Thursday 8/17/00 18 miles/3385 total. 208 Trail Days. Arlington-Wardsboro Road to Vermont Routes 11/30.
Betty moved the RV from the repair shop parking area to a “park and ride” lot near Manchester, Vermont. She then deposited me on the trail.
The morning was cool, no rain and clear, it promised to be a good day. It was an easy, but steady 2000 foot climb up Stratton Mountain (3936 feet). On top the wind was a breezy 25 mph and the temperature was 48 degrees. Several ski slopes wind down the mountain from here. The gondola lift operates through the summer for those who want a good view of southern Vermont. They allow hikers to ride free so they can go down to the town of Stratton and spend their money.
After a few minutes I cooled off and started down the far side. Even though this is August, I was getting chilled. I pulled a light fleece jacket out of the pack and it felt really good. I think this is the first time I’ve needed a jacket since the Smokies in May.
On the way down, I met the caretakers of the tower on the top of the mountain and this area of the AT. They were both friendly and said to say hello to Nimblewill Nomad when we see him. We expect to meet him on the trail in the next few days. He is hiking south from Cape Gaspe*.
Stratton Pond, 3 miles west of Stratton Mountain, is a picturesque mountain lake. The AT skirts the eastern shore. “Bevis”, the caretaker, was having lunch in his tent. He offered me a cup of coffee and I chatted with him while we ate. As caretaker, he maintains a shelter, a tent camping area and a portion of the AT. His canoe, on the shore of the beautiful lake, made me envious.
Two miles later the trail enters the Lye Brook Wilderness Area. While passing through this special area, I met “Orren”, a southbounder. A strong, young hiker, he was really clipping along but stopped to talk for a minute. I asked if he had seen Nina, “Water Fall”. His eyes sparkled as he told me that he had hiked with Nina and her two friends. He thought they were about four days behind him. “Orren’s” dad keeps track of some hikers on the internet so I passed along our website address.
About five miles from the finish, the miles seemed to drag along slowly. I’m not sure I’m back in the groove yet. Betty was waiting and whisked me away to the RV and a cold beer.
Betty: We moved the RV to Emerald Lake State Park. It is a beautiful park, but their fees are $13 and they have no hookups. They do have a dump station and fresh water, and we need those amenities. We will stay here one night. Tomorrow, I’ll look for something better.
Friday 8/18/00
Betty: As I was out scouting this morning, I ran across a wonderful RV park about 30 north of where we are. Perfect!! As I pulled into the park, I saw “Golden Eagle” and “Virginia Bluebird”. “Golden Eagle” is supporting his brother, “Mississippi Hiker” and his wife, Mary, “Virginia Bluebird”. Mary isn’t hiking every day now, but still is out there quite often. It was so nice to see them again. We were last together at West Point family campground. They were taking 6 days off because Harold’s “Mississippi Hiker” wife was coming for a visit. We’ll most likely be leap frogging again. The campsite was great. The owner told me we could have a site that has its own telephone connection. WOW! I’ve moved the RV up to near where I pick up Chuck and then we will travel forward to the site. For you RVers out there – the campground is – Iroquois Family Campground south of Rutland, VT and near North Clarendon, VT. Large grassy sites with a beautiful view of the mountains.
Friday 8/18/00 17 miles/3402 Total. 209 Trail Days. Vermont 11/30 to Danby-Land Grove Rd.
It is a cool morning, clear and dry. The hiking is very enjoyable. The temperature was in the high thirties last night and now my fleece jacket feels good. The climb up Bromley Mountain is about 1500 feet and soon warms me. By the time I reach the top, the jacket is back in my pack, shirt sleeves are rolled up and the front is unbuttoned. This is another mountain top with a ski area. The top lift station, ski patrol warming hut and an observation tower are all clustered near where the AT crosses the top. Down to Mad Tom Notch then back up to Styles Peak. The large flat rocks are a natural setting for lunch, and with a great view.
