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Day 98
Time: We'd, 10 Jul 2019 21:29:07 -0400
Location: Norwich Inn Mile 1749.8 of Appalachian Trail
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Helen and I spent our third night at the Norwich Inn in Norwich VT. After breakfast she drove me back to West Hanover where I got back on the trail. There was a nice road walk before the trail dipped back into the woods. It's fun to see the houses, barns, gardens along the way.
The trail was like it has been been the past few days with some steep undulating hills through the forest over a nice soft bed of tree needles and leaves. There are plenty of slippery roots to keep you honest. I've been able to run/jog quite a bit. Yellow Jacket and Walden were also running quite a bit, especially on the downhills.
I hiked 8 miles back to Norwich. I saw Trella and a couple other hikers taking a break. The trail goes through town and hikers usually stop at Dan and Whit's store next to the Norwich Inn. Helen was waiting on the porch of the Inn and saw several hikers, including Tennessee, Jukebox, Sparky, and Tangent. Helen joked with Sparky that she didn't want to rub it in but that she had a sandwich and beer waiting for me. Sparky said, "You just rubbed it in."
There was another nice road walk into town and couple of houses had trail magic out for the hikers that passed.
I eventually made it to the Inn where Helen and I had lunch on the porch. She had stopped by the flagship King Arthur Flour bakery, cafe, cooking school. She said it was fun and got some tasty sandwiches from the cafe. She's had some nice side trips while I've been hiking. The other day she went to Quechee Gorge State Park and checked out some other sites including some cute covered bridges.
Helen has also been trying to coordinate getting her windshield replaced. Something cracked it within a mile of arriving at the Inn At Long Trail a few days ago.
After lunch Helen joined me on my hike as the trail walked along the road and crossed the Connecticut River into Hanover New Hampshire, home of Dartmouth University. We looked around town and saw Sparky. He had just picked up new shoes at the post office. He was trying to get a ride to his hotel where he was planning to do nothing but lay in bed and watch TV for a day and rest.
The town of Hanover was bustling with activity. We looked in some of the shops and got a couple iced chai lattes at Starbucks. The trail is rough.
The trail eventually crossed back into the woods behind the Dartmouth athletic fields. Helen turned around there and walked back to Norwich. It was a warm day with a high near 90 but without the Georgia humidity we're used to.
I did another 8 miles and Helen picked me up on a gravel road. She pointed all the cute houses she had seen on the drive back to Norwich.
Helen spotted a little nymph tick attached to my foot and she removed it. It's the first one I've been aware of. It's hard to know if there have been others. Tomorrow we'll be in Lyme New Hampshire.
Love you ❤️ Miss you
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Time: Thu, 11 Jul 2019 21:17:09 -0400
Location: Lyme Inn Mile 1767.2 of Appalachian Trail
Helen and I spent our last night at the Norwich Inn in Norwich VT. We enjoyed the breakfast and then picked up a few things at Dan and Whit's General Store next door. We drove across the Connecticut River through Hanover New Hampshire and pointed out the cute houses on the way back to the trail.
Helen and I spent our last night at the Norwich Inn in Norwich VT. We enjoyed the breakfast and then picked up a few things at Dan and Whit's General Store next door. We drove across the Connecticut River through Hanover New Hampshire and pointed out the cute houses on the way back to the trail.
Helen dropped me off and then headed towards Lyme New Hampshire to scout out the pick up location.
The trail went over Moose Mountain and a couple others. We're not far now from the White Mountains we've all been looking forward to and afraid of.
It was an overcast day and breezy as bad weather was expected, but very humid. We were all sweating away a lot of water.
I saw my friends Cricket and Salamander and asked about their trip to NYC. I finally met Drover and Sheepdog, as well as Artisan, and Paulie.
I've been hiking around a father and his 3 sons a few days and finally talked with a couple of the sons today. The dad is The Governor and the sons are known as The Brothers. One is Speedy and another is Possum. They're hiking with General Lee, a kid from Athens GA. We stopped at a nice overlook and chatted as we watched the weather roll in. We talked about our the Whites and coming to the end of our long journey.
Helen was waiting at the road as it started to rain. I was supposed to go a couple more miles but decided to stop.
