Bartlett, NH – mile 1844 – 84.2% of the trail complete

September 11th – Hanover, NH (NH 120) to Moose Mountain Shelter
Total miles on AT – 10.0
Elevation gain – 2204ft
Elevation loss – 499ft
Start time: 11:20am
Finish time: 5:55pm
Total time hiking: 4:55
Weather: rain and clouds turning partly cloudy, mild (quite warm in the sun), windy

Darge and I had a nice time hanging out and watching football yesterday. He drove me around to help me find my phone and I even hiked back up over a half mile south on the trail to a spot where I thought I might have left it, but no dice and I had to buy a new one.

We ate lunch and dinner in town and I had a nice stay in a Best Western paid for by a very generous brother.

When I woke up it had rained and continued to rain throughout the part of the morning. I hitched four miles back to the trail and got a late start. I had low energy and decided early on that I would only make it ten miles to this shelter. My pack felt heavy – I did just resupply and picked up my warm clothes at the post office.

I stopped outside a cemetery after five miles and took a nap in the sun. It was quite warm when the sun was out, and a bit chilly when it went behind the clouds.

Tonight is the coldest night on trail since Overmountain Shelter in Tennessee on May 20th. I definitely needed the warm clothes I just had sent.

I was really down today, not exactly sure why. The cold and the dark just remind me that it is only going to get colder and darker and I’ve got a ways to go.

September 12th – Moose Mountain Shelter to Hexacuba Shelter
Total miles on AT – 17.9
Elevation gain – 4115ft
Elevation loss – 3867ft
Start time: 7:50am
Finish time: 6:05pm
Total time hiking: 8:15
Weather: sunny, mild (warm in the sun, cool in the woods)

It’s not nearly as chilly tonight. A good productive day started right with a cup of coffee brewed in the vestibule of my tent. Lots of good views from precipitous points of where we’re going and where we’ve been. The Whites are getting closer and more menacing looking.

In the late morning, I had just started my climb up Smarts Mountain, a long 2000 foot ascent. I have this counting game that I play that allows me to stop and take short breaks to take a few breathes. I had just stopped for three breathes, began going up again and then saw a man coming the other direction and I stopped again for a quick second when I saw him. He was maybe late 50s, slim, and wearing a Navy shirt.

“Thru-hiking?” he asked.

“Yep.”

“You look slow today,” he said authoritatively. “Are you feeling well?”

“I’m fine,” I replied with a straight face.

“Well congratulations. You’re about to accomplish something great.”

“Thanks,” I said hardly recognizing his final comment.

I was really perturbed by his “slow” comment for a good while. No one’s ever called me slow. I look slow today? I guess 1800 miles take their toll.

Great views from the Smarts Mountain fire tower and then a long gradual decent before more up to this shelter. It’s so quiet in the New Hampshire mountains; my ears ring loudly, although that’s probably partly the caffeine.

It’s supposed to perhaps rain in two days and that is when I am scheduled to go over Mt. Moosilauke, the first mountain above tree line with a steep decent.

September 13th – Hexacuba Shelter to Jeffers Brook Shelter
Total miles on AT – 15.7
Elevation gain – 2749ft
Elevation loss – 3492ft
Start time: 8:00am
Finish time: 6:25pm
Total time hiking: 7:05
Weather: sunny, warm

A fine fall day, like so many we’ve had. I’ve really had great weather overall on my entire thru-hike. That being said, there are supposed to be thunderstorms tomorrow and I’m climbing over the first mountain over tree line – Mt. Moosilauke. There is a greater chance of storms after morning so I’m going to get up at 5:30 tomorrow.

I may be setting a new Appalachian Trail record – I am now carrying two tennis balls. I’ve been carrying one to use for massaging at night, but I thought I had lost it at the last shelter because it wasn’t where I normally put it in my bag. I stopped at a hostel at dinner time tonight and there was a tennis ball in the hiker box so I grabbed it. Turns out the other one was in my sleeping bag so now I will be carrying two tennis balls up Moosilauke tomorrow. Come to think of it, I suppose there have been some jugglers on the trail who have carried three.

Today’s hike was not too taxing; an early morning climb over Mt Cube and two other manageable ascents. Moosilauke, baby!

September 14th – Jeffers Brook Shelter to Kinsman Notch
Total miles on AT – 8.4
Elevation gain – 3494ft
Elevation loss – 2932ft
Start time: 6:40am
Finish time: 1:20pm
Total time hiking: 5:20
Weather: scattered thundershowers, mild

Up Mt. Mousilauke and down the other side. I tried to beat the thunderstorms and got to the summit in three hours. It’s the first time the trail has gone above tree line. It was windy and a bit chilly at the top but there were some good 360 views. When I got down to the shelter for an early lunch it started to pour.

