What's the Main Thing About Maine?

As we were hiking through the great state of Maine, Jeremy started to ask people, "What's the main thing about Maine?" The responses varied. The most common being roots and rocks or the mountains devoid of switchbacks. That question lingered with me though. As I sat on the flight back to our home state of Arkansas, I pondered it deeply. The main about Maine to me was that it was the beginning to such a long anticipated end.

Let's rewind to when we crossed over the border from New Hampshire into the wild and wet state of Maine. We were greeted with a weathered sign announcing our entrance into our LAST state on the Appalachian Trail. We finally made it. So much effort exerted, and alas we've entered our final state. That being said, we still had a solid 280 plus miles of the most rugged, wilderness terrain left. Since we stayed at a shelter just a half-mile past the NH/ME border that evening, the next morning was our first full day of Maine. It was a long, strenuous 11 hours of hiking and only making it 16.5 miles. That's an average of 1.5 mph, which set the record for our lowest daily average speed of the trail. Hands down, it was the most difficult day on the trail. The first five miles took us THREE HOURS. Those five miles were plagued with short yet brutal 250-500 ft. climbs straight up and down wet granite slabs. It was equivalent to climbing up a slip and slide lathered with oil.

The afternoon terrain followed like a evil twin to the morning. We went through the Mahoosic Notch which is infamous for being the most difficult mile on the whole A.T. That proved to be nothing less than true. The Mahoosic was 1.1 miles of scrambling up, over, and thru 5-12 ft. boulder formations while lugging our 25-30lb packs. Initially, it was an adrenaline rush similar to the feeling you get at the beginning of a big race, but after 20 minutes or so my arms grew weary from constantly hoisting over the maze of rock formations. With all that said, we made it through in a whopping 1 hour 25 minutes which turned out to be a bit faster than average. We had some leisurely fun with it though--taking pictures and videos as we pleased. When the end of that prolonged mile came to sight, we were so relieved we stopped at a nice campsite and had lunch. 

After lunch, we climbed the Mahoosic Arm. It proved to be minorly difficult, and a lot easier going up than it would be going down. By the time we got to the road crossing 13 miles from where we originated that day, it was 6:30 p.m. We had the option to head into town to enjoy the luxuries of showering and sleeping indoors, but we were adamant to stick with our original plan and make it to the shelter only 2.5 miles away. Acorn and Lucky B were at the road crossing when we got there, but they gave in to the town's appealing amenities. We pushed on and headed up another 1000 ft climb making it to the shelter just before dark. Little did we know that would be the last time we would see Acorn and Lucky B on the trail. 

The next day was the beginning of thunderstorms almost every evening until the end of our journey. We would arrive at a shelter around 5:30- 6:00 p.m., and deliberate whether or not to stay. Thankfully, we succumbed to yearn for rest, and low and behold a downpour released into the night. We presumed this was the reason behind Maine's corroding footpath to Katahdin.

As we had come to experience, the terrain in Maine was the worst yet. If you were to take the most arduous parts of each trail state and compact them, you might receive a fraction of Maine. There were some easy sections though, and trust me we did not take those for granted. One day going into Rangely, Maine, we we were running terribly low on food. We rationed to the best of our ability, but when the day came for us to resupply we were ten miles from town and had only five granola bars between the two of us. Thank God the terrain was relatively level because when you're ascending a mountain and you're hungry, you're stomach literally feels like it's eating itself. 

When we arrived at the road crossing for Rangely, we started to hatch a plan on how we'd get into town. This particular town was 10 miles to the east of where we were at. The further from the trail a town is, the harder it is to get a ride. Our options were limited to calling a shuttle, asking a day hiker for a hitch, or (my personal least favorite) standing next to the road and sticking out the good ole thumb. 

However, today was our special day. When we arrived to the trail there was family coming back from their day hike heading towards their vehicle. A lady named Lois, her son, and future daughter-in-law were our Trail Angels for the day. They offered us a ride into town and the five of us packed into a Nissan Altima and cruised the easy 10 miles to town. On our way, Lois offered to take us back to her vacation cabin and eat some of their extra food. We eagerly excepted the generous offer. If there is one thing we have learned at that point in the hike, it is not to ever turn down exceptional offers like that. But wait....it gets better. She offered us the use of her washing machine and shower. Wow. The absolute kindness of strangers is almost too much sometimes! This was a total miracle. We wanted to take showers when we got to town but we couldn't stay the night because we hadn't hiked enough miles for the day, so we didn't really have any options other than to just resupply and hike out. That is, until we met this awesome family. The rest is about as good as any hiker could've dreamt. We showered, washed our clothes, and ate until our bellies were satisfied. And to tack a little cherry on the top of the experience, Lois offered to take us to the Market to get our resupply and wait for us to be done so she could take us back to the trail head. That was after she had packed us up with miscellaneous goods--granola, jelly, bars, leftover spaghetti, chocolate, ect.  What a glorious experience. We are forever grateful for the kindness of strangers. Thank you to Lois and her family!

