept grunting at me, bug never let me get closer than five feet.  She circled off the trail a bit and glared at me until I moved on.

Getting down from Mt Moriah was initially tough, but after a bit the trail eased.  By the time I got to Rattle River shelter it was nearly flat sidewalk.  The last two miles to Rt2 went fast. Then it was a simple one hundred yards to the hostel.

My cold is still bugging me and my body aches, so tomorrow I'll zero again, and maybe Friday if the weather doesn't clear.

9/10/15 - Zero at White Mountain hostel

Today was a light work day. I put together a food box and mailed it to Andover because word is the grocery store there is pretty basic. I also stopped by the outfitter and replaced the tips on my hiking poles.  I should have done that probably in Hanover but I forgot, and one tip broke going up Mt Carter. My long pants and underwear arrived, so I have pretty much all my clothes for winter.  The clothing bag is heavy again!

My knees are feeling better, they ached pretty bad last night. The Wildcats were a tough hike. My cold isn't any better, and with the rain supposed to last into tomorrow morning I may have to stay another day.

Blackout and Dora, Janezilla and Mushu, Chewbacca, and a bunch of other hikers are here, and there are hikers all through town.

9/11/15 - Sick Day at White Mountain Lodge

I woke early this morning with a hacking cough and full sinuses.  The rain was steady all night long and the temperature was in the sixties, yet my shirt is damp with sweat.  No fever this morning, but I'm going to zero even though I itch to be hiking.

Lake of the Clouds hut to Pinkham Notch

9/4/15 - Madison Springs Hut

The morning was clear weather, so I left the hut right after breakfast and headed for Mt Washington, 1.5 miles away and 1265ft up.  Surprisingly, it didn't take long, I was on top by 8:45.  Some light mist had blown in but I got my pictures and headed over to the gift shop and snack bar.  I also found an open wall socket and plugged in my phone and battery.  TK, Antwerp, Pfunk, and surprise, Language Barrier and Doppleganger were all up top.  I decided to hang out until my phone hit full charge and see the sights. The old hotel was cool and the museum had some interesting winter pictures.  The cog railroad was running the Diesel engines and the older coal fired steam engine.

I finally started out for Madison about eleven thirty.  The trail was rocks the whole way but only bad in a couple of short spots.  I made the hut by 3:45.  Twenty Names and Pan got work for stay, TK went on to Osgood Camp about three miles away.  Olaf showed up late, very tired, and a woman took pity on her and let her use her daughter's reserved bunk as the daughter is sick and stayed home.  So Olaf got a free stay!

Tomorrow I'll hike a steep trail eight miles to Pinkham Notch and go into Gorham for resupply and a hostel.

9/5/15 Gorham, NH. White Mountain Lodge hostel

One of the hut hikers woke me last night at about one and told me that I was snoring and choking and should sleep on my side, presumably so they could get some quiet.  I told him that I knew I snored and that I was choking because my nose was clogged due to the mold in the bunk room and that I was already sleeping on my side!  What a jerk!

I woke this morning and did not want to hike anymore.  I can't face doing the Wildcats or Mahoosic Notch. I don't even want to do the right miles needed over Mt Madison to get to Pinkham Notch and the road.  It's just too many boulder scrambles.  I'm supposed to be hiking, not rock climbing! 

After another great hut breakfast, I pulled on my pack and headed out.  I didn't even say goodbye to the three gentlemen whom I've been eating with the last three days. They were hut hiking buddies out for a weekend in the Whites.  A bit older than me, Kemo has a double knee replacement, Lefty doesn't have a right hand anymore and the third fellow I didn't get his name just has a tough time in the rocks.  But they're having fun and they were nice enough to include a lonely thruhiker.  

The trail leaves Madison Springs Hut and starts immediately into a scramble up Mt Madison.  It goes right over the top and I found it harder than climbing Mt Washington. Getting down involves scrambling and hopping for nearly two miles.  Several younger hikers going south back to Madison told me to enjoy the view.  I finally told one the views in the Whites aren't as majestic as those in the Rocky Mountains and that I had come to hike not climb.  They were a bit nonplussed.  I met a man coming up that agreed and gave me an accurate picture of what I was facing.  Sure enough, a mile later the trail got below the tree line and turned into real trail again. The sad thing is that the above tree line sections between Webster Cliffs and Lake of the Clouds hut were mostly real trail.  The Mt Madison section just has never been improved.

