Trail Letter 14: 6/19

15.2 exhausted-and-quite-possibly-the-hardest-miles-I’ve-done-yet miles today. The terrain itself was no different from the usual ladder-climbs the Whites present, but my body was absolutely wasted from not enough sleep. Why didn’t I get enough sleep?

If you recall from tow days ago, I mentioned that sometimes the Huts’ Croos raid other Huts in the dead of night. Well, the Carter Notch Hut, where I was staying, decided to raid the Mizpah Hut, where I had stayed two nights ago. I thought it was exclusively a Croo-member event, but I realized I was wrong when they extended an invitation to come with them> Usually after hiking a hard day, doing an extra 15 miles isn’t on top of the thru-hiker agenda. However, I was intrigued and interested to learn and experience more of the Huts community, so I accepted.

Mark, Alex, Chelsea, and I left the hut at about 9 p.m. My pack had about 10 lbs of stuff — sleeping bag, water, snacks, tools for sign removal, and some gifts for the raided Hut as we hiked 4 miles to Mark’s car, drove 50 minutes to another trailhead, then hiked another 3 miles to the Mizpah Hut. We strategized an planned; I was the runner. The rule is that when you steal a sign, you’ve gotta take it 1/4 of a mile down the Trail to store it. Stealing the signs is no easy feat — RD from the Mizpah Hut is known for his booby-traps, including placing silverware behind the signs, so if you get the nails out to remove the sign and pull the sign from the wall, the silverware falls to the wood floor and wakes up the Croo. We stole one sign, and I ran it down the rainy, wet trail. When I returned, we tried to steal a sign that was way high up, and as Mark was on the rafters with a crowbar, attempting to remove the sign, we heard, “Hey guys. We caught you.”

The true purpose of Hut-raiding is to visit the other hut’s Croo, so they all came down at 2 a.m. and we hung out for awhile. They were surprised to see me again, but they were uber-friendly, and we stayed the night there. It was nice to not have to walk another 7 miles that night.

The next morning, we visited some more, and it so happened that Hurricane, One-Flop, Stride, and Strides had all stayed there the night before, so I was able to chill with them again and finally get to say whatsup to Strides. It’s amazing, again, how quickly friends are born. I felt like a Croo member thanks to the openness of Emma, Tom, RD, and two other members @ Mizpah.

So the raid was a heap of fun, but 6 hours of sleep (when I’m used to 10+) and 15 extra miles had really drained me. I arrived back at Carter Notch Hut at 12:30 p.m., ate some lunch, then hit the Trail at 1:20. The lack of sleep had put my body in a state of fatigue it hadn’t felt in quite some time — and it still had 15 miles to go!

During those 15 miles I felt like crying 3 or 4 times, but was too exhausted to release any tears! I fell about 5 times (the Whites claimed both the tips on my trekking poles) and was really struggling to muster the energy to climb steep grades. But in spite of all this, aside from 2 or 3 screams I was able to pull myself together and continue on — relying heavily on the mental and physical endurance I’ve built since the beginning of the Trail — and eventually I reached the road and the hostel. In the most aggravated, frustrated, and desperate state I was able (for the most part) to remain clear-headed and peaceful. Oh yeah, I also took the wrong trail at one point and added about 1 – 1.5 miles to the day and about 1000 points to my frustration level.

On the way back to the hut from the road, I saw another huge black bear. Probably the largest I’ve seen yet! I also met my first SOBO (southbound) thru-hiker named Neptune.

So the Whites are finished, and were completely worth the 1800 mile hike to get to them. Onward to the whipped cream (Maine) and the cherry on top (Katahdin)!

Monson, ME

I really don’t have much to say right now.

There are only 115 miles left of Trail for me to walk.

Crazylegs will (I think) roll into town today (as per a maildrop ETA I saw at Shaw’s hostel), so I will hike the 100-mile wilderness with him. And if he doesn’t come today, I may take another zero (zeroing today ) to wait on him. There’s a nice hostel here that’s letting me do two work-for-stays; painted their front porch yesterday, and cleaning out the laundry room and other odd jobs today.

I may put up more pictures before 1 pm today.