The next couple days were filled with various ascents and descents through the boot eating state of Maine. We conquered the Saddleback Range and then our final "real" mountains as others would call them--the Bigelows. We caught up with some friends we hadn't seen since Harper's Ferry, and we knew we were just a day behind Buzz, Tandem, and Mio. 

At this point in the hike, we were evaluating who we would be summiting with on Katahdin. Who were the final faces of our Appalachian Trail thru-hike? Some of the people we met in the last 2-3 weeks were: Speedy, Impact, Chamomile and Coley, Fiver, Nemo, Go Far, Deep Blue, Harry, Big Spoon, and Toast. They were some of the coolest people that we had the pleasure to spend some time with before the end. 

After the Bigelows, the elevation did indeed flatten out, but the terrain was still very coarse. Roots, rocks, bogs, and river fordings, that was Maine's game for hikers. When we got to Monson, Maine-- the last trail town of the Appalachian Trail-- it all hit us. This was it. Our final trail town. Our final resupply. Our final hostel stay. Our final A.T. shower. Our final clothing wash. Our final town meal. Our final hot breakfast on the trail. There were so many "lasts" the nostalgic feeling was hard to detain. The only thing left was the 100 mile wilderness and summiting Mount Katahdin. At this point, we just wanted to be done. We had no desire to savor the journey any longer. Our bodies were beat. Our minds were drained.

We planned to stay the night in Monson at a hostel called "Shaw's", and embark on the wilderness first thing in the morning. We resupplied in Greenville, ate at the only restaurant in Monson, and bought our routine gallon of chocolate milk to finish off that evening. Around 4 in the morning, Jeremy woke me up and asked me to pray for him because he didn't feel well. I didn't think anything of it because we had gorged on food the night before like we usually do when we get to a trail town, so I figured it was just an extra full belly. But none-the-less, I prayed for him and dozed back off. When we woke again around 6:30 am, to pack up our belonging and head down to breakfast, Jeremy headed to the bathroom because he still wasn't feeling well. As I was waiting for him in the bedroom, I get a text from him, "HELP!!! I'm in the bathroom on the left." Needless to say, the rest of the day and into the afternoon consisted of me cleaning out the trash can full of regurgitated liquids, wetting cold wash clothes to comfort his feverish head, and coaching him into sipping Gatorade or water every 15 minutes. It was a long day to say the least, but we made it through. We reasoned that it was food poisoning because I never had any symptoms and we had shared everything minus the food he ate the day before. Putting the past behind, the next morning was a new day. Truly a testament to the Lord's mercies being new every morning.

The rest of the story is history. We made it through Maine's infamous wilderness, and also were reconnected with our friends Buzz, Mio, and Tandem. The last couple nights on the trail were quite nostalgic. We savored the last bit of the thru-hiking experience by stopping to pick the blueberries; making jokes about how filtering water, peanut butter, and pasta sides will be a haunting memory, and just genuinely enjoying the camaraderie of our fellow thru-hikers. On our last night, we met the acoustic duo, Big Spoon and Toast. They were thru-hikers who carried their fiddle and banjo almost the entire trail, and made for some entertaining camp nights. They were unique and talented guys to say the least. 

We celebrated our final night by sitting around the campfire listening to the music from Big Spoon and Toast and reminiscing the trail life memories. It was one of the best nights of the whole trail. At dusk, we all headed off to our final night of sleep on the A.T., each person giddy with the excitement of finishing this long journey yet anxious as to what the future holds. 

The next morning everyone woke around sunrise and we shared our last breakfast on the Appalachian Trail--pop tarts and protein bars. We swapped one another's itinerary for after summiting, and how our means of getting back home. Jeremy's parents were planing to pick us up, but they weren't going to be at Baxter State Park until the Thursday, August 21st, and we planned on summiting the day before that, so we didn't have much of a plan other than waiting. Thankfully, Buzz offered us a ride to the town of Millinoke where we could get a hotel until Jeremy's parents came. We were so grateful for that, otherwise we'd be sleeping in the woods one more night.