I stopped for lunch about two miles short of the road.  Lots of day hikers passed me headed for Madison Springs.  Most had only minimal gear, some just carried cameras and water bottles. Crazy!  There were even families with four year olds.  No way the kids will be able to do those rocks.  Lots of French speakers for some reason.  One family had an enormous dog that looked vaguely like a poodle with a docked tail.  I was told it was a (sic) Bouvier de Flanders.  Very calm dog but muscular and large.

On the hike down I was able to start working my problem. I needed to zero, despite wanting to hold to my schedule. And I probably needed to break the Wildcats into three days rather than two.  So that opened up a stay at the last AMC hut.

I got to Pinkham Notch and the AMC Visitor Center about one thirty or so.  Marni at white Mountain Lodge needed an hour for pickup.  I didn't mind, the hostel was full and she had warned me last week at the Notch hostel and I'd forgotten.  TK, Noseblind and I hung out on the front porch at the Center watching the tourists.  Pringles came in from the North after finishing the Wildcats, it was good to see him.  TK decided to hike on, Marni will store most of his gear until he gets to he place on Route 2 in a couple days.  She dropped Noseblind at a hostel/campground up the road from her place and instead of bunking me on the floor, asks me to test a tent in the backyard with a bed.  Sure!  I slept well despite the nearby road.

Soda, Last Chance, Cornelius, Marni's son Nimble, Lone Ranger and Kat, and several section hikers and motorcycle tourists were in the hostel.  Soda told me Pockets had gone home after Moosilauke with bad knees.  Too bad but he got a long ways north. 

9/6/15 - Zero at Rt16, Gorham NH

I spent the day doing resupply, making a schedule update through the Mahoosics and ordering some long pants from Amazon.  I still need to book the Carter Gap AMC hut, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow after nine. It will take me now until October 6th to finish, but I believe I have a better chance.  At worst, I will need until hopefully the 10th.  We'll see.

Tonight, the hostel is full again.  Bull, TK and Squirrell are here, they're ahead of me three days by my schedule.  Janezilla, Mushu and their dog Luna have caught up to me again.

Garfield Ridge shelter to Lake of the Clouds hut

9/1/15 - Ethan Pond shelter

Leaving Garfield shelter was a brutal downhill rock field.  Still, I made the South Twin peak by nine thirty.  The sun was out and it was pretty. There was a large group of hut hikers on top resting before heading to Zealand Hut.  I ran into a grouse on the trail down, it seemed confused and didn't run off very quickly.

The trail down wasn't as tough as getting up to South Twin.  I'm beginning to suspect that AMC spends more money on maintaining the trails between hits than the AT sections.  I made Zealand Hut at one thirty and stopped for a late lunch.  Freedom Fry showed up as I was finishing and was quite surprised to see me.

The trail from Zealand follows an old logging rail line for a while and the grade was pretty good.  Areas where I suspect the loggers had bridged are washed out but it was a nice three miles or so after the crap trail of the morning.

I reached the campsite before four thirty.  Guthook's app is wrong, the shelter is old.  The tent platforms are new and there's a bear box.  The caretaker is named James, and says the shelter is old but not due for renovation for a few years.  It's a slightly less than decent shelter in that it sits pretty far off the ground without an easy way in and there's a edging log across the front lip of the platform that makes it hard to sweep out the dirt that collects.

Lone Ranger and Cat, Olaf (female), and TK (Trail Karma) all showed up before dark. I met flipflopper Birthday Bear before getting here.

9/2/15 - Mizpah Hut

I got out of Ethan Pond at seven, and headed down fairly decent trail.  At the highway, I was met by Trail Angel Stitches, who was giving out sodas, donuts and coffee cake.  Lone Ranger, Kat, Freedom Fry and Plus One all stopped by.