Think of me on the 8th of July, for at noontime-ish I’ll be celebrating a series of moments and experiences that have changed me. And celebrate, with me, those experiences and moments in your life that have changed you.

PS – Mom, phone’s are surprisingly hard to come by around here, except payphones, but I’ll give ya a shout today somehow or other.

Trail Letter 14: 6/17 and 6/18

11.8 rainy miles today. After a very filling breakfast, I swept the dining area and bunkrooms for an hour and a half. All the guests had departed by the time I was free to go; a handful of them headed toward the next hut — Lakes of the Clouds — but had an hour plus head start. I was feeling great and ended up booking it to Lakes, and I passed all the guests on the way there. It was motivation.

1.5 miles after Lakes was the summit of Mt. Washington @ 6,288′. It’s the last time Ill be above 6k’ this hike. This section through the Whites is known as The Presidentials, as it’s a series of peaks named after presidents. Anyway, the top of Mt Washington is accessible both by car and short line railroad, and there’s a visitor center swarming with bikers and families on vacation. There’s also a little room, maybe 6′ x 8′ with a sign that says “Mt. Washington U.S. Post Office” and another one directly underneath that says “Closed until late June 2008″. So the two days of food I sent myself to that PO were looking hopeless, which would produce a less-than-ideal situation. However, after about 5 phone calls I learned that the package was at the Cog Railway Station at the base of the mountain, and I requested they bring it up on the next train. So after 3 hours, I scored the soggy package from the brakeman.

Mt. Washington supposedly sees “The Worst Weather in the World!” If you look at a weather pattern map, all the systems across the states converge here in the Whites. That mixed with the elevations produces a system of weather that is quite volatile and highly unpredictable.

When I left the mountain, it was drizzling steadily, so the rocks were soaked. I suppose it was foolish, but I couldn’t help speeding along the slippery path. I lose myself as a human, and become 4-legged (including trekking poles), non-thinking, constantly scanning quickly moving creature — it almost becomes a dance with the treacherous rocks, where sometimes a slip or fall reminds me of the real possibility of serious injury. But it doesn’t slow me down.

6/18

13.7 missed-the-thunderstorm miles today. The weather report for every day I’ve been in the Whites is “partly cloudy, chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon,” and I’ve found it to be quite accurate. The weather is the roof over my head now and I can do nothing to change it. I really don’t bother or care with or about the weather report — it seems like the most of the time it’s all lies anyway.

At any rate, I was able to head out early thanks to my completing my work last night. I had a pretty sweet job — give a talk about thru-hiking. It was mostly a question and answer session, but I’m constantly amazed at how interested and impressed people are with thru-hiking. While I was talking, a fox was running around outside. This morning, a weasel was putzin’ about. Lots of wildlife at the Madison Springs Hut!

Thanks to my early start, I arrived at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center quite literally seconds before the rain started falling. So I ate lunch and took a quick nap, and an hour and a half later the rain had stopped and I set out over Wildcat Ridge — a very steep series of climbs. It was a relief to arrive at the Carter Notch Hut, even though I made it there at about 5:30. They have no guests tonight, so I’m staying without working.

Trail Letter 14: 6/15 and 6/16

21.8 wet, slipper rock miles today — I awoke to a slight and intermittent rain and instantly closed my eyes, thinking, “Do I have enough food to zero here at the shelter?” On top of the rain’s adding levels of treachery, the clouds would steal any views I might encounter. But, after lolligagging around the shelter for way too long, I set out against the rain and clouds anyway.

The first top I made was at an AMC Hut. Scattered throughout the White Mountains is a series of huts, and although each hut is different, they all provide the same services. Three to six caretakers live in the huts and cook, clean, present info about the White, etc. They’re mostly college kids or fresh graduates: older and richer people stay here for $90/night, which isn’t too bad considering the location. This particular hut is nestled between two mountain ranges, and the views are phenomenal.

Anyway, the huts are known for 1. giving leftover food to thru-hikers and 2. allowing thru-hikers a work-for-stay, which is what I’m doing here. But the first hut I stopped at today was a buffet of leftover food — mashed taters, cornbread w/maple syrup, raspberry danishes, quiche, oatmeal, and cookies were about to be thrown to the compost pile had I not saved them — and there was still plenty more when I left!

