Happy Feet

Day 60 (Barren Mountain to West Peak)

I started the day by turning off my alarm and sleeping for another hour. I woke up when I heard a SOBO hiker by my tent. I started hiking at 7:00. It was a beautiful morning with clear skies.

Although the climbs are shorter than those in Southern Maine, we seem to be climbing more. I climbed seven mountains today. There were also a few streams to ford.

I stopped by the Chairback Gap Lean-to for lunch. Temper, Smiles, and Ghost Chilli arrived right as I was finishing eating. Temper and I hiked a few miles together. I also hiked some with Cookie Monster and Happy Feet. They all stopped at the Carl A. Newhall Lean-to but I continued on up the mountain to the next campsite. When I got there, it was packed with people. So, I decided to hike to the top of the next mountain. Luckily, the was a nice stealth site right on top that has cell coverage. 🙂

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Day 47 (White Mountain Lodge and Hostel, Gorham NH)

No miles today.

The weather forecast was for rain and thunderstorms all day. This is my first “zero day” on the trail.

I stayed at the hostel most of the day catching up on Facebook posts, watching movies, and napping. The hostel shuttle driver took us in to town for lunch, dinner, and Walmart shopping.

I hope to hike into Maine tomorrow. Twisted is here but he is now 21 miles behind me on the trail so we will say goodbye tomorrow. It was fun having someone to hike with for a couple days but I’m looking forward to being solo once again on the trail.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Day 41 (Mt. Wolf to Lonesome Lake Hut)

I woke up early and started hiking by 5:45. No rain but it was very chilly. I decided to stop by the first shelter, the Eliza Brook Shelter, and make a cup of coffee.

Twisted had stayed at the shelter last night and was getting ready to leave. We sat and talked about yesterday’s hike. We were both surprised at the difficulty and how tired we felt today. Neither one of us made our goal miles yesterday. We decided to meet for lunch at Lonesome Lake Hut and he headed on out while I finished my coffee.

I knew my daily miles would decrease in the Whites but I plan to make up for it when I head south. The climb up Kinsman Mountain (elevation 4358 ft) was strenuous but the views were awesome and the sun felt great. I stayed on top of Kinsman for a while enjoying the view. Then I descended to the hut.

On the way, I started feeling very sleepy. When I got to the hut, Twisted said he was going to do “work for stay” and I should get the other spot quickly. We hung out at the hut eating leftovers and visiting with other thru hikers (Mother Nature, Between, Cookie Monster, and Happy Feet). We had a fun dinner with the hut croo. Our after dinner chore was to move some firewood.

We are sleeping on the dining room floor tonight. We will need to get up early tomorrow before the guests have breakfast. Short mileage day but feeling rested and well feed.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

View from south peak of Mt. Kinsman

View from south peak of Mt. Kinsman

Day 40 (Jeffers Brook Shelter to stealth site near Mt. Wolf)

The morning started with a 4.6 mile climb up Mt Moosilauke (elevation 4802 ft). It was somewhat overcast but the clouds cleared for just a few moments so that I could get some pictures.

Then I continued on to the Beaver Brook Shelter to cook and eat lunch. Cookie Monster and Happy Feet joined me for a bit. I met them at the hostel yesterday.

After lunch I descended the north side of Mt Moosilauke. Some say this 1.5 mile section is the most challenging and most fun “mile” on the AT. It was definitely mentally and physically challenging. Lucky for me, I got to do it in the rain. Every pole plant and foot plant had to be well thought out or one would find themselves sliding down the mountain. I did slide down once but only bruised my knee a bit. I was very happy to be finished with that section.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a sunny day. I’m really looking forward to being able to dry everything out. But I’m warm and dry inside my tent tonight. 🙂

This slideshow requires JavaScript.