The trail up from Crawford Notch is tough.  There are hand over hand climbs and downs too.  But I do think Mt Garfield was worse.  I got up to the Webster Cliffs by eleven thirty, got a good cell signal, and checked the weather.  Stitches had said tomorrow would be thunderstorms, and sure enough the forecast is 50% for Mt Washington tomorrow, all day.  So I jumped on the phone and reserved a zero day here at Mizpah. And I might have an option in the morning to move to Lake of the Clouds Hut, but I think the weather will preclude that.

I saw Lone Ranger and Kat, Plus One, Freedom Fry, Language Barrier and Doppleganger and met flipflopper Stately.

9/3/15 - Lake of the Clouds Hut

Looking at the weather report, I decided to risk the walk from Mispah to Lake of the Clouds hut and had my second day reservation moved.  After breakfast I headed out into the clouds.  And I stayed in the clouds all the way to Lake of the Clouds hut.  The wind was whipping, the visibility was usually less than one hundred yards and the climbing was hard enough that I was soaked in sweat.  So I was also cold all day. It's only five miles between the two huts but it still took three long hours to finish.  Pfunk and Antwerp caught up just before I got to LoC hut and we couldn't see it even though it was less than one hundred feet in front of us!

Later in the day it cleared and we had a beautiful sunset.  Tomorrow will be good weather for climbing Mt. Washington.

TK, Antwerp, Pfunk, Olaf, Cooter, Crow Daddy and Clown Car are all here this evening.  Squirrel and Bull walked out into the rain earlier this afternoon, heading for Madison hut on the other side of Mt Washington.

Glencliff into the Whites

8/29/15 - The Notch Hostel, North Woodstock NH
The compost heap at the Hikers Welcome is visited by large, fat, skunks who are not really disturbed by people taking their picture. They were cute in s skunky way.
I was woken at five by a really cheap sounding rooster alarm clock.  It wasn't in the bunk room but downstairs in the common area.  No one got up so I finally went looking for it. It turned out to be an Android tablet someone was charging. I guess they forgot about the alarm.
I was on trail leaving Glencliff by seven thirty, and took a blue blazer road walk to skip walking back down to the trail and crossing the creek. The road was good, I ran into three turkeys who were out for a morning stroll on it, and the trail was okay although a bit rocky when I rejoined it.  The elevation rise wasn't bad, just long.  I made the south peak summit by nine thirty and the trail turned into practically a sidewalk to the north peak and summit.  I reached the summit by ten.
The trail down was a nightmare.  Way too steep, crazy rocks and water spray from Beaver Creek Falls.  The trail is badly eroded to boot.  There were a lot of day hikers climbing it.  I met Dane and another hiker slacking it south to Gelcliff hostel, made me wish I had done the same.  Still, I made Kinsman Notch by one thirty.  I can't believe ice finished 1800 miles of this trail.  The shuttle picked me up me at two thirty and I finished resupply by four. And then I got to the hostel and realized I had left my hiking poles as the grocery store.  Panic mode!  I've carried those poles since Springer!
Twenty Names and Pan did my route with packs and are stealth camped at the Notch.  Fox is in town somewhere, Ranger and Cat are at this hostel as is Squirrel.  Tomorrow I'll slack pack to Franconia Notch.  It will be a long day.

8/30/15 - Slackpacking to Franconia NotchSerena dropped us all off at Kinsman Notch trailhead and off we went. Squirrel, Lone Ranger and Cat are all carrying their full packs.  I've got a long sixteen mile day with an added 0.9 side trail to the parking lot at the end. 
I got out in front early and stayed there.  The climb was very steep and I was glad I'd decided to slack it.  At times it was hand over hand.  I startled about five grouse, they must have been juveniles as they didn't fly off immediately.
As I was grinding out an uphill stretch, someone called my name.  It was Blackout and Dora!  They were stealth camped and I had walked right past them without seeing them.  So nice to run into them again!
I had lunch at Eliza Brook shelter.  It was built in 2010 and is very nice.  The whole campsite is next to Eliza Brook, which could be a nice place to sit and bathe.
There were some nasty bogs a bit further on near Harrington Pond.  The walkway boards were frequently sunk just below the mud and hard to see.  Then the trail started up Kinsman Mountain.  It was pretty steep and rocky.
Lonesome Pond hut after Kinsman was a surprise.  It's an AMC hut and is very fancy.  I'll stay at hits like this later so I stopped in to take a look. After the pond though, the trail gets really eroded again for a long ways, almost to the road.  Still, I finished the section by five, only an hour after I wanted.  The shuttle driver took me by McDonalds so I could get some supper before going to the hostel.


