Maine Really IS Beautiful

We woke up this morning and it wasn't really raining so we headed out hoping the rain would hold as long as possible. We climbed Saddleback Mountain, and as we climbed, clouds started to surround us. We were so bummed. 

But then, as we started to get off Saddleback, the clouds started to thin. 

We had heard how beautiful Maine was, but due to our recent weather, I couldn't see it myself. It turns out, they were right!

We hiked 19.9 miles today and we're staying in an abandoned ski chalet on top of Sugarloaf Mountain. It's got some awesome views too!

Also, we don't always get incredible food. We really do cook cheap pasta sides. 

Walkin in the rain

If you wanna walk to Maine you gotta walk in the rain. Well we already made it to Maine and it is still raining. The trail is basically a mud lake. But we are doing it! We made it to Rangley today and got in to resupply and eat. I was running low in food the past couple days, so by the time I got to town my food bag was completely empty. That made these lobster rolls so satisfying. 

Gotta love those Maine lobsters. 

We have been running into a bunch of southbound hikers which has been fun talking to them. 

We got a sweet hitch into town. A lady had to go to a wedding in an hour, but she still gave us a ride! As we were hitching, Ayce said, "I'm feeling this one," and sure enough, that lady picked us up. It was awesome!

 Also we have had to ford a few rivers. We are heading back to the trail tonight.

Welcome to Maine

We've walked from Georgia to Maine! 

Two nights ago we stayed at Gentian Pond Shelter. Then yesterday morning we left at 6:45 to make our way over to Maine. After the 5 miles to Maine, we walked about 6 more miles to Mahoosuc Notch, the most time consuming 1.2 miles on the AT. The 11 miles we did before it though, had to have been the hardest and most stretch we've done on the AT. It's been raining every afternoon for the past few days which made the rocks and roots that cover the trail super slippery. Many times we would had to walk either up or down a slanted rock face. About 300 yards before the Maine border, my shoes completely lost there grip and I went airborne but fortunately landed on my backpack. I thought I wasn't gonna make it. 

We all made it to Mahoosuc Notch though to take on the longest mile of the AT. Michael, Ayce, Chino, and I all did it together so it ended up taking us 2 and a half hours with about a 10 minute break. It was so much fun! We had to navigate our way over and under boulders. Sometimes we would have to take off our packs to fit through cracks. To make more interesting, the rocks were really slick, and it rained some. At one point, it started to pour, but thankfully the trail took us underneath a big boulder, so we just waited it out for ten minutes. Another cool thing about the notch was that in some lower places, it was probably 20 degrees cooler and there was ice! It felt great. 

Many times we had to use our arms and hands to get us through the notch. That was a nice change. 

We ended up only doing 12.3 miles yesterday, but it was fun and we survived. 

We've now walked over 1,900 miles and have less than 280 miles to go to make it to Katahdin!

This morning we woke up to rain, but it soon stopped and after a few hours the sun came out! We climbed Speck and Baldpate Mountains and it has been beautiful. We are going to try and get 23 miles in today to make up for yesterday and take advantage of this good weather. 

Last Day in the Whites

We did a short day over the five Wildcat peaks today. Fortunately the rain held off. It was partly cloudy and really windy. We saw some cool views of Mt. Washington and the Presidentials, but the clouds never really lifted above them. 

We headed over to the Carter Notch Hut where we got ate lunch, got some 2 day old bread, and one of the crew members played the banjo for us. 

We met about 7 southbounders today. It's kind of weird to see other thru-hikers going the wrong direction. Also, my other trekking pole broke today. It got wedged in the ground and snapped. I guess the 1,500 miles put on it have weakened it. Hopefully I can get them fixed in Gorham tomorrow. 

Ayce went on to Gorham tonight to watch the Bruins, but Michael and I are here with Chino and a southbounder at Imp Shelter. 

Up in the clouds

Yesterday we woke up at the hut and decided to stick around for breakfast and chores in hopes that the clouds would lift. Well by 9 it was the same so we just left and started climbing Mt Washington, the tallest mountain in New England and the only one over 6000 feet. We got to the top and there were big winds and zero visibility. 