Some stretches of Trail here are a steep as if climbing a ladder. mix that with lubricant like H2O and a lack of handholds and you’ve got instant fun! Every step must be somewhat calculated and fully deliberate; one wrong step can end my journey prematurely, as it did for Liquid. It’s almost like a mixture of rock-climbing and hiking — sometimes it’s a puzzle to figure how to progress.

But no injuries and only a few slips/falls, so I made it OK. As for the clouds, as soon as I crested the ridgeline they began to roll away — which in itself was amazing — revealing the mountains’ splendor.

6/16

21.1 hazy miles today. Although I saw a few views, I was experiencing the Whites in their most common dress — cloudy. Actually this morning I awoke to a sea of clouds with island-mountaintops poking through — it looked just like a group of islands in the ocean, except the blue ocean water is thick white. I saw the same phenomenon in the Smokies, but with far fewer peaks.

This morning, some of the hut patrons began asking me about my thru-hike. Two of them (writer and photographer) were doing a piece for Budget Travel (I think) magazine. The photographer took my picture and the writer my info so maybe I’ll be famous soon… One guy took my picture with his i-Phone and immediately e-mailed it to me on the spot. Ahh, the wonders of technology.

The hut I’m staying at tonight has a very friendly “croo”. Actually, 3 of them are gone now — they’ve gone to steal road signs and other trophies from other huts. It’s a game they play. This jumping from hut to hut is really nice — this morning, all I had to do was sweep for an hour and fold a few blankets, and I got 2 very filling meals and warm, dry place to sleep.

Trail Letter 14: 6/13 and 6/14

20.0 Friday the 13th miles today. My stroke of bad luck came around mile 10. A good section of Trail was more mud than dirt, and many of the mud bridges, aka puncheons, were old, broken, and/or unstable. One particular bridge was just a 1 x 4, maybe 12′ long, laid on the mud. With a Take5 bar in one hand and the trekking poles in the other, I placed my foot on the board, followed by my weight, followed by the board tilting and throwing me into the mud. Luckily only one leg went in — but it went in deep! I almost cried because I had on a new pair of socks, but the end of the 20 miles brought me to…

The Hikers Welcome Hostel. A cozy bunkhouse with shower, laundry, internet, guitar, and a score of movies and music. It’s actually fairly crowded — Little Miss Sunshine, Mockingbird, myself, Hurricane, One-Flop, Stride, Waterbear, and Stormin’ Norman are all sharing this wonderful space. I just exited the shower, and this hot sun on my back is a treat — as are these pants in my maildrop.

I had my tent, warmer sleeping bag, and other winter gear here, because tomorrow I enter the highly esteemed White Mountains. Finally I’ll get to try out my new and improved trail legs on some 6000′ peaks! I’ve heard so many praises for the Whites that I’m expecting something miraculous — tomorrow I’ll find out!

6/14

17.0 vertical but beautiful miles today. I came out of the gates with a 3500′ climb straight up Mt. Moosilauke. The view at the top was nothing short of spectacular and moved me very much. I now understand why the Whites have the reputation they do. They’re majestic.

The miles here are much more taxing — the Trail doesn’t mess around with switchbacks or skirting around mountains. My knees feel like a retired 80 year old kangaroo’s. I’d like to do over 20 miles tomorrow, so hopefully sleep will fix me.

In the shelter tonight with Stormin’ Norman, Waterbear, and Stride. Camping here are 5 kids from Northwestern University in Boston. Two of the guys are Civil Engineers (well, majoring in it).

Today’s trek has reduced me to basic senses and thoughts, so that’s why this isn’t interesting today.

Trail Letter 14: 6/11 and 6/12

11.3 relaxing miles today. After a morning shower and the rest of the delicious cookies for breakfast, I lazily scuffled down the street to the General Store for breakfast 2, a breakfast burrito. Did what felt to be an easy 10 to Hanover, NH, the home of Dartmouth College. Picked up my two new pairs of socks (yay!), a new t-shirt, and some food in my mail drop. Thanks, Mom!