Helen showed me around and pointed out some of the cute things she had seen. We went to the Lyme General Store and had lunch and then checked into our room at the Lyme Inn. It was nice to relax at the Inn while the rain poured and the flash floods warnings went off on our phones.
Love you ❤️Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
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Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Time: Fri, 12 Jul 2019 21:25:47 -0400
Location: Lyme Inn Lyme NH Mile 1767.2 of Appalachian Trail
Helen and I spent the night at the Lyme Inn in Lyme NH. Lyme is a quaint little town with a few inns and cute old general store. Bells ring every hour from the tower of the beautiful old white wood church near the town green. There's a lot of activity around The Prouty, a charity bike ride going through town.
The inn said they offered a light breakfast. We were expecting minimal, but it was great. Everything seemed a notch above. Much better than the Norwich Inn. There was fresh bacon, cute little egg quiches, fresh blueberries and strawberries and yogurt, fresh baked bagels and english muffins, fresh butter and raspberry jam. Yummy.
Helen had an appointment in White River Junction to have her windshield replaced. Something broke it within a mile of her arriving last weekend. She headed there after dropping me at the trail.
It rained hard the overnight so the trail was muddy and the rocks and roots were slippery. The temperature was in the low seventies but the humidity was high. The trail is tougher as we enter the White Mountains. The terrain is rough and the climbs and descents steep. There's no trail running.
I was sweating buckets climbing the steep mountains but got a little chilled at times as well in my soaking wet clothes.
I saw the brothers from Pennsylvania. A friend from home had joined them and was struggling. We stopped at the top of Smart's Mountain and an old fire tower and cabin. Old Spice, Triceratops, Cricket, and Salamander were at the cabin eating lunch. We chatted and talked about our wet clothes, what had been doing since we last met, and how far we planned on going.
I tried to text Helen to pick me up at an earlier road crossing so we could make dinner at the inn, we had no cell reception. It's been difficult to coordinate with the lack of cell coverage. I saw Seabass and Free at the road trying to hitch into Wentworth. I waited a little for Helen before heading on to the next road crossing.
Helen was waiting at the road with a sandwich and beer. I noticed her windshield had a big crack down the middle. She proceeded to tell me how the new windshield cracked during the installation and that it has to be left in to let the adhesive dry. She's going to deal with it when she gets back home. At least the new crack is in a less obtrusive place than the old crack.
We had a nice drive back to Lyme. I got cleaned up and we had a relaxing fancy dinner at the inn. We went on a stroll after dinner to help digest all the food I ate before bed.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
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Time: Sat, 13 Jul 2019 21:24:27 -0400
Location: Lincoln NH Mile 1819.0 of Appalachian Trail
Helen and I spent the night at the Lyme Inn a second night. We enjoyed another nice breakfast and the New England Inn ambiance.
We drove back along the rural roads to Cape Moonshine Rd where I got back on the trail. It was a little warm but nice. There was a couple setup at a road crossing with a grill giving out trail magic. It looked liked they were winding it down. Based on my little pack and generally neat appearance they asked if I was day hiking. I laughed and said my wife was in town and I was slackpacking. They didn't offer anything and I didn't ask. A little awkward.
Sometimes trail magic is in the right place at the right time. Sometimes you don't want to stop but feel obligated because they made the effort.
I hiked 10 miles to the pickup point Helen and I agreed upon. I saw Free gathering water at a stream. I saw one of the brothers, Speedy I believe, taking advantage of cell reception. It was a nice walk. Much easier than yesterday.
Helen hiked in and met me and we walked back to the car. We were driving to find a shady spot for lunch when we passed another one of the brothers, Possum I think. He was searching for cell reception and asked for a ride.
We drove to the Hikers Welcome hostel nearby. Helen had seen it on the way and had seen Tennessee and Jukebox walking towards the hostel. At the hostel we saw Tennessee, Jukebox, Cricket, Paulie, General Lee, Sheepdog, Drover, Trella, and several others.
We dropped Possum back at the trail and then went to have our lunch. Helen told me how she had stopped in the little town of Warren where they were celebrating Old Homes Day, some sort of homecoming celebration. She stopped and walked around and talked to some nice people. Some couldn't believe she didn't know what Old Homes Day was.