I was about to descend off Styles Peak, when “Sail Man” arrived, then “Lightning Bolt” then “Shaggy”. As “Lightening Bolt” walked up he said, “Swamp Eagle, we finally meet”. He is the son of “EZ Duz It”, who we met on the Florida Trail. Both father and son are hiking the AT now. “EZ” is a week or so ahead of us.
At this point, the day was all downhill. The last ten miles seemed to drag on forever. My right ankle has been complaining after I banged it against a rock two days ago. I’m not able to rock-hop over mud holes as easily as before, plus it just plain hurts. At day’s end I came limping in to meet Betty nearly three hours later than planned.
Saturday 8/19/00 14 miles/3416 Total. 210 Trail Days. Danby Land Grove Rd. to Vermont 103.
It is a great day, clear and cool. The Green Mountains of Vermont are beautiful. During the past few weeks we have been entering what I think of as the “north woods”. Maple, Paperbark Birch, Fir, Hemlock and Spruce are now predominate species in the forest. A couple of days ago, I saw Moose sign: tracks and droppings. This morning the Loon were wailing at Rock Pond. This country is irresistible.
As Betty dropped me at the trailhead, we noticed that four of the six vehicles in the parking area had been vandalized; all had a smashed window. Betty took their plate numbers and notified the sheriff’s office.
The first several miles were a joy. Dappled sunlight dotted the trail and the cool air made it feel good to step out smartly. As the trail skirted Little Rock Pond, I met the caretaker, Tracy Blanchard. Tracy has worked as a caretaker in many different locations and in both summer and winter. I asked her if she had parked a vehicle at the trailhead. Unfortunately, her Rodeo was one of those that was vandalized and that Betty had reported. She quickly made plans to hike out to the trailhead.
As I rounded a corner, a female hiker was approaching, she said “Hey, Swamp Eagle”. It was Nina Baxley, aka “La Nina – the Rain Goddess”, and now “Water Fall”. We had last seen Nina, in April, in Alabama, on the Pinhoti Trail. At that time she was on a two week shakedown hike in preparation for her southbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. It was then that she was caught in a flash flood and was washed downstream losing her tent, glasses, and hiking poles. She had improvised a shelter with two garbage bags and made it through a cold rainy night in spite of wet gear. I found her the next morning and helped get her gear together and we hiked to a road. Betty then helped her locate replacement gear, get new glasses, and get organized to continue her journey on the Pinhoti Trail. Nina spent some time in the RV with us and we had some great conversation swapping hiking stories, discussing equipment, and comparing our plans for the AT.
Now as we meet on the AT, we had some excited greetings and arranged to meet for dinner. Betty would pick up Nina at the trailhead I had departed from this morning on Danby Land Grove Road. Before we parted, Nina said she was really “down” because she had somehow just missed her good friend “Belcher”, a northbounder. She said she had been crying as she hiked and that our meeting helped her snap out of the blues. We headed off our separate directions and only minutes later I heard a male voice say, “Swamp Eagle”. It was “Nimblewill Nomad” on his southbound journey from Canada to Key West.
“Nomad” did the northbound (Key West to Canada) hike two years ago. He was very helpful when I was planning my route. Betty, Mae and I have corresponded with him via email for months and we had a few long planning discussions on the phone. “Nomad” came to meet us at Woody Gap near his home in Dahlonega, GA. as we started the Appalachian Trail. We last saw him at Trail Days in Damascus, VA. He made an impressive presentation there just before he left to begin his southerly hike at Cape Gaspe, Quebec on 23 May 2000. Mae is reading both our journal and “Nomad’s” journal on our respective websites and has been projecting our expected meeting point. Since we both put in nearly 20 miles per day, our closure rate is almost 40 miles daily.