There is a visitors center at the top because it is such a popular mountain, which was so weird because all sorts of people could drive up or take a train up and were just sitting at the top of this huge mountain that we just climbed. We heard comments like "Look the actually hiked up here!" The way down was very rocky, wet, and steep. We all took a couple spills, but Matt had a bad one and it broke one of his hiking poles unfortunately.  We had to come over Mt. Madison and were on an exposed ridge when a thunderstorm rolled in. So we booked it as fast as we could over the rock scrambles to try to get below tree line but we didn't exactly make it in time. The rest of the day we got poured on too. 

But luckily we were able to get a bunk and get dry here at Pinkam Notch and today we are going to keep hiking in the rain!

Great Service

Last night we weren't able to work for stay at the Zealand Hut so we stealth camped about a quarter of a mile farther down the trail. Unfortunately three section hikers lied and said they were thru-hikers so they could work for stay. They said they were doing a big section. They started in Glencliff (we left there Wednesday morning). It was frustrating that they took our opportunity to stay in the hut especially since we did 10 more miles than them, but it's alright. It all worked out. 

Today's been great! We got to Crawford Notch at ten this morning where one of Ayce's friends, Paul, met us. He brought a bunch of things for us to eat and drink including ice cream! He then drove Ayce, Michael, and Chino to a store to resupply while I stayed back and watched everyone's stuff. I did my best to stay mosquito free. Thanks so much Paul for all your help! That was some incredible trail magic!

We then started the hard part of the day. We climbed up Mt. Webster and then started to go through some of the Presidentials. We were at Mizpah Hut and there was a chance of rain and thunderstorms, but we decided to push to Lakes of the Clouds Hut. It was clearing up a little and luckily it pretty much held off. We saw some pretty sweet views, and we were able to get work for stay tonight! We basically sat around and waited for all the guests to eat; then we ate as much turkey and mashed potatoes as we wanted! Then the crew told us they had no work for us. So now we got free food and a warm, dry place to sleep!

Hopefully tomorrow morning will be clear for Mt. Washington!

P.S. Andrew says hi and TA. 

Great day to be alive

Today has been amazing. We have had perfect weather and have hit the most beautiful stretch of trail on the whole AT yet. This morning we woke up and did Franconia Ridge, which was all above tree line. 

Then we climbed Mt. Garfield. 

And now we are sitting on South Twin Mnt. 

It has just been an incredible day. We are heading down to Zealand Falls Hut to try and work-for-stay so we will hopefully have a place to sleep tonight. Last night we stealth camped around Liberty Spring.

BIG Miles

Yesterday we started our day off with Mt. Moosilauke. It was a long 4,000 foot climb, but the views from the top were incredible. 

The climb down from Moosilauke was steep and treacherous, but we made it. There was a waterfall too!

We only did 16.8 miles, but it was a pretty long day. We got to bed at a reasonable time (before sunset), but a section hiker we all passed showed up late (also before sunset) and then kept us all up with his snoring. 

This morning we climbed up Kinsman. It was a pretty steep climb but definitely worth it for the views of the Whites. 

We then ventured down the mountain to Lonesome Lake Hut where we heard there were some leftover pancakes, but when we got there, there was only one pancake left. The hut master told us that Mountain Goat had come through a little earlier and ate a dozen of them. Thanks Mountain Goat. 

Now we're sitting in a McDonald's in Lincoln, NH. We had to go into Lincoln to resupply. We weren't sure we would be able to get a hitch because the road was busy, but with less than 2 minutes of Ayce holding his thumb out, we got a ride! The lady who gave us a ride is super nice! She took us to the grocery store and is even gonna take us back to the trail in a little bit! Thank you so much Pam! This has to be the best hitch we've gotten!

We'll go back to the trail later to finish our big 11.5 mile day. New Hampshire's been great! Hoping this incredible weather continues throughout the rest of the Whites!