We started climbing Katahdin right before 8:00 am. The climb was worthy of being the grand finale of the Appalachian Trail. It started off steady and smooth, but that didn't last long. Before we knew it, we were climbing over slippery boulders yet again. We climbed about 3,500 ft. in three miles, and then the terrain leveled out for a mile or so. We only had one mile and 700 vertical ft. left until the glorious summit. After the last short scrabble of our Appalachian Trail career, we were greeted with applauses from Mio, Big Spoon, and Toast on the summit of Mount Katahdin. We passed 51 people going up the mountain, and there were at least that many on the summit. As I walked toward the weathered sign that I had seen so many times in pictures, I realized the simplicity before me. It wasn't anything like I had anticipated. There were no tears, no fireworks, no rainbows, or clapping monkeys. It was just us and 50 other people meandering on top of a mountain in the wilderness of Maine. I touched the sign and that was it. The official ending to our almost 5 month journey. 

We took our place with our fellow thru-hikers, and over the next hour our group grew from 6 to 11. We took turns taking pictures of one another with the rustic sign as our mascot. We sat around eating snacks while Big Spoon and Toast played some acoustics. The day hikers we passed up the mountain sprinkled in throughout the two hours we were on the summit. People congratulated us on the mighty accomplishment and we would humbly thank them knowing that it was only by the grace of God we could ever hope to finish something like this. Around 1:00 p.m., we decided to descend as a group. Buzz, Mio, Tandem, Big Spoon, Toast, Jeremy, and I filed down the mountain with hope in our hearts and sweet memories at our back. We snacked our last wild blueberries of the trail and trekked back down to the campground. The 4 month 20 day mission was complete, and we are now Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. We have reached the end to so many beginnings.

Miles!!!!!!

Last border crossing!

It's a grouse!

Would've been tough without the rebar.

Saddleback Range

Peekaboo views

One of the ways we cross creeks in Maine.

Sometimes you just have to booty scooch down the mountain.

This is our reward

Mahoosuc Notch. Yes, we had to maneuver over this terrain for over a mile.

One of Maine's beautiful lakes

When a shower isn't available...

View from the summit of Old Blue

Our "not so clear" filtered water

River crossing! 

The views were amazing

Trail Angels, Lois and her family!

Delicious meal she put together for us!

Saddleback Mountains. Not much of a view. 

Finally a view from Saddleback Junior!

2000-miles of walking!

Official 2000-mile marker!

The Bigelows!

A little A.T. Guide literature for the noggin

Our friendly ferryman over the Kennebec

The Kennebec River

Apologies and Summit Pictures

Friends, my deepest apologies for the delay in our final weeks of the Appalachian Trail blog posting. When we entered the rural but beautiful state of Maine, we were greeted with little to no service unless we were in a town or on top of a mountain. We decided to focus on finishing up the hike rather than taking valuable time to keep a constant update on our blog. The plan was to update it immediately after we summited the final mountain, Mount Katahdin; however, we were distracted with all obligations that came with re-entering society.

Also, it has become quite difficult to summarize the last crucial and final weeks of our journey. WE ARE DONE! FINISHED! THE END! NO MAS! WOOOHOO! We finished August 20, 2014. So many things happened. So many feelings were extracted. So many memories. How do you sum it all up in one post? Well, that is the current extended project for the moment.

Our first week back, we were able to visit most of our family, and gave them the opportunity to pick our brains. We are also back in the groove of serving at our church. Our first Sunday back we went straight to work by helping with the annaul "Mud Bowl" for students. It's a way to get students involved, have fun, and get a little dirty. Jeremy and I opted to avoid the mud as much as possible, since we've been playing in the mud for the last 4.5 months. The rest of the week was spent catching up with friends, playing at the lake, and dusting off our resumes. We have been on the job search. The first round of resumes being sent out, and onto the interviews!

This week we've been interviewing for jobs while continuing to send out our resumes. Jeremy and I are both excited to get back to work. Not that the trail wasn't work. Trust me, it was. The most difficult, labor intensive work I've personally experience. That is for certain. Our bodies yearn for challenge now. We went from hiking 20 plus miles a day to almost nothing. However, we have started bicycling every evening. This has been refreshing and rejuvenating. We look forward not only to spending the time with one another, but also to getting out and exploring without having to hike. We plan to get back into running, but our knees and feet are still recovering from the 2,100 plus miles we put them through. I hope to be conditioning again by next week.