The meeting was a sensational moment in both our journeys. With a total of over 9,000 miles on the same route, this was the one time that we would be at the same point at the same time. Two sweaty old guys with gray hair and beards embracing in the wilderness of Vermont’s Green Mountains is probably not a pretty sight, but it was an intense moment for both of us. After some babbling about our respective sagas, I asked him to join Nina, Betty and me for dinner. He agreed and said that Nina’s friend “Belcher” had been trying to find her and was just a “little way” in front of me. I said that was great and I would try to catch her and ask her to join us so that she and Nina could meet. Now “Nomad” and I went our separate directions; he went south to meet Betty at Danby Land Grove Road and I would hustle north to catch “Belcher” and meet Betty at Vermont Road 103.
Even though I thought I was flying down the trail, it took nearly two hours to overtake “Belcher”. We introduced ourselves and she said that I could probably tell that she had been crying because of her worst disappointment on the trail. I told her of our plans to meet Nina and she excitedly lead the way down the trail with non-stop chatter about herself and Nina. (Belcher and Nina have never met – they’ve been good friends on the internet for the past two years. This will be the first face to face meeting.)
Betty met Nina and “Nomad” at the trailhead then took Nina to Manchester, VT to pick up a supply package she had mailed earlier. We all met at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Everyone was keyed up and the excitement never waned. After dinner we returned to the RV campground for showers and some beer while we continued to swap stories. Nina and “Belcher” were intensely engaged in gibberish that continued well into the night. Betty got out maps for the Canadian portion of our trip and “Nomad” showed us what he had done and gave us lots of good tips. After some beer and wine, we more mature folks, retired for the evening while the younger gals were just getting started. It was an absolutely great day.
Sunday 8/20/00 19 miles/3435 Total. 211 Trail Days. VT 103 to Gifford Woods State Park (VT 100).
We all had coffee and breakfast at the RV then Betty dropped “Belcher” and me at VT 103 to head north and would take “Nomad” and “Water Fall” to Danby Land Grove Road to continue their hikes south.
As “Nomad” and I said farewell the gravity of the situation hit us. We would each be hiking the very route the other had just completed. For “Nomad” that meant nearly eight months to walk to Key West and for Betty and me it would be three months before we reached Cape Gaspe, Quebec. We each knew the many hardships and joys the other would experience before reaching our respective destinations. “Bitter-Sweet” and we were gone.
“Belcher” and I hiked across Killington Mountain, a very popular ski location. Neither of us talked much, instead we were wrapped in our thoughts as we each mentally replayed the events of the past 24 hours. Along the way we met “Spider”, a southbounder, coming from Cape Gasp*, Canada and going to Key West, FL. “Nomad” told me that I would meet him today. We exchanged information about our hikes and made arrangements to link up again in Florida, then we were off our opposite directions.
“Belcher” finally located her hiking partner, “Puck” at Gifford Woods State Park. Betty met us at Vermont Route 100. We said good bye to “Belcher” and started back to our campground. As we passed the “Inn at the Long Trail”, it looked too good to pass by without stopping. It is a great place. Typical of a ski lodge, it has a lot of wood, fireplaces and an atmosphere that is magnetic. While having a beer with dinner, we ran into “Shaggy”, “Kramer”, “Mossy Old Troll” and “Gilligan”. Just more good times on the trail.
Monday 8/21/00 19 miles/3454 Total. 212 Trial Days. Vermont 100 to Vermont 12.
Another absolutely great morning for hiking, cool and clear. I soon started a steep 1200 foot climb up Quimby Mountain. “Mossy Old Troll” and “Gilligan” caught up to me at Stoney Brook Shelter during lunch. About mid-afternoon I met “Soul Trek”, a southbounder. I recognized him from our meeting several months ago in North Carolina. He is on a “flip-flop”. He started in Harpers Ferry, WV. and hiked south to Springer Mountain, GA then flipped to Katahdin, ME and is now hiking south to Harpers Ferry.
By pushing most of the day, I made good time and arrived at our meeting point before Betty for the first time in weeks.
Betty: We’re dry camping now for a few days. Found a great spot in Woodstock, VT.
Tuesday 8/22/00 23 miles/3477 Total 213 Trail Days. Vermont 12 to Hanover, New Hampshire.