8/31/15 - Garfield Ridge shelterI got dropped off at the Liberty Springs trailhead parking lot at seven thirty.  Unfortunately, the lot is 0.9 miles off the Trail.  So I was actually on trail about eight.  Almost immediately the trail became boulders and climbed steeply.  And it stayed that way pretty much all day, either steep up or steep down.  Really isn't a trail at all, just a marked area in the boulder field that people have walked on many times.  And despite the forecast for sunshine, as I closed in on the Mt Lincoln summit, the clouds gathered and the wind picked up.  By the time I got to the Mt Lafayette summit at noon, visibility was down to yards and the wind was hitting close to 40mph.  In a crevice next to the trail, huddled against the wind, was a very miserable looking flying squirrel!  I walked a bit further and found my own crevice and had lunch.
The trail so far has been close to non existent, just a boulder field with some minimal indication that people have walked through the area.  The climbs are frequently hand over hand and the downs are nearly suicidally steep. It took eight hours to get ten miles.  And tomorrow I have a fifteen mile stretch!
The shelter is full and there's folks tenting nearby. Most are weekend campers or college orientation campers.  There are NOBOs here besides me, Little Prince and Little Mermaid. Lone Ranger and Cat and Squirrel got in just before dark.

Hanover to Glencliff

8/26/15 - Trapper John shelter

I left Hanover this morning just after eight. It was a fairly hard sixteen miles today, the elevation changes were steep and the rocks were still slick from yesterday's rains.  I slipped three times badly enough to dump me on the ground.  Fortunately nothing damaged.

I met only one northbound hiker today and am the only person here tonight.  It's kinda lonely.  Hopefully I will catch up or maybe a following bubble will catch me.  Otherwise it will be like this the rest of the trip I fear.

Note:  NOBO hiker Captain showed up just before seven tonight. Lone Ranger andCat got in at seven thirty; and as they did Captain had a bear walk near his hammock!  We yelled and he threw a rock and the bear ran off but not too fast.  So it will be back later tonight.  My food is now properly hung from a nearby tree limb.

I have cell service here, I note that Dr. "Red" Duke has passed away and that a hurricane named Erica is going to hit FL on Monday.

8/27/15 - Hexacuba shelter

The bear didn't come back last night and I slept pretty well.  Rolled out of bed about five thirty and was on trail before seven.  It was chilly this morning, humid as all get out as usual.  And overcast most of the day.  So I never really got warm, despite sweating until I was soaked through.  Miserable.

About twelve thirty, Waves passed me.  Right afterwards I slipped and went full body sideways into a bog.  My glasses went flying as my hiking pole whacked me in the face.  Fortunately Waves was still in earshot and came back to pick me up.  I stopped and cleaned up in the creek just ahead.  Waves headed on with my thanks.  Captain caught up while I was eating and headed on.  

I started climbing Mt Cube after lunch, still feeling chilled. And it started to rain.  Not hard, not for long, but it sure put the icing on a bad cake.   A few tenths of a mile and a couple hundred feet up, I came to the Hexacuba cutoff.  Captain was getting water.  I decided to stop per my schedule, even though it was only about two.

Hexacuba is uphill a hundred feet or so, not normally a place I'd stop.  But it's clean.  I had to hike back down to the cutoff to get water, which took a while since the stream is almost dry.  Then I got into my dry clothing and crawled into my sleeping bag.  Took a while to warm up.

About six, Mushu and Janezilla, whom I'd last seen slackpacking in a large group back in MA, came in from Bill Ackerly's.  Janezilla has a shin splint, so they're not pushing hard.  They plan to do conservative miles from here to Baxter and finish right about the end of September.  So I may have travel companions.