Keep a lookout for the post about our final weeks on the A.T. We look forward to the weeks to come, and we will be sure to keep you updated with where we get jobs and such. Thank you for following!

 DONE!!!!!!!!!!!

 Summit Kiss!

 Friends! L to R: Ginger (Dawn), Gilligan (Jeremy), Buzz, Tandem, Mio

Our summit group of thru-hikers

Top L to R: Mio, Big Spoon, Deep Blue, Buzz, Coley, and Chamomile

Bottom L to R: Gilligan, Ginger, Tandem, and Toast

Day 121-127

7/29: Day 121

Comfort Inn-Galehead Hut

Total miles:13

Around 5:45 my alarm went off. One of the problems with staying at a hotel, especially one with breakfast, is getting back to the trail in a timely manner. We decided to make a concerted effort to break that cycle. It was awesome being the first one down to the food. Normally hotel continental breakfast are the morning equivalent to the Kentucky Derby as people jostle for position in line. By 9:00am we were walking the road to a good spot for a hitch. Little did we know we were going to run into our long time friends The Kallin's. As I started to throw up my thumb I heard a familiar call of my name. It was so awesome to see them. The last time we saw them was before my grandparents picked us up a month ago. They offered to give us a ride up to the trail, which was super convenient. 

The portion of trail today is one of the most anticipated by any thru-hiker. Franconia ridge, as it's called, was our first alpine ridge line of the whole trail. It truly lived up to its hype. During our time in PA and those other middle states we often had to do a lot of work climbing hills and would get no view. This climb was total different. After the 3000ft ascent all the burn of our efforts were forgotten and replaced with the majesty of the view we had. 

After lunch we only had 6-miles to go, but it took us nearly 6 hours to accomplish. When we arrived at the hut Dawn talked with the staff about getting a work for stay. This is where you do a little work for se food and a spot on the floor. Initially they declined but Dawn persisted and with the agreement that they didn't have to feed us, they let us stay. I've never been so thankful for a spot on the floor in my life. It's supposed to cool down to the 30's with gusting winds, and since I only have a 45f sleeping bag, I would have frozen outside all night. Life goes easy. 

7/30: Day 122

Galehead Hut-Lucky B's Dad's house

Total miles:15

We woke this morning having gotten a great nights sleep. Last night it dipped down pretty cold, but the hut was nice and warm. During breakfast Lucky B offered us a bed at his dad's place. He also said there would be steaks for dinner and bacon for breakfast. How could anyone turn that down?! 

We set off at a good pace. Getting to the Zealand Hut at 11:30am, which was 7 or so miles away. At that hut we caught up with some friends that have been ahead since our week off at the end of June. The huts will give hikers extra food if they have any. This hut had a tray full of little pancakes when we arrived and a couple other odds and ends left over from breakfast. When we left, they had no more extra food. The last miles after lunch was a breeze. The trail followed what we think to be an old rail road path. At 3:30pm we got to the road to be picked up and not 5 mins later here came Lucky B's dad. From the beginning he was extremely nice, he even put up with our noxious odor on the way to his house without complaint. The rest of the evening is a blur. We showered, watched tv, did laundry, ate the promised steaks, and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out cold. It was one of the better days of hiking in recent memory. 

7/31: Day 123

Lucky B's Dads house-Lake of the Clouds Hut

Total miles:14

I woke this morning having slept so comfortably my body felt legitimately rested. My walk downstairs resemble a 90's foldgers commercial. As I walked down each step the smell of coffee was in the air, and when I reached the source I was greeted by Lucky B's Dad extending a freshly poured cup. We both sat down and watched some news. Only reminding me how much I don't care for it. None the less, it was a smooth easy going time. We all gathered around the table around 6:30am to eat our bacon and toast. 

Today was yet another pristine day in the whites. The climb up was long, taking nearly 3-hours. When I say climb I really mean that we climbed at times. Most of it was steep walking, but the AT has a dark side that tends to route us up the steepest possible ascent, demanding we climb hand over foot. Each view, and we had many, during our ascent was reward enough. Around 12:00 we reached a hut conveniently placed for us to have lunch. We hung out for a while and talked with day hikers who seemed to have a never ending amount of questions about our quest. Hopefully with all the information we shared they too will embark on a thru-hike. 

