ATJournal_August

I didn't write yesterday because it turned into a very long day after our late start from the inn. We were on the trail about 8:30AM, planning to hike 17.2 miles to Wintturi Shelter. But when we got there, there was no water! So we did another 3.9 miles to reach the barn on VT Hwy 12 where Aleman and I stayed the night.

That left us 16.6 miles today to get here. They were hot and hilly again but we stopped for lunch in West Hartford, at Rick & Tina's Country Store. Had a very good cheeseburger and a thin and watery strawberry shake.

Kathi arrived in Hanover yesterday at noon, but US Air lost her pack. It finally got in at 6PM. We had dinner, and then hiked to the Velvet Rocks Shelter, about 1.5 miles, just as it got dark. We got to sleep after midnight when the rock group in town quit playing and the partiers at the shelter went to bed. We got our revenge by getting up at 5:30AM and on the trail by 6:30.

We did 15.2 miles today. It was very hot by the time we hit the hard ups & downs near the end of the day. Dinner and lots of water revitalized us. With that and a decent night's sleep we should be ready for tomorrow. Water is scarce in this section, so we're carrying more than usual. It's great to have a friend to hike with.

12 miles today, and the toughest climb about 2,300 feet over Smarts Mountain was earlier in the day. Got in here a little before 4PM. There's no water so we carried it in from the last creek.

On the way today we climbed the fire tower on Smarts Mtn. Great views, and kind of a scary climb. I felt kind of sick last night with an upset stomach, but it improved during the day and I now feel close to normal. Don't have any idea what caused it. It's the first time on this trip that I haven't felt well. We'll try to make Glencliff tomorrow - 14.7 miles and stay in the hostel there.

Kathi and I got in to Glencliff and to the Hikers Welcome hostel just ahead of the rain. "Packrat," who runs the hostel, let us use his car to get to the café. We climb Mt. Moosilauke this morning. 4,802 feet, the first of the above tree line mountains. The weather is supposed to improve.

A short but exciting 7.9-mile hiking day. It was cool, perfect for that big uphill hike. The excitement came on top where we had very high wind and clouds blowing through, with occasional clear views. The gusts were so strong we could hardly stand up. But it was our first time above tree line on this trail. An exciting new experience! We've staked out space in the shelter. It filled up quickly because the next one is 9 miles away. It's going to be a cold night.

Kathi and I got to Crawford Notch last night and hitched in to N. Conway to find a place to eat and stay the night. Alix, the French lady who gave us the ride, drove us around for at least an hour trying to find a motel that wasn't full. It's the peak tourist season here, and a weekend. Luckily the Wyatt House, (a wonderful place!) had a cancellation and we beat the next people to it by about 5 minutes.

Our last three days through the White Mountains have been exciting but very difficult. On the 8th we crossed Mt. Kinsman to Kinsman Pond campsite, 13.1 miles in 12 hours. This was the worst stretch of trail I've yet seen all steep rock scrambling with less than a mile of decent hiking trail the whole day, and little in the way of views. Friday we hiked the Franconia Range again a difficult stretch of 15.1 miles to Garfield Ridge campsite in 12.5 hours but a great day with spectacular views and perfect weather. And yesterday we did 17.4 miles over Mt. Guyot and out to Crawford Notch.

It's been really nice having Kathi's company for the past week. We hiked almost 100 miles (96.9 to be exact) and I think she had fun, but both her knees are really bothering her. She is hobbling around this morning. I certainly hope a few days of rest will have her back to normal. Rick and Maria will pick us up here later this morning and get me back on the trail heading north. Less than 350 miles to go!

Yes, I called this morning and was able to get a space in this hut. I'll know tomorrow morning if I can get into Madison Springs Hut, 11.8 miles up the trail on the far side of Mt. Washington. The huts are a very convenient way to get though the Whites, and not too expensive considering we get dinner and breakfast.

