Hello Vermont!! (Mile 445)

Wow... I made it through The Whites all in one piece. I was even blessed with good weather and incredibly smooth terrain for the last couple of days. It was certainly a challenging stretch but a rewarding one that part of me is already missing.

After Pinkham Notch I climbed over Mt. Madison and got to sleep on the floor of an AMC hut and eat like a king in exchange for doing some dishes. It feels great to work for something necessary and tangible rather than to stockpile money for some possible future purpose (or some past purpose that hasn't quite worked out yet like a college degree). The stretch after the hut was amazing - 13 miles or so of ridgeline over Mt. Washington, the tallest peak on the east coast, along with some other 5000 footers.

Luckily I got through the toughest parts before getting stuck with some rainy days. It was raining with strong winds through most of the Pemi Wilderness and I felt like I was going to get blown off of Mt. Guyot. It can be a little sucky to work so hard climbing a peak just to be socked in with fog and rain, but such is life in New England sometimes. At least it is an adventure.

Yesterday I walked into Hanover, NH (the trail cuts right through downtown) and I have been taking advantage of the trail magic here. It's off the hook. I am staying with two trail angels named Betsy and Grey Beard who are definitely some of the most generous people I have met in my life. They let Sagacious (Craig) and I stay with them for two nights, did our laundry, and gave us a ride. In town we got free donuts and pizza, not to mention all of the free samples at the farmers market. All that we have been asked to do in exchange is to pay it forward in the future. The people we have met on the trail are like the people at our church - they not only recognize that people should be living differently and treating each other differently - they actually take action on their beliefs and make differences in the world.

I have to take more pictures of the trail over the next couple of days. It's unbelievable how much easier it has gotten. Pine needle paths, switchbacks, and miles without elevation gain or loss are finally daily occurences. Life is good.

Rained out in Gorham (mile 319)

I'm in town sooner than anticipated this time because of the rain. Yesterday every hiker that passed me suggested taking a zero day today because there was a 100% chance of rain in the forecast and tough terrain ahead. It was a good excuse to sit around the Pinkham Notch vistor center reading and eat too much food.

I had a great hike over the past couple of days - over Mt. Moriah and across the Carter and Wildcat mountains. I slept on top of North Carter and got to watch the sun rising over a sea of clouds. The mountaintops looked like they were floating in a thick white soup.

Tomorrow I'm back on the trail. I am climbing Mt. Madison and heading down over Adams, Jefferson, and Washington. Hopefully I get some views and I'm not just shrouded in clouds the whole time. One of the unfortunate things about having a timeline is that I can't wait around too long for a clear day to hike. As long as there is no thunder or heavy rain I will keep climbing.

I just got back from a few days off to see my lovely friend Nicole get married. It was really great to see my family and have lunch with my friends Sarah and Bronson. My only regret is not seeing my dad before I left. I couldn't be here if it weren't for him and I hope we get to hike together in the future.

Taking some time off was awesome because I am hiking with a new group of Southbounders now. My favorite SOBOs Campfire and Young Guns are slightly ahead of us but we saw some fresh faces in the past couple of days so hopefully we won't be camping alone.

Greetings from NH (mile 300)

My first state is done!! So long Maine! It's a little sad - the people there were incredible and from what I gather it's definitely the most wild state (very few roads and small isolated trail towns) - but I'm proud of my accomplishment.

The southernmost 20 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maine are rumored to be some of the hardest. I don't doubt it! The trail goes up a mountain, all the way back down to nearly sea level, then back up again. My knees were killing me. I ended Maine with Mahoussic Notch, involving a steep decent down Old Speck Mountain and a mile of scrambling over boulders and through narrow caves. Even the last 0.5 of Maine was difficult. There was a big rock wall to climb right at the end.

I am on a never ending quest to lighten my pack weight. I have sent home a lot of things and am down to what I think are just the basics. I'm even ripping pages out of my book as I read them but it still seems too heavy after I ressuply on food. It's a learning process. I keep getting tips from people as I talk to them.

I am having a little trouble uploading pictures and was waiting to post an entry until I could figure it out but internet access is rare so I can only do a few for now.