Day 31 to Pinkham Notch

The night before, I had bumped into a young couple from Lausanne Switzerland!  We chatted and exchanged addresses. That morning I said good bye and set off just before NH Bob who saved had me a spot on the tent pad the night before

Again there was a steep descent as we went toward Pinkham Notch. Boulders were again the trail of the day.

Toward the bottom it flattened out. I thought that I might still have time to catch breakfast at the Pinkham Notch visitors center. So I set a brisk pace. My left knee was a bit swollen and sore so slowed me down.  In arrived at 9:15 only to find the "all you can eat" hiker breakfast was over. 

But as I walked up my friend from 2014, Neon walked up. We had been planning to meet there. Unbeknownst to me he had hiked up to Osgood campsite with pizza for me.   But he arrive after 10 pm, well after hiker midnight. I was already asleep. Not wanting to disturb us  he tented and went back down. But here he was. We spent a nice day together catching up. 

But all day I nursed a swollen, stiff, painful left knee. I iced it. It helped a  bit. But it stayed swollen. 

So in decided to stay at Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham notch...effectively being a "nero" (hiker talk for a "near zero" day)

Miles : 4.7

2016 miles: 370

Total AT miles: 1869.7

Day 30 to Osgood campsite

The day started late because we "work for stayers" ate at 8:30 with the hut team.

After breakfast I packed up at set out for the summit of Mount Washington. It was a beautiful day. 

Beautiful day

Along the way the kind Forest Service people reminded us of the dangers of this mountain. 

There were a couple of small lakes to pass left over from the last glacial period. 

Even though Mt Washington has its dangers, it is visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year. There a road and a cog rail way. On top there is a visitors center complete with restaurant. There is a museum and a shop selling curios.   But all that didn't spoil my climb.

Then there was traverse of the other "presidentials". (Mt. Jefferson, and Madison). There would be 2500 ft of descents and climbs. 

After Mt Madison came the long rocky descent. There have been few boulder fields that were more difficult. 

The spot for the evening would be Osgood campsite, 3000 ft below the Presidential  ridge.  I arrived around. 7 pm.  Pitched my tent on the platform that the campsite manager gave me. I boiled water under my vestibule, ate and went to sleep after a long hard day.

Miles: 10.3

2016 miles : 366

Total AT miles : 1865.0

Day 29 to Lakes of the Clouds Hut

Today would be a 14 mile day. So I packed up, ate and left at 5:30 am. As I left the campsite I passed the Pond that lent its name and there was a group of hikers all looking at the water.  One whispered to me that there was a moose out on the pond. It was a big bull. Look hard.

After a short and really pleasant descent of two miles I began the long 3000 ft climb up to Mt Jackson (4052 ft )

My goal was Lakes of the Clouds hut another 1000 higher. It right below Mt Washington so I not allowed to camp because of the protected tundra. 

I passed by Mizpah hut and ate my fill of leftovers from lunch and lots of lemonade.  

As days this was just a long climb. Almost no descents. And the trail was

only rocky and smallnboulders for short distances. 

I arrived at LOTCs as 5:30 pm and asked for a "work for stay."  That is where they feed you and let you sleep on the floor of the dining room in return for work.  I swept the dining room and cleaned and organized the big refrigerators (this hut has room for over 50 people. 

That evening the sunset was beautiful. 

Miles : 13.9

2016 miles 355.7

Total AT miles: 1854.7

Day 28 to Ethan Pond Campsite

After a really good breakfast of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee and juice I set off at 7:30. It was a beautiful sunny day.  But the forecast was for T-storms

in the afternoon. The terrain ranged from steep and rocky to luxuriously flat. 

Today I'd be above treeline in morning as I'd  climb South Twin Mountain (4902 ft)

I passed by Zealand Falls Hut and had some lemonade and filled up my water bottles. 

It's right beside the falls. 

As promised it rained late in the pm. So it was nice to sit under the shelter until it stopped. I again pitched my tent in a platform. 

Miles :11.8

2016 miles: 341.8

Total AT miles: 1840.8

Day 27 to Galehead Hut

After spending a night in my tent on a tent platform (my first time since my tent is a stake down and I thought it wouldn't work) I got up ate, packed and set off at 7 am. I had hoped to go 13 miles to Guyot Shelter.   But two things dissuaded me. First it was almost a mile off the
trail. Second the terrain was slowing me down and beating me up. So I decided to got just over ten miles to Galehead hut.  This is operated by the AMC and offers supper and breakfast. Since it is taking longer that I'd planned, I needed conserve food. So this worked out well.

Views were spectacular. 

I climbed over four Mountains today: Including Lincoln 5089 and Mt Lafayette at over 5263 ft, it's one of the tallest in the Whites. 

And then it was was over Mt Garfied (4458)

The hut is modern being rebuilt in 1999. 