Some hikers in Warren and at the hostel recommended hiking Mount Moosilauke southbound in order to climb the steepest boulders rather than trying to descend down them.
I had planned to climb Moosilauke after lunch but after talking to others I learned it takes at least 5 hours. Most of the others were waiting until morning to tackle it.
We drove through Warren and North Woodstock and into Lincoln. The area is very touristy and more congested than we like. The area is bustling with less than ideal lodging and restaurants. A little Gatlinburg, Panama City, Myrtle Beach like.
We were tired and grossed out by the surroundings. We drove up the strip looking for a place to stay and finally settled on a place called Woodwards Resort. It's ok but seen better days like many of the places in the area. We're not sure if it's mainly a winter vacation destination.
We went to another strip area near the Loon ski area and ate at a place recommended by the hotel receptionist called The Common Man. It was loud and crowded with a kitschy lodge country feel. The staff offered all the expected rhetorical upselling. It was well past hiker midnight before we ate. I hated it all. I told Helen it's what I needed to send me back into the woods to finish my hike strong. Lincoln reminds me of all the reasons I wanted to go on the hike to begin with.
Tomorrow I climb Mount Moosilauke.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
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Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Time: Sat, 13 Jul 2019 22:41:39 -0400
Location: Lincoln NH Mile 1819.0 of Appalachian Trail
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Helen and I stayed at the Woodwards Resort last night in Lincoln New Hampshire. It's a little run down, but has a lot of fun things for kids. We always talk about how our babies would love this or that.
I told Helen I thought the breakfast was better than expected. She said it was more than she expected, but not better.
We had a nice drive to Kinsman Notch and the Beaver Pond. The White Mountains towering over the area are beautiful.
Several people said it was better to go south bound over Mount Moosilauke in order to climb the steepest part rather than try to go down the the steepest part, so that's what I did.
The weather was nice and I had good energy. I had to go over Moosilauke but I was planning a relatively short 8 mile day. Trying to coordinate a pick up location with Helen can result in days shorter or longer than I would like because if limited road crossings, especially in areas like the White Mountains.
I've been sleeping at shelters most of the time because it's a nice gathering place to see other hikers, they usually have water nearby, and a privy. But planning around shelter locations is kind of like planning around road crossings, they're not always at distances you like. I like 16-18 mile 8-10 hour hiking days, but I often go shorter or longer based on shelter location. If I was more comfortable with stealth camping I would be able to stick to my preferred time and distance, but I just haven't been comfortable with winging it and stealth camping.
On the way up Moosilauke I saw Denali and the Governor and his sons coming down. They were almost down. Denali said he had taken a hard fall, but was ok.
I stopped at the shelter on the way up and saw Cricket, Salamander, Trella, Sheepdog, Drover, and the older couple from Moab I had last seen when I was layed up at the RPH shelter in NY.
The summit was open and windy. There were rock cairns to show the way. I saw Old Spice and Triceratops, a few other thru hikers, and quite a few day hikers aka Muggles.
The trail down was less steep and I made good time. It took me about 4 hours, so about 2 miles an hour.
Helen was waiting with beer and food. She had gone to the Gypsy Cafe we had seen driving through Lincoln. She said it was cute. She talked to a nice older couple at the bar. They love the Gypsy Cafe. They split their time between here and Amelia Island. The young lady bartender was also very nice and joined in the conversation.
There was a nice couple relaxing after a hike and we talked with them about hiking and the area.
We drove back to the Gypsy Cafe for dinner. It was so much better than The Common Man experience the night before. The Gypsy Cafe had a nice eclectic vibe. The Common Man serves up common food for the common masses and we felt like livestock.
We went back to Woodwards. Helen cut my hair and then we went to the pool and relaxed in the hot tub. It was a good day.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
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Time: Mon, 15 Jul 2019 21:24:07 -0400
Location: Lincoln NH Mile 1819.0 of Appalachian Trail
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Helen and I stayed our second night at the Woodwards Resort in Lincoln NH. We had breakfast in the dining room overlooking the duck and trout pond. It's a nice setting. We decided to stay another night and moved rooms from a cabin to a poolside room.