8/28/15 - Hikers Welcome hostel, Glencliff NH

I slept well last night, and Hexacuba has  an overhang that kept the moonlight from shining in my eyes.  I did wake up a couple of times when I rolled over and hit the sore spot on my hip from landing on a rock in the bog.

I was on trail a bit after six thirty this morning and powering up the south peak of Mt Cube.  Despite the dry weather change late yesterday, the peak was in the cloud so there wasn't much of a view.  

At NH 25A road crossing, I ran into a couple of southbound section hikers.  As we chatted, I mentioned my plan to eat lunch and water up at Ore Hill Brook.  One of the sectioners had the ALDHA guide, which unlike AWOL's guide or Guthook's, stayed the Brook water was contaminated by metals from the abandoned mine on Ore Hill.  Fortunately I left camp with nearly two liters of water and had "cameled" a liter just a big earlier at a brook a mile back.

I pulled over at the parking lot at NH 25C for lunch.  It was nice to sit in the sun and dry out.  Fuego and Pan caught up with me, as did Freedom Fry.  Lone Ranger and Cat showed up as I was finishing.

I made the hostel before three, a decent time.  Freedom Fry, Cooter, Clown Car, Crow Daddy, Giggly Goose, Spacetime, Leviticus and Teachamon, Lone Ranger, Cat, Mushu and Janezilla , Dane, Raven, Bull, TMI, and several others are all here.  Miss Janet is shuttling out of here.  The place is a bit rough, sort of like Standing Bear (but better run), and Legion is a good host.

Tomorrow I'll slack pack north over Mt Moosilauke and Legion will take my gear to the Notch hostel.  I'll need to get into town early enough to resupply for the trip through the Whites.

Rutland to Hanover

8/22/15 - The Lookout cabin

I got out of town and on trail at 8:30, and headed east to Hanover.  I felt good this morning, the extra rest day was something I now know I needed.  Of course, all day yesterday I was itchy because I needed to put some miles in.

The trail today was good.  The climbs were fairly hard, especially the first one at 1300 or so feet.  Getting us ready for the Whites.  I met a few SOBOers, and got passed by Sweaty Eddy and his dog, as well as Pringles and Fox.  Just before sunset, Freedom Fry, Cooter, Crow Daddy and Clown Car showed up.

This cabin is actually off the trail on private property but the owners allow hikers to use it.  There's not a water source or privy but the owners built a viewing deck on the roof.  You can look back west to Killington and a bit north of East to what looks like the beginning of the dreaded Whites.

8/23/15 - Thistle Hill shelter

I woke up about five this morning and eventually took my Pop-Tarts up to the roof of the Lookout before dawn to watch the sunrise.  There was a long cloud on the horizon that kinda spoiled it but it was a good sunrise anyway.

Today was only fourteen miles but they were tough miles.  The trail is running east, over the ridges like it did down south near Bland, VA.  I had to deal with five hill climbs today.  Tomorrow is one climb but nothing as steep as today. I don't really mind as I need the practice for next week in the Whites.

I managed to gather a double handful of ripe sweet blackberries today without getting too badly scratched up.  It reminded me of when I was tree planting and we'd have to bend down in improperly cleared areas to plant the trees and get our faces ripped.  One guy paraphrased the Wizard of Oz, "Briars and brambles and stumps, Oh my!" The berries were worth the scratches.

It looked like I would be here solo tonight but again people showed up late.  Kat and Lone Ranger were going to hike on but he decided they'd done enough.  Eleven miles to my fourteen but we all have our own limits.  They'll pass me tomorrow I'm sure, they started the Trail on May first!

8/24/15 - Hanover, NH

Another state completed!  I woke up at five and was on trail by six thirty, walking fast.  Empty food bags help.  Of course, the humidity was high, so within a short time I could feel the sweat dripping down my calves.  Yech.

The trail today was supposed to be fairly level with only one major elevation gain. That turned out to be reasonably true, and the condition of the trail was pretty good too, something that's been lacking lately.  So I could scoot right along, wet or no.