Great weather, easy trail, Vermont and the Green Mountains are wonderful. The trail goes through some pastures and past some farm homes. Most houses burn wood for heating or pleasure, or both. One house had 27 cords of wood neatly stacked outside (a cord of 2 foot sticks of wood is 4 feet high and 16 feet long). This place is ready for a long, cold winter.
On top of Dana Hill, I saw “Wahoo”. We last met in New York at Appalachian Trail Railroad Station. Later, we came upon: “Sweet Tooth”, “Boose”, “Leprechan” (a barefoot hiker) and Josh. I left them to their berry picking and fun conversation to push onward. Josh and “Wahoo” caught up to me as I was finishing lunch at Thistle Hill Shelter.
Later in the afternoon, I overtook “Skirty”. Yes, this guy really hikes in a skirt. When we got to Norwich, Vermont, we stopped at a country store for a snack. As I paid for my ice cream, I couldn’t help myself, I also paid for “Skirty’s” sandwich and drink; I think it was the dress that got to me.
As I hiked across the border and into Hanover, New Hampshire, Betty was just arriving to get me. We drove through Dartmouth College as we left town. This is a very nice place.
Wednesday 8/23/00 18 miles/3495 Total. 214 Trail Days. Hanover, NH to Lyme-Dorchester Rd.
Betty drove the RV, towing the Honda, from our dry campsite at Rock Church in Woodstock, Vermont to Hanover, New Hampshire. As she passed my starting point on a busy street, I stepped out of the RV and she was on her way. I felt like I was getting off a bus. The trail goes through the middle of Hanover, NH and Dartmouth College, both are interesting.
Soon the trail left town and started a gradual ascent up Moose Mountain. By midmorning I was in a cloud/fog and it was raining. The fog got thicker as I got closer to the top. I was soon wet and kept moving to keep from getting chilled. If I had put on raingear, I would have sweat to the point that I would have been just as soaked as now. Rain gear feels restrictive and clammy, so I avoid it when possible. In addition to the possibility of getting chilled, water runs down my legs and into my boots. The irony of it all is that these “high tech” boots have a waterproof, goretex liner inside which catches the water and holds it. I may have to start carrying gaiters (a short sleeve that snaps over the top of a boot and fits closely around the calf) or maybe wear the rain pants. Anyway, this is all academic now, because I am still soaked. As usual, when it is raining, I eat lunch on the move. The idea of sitting in the rain is not too appealing plus there is the chilling problem.
Betty realized that I would be ready to stop early and found a place to meet me two miles closer than our planned location. What a good site it was to see her waiting in a warm dry car.
Betty: After dropping Chuck in Hanover, I continued into the town of Lyme, NH. Yesterday I had scouted ahead and found a factory that had a nice large parking area. No one was there yesterday (it was after 5PM), so I couldn’t ask permission to park. Today I pulled in and went inside and asked the owner if I could park outside in the lot (possibly, even overnight). He said “Absolutely”. So I unhooked the Honda, parked the RV and went about my business. In the afternoon it started raining hard and I realized it would be better for us and our wet gear if we at least had electricity, so I scouted ahead and found a campground. It’s not in any of my books, but it is great. They have water and electric hookups. The Pastures Campground is located on the Connecticut River in Orford, NH. Beautiful, grassy sites, clean restrooms/showers. Laurel Berwick gave me a great corner site that would be easy for me to move into. I hustled back, hooked up to the RV, and pulled up to the campground. In talking with Laurel later, I found out they also have an internet hookup. This campground is only 17 miles north of Hanover, so on a future visit, we will definitely keep this in mind. What a find.
One of the things I’ve become resigned to, is that we just don’t have the time this trip to see the sights. Every once in a while I have time or take time to go to a museum or some other site, but this area is filled with historic places and beautiful natural sights that we will have to come back to see. My AAA guide book states that Dartmouth is the ninth oldest college in the nation and the northernmost Ivy League school. Its beginning was in one log hut built by Rev. Eleazar Wheelock in 1770. There are still many Colonial structures on campus, one of the oldest classrooms dates from 1784. The Baker Library is a Georgian structure dating from 1928. It contains about two million volumes and has 3,000 square feet of murals painted by Mexican artist Jose Clemente Orozco. We drove around the campus when I picked Chuck up yesterday, it is beautiful.