Tonight we had veggie lasagna, nicely cooked mixed vegetables, soup, salad & dessert, in other words, plenty of good food to eat. And I ran into some first class trail magic a nice glass of Shiraz (red wine) before dinner! Four day hikers were glad to share in exchange for tales from a real thru-hiker. What a life!

Rick and Maria arrived at the B&B after breakfast (wonderful b'fast!) and gave me a ride back to Crawford Notch trailhead after a stop to pick up my resupply box. I hiked 6.4 miles and 2,500 feet up, starting at noon, to get here about 4:45PM. It was a steep climb. It was sad to say goodbye to Kathi, but great to finally meet 1-year-old Maria, a really cute girl. We played hide-the-blanket in the car on the way back to Crawford Notch until she fell asleep in her car seat. Kathi's knees were bothering her a lot this morning. She was icing them to reduce the swelling. The steep downhills were a bit much. Hopefully she will recover quickly now that she's off the trail.

It's another 2,500 feet up tomorrow to the top of Mt. Washington, but not such a steep climb as today, I'm told. Always the big question with Mt. Washington What will the weather be like? Today it was clear and there's a crescent moon over the trees to the west right now. An incredibly bright Venus is just below and to the left of the moon a beautiful picture. The Perseid meteor shower should peak tonight and tomorrow night, but I doubt if I'll wake up early enough to check it out. Maybe if I have another glass of lemonade before bed?

Well, the lemonade worked, but the sky at 4AM was hazy. Only the brightest stars were visible. I was told after breakfast this morning (when the huts make their radio calls) that Madison Spring hut was full. However when I got here there had been a cancellation! The hiking gods continue to look over me.

Today I hiked over Mt. Washington, which has the worst weather in the country. They sky was mostly clear, temperature in the mid-60s and a brisk cooling breeze. Perfect hiking weather. The trail was very rough and rocky, particularly to the north of Mt. Washington. I also missed a turn about a mile from the hut and scrambled down a steep ravine for about half a mile before the lack of white blazes (and any sign of the hut) woke me up.

The top of Mt. Washington is a zoo. Tourists were swarming everywhere. You can drive to the summit or take a shuttle bus. But the really classy way to get there is on the steam-powered cog railway! I got some picture of that, of course. Another hiker and I stood in line for about 10 minutes waiting our turn to take each other's picture at the sign marking the summit.

If I hadn't found space here I could probably have done a work-for-stay. Two other hikers did that. They helped in the kitchen they get worked pretty hard and in return they get dinner and a place to sleep. If that hadn't worked out there are tent spaces nearby.

I'm up early because it's impossible to sleep. Some people should be banned from using the hut system and he was sleeping in our dorm. I've never heard anyone snore that loudly. At 1AM I gave up and went outside to look at meteors for a while. 5 Perseids and 2 sporadics in one 15-minute interval not a super shower, but a pretty, starlit night.

I'm trying to reserve space at Carter Hut tonight. Will know after breakfast if I get in. From there I can get to Gorham and my next resupply Wednesday night.

These 13.7 miles turned out to be rougher than expected. I got in here just as it was getting dark. The hike up from Pinkham Notch especially was very steep essentially a rock scramble for 2,500 feet of elevation gain. With the 2 or 3 hours of sleep I probably got last night, I feel kind of beat.

This hut is self service, meaning you use the kitchen to cook your own food. So, it's also less expensive to stay here. Peter, the caretaker, says the hike to Gorham tomorrow should be relatively easy. That will be 15.2 miles to a motel and shower. I also have a food drop there.

Peter is a real Flyin' Brian fan. The first thing he asked me when I got in was if I was Brian's dad. Peter hiked the PCT last year, starting in late May, so never actually met Brian. But he has read some of his trail logs and had a lot of questions which I was happy to answer as best I could. I expect Peter will email Brian with more questions about hiking a triple crown. He has plans to try it and wants to do each trail in turn if possible.