In town, I ran into Stride (not Strides), Spencer “One-Flop”, and Hurricane. Spencer and Hurricane are both from N GA, so it’s nice to hear some Southern accent. They haven’t seen many thru’s for a while, so the excitement of someone new is still in the air. We did .8 miles outta town and have been chilling at this shelter.

I’ve decided to slow down — no more 25+ days. I’m entering a beautiful section of Trail, and I don’t want this journey to end too soon..

Oh yeah, today I exited VT and entered… New Hampshire! 2 states left!

6/12

21.9 pollen miles today. In rays of sunshine, I can see the hundreds of yellow pollen particulates floating everywhere. Last night, I couldn’t sleep for quite a while because every time I closed my eyes, they began hurting and I started tearing up, I think because of the pollen. Today, my lung capacity was about half of normal, and that gave climbing mountains an added level of difficulty, but I was able to climb 23-2400′ without stopping.

The lesser miles today gave me more leisure time, which I’ve all but forgotten how to spend. Hiked most of the day with One Flop and Hurricane, and we took lots of breaks. The weather was quite perfect — probably 60s with a slight breeze… no chafing today! My new socks feel like heaven with every step, and I’ve stored a pair in a ziplock so I’ll always have dry socks.

This shelter is located smack-dab on top of Smarts Mountain, and there exists a fire tower a mere feet away with views of the White Mountains and other VT/NH mountains… it’s superb. I’m about to watch the sun set, so that’s it for now.

Trail Letter 13: 6/9 and 6/10

30.1 feelin’ fabulous miles today. I think the calories from the pizza helped a ton, cause my body didn’t feel tired at all today! What a wonderful non-feeling! I hiked from sunup to sundown – from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Early in the miles was a 2000 foot climb, and after it I could tell how much endurance I’ve built. I was surprised when i finally reached the summit – “This can’t be it!”

The weather was mostly perfect until it turned hellatiously hot. It was overcast the entire climb of the first peak, but Mr. Sun came back out at about noon to roast everything. But I was ok with that, I mean, the next 10 miles is downhill, right? Wrong.

The last 5 miles included a super-mega-ultra-steep climb of I don’t know how far. Perhaps it wasn’t even that steep, but I can say without a doubt that today is the hardest I’ve ever physically pushed myself. My body wanted to cry, literally, when I finally topped out, but could find no tears – only a wave of emotion/adrenaline/exhaustion. I was on the verge of passing out, and had to sit and rest 4 different times. I was lightheaded, dizzy, and essentially brain-dead for at least 2 miles after the climb. It’s a funny feeling when you feel your consciousness slipping away, and no matter how hard you try to keep it, there’s nothing you can do. So I’ve never been this happy to see a shelter before. I’m a little disappointed that no one else is here, but it makes sense as the Long Trail and the AT diverged today.

Tonight’s dinner is the pasta the Jews gave me. Yummy!

6/10

26.3 steady miles today. Because of the relentless heat, I decided to take uphills at a much slower and steadier pace to avoid overheating. I coupled that with drinking way more H2O than I felt like drinking, and the miles were quite enjoyable!

I steamed by two older guys without chatting, and later found out they were the “TN Two”. I also met a brave backpacker – I call him brave because he’d never been out before, and this first trip of his was a 60 miler! He was just out of college with an architectural engineering degree and had a week or so to kill before moving to D.C. for a job. Cool guy.

I met a girl, Katie, 3 nights ago who said her mom enjoys being helpful to thru-hikers, and they live on the Trail in West Hartford, VT. So I decided I’d try to “yogi” a place to stay and some cookies… I went to talk to Cheryl, her mom, who offered me a place to set up the poncho-tarp, as well as mentioning she was gonna bake the cookies tomorrow (’cause that’s when Katie told her I’d be by). I said thanks and walked across the road to a deli. While I was eating a sandwich, a guy told me his neighbor bunked hikers – and considering the nasty storm that was about to roll through, I was eager to find a place with a roof to stay. So I went down to Randy’s house and woke him from his nap so he could show me the bunk. It was the attic of his barn/garage, and it was very hot up there. As he was showing it to me, Thatcher, the neighbor (guy in deli) yelled to us that he had plenty of room, too. And it was much cooler. So I crashed at his place. He lives there with his wife Julie and 3 roommates (big house). They fed me (2 suppers tonight!) some wonderful pasta and wine, showered me, and let me use the dryer. Later in the evening, Randy came by with cookies Cheryl had baked and delivered to him for me – they were the best cookies I’ve had yet on the Trail – by far! Hooray for Trail Magic!!!