Thursday 8/24/00 16 miles/3511 Total. 215 Trail Days. Lyme-Dorchester RD to NH Rte 25A.
During the rain yesterday, water ran into my boots by the cupful. Today, I wore gaiters that were given to me by Joan Hobson, a fellow member of the Florida Trail Association. These gaiters are sleeves made of goretex material. The bottom of each gaiter fits over the top of the boot and the top is snug just below the knee but above the calf. The idea is that rain or water from weeds and bushes will roll off the gaiters instead of going into the boots. They seem to work really well, this is the first time in the 3500 miles of our trip that I have worn them and the rain stopped almost as soon as I tied them.
It was a long grind going up Smarts Mountain (3240 feet) then a gradual descent down to South Jacob’s Brook. I had lunch by this beautiful stream with water cascading down many tiers of waterfalls. Frank Lloyd Wright should have seen this. After a quick lunch it was a 1500 foot climb up Mount Cube, marvel at the great view and descend 2000 feet to meet Betty at NH Route 25A. She had quite a wait, because I had failed to add the time needed to make these long climbs. Usually the small stuff is figured into the average rate, however, when the mountains are higher and often steep, it takes longer and this must be added to our time estimates. Most backpackers add 1 hour per 1000 feet of vertical ascent. Because I am carrying only a light day pack, I have found that the addition of one-half hour per 1000 feet is about right. Today, I added nothing and was an hour and a half late even though I had been really hustling to make up time.
Along the way I hiked with: “Godfather”, “Riddler”, and “Yoda” whom we had met before. With them was “Foxy”, a young girl from Israel, who is hiking from Hanover, NH to Andover, ME. The “Godfather” has been taking it very slow, we took nine days off and are still with him. He is typical of many hikers that go slower as they get near the finish at Katahdin. They just don’t want the best time of their lives to end.
Friday 8/25/00 20 miles/3531 Total. 216 Trail Days. NH Rte 25A to Kinsman Notch on Rte 112.
The hike today was absolutely spectacular.
Betty dropped me off at the starting point using the “bus technique”. She slowed the RV almost to a stop and as I stepped off she pulled away.
The first ten miles of trail had a total elevation gain of about one thousand feet and went by quickly. Betty met me for lunch at the trailhead near Glencliff. She had located a little deli and brought along some great sandwiches. After a quick lunch, I changed socks and boots and started up the long climb to Mount Moosilake, 4810 feet. It was a steady climb that took three hours. About 800 feet below the summit, the trees, mostly fir, were dwarfed to about 6 feet high. Then, with about 300 feet to go, there were no trees. This fragile alpine area is one of many in the White Mountains that is above the tree line.
At the summit I talked with Fred, a recent graduate from Dartmouth College. He is working for the Dartmouth Outing Club during the summer and he said that this fall he would have to get a real job. It was cool and windy on top, after a few minutes we hiked northward and continued our discussion. Fred soon took a side trail down to the mountain lodge he was using as a base. He cautioned me that the descent on the AT was very steep and dangerous. It was only a few minutes until I saw the reason for his warning. The trail descends over 2500 feet steeply down what appears to be a rock slide with huge boulders. Parallel to the trail is a beautiful mountain stream which cascades down this same 2500 feet.The stream often looks much like a waterslide, then it will have a series of waterfalls then it will again slide sharply down slick rock slopes and chutes. It was unbelievably beautiful. The trail was, as Fred had warned, very steep and dangerous. Even a small slip could mean a fall of twenty feet or more into large sharp edged rocks. Or, maybe worse, at points, one could fall into this cascading stream. Such a fall could result in ricocheting hundreds, maybe even a thousand feet down this nearly vertical, rocky waterslide. It seemed that every view of the falling water was more spectacular than the last. At one point another note someone had left on the trail warned of bees ahead. I have seen several such warnings during the past few weeks and have never yet even seen a bee. About ten seconds later I felt something flying into my forehead. As I brushed it away, I had another on my left leg, then another on my left wrist, then on my cheek. While this is happening, I’m trying to negotiate a steep and slick area just above that beautiful, cascading stream. When I could spare the use of a hand, I brushed quickly in the direction of a recent bee landing. All ended well, no bee stings, no falls into man eating rocks and no terminal waterslide rides. It took nearly one and one-half hours to descend this fantastic area and arrive in Kinsman Notch. Betty had just arrived and we were then off to move the RV forward. We moved the RV to Clarks Trading Post parking lot in North Woodstock, NH. Great dry camping.