I am hot, tired, and not feeling very good probably due to dehydration. I hitched in from the trail about 5PM just missed the P.O. and checked in to the Colonial Comfort Inn, an inexpensive motel that caters to hikers. 15.2 miles of steep trails today and when I got into town the temperature on the bank thermometer was 102 degrees. The motel clerk said, "Oh good. A while ago it was 105 degrees!"

I got a shower, did my laundry and hiked to the grocery store and back, a full half-mile each way. Now I'm at J's, a nice family restaurant another half-mile walk from the motel. Their A/C isn't up to the task. It's over 80 degrees in here. However, their stuffed haddock is delicious! I don't think I've ever had haddock before. Will have to see if I can find it on the west coast.

Since I couldn't get my resupply box today, I have a small problem. The P.O. is 1.2 miles from the motel and the infamous Mahoosuc Notch is ahead. I don't want to run out of daylight going through here so I need to get out early. So, since I feel the need for a rest, and there's a cold front on its way, I'm going to take a zero day here tomorrow. That way I can sleep in, get my box at the P.O. and sort everything out, and get an early start Friday morning.

"You know you've been on the trail too long if, when you pass a thru-hiker you smell nothing, but when you pass a day-hiker you notice his fabric softener."

17 miles and I got in here well before dark after an 8AM start at the trailhead. The lady at the motel drove me to the trail. It was hot and humid, but not the 100+ temperatures we've had the past 2 days.

I'm in Maine! Have Mahoosuc Notch to go through tomorrow. Southbound hikers say it's fun just take s a lot of time. I saw several spruce grouse today. They're native to New Hampshire and Maine and are probably the dumbest wild birds alive. They have no fear of people you walk by and they just stand there and look at you. They're protected for obvious reasons.

Mahoosuc Notch was an interesting walk. Getting down into the Notch and back out was hard work. Only 9.5 miles today. It took me one hour, 45 minutes to get through the 0.9-mile notch. The high peaks I climbed this morning were in the clouds but it cleared up by late morning. It turned out nice today and is supposed to be cooler tomorrow. I'm not sure when we get to the flat part of Maine. There are still some steep ups and downs the next couple days.

Do people look out for each other on the trail? You bet! I got water at Full Goose shelter this morning and left my water purification kit (Aqua Mira) there when I left. Didn't notice it wasn't in my pack 'till I got through Mahoosuc Notch. A couple day hikers were there when I was refilling my water bottles and gave me their bottle of iodine tablets to tide me over 'till I could get to a store. Then, just before I got to this shelter, two northbound hikers, G-Funk & Dizzy, caught up with me and returned my Aqua Mira!

I hitched in after a 15-mile hike and stayed last night at the Andover Guest House, a hikers' favorite. "Pegleg" who runs the place told me that Brian stayed here last year. He will take me back to the trail about noon. I have to do some grocery shopping this morning. When I got in last night Pegleg's wife handed me a plastic grocery bag and told me, "Put your dirty clothes in her and I'll wash them for you."

Two good thunderstorms chased me over Bald Pate Mountain yesterday afternoon, but both passed behind me. I didn't even get wet, but it was close. The weather in the mountains is exciting! Bald Pate is well above tree line and wouldn't be a good place to linger with lightning around.

I spotted a beautiful blue heron in the creek at Dunn's Notch yesterday afternoon. I don't know if they are common or rare around here but they are spectacular birds. Kind of like an egret, with blue-gray coloring and a wingspan of about 5 feet.

10 miles today after an 11:30AM start. I'm in a campground no shelter in my tarp and bug cage. There are 3 other northbounders and 1 southbounder hiker camped here. We have a big climb out in the morning.

On literally the last step into camp this evening I was greeting the other hikers instead of looking where I was going and stepped on a rolling log. Fell and broke one of my hiking poles. I'll have to find a wooden replacement in the morning.

12.5 miles today with lots of ups and downs. It rained last night and this morning, then the sun broke through about noon. That gave me a chance to dry things out on the warm granite and breeze on top of Bemis Mountain while I ate my lunch.