I reached West Hartford pretty early, and was walking into town with Squirrel (2015 hiker).  As we crossed the Pomfret River bridge a woman came out onto her porch and waved and offered coffee.  We were in a hurry to get to Hanover and declined.  Her kids came out to see the thruhikers.  A bit later a man on his porch waved and wants to know where we were from. He gave us a thumbs up in return.

At six miles, next to a logging rod and a creek I stopped for an early lunch at ten thirty.  Some dog from down the road came up and accosted me for my intrusion.  I ignored him and after a bit he walked off.  Twenty Names and Cat caught up and also stopped and off I went again.

I met hiker Rosie Eagle, southbounder, he's about 67. I ran into Pringles again, he warned of a hornet nest on the trail in front of me.  There were notes left by others, the only time I'll condone littering.  I gave them a detour even though it tears a new path on the woods.

A bit after noon I made it to Elm Street on the outskirts of Norwich, VT.  I stopped to talk to a southbound section hiker who was already feeling a bit down even though he started in Hanover, three miles away but downhill for me.  Squirell, Twenty Names and Pan caught up.  Almost immediately we hit Trail Magic, cold sodas and Oreos left at someone's mailbox.  But it got better!  The very next house, the owner, Long Trail thruhiker Short Stuff, came out with cold homegrown watermelon slices and home made banana bread!  What a welcome to our last town on Vermont!

We detoured in Norwich a block or so to the Dan and Whit's General Store to see if they sold stove fuel.  They did but packaged for car campers not hikers.  So, another cold drink and we headed down the street for the Connecticut River bridge and the border.  We stopped for pictures at mid bridge and entered New Hampshire.  About ten minutes later we topped the hill and found downtown, and Dartmouth College.  Lots of college kids too!

I saw Miss Janet, Baltimore Jack and Bag O' Tricks at a local diner just off the square but on the Trail.  BoT I had met at Hog Camp Gap in 2007, so it was nice to see him again.  I also saw Sweaty Eddie and his dog and I got a yelled greeting by Freedom Fry when I was at the post office.   I had picked up my winter gear and had my stuff strewn over a park bench out on the street. I'm sure passersby thought the hiker was nuts.  

Hanover has a free bus line, so I caught it to the Sunset Motel.  It's a quaint place, not quite as good as other places such as the motel in Williamstown, but clean and quiet.  Cricket is here too and will also zero. Squirrel's mother came up from Connecticut to see him, he's supposedly hiking out tomorrow.

Boston is climbed Moosilauke today, he's four days ahead of me.

8/25/15 - Hanover Zero

I spent the morning doing town chores in a steady, sometimes driving, rain.  I caught the bus and went to West Lebanon to the EMS store for new shoes and to the grocery store.  

Shades was in Hanover still in he afternoon, with Fancypants and Fuego, they headed out in the afternoon as the rain was ending.

I made my reservations for the Whites huts, now to keep my schedule.  Looks like I'll get rained on at least a couple of days though.  Yech.

Pictures - Greenwall to Rutland

Trail like this is sooo fun!

Hiker Kinder

Rock Garden

Fun trail!

Moss

Clarendon, VT airport overlook

Clarendon Gorge

Cooper Lodge, Mt Killington

Greenwall to Rutland

8/18/15 - Cooper Lodge shelter

This is one of the oldest shelters on the trail, built in 1928.  And unfortunately it shows.  There's bunk space for eight, but half the bunks are unusable due to deterioration.  Supposedly the roof leaks on that side.  There isn't actually a floor, they built the shelter on the raw mountain rocks.  Gotta watch your step in here. But it's more or less out of the weather and there's a possibility of another shower tonight so I'm glad I'm indoors.  There's plenty of people tenting around the area but only me and Coldfoot indoors.  Beerman didn't make it up here today.  And it was his idea to try and do 19.3 miles!

It was hot and humid today, I sweated buckets all day.  I met a group of Cornell college students out on a freshman orientation hike.  Plus One is up here tonight, and Gus the Long Trail section hiker from last night.