On our way up to our final hut of the day it got really cold and super windy. Just as thunder started to crack in the distance we reached the safety of the hut and we avoided hiking in a thunder storm above tree line. Our friends Acorn and Lucky B were not so fortunate. We later learned two other hikers a couple miles ahead going to a further hut would face a battle with hypothermia before they made it to safety. Thankfully they are strong guys, a lesser pair of hikers could have been in serious trouble. 

These huts are run by the Appalachian Mountain Club. Members of the club come up here to enjoy there many amenities at extremely high cost. For about $120 a night you get one bunk, dinner, and breakfast. That is per person, not per family. The reason for the expense is due to the logistical nightmare the club faces to provide these services. All food and waste must be carried in and out, and the huts have no electrical lines. They support themselves on a mix of solar, wind, and a small propane generator. The fact that these huts even exist and are profitable is amazing to me. That leads me into how we fit into the picture. At night they turn the lights out at 9:30pm to conserve power. Some of the hut goers then get head lamps and continue to play card games in the main lobby area. We are faced with the challenge of waiting for an open floor spot to claim as our bed for the night. They pay $120 for all their benefits, we hiked 1800-miles and thankfully the AMC sees that as work enough to give us a place to sleep. Right now as I lay on this hut floor, I'm so thankful I have a warm dry place to sleep. 

8/1: Day 124

Lake of the clouds hut-Pinkem Notch

Total miles: 13.5

Today we summited Mount Washington. It's a huge feeling of accomplishment to check off that mile stone from our list. The feeling as we walked down the top was euphoric, we had a clear day and some of the best scenery I've seen since we started. The white mountains are a huge draw for many hikers, thus the area is inebriated with hiking trails. I'm sad to say, for the first time all trip, we took a wrong turn. It was my fault and was a terrible trail to get lost on. The trail was full of boulders and super steep and slippery rocks. About a half mile down the trail Dawn pointed out we were starting to drastically go the wrong direction. Neither one of us handled it well as we faced the reality that we were about to hike back up what we had just descended. We did eventually make it back onto our trail, and to the hut for lunch. Albeit a very late lunch. Our fellow hikers new it had taken us too long as asked if we were ok. In their attempts to subdue our down trodden countenance we found out how good of friends we have made on this trip. 

After lunch we went up our last mountain of the day, Mt Madison. The descent was anything but easy. Upon finally making it to Pinkem notch we were glad to find some picnic tables to cook dinner on. A day hiker gave us bananas and almonds to snack on. A welcomed treat to break the monotony of our regular snacks. After dinner we hiked a ways from the road and setup our tent. It's been a highly demanding day. We're both ready for a solid nights sleep. Life goes easy. 

8/2: Day 125

Pinkem Notch-Gorham NH

We woke this morning to a tragedy. Last night either a mouse or chipmunk chewed a hole into our tent. It was particularly disheartening since this tent is very new, and our favorite piece of gear. I suppose it's not so much the hole that upset us as much as the violation of our private space. We started to hike up but the hole, a lingering threat of rain, and our not so excited demeanor lead us to turn around and go to town. It was the right decision. The past few days have been beautiful but very demanding and since there is a walmart in Gorham we couldn't resist. It took a while to get a ride, but eventually two guys in a Honda crv pulled over. They took us all the way to walmart. After some time in the store front Dunkin' Donut restaurant we completed our resupply. I also found some Gorilla tape specifically made to repair punctured items, our tent should be a good application for their product. We then called a hostel named "The Barn" for lodging. After all it's been a couple days since we last showered. He suggested taking the city bus to his place, but when it never showed up he reluctantly decided to come get us. The owners name was Doc and he was the archetype of an upset person. He told us of his many visit to city hall to complain about mostly frivolous things. His largest grievance pertained to the city ordinance allowing people to ride ATV's one paved roads. I won't go into the details. By this time it was 3:00pm. We hung out for a while in the common area and to walk down to Pizza Hut. Pizza has been one of the very few foods I haven't grown tired of on this trip. Hopefully I never do. The walk back was pleasant. Dawn and I strolled down the sidewalk holding hands as the birds chirped. Now it's time to settle in for a descent nights sleep. Life goes easy. 