I'm camped out again tonight but the weather looks a lot less threatening than last night. A southbounder, "Cool Breeze," is also camped here. He's given me a lot of info about the trail north from here, places to stay, etc. There's also a section hiker who was at the Gathering last year in Hanover and heard Brian's talk there. She asked if I was Brian's dad.

15.7 fairly easy miles today. When I got to one of the major road crossings this morning (Hwy 17), Earle Towne who runs "The Cabin in Maine" Hostel was there dropping off another hiker. He loaned me a hiking pole to use 'till I get to Stratton where I'll try to find a replacement. I'm to leave the borrowed pole at an inn in Stratton where Earle will pick it up. The pole sure works a lot better than the stick I was using!

16.9 miles today. It was threatening to rain this morning and when I stopped for lunch at the Poplar Ridge Lean-to I considered staying there. But I wanted to get to Stratton tomorrow so decided to hike here, another 8 miles. Sure enough, the rain started at about 2PM. The shelter is full 7 people and it's raining pretty hard right now. A southbounder just came in and she was very grateful we could make room for her. But that's what you do when the weather is bad. This rain is supposed to blow through tonight and clear up by tomorrow. We'll see.

13.5 miles under sunny skies. A nice hiking day, though it was very cold this morning, probably in the mid 40s. I called REI and ordered a replacement hiking pole. They come in pairs and because of the weekend the soonest I can get it is in Monson, ME. I'll continue to use the borrowed pole 'till then, and mail it back to Earle in Andover from there.

The past couple days I've hiked past many lakes (they're called ponds here,) prime moose habitat. But I've yet to actually see one. Lots of moose sign, though. I'd like to get a picture of one.

Only 189 miles to go! While I'm looking forward to the finish, I'm also reluctant to see this hike end. (Sound familiar, Brian?) There is a kind of community of thruhikers whom I will miss. I'm also looking forward to seeing the 100-mile wilderness, which we reach after crossing the Bigelow Mountains just north of here. By then, most northbounders have their minds on Katahdin but "Tiger Lily," a fellow hiker and Maine native, tells me to be sure to notice the beauty of the wilderness area.

This shelter is names after the Horns, a double-peaked mountain that the trail climbs first thing tomorrow. Only 5.1 miles today, but a fruitful day nonetheless. I spent a couple hours this morning sewing torn seams on my pack. It needed doing I suspect it would have come completely apart before the end of this hike otherwise. So, I had breakfast and an early lunch in Stratton before getting on the trail at noon. This gets me within reach of Caratunk day after tomorrow and, if I had hiked further today I would just get to Caratunk earlier in the day. Also, there's a chance of rain tonight and no shelter within reach today after this one. Tomorrow I'll get through the remaining Bigelow Range and hit the flatland. Should be interesting!

17.5 miles today through the Bigelows, some of the most beautiful mountain scenery I've seen on the trail. Many lakes, no moose. Great views from the high peaks.

I reported a fire today. About 0.7 miles N. of East Carry Pond this morning I first smelled and then saw a patch of smoldering forest duff next to the trail. Somebody had apparently dropped a match or cigarette there. The burned spot was about a foot in diameter and 3 to 4 inches deep. I dug it out and tried to put out the embers using all my drinking water but it did no good. Any wind could have fanned it into a real fire very quickly. So I decided to get to a phone and report it ASAP. That was at Harrison's Camp, about 6 miles up the trail. It took me 2 hours and 15 minutes to get there. And that's why I'm early for the canoe ride.

I plan to stay at the hikers hostel in Caratunk tonight. There should be a box for me at the P.O., which closes at 4PM, so I hope the paddle guy isn't too late. It's now after 3PM, and there's no sign of activity on the other side of the river yet.

The canoe guy finally showed up about 3:15 and got me and another hiker across in time to pick up my box at the P.O., barely, before it closed at 4PM. We are warned not to try to ford the Kennebec. Several people have been killed over the years trying it. When I got to the river there were several gravel bars upstream that made it look like you could wade across. But when we were actually crossing in the canoe an hour later, the water was at least a foot higher and moving fast. These water releases happen very quickly, much faster than you can wade across, so you can get caught and swept away.