Christmas Eve

Today we made it to Glencliff, NH with an easy 20 mile day. It was a good day with a few afternoon showers. But we are excited tonight because tomorrow we will get into the White Mountains! This has been the most looked forward to section for me, because it is supposed to be the most scenic. It will be tough though, tomorrow we start off by climbing Mt. Moosilauke which is our first 4000 ft climb. Look for our pictures because the next week should be awesome. We got a couple packages here, which was great. Thanks Mimi and Pops for the dinners and snacks and thanks Mr. Godbee for the larabars and gatorade! We love all the food and it is just what we needed.

Tonight we are at the Hiker Welcome Hostel with Mountain Goat, Ayce, and Chino.

New Hampshire...dang

We got a late start today because we had to tear up the continental breakfast in Hanover, and Michael had to pick up a package from the post office. Thank you Blanchards!

We were excited to be in New Hampshire, and although we've still got a couple days before the Whites, this state has been awesome! This morning we passed by some of Dartmouth before heading up Moose Mountain. We ended our 23.3 mile day today going up a couple 1000 foot climbs to the top of Smarts Mountain. We're staying at the old fire warden's cabin. 

The mountain in the distance is Smarts. It's crazy that we cover all that distance in a day. 

Before getting to the shelter though, we passed by these signs...

We had to meet Bill. Ayce, Michael, Chino, and I were all there at the same time so we had ice cream and played a round of croquet. Chino bought a Mountain Dew for the winner and thanks to my previous croquet experience, I got the Mountain Dew. 

It was a great stop with Bill, and boy is he a character. After stopping at his place we headed up Smarts to see probably the best view on the AT up to this point. We got to the fire tower at the perfect time of day. 

This is why I love being out here. Man does God paint a beautiful picture!

We can't wait for the Whites! Hopefully the weather will continue to be good, and we'll have more spectacular views. 

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. We hope you enjoy today as much as we will!

Yesterday we got on the trail early at 6:10 for what should probably be our last big day. Chino left an hour before us, and Ayce, Michael, and I hiked together. It could not have been a more perfect day. There were no clouds in the sky and it wasn't too hot. I guess Vermont gave us some good weather after all. 

We took a lot of breaks throughout the day and we even stopped by a deli and got ice cream. It wasn't an easy day though. There was a ton of climbing and descending we had to do, but the last two miles was road walking, and the there was trail magic sitting on the trail for the first time since probably Virginia! We then ended our 26.3 mile hiking day in Hanover, NH. The trail goes right through the Dartmouth campus and they were having reunion weekend. It was really weird to see so many people. We probably looked like homeless people or at least Chino did. 

We met Bonbon and Norm there, who took us in for the night! They are Michael's neighbor's relatives and they have been so hospitable. We went back and they grilled out and there was a bunch of family over to watch the Bruins game, and we had a great time. Everyone was so friendly and curious about our hike. They also kept feeding us steak, chicken, salad, pie, and ice cream! We probably ate at least three pounds of food apiece! They were incredibly nice to let us join them!

We're taking a zero today in Hanover which we're all really excited about. We'll begin the hardest, but most rewarding last 2 states tomorrow!

Don't call it a comeback

I am sorry to everyone about the past few posts. I was feeling sick lately so Matt didn't let me touch his phone, so he has been writing the latest posts. But I'm feeling better and I'm back so now you can start reading the posts again. Today was a great day. The forecast was for rain, but it never happened! This was our first full day without rain since the 6th I think. I can't remember what it is like to have dry shoes and sock. And wouldn't you know, Vermont is pretty beautiful. 

We took a side trail to Killigton, VT this morning to a deli, which was a great decision. We took our time all day because we only did 21.8 today. Chino promised us that we won't have to do another day over 24, which would be really nice. 

You know, out here some days it is harder to hike than others. Some days can be miserable, if the weather doesn't cooperate or if the hiking is hard. But every day I remind myself how lucky I am to be out here, hiking everyday, getting to enjoy God's amazing mountains. I love the simple life. I wake up with the sunrise and go to be with the sunset. I breathe the fresh mountain air all the time. I don't have to worry about studying or tests or working or anything like that. I hike all day and have company with friends along the way. And we have made it over 1700 miles on the AT which still feels unreal to me. Life is good.