I just did the math, and to finish on July 8th (even 4 months), I need to do about 16 miles per day – I think it’s time to slow down – no more 30 milers. At least I’ll try…

Trail Letter 13: 6/8

27.7 3-month-anniversary miles today. That’s right, today makes 92 days of living in the “wilderness”. I’ve been chatting with a fellow (21-22ish) here at the shelter – it’s nice because he’s not much of a conversationalist, so there haven’t been many wasted word. Oftentimes, I’ve found that by explaining an idea, thought, philosophy, etc. to another, I’m really just realizing it – as if all the piecemeal thoughts I have on the topic are finally forced to be assimilated and presented as a logical whole. These conversations often help me realize traits or qualities (over and extended period of time) that I have failed to see because of immersion in “now-ness”.

One such quality about this journey that my conversation has made apparent is my shifted home-perspective. The words used to be a leisure place, and civilization was “the real world”. For the first month or two of this adventure, this still held true – going back to the Trail was like holding my breath, and entering town was like taking a breath. Now, I see that has switched. The comforts of civilization are still very, well, comfortable, but my perspective has shifted in a very real way – now the Trail lifestyle is home, is how I live. This is purely an experience, and although I can convey the concept through words, the experience itself must be realized individually.

The heat beat me up again today – but when I arrived at the shelter, my mind was worn out from keeping pushing my body through the fire, and my body was worn out from being in the fire, so when I sat on the shelter steps I was in a very unique state of clarity and being, which made trekking through the fire worth every step.

Trail Letter 13: 6/5, 6/6, and 6/7

30.2 phooey-on-the-USPS miles today. My mail drop still wasn’t here this morning – apparently I walk faster than they drive… but it’s not a huge deal; I just had it forwarded again – although I was very much looking forward to 2 new pairs of socks…

After the first 10 miles, I saw a Jeep that looked very familiar parked beside an ice-cream shop along the Trail – it was Trail Angel Tom whose house I’d crashed at yesterday. He had brought me news that my package still wasn’t at the Dalton P.O., as well as a sandwich for lunch. He also let me use his phone to get my package situation worked out. A very kind man.

Also today I ascended my first 3000 footer since VAC(?). It’s been a while; that’s for sure. The view was marvelous, though, and my 19-16 pack didn’t weigh me down too much…

A few miles later was a road crossing, and I needed a resupply so I walked to Stop and Shop (I think it’s called). They had the best prices I’ve seen since down South – Clif Bars = $1 regular price, and lots of sale items I picked up. They also had a salad bar, but the price per .lb wasn’t listed. I figured it couldn’t be too expensive, so I filled up a container – the salad cost $4/lb and I paid $13 for mine… You do the math to figure out how many lbs of salad I ate. In the store, a guy came up to me – “You a thru-hiker?” My pack was in my buggy and I was wearing my beard and hat, so I thought, “What a silly question…” Anyway, it was Chris, a guy whose shelter entries I’ve been reading, so it was good to finally meet him. He’s going to a job interview for 3 days, so he’s off the Trail for a little while.

Bye-bye MA – Hello, Vermont! Crossed state lines an hour or two ago! It was late in the day – nighttime actually – and I thought I had missed the shelter turnoff. So I backtracked 1/2 mile but still couldn’t find it, so I figured I’d just go a little farther and try to stealth camp somewhere… and about 1 mile from where I turned around, I saw the sign saying “Seth Warner Shelter” – don Juan’s an idiot!

6/6

25.9 misty miles today. The fog was so thick all day that it was quite impossible to make a guess at the time of day. It was very weird not knowing if it’s 11 a.m. or 6 p.m. The fog has its trade-offs – although I had absolutely no view on the 3700′ peak today, I stayed cool on the hike there – and bug free!