I stayed at the Caratunk House Hikers B&B. Nothing fancy, but nice people and a very pleasant place. It was $44 for a private room and wonderful breakfast. They also have a hostel-style bunkroom. Eight of us hikers enjoyed an AYCE breakfast of coffee, O.J., fresh-baked popovers with butter and jellies, fried potatoes & onions, and blackberry pancakes with maple syrup. Oh, and fresh bananas and melon slices. Nobody went away hungry!

I got on the trail about 8:30 this morning and hiked 14.7 miles in just about perfect condition sunny skies, a cool breeze and mostly good trail. This is a nice shelter but water is scarce. I found a pool by following the dry streambed upstream about 40 yards. The shelter has plenty of mice, though. It's almost 7PM now and it looks like I'm going to have the place to myself tonight. Temperature tonight is supposed to be in the high 30s, so Ill be wearing most of the clothes in my pack.

I got in here in time for dinner and it's a good thing I did. Family style turkey dinner with cranberry sauce and everything! A real Thanksgiving! For breakfast in the morning you order a 1,2,3 or 4. That gets you, say, 3 of everything, and you tell them how you want your eggs done.

The hiking poles arrived, and my box was here waiting for me. The "full service market" turned out to be very limited but I found enough to fill in my lunch needs for the next 5 days. Tomorrow I'll go to the P.O. and return the borrowed pole.

About 20.6 miles today including an early climb over Moxie Bald, 1,400 feet up and down. I'm pretty sure I spotted Katahdin from the top! A fire burned quite a bit of forest on the top of the Bald. The forest service is still mopping up hotspots. I understand it was started by a lightning strike

13.7 miles today after an 8:30AM start. I considered going on to the next shelter another 4.7 miles but the hazy morning turned into a heavy stratus layer by mid-afternoon. It looks like a good chance of rain tonight. The trail was rougher than I expected and I got in here at about 4PM. Going on would have got me in pretty late.

The breakfast at Shaw's was wonderful. I had the "3 of everything." They are great people there. Mr. Shaw senior drove me back to the trail this morning. Saved me a two-mile road walk.

Bamboo Bob and his wife Judy are staying at this shelter with me, plus two southbounders. B. Bob's wife joined him in Caratunk and will hike with him the rest of the way to Katahdin. I hiked with Bamboo Bob down south but he's been a couple days ahead of me lately. He and Judy were also at the Shaw's last might.

15.6 miles today. It did rain last night but not a whole lot. Another hard up-and-down day, and more of the same tomorrow. So far, the "flatlands" haven't been flat at all. I'm in the 100-mile wilderness. Not my idea of a wilderness area but there are some pretty spots, and view of Katahdin from some of the high points. This is Labor Day weekend. I've already seen several weekend hiking groups today. I'm kind of concerned about crowding in the shelters if the weather gets bad. There are only 4 of us here tonight but there's no water at this shelter. I half expected to have it to myself. I carried 3.5 liters of water almost 2 miles so I would have enough for tonight's dinner and a start for tomorrow.

Another great hiking day! Sunny but cool, and I'm on the downhill side of White Cap Mountain, the last significant mountain 'till Katahdin. The view of Katahdin from the top of White Cap this afternoon was spectacular. It was our first really clear look at it. That's going to be a climb, all right. More than 4,000 feet from base to summit. 17 miles today, but an easy day tomorrow. I have to pick up my last box at White House Landing. It's too far to get there tomorrow but easy to reach on Monday. So, I'll take my time tomorrow and get as far as I get. Maybe I'll finally see a moose?

I'm in a dream walking along a wooded trail in the cool morning. My pack is light and comfortable I've been carrying it long enough so that it feels a part of me. A grove of birch trees is showing off ahead in the early sunlight. I stop and listen. There is no sound except a few insects weaving their patterns in a beam of light. It's Sunday and the distant noise of chainsaws and branch chippers is absent.