8/19/15 - Rutland, VT

I slept fairly hard last night, the 19.3 miles yesterday was harder than I expected.  I woke up as usual around four and fell back asleep but then didn't wake until nearly five thirty.  No one around camp was stirring so I read on Kindle and finally got up after six.  I piddled around at breakfast and finally got hiking for town around seven thirty.  My feet didn't feel quite normal; they've been fine since leaving Williamstown, so I guess it's due to high mileage days.  Despite the lingering fatigue, I made the road by ten thirty.  Coldfeet was somewhere just behind me and going home as her Long Trail vacation is over, but as I was changing into my town shirt a local man offered me a ride into town and dropped me off at my hotel!  Trail Angels, gotta love 'me!

I couldn't quite figure the bus schedule so I walked the "quarter mile" to the laundromat as told to me by the desk clerk. It's actually closer to a mile. But on the way back I was able to figure the bus out and resupply at WalMart.  Miss Janet was at the WalMart, was fun running into her again. The bus dropped me off a block from my hotel.

The hotel is under renovation this summer but they put me in a renovated room that is quite nice.  Looks like rain tomorrow evening into maybe all day Friday, I might have to burn another zero day here.  Sigh.

8/20/15 - Rutland Zero One

Last night I looked up the tracking numbers of the packages my mom sent to Hanover for me.  They have my winter gear, which I will need.  The temperature on Mt Washington yesterday hit a high of 59 degrees, here in Rutland it was 89.  The Post Office computer said the packages "Could not be delivered as addressed, will be returned".  Ack!  My Gear!  

This morning I called the Hanover PO and was told all my packages were physically there, it was an annoying computer glitch that is vexing all the trail town POs.  Seems national USPS computer programmers changed the General Delivery message from "package held per customer request" to the crap I got.  Everything is okay.

Except the weather.  The front is rolling in and it will rain overnight and through most of tomorrow.  So I'm taking a second zero.  Gives me time to rest up more and explore town a bit.  Rutland has a restored Old Town section.  I'll eat lunch at the Yellow Deli and Hostel.  Probably grab some more stuff from WalMart for supper.

I ran into Leviticus, Giggly Goose and (Busy Bee?) today, they're leaving town this afternoon.  

8/21/15 - Rutland Zero Two (Rain Day)

I woke up to a very dreary, rainy mess outside.  I'm so glad I zeroed.  Wilson finished Katahdin yesterday, he's completed the Trail. I've still got six weeks. 

The skies cleared around noon; I expect the trail will be muddy all day.  I spent the morning packing and arranging my next stop in Hanover and making inquiries of the hostels further north in the Whites.  I'm very nervous about the Whites and accommodations, I'm again hiking solo and don't have anyone to bounce ideas off of.

I ate lunch over at the Yellow Deli and Hostel.  It's a very nice, hippyish little place run by a Twelve Tribes group.  If you ignore the slightly weird vibe it's got great food.  Shades, Fuego and Fancypants were staying at the hostel upstairs.

Pictures - Stratton Pond to Greenwall shelter

Moose on Glastenbury

Beaver pond

Stratton Pond

Stratton shelter - primo digs!

Stratton Pond in the morning

Above Manchester Center

Trail state plates and worn boots

Jeff Taussig - excellent host

Stratton Pond to Greenwall shelter

8/14/15 - Stratton Pond shelter

I left Goddard this morning at six forty five wearing my rain kilt.  The dew last night was heavy and it was cold, some where just below fifty.  I quickly warmed up the last quarter mile up Glastenbury.  The top is wooded, mainly hemlocks, and I didn't feel like climbing forty feet up the fire tower.  Shortly after the trail started downwards, I heard a crash in the bushes just to the right of the trail and a moose walked out onto the trail!  I reached for my camera but he turned away and all I got was his backside.  So cool to see a moose in southern Vermont!

I was pushing today, and got to Story Spring shelter about ten thirty.  The spring there was cold and clear, so I spent an hour eating an early lunch then headed for Stratton Mountain.  The long four mile climb up almost two thousand feet was tough, lots of roots and rocks.  The top has another fire tower, again I didn't climb it.  There's a side trail that leads half a mile to the Stratton Ski Basin gondola, but that only runs on weekends in the summer.  There's a good spring just north of the summit.