Saturday 8/26/00 0 miles/3531 Total. 217 Trail Days. Hiker Feed at Kinsman Notch, NH.
This was a great trail day. Zero miles, lots of camaraderie with other hikers, plenty of food and cold beer make a winning combination. Four previous thru-hikers and the families of some thru-hikers put on a great “feed” at Kinsman Notch trailhead. During the past week, or longer, we have seen little cards posted on trees on the trail telling the date and location of the “Hiker Feed”. Excitement on the trail has been high in anticipation of this event. Some hikers, like us, arrived here yesterday and stayed an extra day to attend the festivities, others had hiked past Kinsman Notch a few days ago and hitched rides back, some were still a few days south and hitched rides forward. And, of course, some hiked directly into the little celebration this afternoon. It was good to talk with some of the hikers that we had not seen for weeks. We also met hikers that we had only heard about or had read their entries in the registers. We learned via other hikers, about the progress of friends we had lost track of and in some cases did not know if they were ahead of us or behind us. This splendid event was organized by: “Rock Dancer” 97, “Gold Thumb” 97, “Giggler” 99, “Wak-a-Pak” 99, “Stiches” and several others to include the families of previous thru-hikers. One of them brought a trailer with a grill, table and coolers of food, others brought goodies in their cars; some drove several hundred miles to get here.
Betty and I took a cooler full of beer, soft drinks, and some extra ice, plus some folding chairs and a large folding table. A total of about 50 hikers drifted in during the day.
We met “Nomad” 98 (not to be confused with “Nimblewill Nomad”) who did the AT in 1998 with our good friend “Rascal” and they both started the trail again this year. It was sad to learn that “Rascal”, his wife “Baby Ruth”, daughter “Sunny” and son, Jason, had to leave the trail and return to their home in Kansas. After Betty and I returned from our trip to Iowa we inquired many times about “Rascal”, et al, and I checked many trail registers, but could not find their entries. “Nomad” 98 told us that “Sunny” had gotten Lyme disease and the doctor she went to see misdiagnosed it. Without treatment it developed into a more serious advanced stage. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. We will try to contact them at their home. We learned of a few other hikers who had to leave the trail, but none seemed as serious nor as close to us as “Sunny”.
Sunday 8/27/00 16 miles/3547 Total 218 Trail Days. Kinsman Notch, NH to Franconia Notch (US 3). Betty had me at the trailhead before 7AM. A couple of early risers were stirring in the area that most of the “Hiker Feed” folks had camped. “Old Goat” met us then “Rock Dancer” appeared. I started up the trail and Betty visited with some of those who had camped here then had some of the great breakfast that they cooked for the group. She said at least 30 hikers were there for breakfast.
It was a long trek up Mt. Wolf then down to Brook Reel and 2000 feet back up Kinsman Mountain. The six mile descent was uneventful other than finding a pile of moose droppings.
Betty: It was fun to get together with everyone again this morning. We were treated to a wonderful breakfast – pancakes, scrambled eggs, coffee, muffins, etc. Wow. People came and went – we milled around until nearly noon. “Yoda” needed to go into town, so I drove him and “Foxy” to a drug store. “Riddler” hadn’t been feeling well, and “Yoda” picked up some medicine for him, plus other supplies. We headed back to the trailhead. On my way back to town, three more hikers were hitching, so I picked them up. It was “Genesis”, “Funky Monkey” and “Sweet Thing”.