I was glad to be dry in the shelter but after lunch I had to go down the most treacherous downhill so far on the trail. 1800 feet in 1.3 miles! And it was wet! Also, part of the trail goes right along a huge series of cascades. Metal bars wedged into the rocks, and wooden steps helped, but a fall would have been “not good.” The sign at the bottom said as much. It told inexperienced hikers to not attempt it and to be extra careful careful on the cascade section to avoid “tragic results.” I took my time.

I got a ride into town from a young woman who passed me on the way down. She has been hiking all the 48 4000-footers in NH and is about halfway done.

September 15th – Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch
Total miles on AT – 16.3
Elevation gain – 3580ft
Elevation loss – 4018ft
Start time: 8:30am
Finish time: 6:10pm
Total time hiking: 7:50..
Weather: sunny, mild

North Woostock, New Hampshire is five miles from both Kinsman Notch and Franconia Notch so it’s a good place to take advantage and do a day of slackpacking. Slackpacking is when thru-hikers go out with a day pack. It was a bit peculiar to be showering in the same motel on the second night yet be 16 miles closer to Katahdin.

What another gorgeous day. I had a few moments of spontaneous bliss. I’ve been in the Alps, the Andes, and the Himalayas, and to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed for a while returning to the Appalachians. But the Whites and Maine are where I learned what mountains are, and getting here after 1800 miles on the AT is more exhilarating than I imagined it would be.

It was very rugged, but hiking with only what I needed for the day made it much more enjoyable. Looking across the notch to the Franconia ridgeline from North Kinsman Mtn. took my breath away.

It was cool to revisit Lonesome Lake Hut where Darge, Avery, Parker, and I stayed 15 months ago. The Whites have eight very nice huts run by the Appalachian Mountain Club.

September 16th – Franconia Notch to Galehead Hut
Total miles on AT – 13.0
Elevation gain – 4791ft (except that it was even more)
Elevation loss – 2423ft (except that it was more)
Start time: 9:10am
Finish time: 6:30pm
Total time hiking: 7:45
Weather: sunny, mild

I don’t think I’ve sworn that much in one afternoon in my life. I’ve decided that the White Mountains is where heaven and hell meet on Earth. Outstanding beauty but just brutal terrain, particularly after Mt. Lafayette.

I shared a ride with another northbound thru-hiker from a guy who is trying to hike all 2100 miles of trail in the White Mountains piece by piece. He pointed out a cross on I 93. He said that it was his friend who had died a year ago when a moose came out onto the highway. Deadly highway crashes involving moose are all too common in Northern New England.

I was nostalgic about the Franconia ridgeline walk. When I was 12 years-old, my brother Darge, his friend Mike, my Spanish uncle, my dad, and my grandfather, whom we called Denny, day-hiked here. It was an intense day that ended with us racing down in a late afternoon rain storm. It is one mile from the top of Mt. Lincoln, where we took a break, to the top of Mt. Lafayette.  Without anyone looking, Denny took off from Mt. Lincoln. He was 71 years old but in very good shape. I worked hard to catch him and did so right at the top of Mt. Lafayette where we hit the summit together. I felt bad afterwards because he was surprised to see me and I know he wanted to get there first. I thought about him today years later as I walked the ridgeline.

It’s mid September but I had a calm sunny day. I am sure though that Denny would have beaten me to the top today. I felt an odd sense of loneliness as I kept straight along the AT where 27 years ago we turned left to head back down towards Franconia Notch past the Greenleaf Hut and down the steep Bridal Path.

The seven miles from the top of Mt. Lafayette to Galehead Hut were brutal. A sharp decent over Mt. Garfield, lots more up and down, and rugged terrain necessitating tremendous concentration. Such slow going meant that I could not arrive at Galehead Hut between 4-5 PM as recommended to ask for a work stay. I arrived at 6:30 but luckily there was one spot left. We got free leftovers and slept on the dining hall floor and all I had to do was scrub down a bread pan for 20 minutes.

It is a  cold clear night with a full moon.

September 17th – Galehead Hut to Crawford Notch
Total miles on AT – 14.7
Elevation gain – 1577ft
Elevation loss – 4100ft
Start time: 8:40am
Finish time: 5:05pm
Total time hiking: 6:50
Weather: sunny, mild

Today was the easiest day in the Whites so far. Another beautiful day. I walked some with Thistle. I met her two days ago. She is probably in her 30s and she lost her husband four years or so ago. She attempted a thru-hike in 2013 but only got to Pennsylvania. This year she started over. She broke some ribs and had to get off the trail for a few weeks. The Whites are scaring her because she is afraid of another fall.

Darge and his family drove up, met me at the trailhead in Crawford Notch, and took me out to dinner. It’s nice to have such a supportive family! It’s supposed to rain tomorrow and the next,  and Mt. Washington looms.

September 18th – Bartlett, NH
Total miles on AT – Zero day
Weather: not as rainy as I’d like

Well, it is not as rainy as was forecasted. And tomorrow looks bad. But when you want to watch the Patriots, sometimes tough choices have to be made. Another zero day. Mt. Washington will have to wait.