The hike down was almost as tough as the climb, mainly because I was tired.  I got to the shelter and dumped my gear. It's a huge place, room for sixteen at least and a porch with built in chairs.  The water is a spring down almost on the pond shore, again cold and clear. The shelter has a caretaker and charges five dollars to stay but the receipt is good for two shelters north of here.  The caretaker, Trail name Smurf, is a grade school teacher in real life.  She gets to stay out here eight days at a time and is a very pleasant person.

Young Gun and Rainbow decided to stealth camp north of here, we're almost at the ¾ mark on our journey north.  Beerman is here, and six or so section hikers.  

While I was cooking supper, it started raining; lucky again!

8/15/15 - Green Mountain Hostel, Manchester Center, VT

A hiker and his dog came into the shelter last night about 2am and woke me up with an intense white light.  I had a hard time going back to sleep, especially since a different hiker was snoring as if he'd swallowed a whistle. 

I needed to get to Manchester before the post office closed at noon, so I rolled out of bed at 4:45, packed up, woke up the late hiker who was sleeping at the picnic table and started hiking just before six.

About a mile into the morning, I crossed a couple of small streams, trickles really.  One of them was on this year's 75% point for NOBOers.  I took a picture of the next stream, which has a bridge over it.  Young Gun and Rainbow had tented just past it.

Despite the dim morning light (I'd started out with my headlamp), the damp rocks, roots and bogs, I made good time, so when I got to Prospect Rock overlooking town I took a picture. When I almost reached the trailhead, I was soaking wet with sweat.  I stopped about two hundred yards out and stripped off right out in the woods and changed into dry clothes.  

I called a cab and got to the post office a bit before eleven.  No package!  Another hiker I knew, Shades, was outside waiting on Jeff Taussig, the hostel owner, so I caught a ride to here. Jeff then drove me around until we found my box at the outfitter, whet is sent it, then drove me back to the post office before noon so I could bounce it forward to Hanover, NH.  

We went back to the hostel, a nice two story home really, I did laundry and hung out.  Jeff then took Shades am I into town for lunch and resupply.  After finishing shopping, I saw Miss Janet in the parking lot!  We caught up on events, mainly the recent closing a of hiker facilities after stupid drunks abused them and she gave me ride back to the hostel.

I plan on skipping my zero here, despite how nice it is, and bank it, probably to use in a week up in Hanover when it already looks like rain.  I'll take the planned zero in Rutland in four days, but Beerman and I will split up there as he will not be going into town there at all.  On my own again.

8/16/15 - Peru Peak shelter

I weighed myself at Greenmountain hostel and I weighed 170 pounds. I also with my pack with 1 1/2 L of water and four days worth of food it weighs 32 pounds. I think that's great considering all of the stuff I've had the temptation to acquire over the course of this trip.

Beerman and I took a late start out of the hostel today with Shades.  I didn't want to leave, even though I did.  The Leaving Town Blues I call it.  It didn't help that I had showed Beerman my schedule and he pointed out some areas on the Whites where I was over optimistic, so I had to add in extra days.  So now I'm set to finish on October 3rd instead of September 30th.  I'm bummed; there has to be a way around this.

8/17/15 - Greenwall shelter

I rolled out of camp to another damp trail full of slick rocks and bogs.  But the grade wasn't bad today and I made it to Little Rock Pond by lunch.  I took about an hour to eat and read a book, the puddled the last five miles to here.  I passed through some nice hemlock and balsam spruce stands and past the Rock Gardens where hikers have piled the rocks, even piled them on tree branches!

There were a fair number of SOBOers on trail today, and I knew one of them.  Kinder is a section hiker I met down near Roan Mountain, TN.  She was hiking north, finishing that section.  How nice to run into her again up here, it really brightened my day.

Beerman wants to do a 19miler tomorrow to Cooper Lodge up on Killington Peak. Ugh!

Pictures - Into Vermont