Later it will get warm and a cooling breeze will be welcome. If the afternoon clouds pile up, there may even be some thunder rolling around upstairs. But this is an easy day.

Some days are not so easy. I scramble up a rocky path to stand on top of a mountain and look back at all the other mountains I have crossed in the past few days. But today I feel I'm getting a full day's pay for half a day's work.

The trail today happens to be in the Maine wilderness in late summer, after the bugs and before the rains. Just about a perfect day. But I could be anywhere Anywhere there's a trail heading around the next bend or over a pass to an unknown vista or new experience. I'm living in a dream. It's been a great hike. The end is in sight. Happy? Sad? A good bit of both.

11.7 miles today. Another 13.7 tomorrow will get me to White House Landing and my last resupply box. I got in here before 4PM, cooked dinner and hope to get a good night's sleep and an early start in the morning. It looks like there will be 4 people in the shelter tonight. One, a section hiker named Willy, is a nonstop talker. I hope he shuts off when the sun goes down.

I spotted another bear today, about a half-mile before I got to this shelter. It was fairly small & didn't see me as it crossed the trail about 50 feet ahead of me. I clicked my hiking poles together a couple times and it woke up and took off through the woods.

A super spot to get a burger 'n beer and spend the night. (Bring money.) Most of the northbounders here are planning to finish on the 6th of September and I will do the same. Greg will meet me on Thursday afternoon at Abol Bridge Campground and we will hike up Katahdin on Friday.

I saw a moose today! Just a silhouette moving through the trees. Didn't see any antlers but it might have been a bull. Just couldn't see it clearly enough to tell, but it was certainly a moose.

11.5 miles to here this morning in the rain. It's stopped now and the sun is trying to peek through. More rain is in the forecast so I'm staying here tonight. Tomorrow I'll hike to Katahdin Stream Campground, another 13.4 miles, where I hope Greg will find me and pick me up. That will be about 10 miles of trail that Greg and I won't have to do Friday. It's only 5.2 miles from Katahdin Stream Campground to the end of the trail.

Another hiker here, Blaze, let me use his cell phone to call Greg and give him the new pickup location but so far all I've been able to do is leave a message on his answering machine.

I did talk with Greg last night, so he will meet me here as soon as he can. It's 5.2 miles from here to the top of Katahdin and the end of this trail. We'll do it tomorrow. Weather prospects are good.

In the meantime we celebrated Nacho's finish. He and two other hikers just returned from the top, and 5 members of his family were here waiting for him. They had driven up from New Jersey, a 12-hour drive, they said. An exciting day for everyone!

9/7 On a CRJ (Canadian Regional Jet CL-65, Greg's plane) flying from Portland, ME to Washington Dulles, 10:45AM. Greg's in the seat next to me. Goodbye Maine! All done, going home!

Greg and I climbed Katahdin yesterday, Sept. 6th, completing my thruhike of the Appalachian Trail 2,169 miles in 152 days. We started up the mountain a little before 8AM and reached the top before noon. After congratulations from and by several other thruhikers Little Bob, Blaze, Roosevelt and 3 or 4 others, we returned to Katahdin Stream Campground by 3:30PM.

The climb was quite difficult, worse than I expected and harder than any other part of the trail even in good weather. Very steep and rocky, but fun. The morning was cold and windy. But clear. The views were spectacular in all directions as we got higher much different, Greg said, than the Oct. 27 climb he did with Brian last year. We took plenty of photos so Brian can see what he missed.

Coming back down, relishing the completion of my hike and looking back at the miles of mountains and wilderness I had crossed in the last few days, I thought how much those people miss who travel only on the paved roads of this life. My fellow hikers have been young and old, rich and poor, successful and unsure about their futures, but each one has attempted something he wasn't sure he could do and learned something about himself in the attempt. I hope they have all enjoyed themselves on their journeys as much as I have. It's been my privilege and great pleasure to get to know them. They have helped make my hike a wonderful, memorable experience and I wish them well. It's been fun!