I awoke to a downpour this morning, but I just pulled my sleeping bag tighter and thought, “Hah! I win this time, rain!” But before too long, I was trudging in soaked feet/socks/boots. So once again, as always, the rain go the best of me. The storm also caused me a late start, so I didn’t get as many miles as I’d hoped. But after 9 miles of uphill, a “short 25″ is appreciated. I’m about 5 miles behind Strides, a thru-hiker known for his big mileages.

I’ve seen a lot of folk since yesterday – the A.T., for 100 miles, at least, in VT is also the first 100 miles of “The Long Trail” – a 250ish mile trail spanning the length of VT, and its northern terminus is the Canadian border. In the shelter tonight are two SOBO AT hikers that started in New Hampshire.

My bandana smells like Valley Video (next to Piggly Wiggly) used to…

6/7

27.7 steamy miles today. I was on the Trail by 6:45 to avoid the heat, but it found me anyway. The climb of the day was 1800′ to almost a 4000′ summit. I climbed it with ease – at the top I thought, “That was it?” But then the heat set in, and I hiked the next 10 miles in a daze – you know that feeling where you kinda zone out in extreme heat? A thermometer said it was 80 degrees in the shade. I drank plenty of electrolyte-infused H20 to combat it. Tomorrow’s supposed to be hotter – I can’t wait!

I passed a lady and her son who (she) just completed a section hike today – completing the AT. It’s not a very exciting section to finish on, but finishing seemed to be exciting in itself.

Pen just ran out of ink. Blah.

I didn’t plan on it, but I ended up hitching into town for a resupply and some pizza. Some interesting folk here at the shelter tonight. Strides got off the Trail for tonight – his uncle lives nearby. So I passed him but never saw him. Probably will tomorrow…

Gorham, N.H.

Well, my dessert is halfway finished, and I’m taking a zero (or two ) to let it settle. Actually, my knees are loving the time off.

The White Mountains are nothing short of breath-taking. You’ll discover a little more about them through the journals coming up in a week or so, but (like everything I’ve written about) the words will do them absolutely no justice.

One hiking day from now, I’ll be in Maine, the final state and the most wild and desolate one as well. I’ve found that I can’t slow down my pace–I can only take more zeroes. Like all thru-hikers at this point, I’ve got a routine. This reminds me of a situation I heard from a guy I met in Nicaragua named Toby–he was doing some Peace Corps work in Africa, in a village where the women had to walk many dangerous miles each day to gather sticks to cook dinner. One of Toby’s jobs was to show the women a new and more efficient stove that required a third of the wood. So now the women only needed to make the dangerous trek once every three days! Sounds great, right?

Well, the women would absolutely not use the stoves. When I first heard this, I was dumbfounded. But now that I live a “simple” life, I understand completely. I know my role, my job. Each minute of my day is related to and is itself my “work.” If the village women used the efficient stoves, how would they live the extra time it afforded? Just like they, I am quite content doing what I do, and have no use for “extra” time.

It’s amazing–the lifestyle the Trail allows and necessitates. I live in a manner very few (as of late, at least) Americans experience. The most valuable lessons are realizations-understandings that change the way I think, behave, and exist-that cannot be given through words or pictures. Mostly, they are always “common sense” that finally becomes clear through repeated experiences. I have a hard time believing that the human can learn (as in change his lifestyle, his reactions to situations) any other way than the hard way–falling, contemplating why, standing back up, and moving on.

I get many questions about the Trail-What was the hardest part? Why did you start the Trail? Which part did you like the best? etc. In truth, the answer to any of these “opinion” questions doesn’t really exist–for I simply walk and experience, not judge.

I may not have any more live update opportunities, or I may not take them once I reach Maine. Thanks to everyone who has supported me through calls, comments, letters, and prayers throughout this journey. I hope this trek has revitalized you in some way, and I hope you understand that no matter where you are or what actions you’re engaged in, Life is about living, so you can enjoy and find solace in even the simplest of duties.

I’ll be posting my Katahdin picture in a few weeks! Until then, I did just upload another album’s worth of photos, and Bigfoot updated his bloggity-blog.