Day 134, miles today - 14.9, total - 1,887.6

July 30, 2013

Carter Notch Hut to US 2, Gorham, NC.

I woke up this morning at 6:00. After putting my gear into my backpack, I ate breakfast from my food bag. B-Rocket and I started hiking at 7:15. We didn't wait to eat food from the hut. It was a cool but sunny day.

To start our day we had an 1,800 ft. up. We were a little chilly to start, but warmed up quickly as we started our climb. As we neared the top we had great views of the surrounding mountains. We could see Mt. Washington in the distance, where we were just two days ago. We had great views for a couple miles before we started down.

    

Carter Notch Hut at a distance, where we stayed last night.

   

We stopped so that B-Rocket could remove sticks and or rocks from her shoes. She tends to get little objects in her shoes. We usually stop at least once or twice each day. I get things in my shoes from time to time also.

I had a problem with a dog on trail today. B-Rocket and I were hiking close together, I was in front. About 50 feet in front of us was a dog coming towards us. There was a guy a little further back. We stopped where we were at. The dog was growling as it ran towards us. When it got to about 20 feet from me, it paused and looked back at the owner. The guy said the dog was afraid of our hiking poles. I told him to control his dog. The dog, still growling, continued to run towards me. I put my two trekking poles together and held them with both hands. The dog, still growling and running, got within two feet of me. I felt certain the dog was about to attack me. Using my trekking poles I made a jabbing motion, striking the dog in the chest/neck area. After striking the dog, it stopped charging. The owner then got there and put the dog on a leash. I could tell he wasn't happy with me. I told him he needed to control his dog. He held him as we continued hiking. It was an unfortunate situation, but the important thing was that neither B-Rocket nor I were injured. Why someone would let a dog like that run loose, is beyond me.

We stopped at an overlook to take a lunch break. After eating we laid back on the rock enjoying the warm sun. We both fell asleep for a few minutes. Jeremiah got there as we were getting ready to leave. He stopped to take a break.

We continued to have great views most of the day, when we gained elevation. We talked to a few south bound thru-hikers today. As in the past, we gave each other advice on things to look for. Not-A-Bear caught up with us. We hiked with him for a short distance.

When we got to US 2, the trail passed the White Mountains Hostel. We decided to spend the night there. They have bunks and serve breakfast. Being on trail will help us get an early start in the morning. There are four south bound thru-hikers staying here. I talked to two of them for a good while about food and gear. They are a nice group of people.

If things go as planned, I will enter into Maine tomorrow. My last state.

Day 133, miles today - 6.2, total - 1,872.7

July 29, 2013

Pinkham Notch to Carter Notch Hut.

Jamey drove B-Rocket and me to Pinkham Notch. We got there a little after 9:00 am. We went inside the Visitors Center to look around. I signed the log book that they have for thru-hikers. There are log books at most hostels, outfitters, visitors centers and shelters. It's how hikers keep track of where others are in front of them. I was looking back in the log and saw a greeting from Bill Smith (not my uncle Bill). Bill is from Ohio, he had commented earlier. He was at Mt. Washington and the surrounding area with his family about one week ago. I'm glad I saw it. It was nice.

It was 10:00 by the time we got on trail. A late start. Within the first two miles we passed Lost pond.

Lost Pond

We then had a 2,000 ft. climb up Wildcat Mountain. It was a very difficult section. We were often using both hands to climb up the steep boulders. This was one of the most difficult sections to date. There were several  overlooks as we made our way up. There was heavy cloud cover most of the time, but we did have a couple clear views. We stopped on trail for a snack break.

We got to the Carter Notch Hut at about 3:00. We ate a late lunch. Before we finished eating in started raining. As we sat there the rain became heavier. We had a 1,000 ft. up right after the hut. We wanted to do more miles, but felt a big up in the rain should be avoided. The hut worker told us we could do work-for-stay. So we stayed. Another thru-hiker doing work for stay is Jeremiah. We've seen him a few times in the last several days. Not-A-Bear came in also. The staff let all four of us do work for stay. Being able to stay at the hut, meant that we could sleep on the dinning room floor, and avoid the rain.

We had a great dinner. It was delicious! B-Rocket ate two plates of food, which is a lot for her. 

Rainbow Braid and Gonzo got here at 8:00 pm. They were told they had to go to a near by site to tent. Most of the huts will only allow 2 to 4 thru-hikers to stay each night.

The work that B-Rocket and I were asked to do, was to talk to the guests about our thru-hike. We talked for almost one hour. There were seven people that listened to us. Three were children. They asked many questions. It was our second time giving a talk at a hut. We both enjoyed it a lot.

Day 132, miles today - 13.5, total - 1,866.5

July 28, 2013

Mt. Washington to Pinkham Notch.