After picking up Chuck, we moved the RV forward to Twin Mountain Motor Inn and RV Park. I have another computer hookup and so will be able to update the web and check messages. Chuck will have several overnighters in the next few weeks, so he is getting his packs and supplies organized.
We had a nice surprise when we pulled into the campground. “Golden Eagle”, “Virginia Bluebird” and “Mississippi Hiker” are here.
Monday 8/28/00 10 miles/3557 Total. 219 Trail Days. Franconia Notch (US 3) to Garfield Ridge Campsite.
Since I would be spending the night on the trail, I packed the tent, sleeping bag, campstove, warm clothes, food for an extra day and water purification unit. The extra items add about 15 pounds bringing the total weight to about 30 pounds which includes water.
The trail immediately started a 3800 foot climb. At 4600 feet was Little Haystack Mountain, then Mount Lincoln at 5089 feet and Mount Lafayette at 5249 feet, all are above treeline. The weather was clear and warm; the views were fantastic. Black smoke from the cog trail going up Mount Washington, nearly 30 miles away, was clearly visible. The Presidential Range of the White Mountains has many trails lacing the area and in the barren alpine area dozens of hikers could be seen climbing and descending the various peaks from different directions. I could have lingered here until sundown, but it was still several hours to a suitable campsite. The sun was getting low in the west as I descended 1500 feet down the side of Mount Lafayette only to go 800 feet back up Mount Garfield, then descend 1000 feet into the Garfield Ridge Campsite. I pitched my tent on a level spot near the shelter. “Swiss Miss”, “Swiss Cheese”, “Wacky Jackie” and “Nomad” 98 were among those at the shelter. Dinner was the next very important order of business. My little stove was cooking rice with broccoli. It was dark when I scraped the last morsel out of the pot. It was 8:30PM as I crawled into a cool tent; I could already hear someone snoring in the shelter. I was zonked in seconds.
Betty: “Virginia Bluebird”, “Golden Eagle” and “Mississippi Hiker” invited me over for a cookout. They are in the same campground. I had a great time; we chatted about family, future, trail, and everything else. It was a great evening – Chuck would have enjoyed it.
Tuesday 8/29/00 18 miles/3575 Total. 220 Trail Days. Garfield Ridge Campsite to Crawford Notch (US 302).
Someone was stirring in the shelter at a few minutes after 5AM. Quietly, I folded up camp, stuffed it all in my pack and headed up the trail a little before 6AM. As I passed the open side of the shelter, I saw that “Nomad 98” was awake, but still in his bag. We silently waved farewell. It was quiet, cool and foggy; it felt good to be hiking in the mountains.
About 8AM, I passed Galehead Hut and stopped for a cup of coffee. The huts in the White Mountains are staffed by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) of New Hampshire. All supplies, food, etc. must be packed in or brought by helicopter. Some huts can get supplies by a ski lift. For a fee, they provide dorm style accommodations, dinner and breakfast for hikers. Those staying the night are guaranteed meals. Hikers who “just stop by” are offered anything that is left, sometimes at a charge and often free. The coffee was 75 cents and I did not wait to see if there would be any breakfast available. South Twin Mountain and Mount Guyot are both over 4500 feet and kept me occupied all morning. It was a steep 2000 foot descent off Mount Guyot. At 2PM, I stopped at Zealand Falls Hut. They were passing out beef stew to hikers. It was superb.
The next seven miles were reasonably flat, then the last mile was a sharp descent down to US 302 in Crawford Notch. I arrived an hour and a half early, but Betty was also early and picked me up a few minutes later.
Wednesday 8/30/00 13 miles/3588 Total. 221 Trail Days. Crawford Notch to Summit of Mount Washington.