Miles: 10.1

2016 Miles: 331

Total AT Miles:  1829

Day 26 to Liberty Spring. Campground

Not knowing what the terrain would but still needing to make at least 11 miles, I started out at 6:40. 

First I had to climb 2000 ft to Kinsman Mountain. 

Then I dropped 2500 ft to Franconia Notch.  But I passed Lonesome Lake Hut and had a bowl of soup and lemonade. The hut is run by the Appalachian Mountain Club. 

It has a nice view. 

And just below is Lonesome Lake

After Franconia Notch I climbed nearly 3000 ft to Liberty Spring Campground. Part was a really nice trail but last 1.5 miles was steep and rocky. 

Miles: 11.5 miles

2016  miles : 320

Total AT miles: 1819

Day 25 to Eliza Brook Shelter

Today was my first day back after our family reunion in Turks and Caicos. I started at Kinsman Notch.

I was wondering what a week off would do to my conditioning. Well, it sure didn't help. The walk up Wolf Mountain wasn't bad but from there until Eliza Shelter it was all rocks and roots and swamp and mud.

This was a moose wallow. 

 It was so difficult that I only went 8 miles. But that was in part due to my knees which were stiff and sore. But i did see some nice views. 

Miles : 8

2016 Miles: 308.4

Total AT miles: 1807.4

Day 24 to Kinsmen Notch

Well today I was served a good breakfast at the Hikers Welcome Hostel. I bunked in becausen I wanted to look after the blisters on my heels, my left big toe nail that I knocked off two days ago, my bruised right ...enough of that.

I decided in spite of sore feet to climb the 4802 ft Mt Moosilauke. 

The climb took from 7:30 to 12:00. And when got there I was greeted by fog.  

The forecast was for thunderstorms and wanted to be off the mountain before they arrived. The descent was reputed to be very slippery when wet. But it was also one of the toughest 2 miles I've encountered.

But along side the trail was a long series of cascades. 

Between the slippery wooden steps, the steepness and the fact that it was rock scramble and not a hike, I had my hands fills for over and hour and a half of hard work. 

I walked from Kinsman Notch to Lost River Campground and caught a ride to North Woodstock and spent the night at "The Notch Hostel."  

The next day I caught a shuttle to Lebanon Airport (NH) and flew to Boston and then to Turks and Caicos for a family vacation.  

Miles: 9.7

2016 Miles 302.4

Total AT miles 1799.7

Day 23 to Glencliff NH

Today would only be 14,7 miles. After the 17.7 I did yesterday I could start close to 7 am.

That's what I did. Nursing to blistered heels and two sore big toes I set out. 

The day started with a 1000 ft climb. Over...

Mount Cube

The view south was great. 

The terrain is definitely more rugged than MA and VT

Miles today. 14.6

2016 miles : 291.6

Total AT miles: 1790.4

Day 22 To Hexacuba Shelter

After taking a shorter day into Norwich I needed to make up some distance.  So it was off to Hexacuba shelter.  I started at 6:20 am.

Since the sun was finally back it was also a hot day. And there would be two mountain (Holts Ledge and Smarts Mountain) and over 3500 ft of climbing. At top end of Smarts there was steep bit with lots rocks, roots. 

View from Ledges 

Fire tower on Smarts

I needed to carry water to the shelter and here was a good source. 

When I got Hexacuba Bivo, DT, Blue Ox, Babbet where already there but the shelter was large (and hexagonal) so I bunked in. 

Miles: 17.7 miles

2016 Miles: 276.8

Total AT miles: 1775.6

Day 21 to Moose Mountain

The day began better than it ended. I woke and left at 7 am with 7 others who bunked in at Trail Betsy's. I walk from Norwich VT acrossed the Connecticut River into Hanover NH... my 13th state on the AT.

  I needed to mail a box of food to a place a few days down the trail. But the post office didn't open until 8:30. So I had breakfast at Lou's ... an AT institution.  I finished there, posted my package but before leaving town I had the post trace my lost bounce box. Thankfully the post guy said it was being returned. 

I walked out of downtown Hanover...a very nice town and home of Dartmouth College. 

And it is very friendly to thru-hikers.

Once out of town I was again enveloped in the "green tunnel".

But there were marshes to cross. 

And mountains to climb

and monster to stare at. 

So I arrived at Moose Mountain shelter where I met two section hikers. We had a very interesting chat including politics. 

I dressed the two heel blisters from my new shoes. Had supper.  As I was entering the shelter, I put my foot on the log at the entrance which rolled and caught my left big toenail and torn it from the nail bed straight up. So I wrapped it in bandaids and some Neosporin and to to find the privy...at rather interesting on at that. 

Miles: 13.2

2016 Miles : 259

Total AT miles : 1757.9