Jamey drove B-Rocket and me back to the too of Mt. Washington. The drive up Mt. Washington from the bottom took 25 minutes. It was after 9:00 am when we got there. 

We took a few pictures and enjoyed the view. It was 50 degrees and mostly clear. There's a cog train that visitors can ride to the top of the mountain. It was 10:00 when we started hiking. 

The trail was extremely rocky the first nine miles. On our way down Mt. Washington, and then in the direction of Mt. Madison, we had steep ups and downs over a boulder field. It was very difficult and slow going. Most of the time there wasn't an actual trail. There were cairns, a stack of rocks, every 100 ft. or so marking the way. We had to find the best way to get over the jumbled rocks without falling.

                                                 B-Rocket                                   South bounders we passed

By the time we had made it to Madison Spring Hut, it was 1:00 pm. They have tables with benches, drinking water and restrooms. It was a great place to eat our lunch. I saw Two-Speed at the hut. I last saw her in Virginia before trail days. She was hiking with three guys I hadn't met before. There was Bailer, Mack and Baker. Chapin and Jeremiah were there also.

When we left the hut we had to go up and over Mt. Madison. It was a very steep up and a steep down on the other side. It was covered with large rocks. It takes a lot of effort to make your way over large jumbled rocks, and to do it while going up and over a steep mountain makes it even more difficult. As we neared the top there was a strong wind. Most of the time we had a great view. We passed several south bound thru-hikers. We stopped to talk to each of them. Exchanging information about what each of us had in front of us. B-Rocket fell a few times today. For the most part, she just got a little dirty. 

Madison Spring Hut at a distance

We were even with some of the clouds as they moved pass us. At times we were within them, reducing visibility.

I asked B-Rocket how she liked the rocks, she gave it a thumbs down.

Once we dropped down below treeline there were a lot less rocks. It was pretty steep, but we were able to make a little better time. When we had about three miles left to go we stopped for a short break. While there Two-Speed and the three guys showed up. We hiked with the four of them the rest of the way.

When we reached Pinkham Notch Jamey was waiting in the parking lot. She drove us to a Walmart so we could resupply. We then went back to the cabin. In the morning she'll drop us off at the trail. At that point she will return home in Maine. She has been very helpful to me and many other thru-hikers. She has given many of them rides and on several occasions had food and drinks for any that wanted it.

Day 131, miles today - 12.5, total - 1,853.0

July 27, 2013

Crawford Notch to Mt. Washington.

Jamey dropped B-Rocket and me off at the trail at 8:40 am. It was a little warmer this morning, it was sunny and clear.

To start our morning we had a 2,600 ft. up. The good thing was that we had awesome views once we got near the top of Mt. Webster and Mt. Jackson. We stopped often through this area to enjoy the view of the endless mountain ranges. We were both glad we didn't do this section yesterday when the weather was not very good.

 We saw Molly and Perogi. I've seen them off and on since Harper's Ferry. Molly has been having a problem with one of her legs. They took a zero yesterday. They are both very strong hikers. Perogi is from Australia.

As we neared the Mizpah Hut, B-Rocket saw a bird land on a branch very close to her. We both had heard that there was a bird somewhere along the trail that would eat out of your hand. Thinking that this might be one of them, B-Rocket took some bread out, to try and feed it. At first she laid the bread on the ground near her. The bird landed next to the bread and began eating it. Then she held out her hand with the bread on it. The bird landed on her hand and ate the bread. I let the bird eat out of my hand also. It was fun watching the bird return time after time. The bird is called a gray jay. It was the only one we saw. I'm sure we'll keep an eye out for them in the coming days.

We stopped at the Mizpah Hut to take a lunch break. We both ate our own food. We sat inside at the tables. Molly and Perogi were there too. They decided to do a work-for-stay tonight at the hut. Another nobo named Slacks came in. I've seen him a few times. I first met him in Pennsylvania. We talked to a guy hiking south bound on the A.T. He sat with us while we were eating lunch.

After lunch we continued to have awesome views as we went over Mt. Pierce, Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Franklin and Mt. Monroe. There were a lot of dayhikers at all of the overlooks today.

We stopped at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut before we started our climb up Mt. Washington. We just stopped to look around, and I needed to get more water. While there we saw Chapin. We talked to him for a few minutes. Near the hut is two small spring fed lakes. There were a few people in the water. No doubt the water was very chilly. From the Lake of the Clouds Hut we had to go up 1,200 ft. It went pretty quick.

Reaching the summit of Mt. Washington was very gratifying. It was very windy, and while there were a lot of cloud at times, there were also a few clear periods. There's a road that people can use to drive to the top of Mt. Washington. So there were a lot of people at the top. The view from there is very nice.