Today was hiking at its best. It was a steep, but easy 2700 foot climb out of Crawford Notch to Mount Webster then a dip and up a couple hundred feet to Mount Jackson. The temperature was in the seventies, the sky mostly clear and the views great. From the top of Mount Jackson it looked as if it might be 25 miles to the distant peak of Mount Washington, but the map indicated about eight miles.
AT 6288 feet, Mount Washington is the highest peak in the northeast and has some of the most severe weather in the world. Winds were recorded at 231 mph in 1934 and wind chill temperatures of 150 degrees below zero are not uncommon in winter. Even in summer wind chill gets below zero frequently and did so about two weeks ago. Almost every summer, at least one hiker or tourist dies of exposure.
Our plan for the day was that Betty would drive the “road to the clouds” and meet me at the summit of Mount Washington at 6PM. Betty later found that they close the road at 6PM, so she brought lots of warm clothes, tent, sleeping bag and other gear. In the event I did not arrive before they closed the road, she could leave the gear for me. Actually, her plan was to leave the car with the gear inside and take a shuttle vehicle off the mountain. And, if all else failed she had enough warm gear that we would both be toasty overnight. Fortunately, all went well on the trail. Once above the treeline, about 4500 feet, the vistas are captivating. The miles went by so fast I wanted to put everything on “pause”.
Apparently, the powers that control this sort of thing, are naming a nuisance little bump (4310 feet) along the way “Mount Clinton” (possibly this is a renaming of Mount Pierce). Anyway, since I did not have any champagne to help christen the recently named “Mount Clinton”, I made do with a cup of used coffee.
Past Mount Eisenhower, 4761 feet, Mount Franklin, 5004 feet, Mount Monroe, 5385 feet and into the Appalachian Mountain Club Hut at Lake of the Clouds. From this busy hut it is a steep 1300 foot rocky climb to the summit of Mount Washington. On the way up this part, clouds moved over the summit and eventually, I hiked up into this fog. Soon I was on top (almost 2 hours early) and found Betty reading inside the visitor center. The temperature was 48 degrees and the wind speed 18 mph. We were lucky, the weather was kind to us. The fog obscured the great views we had hoped for, but it was very comfortable. We drove the little Honda CRV, loaded with the survival gear Betty had packed, down the steep road.
It was a great day. The spirit soars when in alpine mountains on a beautiful day. It’s all downhill from here.
Betty: I had scouted out a place to move the RV tomorrow on the way to take Chuck back to the trail. The plan being that we will drive the RV to Gorham in the morning, we will dry camp tomorrow night and then have a reservation at Timberland RV park for Friday through Monday.
Thursday 8/31/00 12 miles/3600 Total. 222 Trail Days. Summit of Mount Washington to Pinkham Notch (NH Rte 16).
Betty had me at the Stage House well before they opened. This outfit has been running shuttles up Mount Washington for over one hundred years. They started with stage coaches pulled by six and eight horse teams. Now they use White vans. When they opened I bought a one-way ticket to the summit. They promised that I would be on the first “stage”. However, when they called the names, they loaded three couples and closed the doors. I complained to the driver and he said that I would be on the “hiker van”. As they drove away, I went back to the stage office to find out why I wasn’t on the first shuttle. The “stage” dispatcher called them on the radio and they returned to take me along. It was already past 9AM and Betty and I were both concerned about getting me on the trail as soon as possible. We feel they try to keep hikers on a separate van because of the odor thing. Anyway, I didn’t get any complaints.
From the summit of Mount Washington, it was down 1500 feet with beautiful views and into a valley to Madison Springs Hut for lunch. The hut staff had pumpkin soup on the stove, all you can eat for $2.00. One bowl was all I could eat.
It was a 500 foot climb to the summit of Mount Madison then a steep, tortuous, endless descent of 3000 feet. The knees and other body parts complained. The temperature was high. It was a tough afternoon that went on and on until after 7PM when I met Betty at Pinkham Notch.
We saw the first moose of the trip alongside the road on the way back to the RV. It was about the size of a horse and very dark brown. I think it was a “chocolate moose”.