Businesses in the area have a tough time finding employees. Our motel uses a lot of young foreign exchange workers. The owner said he would like to reopen the restaurant but can't find employees. There a number of closed restaurants and businesses in the area and I assume they're having the same problem.
We drove north the The Flume Gorge visitor center in Franconia Notch where Helen was going to pick me up. We passed by a nice resort called The Indian Head Resort and some other nice properties.
We drove back to Kinsman Notch and the Beaver Pond where I was starting. We saw Siesta, the young thru hiker from Atlanta I met a couple weeks ago. His parents were dropping him off and we talked to them for a while. They're really nice and have been following Siesta up the trail. We talk about the journey.
I was making good time over Mount Wolf, but struggled over Kinsman Mountain. It was steeper and more rugged than Moosilauke. I saw the brothers and stopped for a short break with them at a nice view.
After seeing so many people on Moosilauke the day before, the lack of people and remoteness and ruggedness of the terrain were a little weird. There were a lot of hand over hand rock climbs and steep slippery downs. Also a lot of mud pits.
I saw a section hiker at the top of South Kinsman Mountain. We chatted a little he was going southbound. The view was great. You could see the red roof of the Loon Resort in Lincoln far below and mountains all around.
I stopped by the Lonesome Lake AMC hut. The guests were eating dinner and the all girl AMC crew were cleaning up. The lake was beautiful.
The terrain was rough and I was lucky to averaging under 2 miles an hour. Helen texted and said she had gone to the Flume Gorge and The Basin nearby. She gave a ride to Honey Bun and Moon.
I was supposed to walk an additional mile to the Flume Gorge Visitor Center but Helen was able to find me where the AT went under Hwy 3. I walked up to the road and saw her backing down the on ramp to the visitor center because they blocked off the most direct route. She had picked up Cricket and Salamander at the visitor center parking lot. We gave them a ride to the Price Chopper grocery store and then went and got some pizza. I soaked in the tub with Epsom salt when I got back to the motel.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
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Time: Tue, 16 Jul 2019 21:47:39 -0400
Location: Stealth camping at mile 1829.7 (Northbound) of the Appalachian Trail
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Helen and I spent our 3rd and final night at Woodwards Resort in Lincoln NH. We had breakfast and then packed up. I had some journaling to catch up on and I had to get my real pack ready. No more slackpacking for the foreseeable future.
There's 28 miles of rugged trail between Franconia Notch near Lincoln and the next road crossing at Crawford's Notch. Helen is moving on to Crawford's Notch and waiting for me there. Hopefully I can make it in 2 days.
Helen and I drove to the Flume Gorge Visitor Center. She walked with me up the mile long trail to the AT and I started hiking with a full pack.
The climb started immediately and was relentless. It was a 4000 foot steep climb to the summits of Little Haystack, Mount Lincoln, and Mount Lafayette.
The clouds were rolling in and I was worried about getting caught in a storm on the exposed summits. I saw a cute young girl dressed in a cute alpine uniform doing some trail maintenance. She was the caretaker for the Liberty Springs Campsite I had passed a mile or so back. I asked her what my options were if bad weather rolled in. She suggested turning back if I saw bad weather at the top of Little Haystack or taking a side.trail downto the Glenleaf AMC Hut.
I was worried. It was cloudy and starting to mist. It was beautiful on the exposed ridgeline. I decided to keep moving. I could see little dots in the distance and took them for people up on the ridges. Some day hikers passed me heading south back below the treeline. It started to rain and I put on my rain skirt and poncho. I kept moving forward but seemed like I wasn't getting anywhere. The ridge line went on and on.
The rain stopped but it was windy. I passed a few other day hikers headed south and asked if they were ok and told them to be safe. They wished me the same. I was afraid I would be envelopes in clouds any moment with no visibility. Thankfully that didn't happen but I was nervous the whole time and anxious to get off the ridge line.
I saw a southbound thru hiker as I was descending. Sometimes you see plenty of other people to make feel ok, but a lot of times I hardly see anyone and wonder where everyone else is. Like I didn't get the memo.
The miles were rugged up and down. I went 11 miles in 8 hours. I'm stealth camping this time trying to get miles in so I can get to Crawford's Notch tomorrow. Magnolia and her crew are stealthing about half a mile back.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
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