Jamey was waiting for us at the top of Mt. Washington. We went back to the lake cabin to spend the night.
It's nice being able to take a shower and sleep in a bed.

Jamey will drop us off tomorrow morning at the top of Mt. Washington, we will hike north from there.

Day 130, miles today - 7.9, total - 1,840.5

July 26, 2013

Zealand Falls Hut to Crawford Notch.

I got up this morning at 6:00. I got my gear together to make way for the guests to eat breakfast. A little before 7:00 the staff asked that I put the silverware out for the 30+ guests. We had to wait until 8:00 to eat, after the guests had all finished. There were pancakes, oats and sausage left for us.

We were on trail at 8:30. It was clear and a little warmer this morning. The forecast calls for clouds and rain today.

We started out hiking with Chapin, he's a thru-hiker from Massachusetts. Originally from Guatemala. He's a very likable guy. He did work-for-stay at the hut too. I first met him two days ago. He hiked with us for a couple miles.

We had a few nice views to start the morning. After a couple hours it started to sprinkle. The clouds soon filled the sky.

 

We had planned to go over Mt. Jackson, Mt. Eisenhower and Mt. Monroe. There were to be great views from the summit of each them. Because of the weather, we decided to cut the day short. Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny, and we felt it was worth waiting for. We decided to get off trail at the Crawford Notch road crossing, and hitch hike to the Appalachian Mountain Club visitors center 3.5 miles off trail. It took us about fifteen minutes to get a ride.

B-Rocket's mother was planning to visit this weekend. She knows someone that has a cabin close to the trail that we can spend the night at. She's going to pick us up this evening here at the AMC visitors center. We'll spend the night at the cabin, and Jamey will drop us off at the trailhead in the morning. Tomorrow evening she will pick us up at the top of Mt. Washington, and take us back to the cabin.

While we were waiting for Jamey, a guy asked B-Rocket and I to join them for dinner. He was with a group of 10-12 people that we had seen at the Galehead Hut. They had stayed at four huts, hiking between them. Some of their group didn't come to dinner, so they had extra slots. B-Rocket and I ate with them and talked about our thru-hike. It's amazing how many nice people we have met on this journey.

Jamey picked us up at 8:00 pm. We drove to the cabin on a lake. It's very cool. Jamey had bought all kinds of food for us. I took a shower and I get to sleep on a mattress tonight.

Day 129, miles today - 6.8, total - 1,832.6

July 25, 2013

Galehead Hut to Zealand Falls Hut.

This morning I got up at 6:00. I had slept on the floor of the dinning area. I got my gear together to make way for the guest to eat breakfast at 7:00. B-Rocket and I were given something to eat soon after the guest had finished. After all of the guests had ate and left the hut, we swept the dinning room and bunk rooms. It was around 9:00 by the time we were able to leave. 

It was a clear and sunny morning. It was in the low 40's.

After a short distance we reached the top of South Twin Mountain at nearly 5,000 ft. There was a beautiful 360 degree view, we stayed there for over one hour enjoying it. We saw a couple dozen dayhikers while we were sitting there. We both took several pictures.

 

 

We stopped near the Zeacliff Ridge for a lunch break. We were sitting on a large rock area in the sun. From where we were sitting we had a little bit of a view. After eating, our lunch break turned into a nap break. It was 3:00 by the time we were hiking again.

The trail was very easy today and there were many great views. It was a little cool which is great for hiking. We continued to see a lot of dayhikers on trail.

While we were hiking we talked about our experience at the Galehead Hut. We both liked it overall. The staff seemed nice, but not overly friendly or welcoming. 

As we were nearing the Zealand Falls Hut I jokingly told B-Rocket that I thought it would be funny if we stopped at the Zealand Falls Hut and they were super friendly and they asked us to do a work-for-stay. Little did I know that that was exactly what would happen.

We reached the Zealand Falls Hut at 4:00 pm.  We went inside to use the restroom. The hut worker asked if we were thru-hikers. When we said yes, he asked if we would like to do work-for-stay. He told us what was for dinner. We had planned to hike another eight miles, but after talking it over we decided to stay. Getting free food, and being able to sleep on the dinning room floor would be a treat. Experiencing the work for stay at the huts is part of being a thru-hiker in the White's. It will mean a longer day of hiking tomorrow though. Less than 50 yards from the hut was Zealand Falls, it was really more of a cascade. It was very pretty. There were a dozen of more people sitting on the rocks enjoying the view and the sound of the rushing water.

The Zealand Falls Hut staff asked B-Rocket and me to give a talk about our thru-hike to any guest that were interested. There were only five people that showed up. We talked to them for about 50 minutes. They asked a lot of questions. It was fun!