8/3: Day 126

The Barn Hostel-Carlo Shelter

Total miles: 17

I wrote yesterday of the hostel owners angry disposition. Today he was consistent with our first impression. After Dawn and I had ate breakfast and packed our bags we waited for him in the drive way at 8:00am for our agreed upon ride to the trail head, which was 3.8 miles away. Doc was a no show. I called his cell and got a voicemail. A few minutes later he called back and said because of the price of gas he could not give us a ride. I suppose today his anger was pointed towards the price of gas, but it quickly affected us in a big way. I pointed out his breach or contract that we had mutually agreed upon before having paid for his services. He was not persuaded and told us to arrange our own transportation back to the trail. At this point he had my money and he knew it. I thought about calling my bank to put a stop payment on the debit card charge, but that seemed messy. Ironically another hostel shuttle van picked us up, at no charge, and took us back to the trail. 

After mentally moving past this mornings debacle, today was a monumental day. We reached Maine!!! Or last state! The trail was packed with many labor intensive climbs and descents but we were so happy to be in Maine. It's almost surreal being here. For most of the trip Maine has seemed like a fictitious place I would never reach. Now the end is quickly coming upon us. We're very ready to be home, but not before we hike this beautiful state. Life goes easy. 

8/4: Day 127

Carlo Shelter-Bald Pate Shelter 

Total miles: 16.4

Southern Maine has lived up to its hype. Today we completed both the Mahoossic Notch and Arm. This area is known to be the most difficult or fun part of the trail. The notch is a extremely slender valley between to cliff faces full of boulders that have fallen from above. Thus making it necessary to crawl, climb, and wiggle your way through its 1.1 mile length. The arm is the long climb out of the notch and is equally as strenuous. 

After the notch and the arm, the trail took a drastic turn for the better. On top of Spec Mountian we noticed mains first switch back, not only that but the descent was a well graded one. We literally did that later half of in 2/3's of the time. Our friends Lucky B and Acorn 

Day 115-120

7/23 Day: 115

Winnituri Shelter-Hart House

Total miles:16.5

It's been the most eventful day in recent trail memory. We woke with anticipation of getting some new gear. Around 7:30 a.m., we left camp trotting down the trail to the South Pomphret, VT post office. Dawn finally got some new shoes, and my phone problems would be remedied. The postman was extremely nice, but had no knowledge of where the box with Dawns shoes were. After about 5-mins of frantically pondering what do we do now, Dawn looked over and saw her zappos box in a corner beneath several other stray packages. While organization was not their strong point, they were very friendly about the matter. Dawn pranced around like a little girl who was getting ice cream as she tried on her shoes for me. 

At this point, it began to get really hot. Before we left we both filled all our water containers and drank as much as we could. Still, I didn't feel like I could out drink the amount of fluid I was losing. Thankfully, most of our day was spent in the shade of the forest. 

The most talked up part of today was the White River. Every southbound hiker has told us of the bridge we could jump off of, and the extremely generous trail angel who lives by the bridge. We hurriedly changed into our sandals and ran over to the to join our friends Lucky B and Acorn. Dawn wanted to hold hands as we jumped off the bridge. I had my doubts but not wanting her to be afraid as she jumped I relented and agreed. It would prove to be a pivotal mistake. As we jumped, I jumped further than she did, thus pulling her off center and causing her to land flat on her butt at the bottom of a thirty foot fall of water. As I swam for the surface invigorated by the rush, I found my wife spitting up water and a very visibly pained look on her face. Step number one of any aquatic emergency is to extract the victim from the water. I grabbed her torso and started swimming us both for shore. To my relief, she was okay but a little sore and shaken from the experience. A few tears and some tender hugs later, we moseyed back to the house and decided to sit down for a while to let her process what had just happened. About that time, a thunder storm began to blow in and the trail angel invited us into his house to wait out the storm. Waiting out the storm turned into staying the night and breakfast in the morning. What a blessing! This day has gone from awesome to terrible to awesome again. I'm super glad it's ending on a high note, and with us staying dry. Life goes easy. 

7/24 Day: 116

Hart House-Hanover, NH Thayer House

Total Miles: 10

It rained most of the night but our new palatially sized tent kept us dry. We packed up our gear, leaving the tent to dry in the sun, and went inside Mr. Harts house for breakfast. He was so nice, even remembering how much I had said I liked my morning coffee. We walked in and had a full size meal of eggs toast and bacon, washing it down with plentiful amounts of coffee. After thanking him for all his hospitality we got moving at 9:00am. 

The walk to Hanover, also the second to last border crossing, was super easy. Only made difficult by a few swarms of bugs, and some puddles. At the beginning of our day we had ambitions of slowly making our way through town and doing at least 17 miles for the day. This plan was quickly aborted as we learned of the overwhelming amount of thru-hiker orientated services. First, we hit up a pizza place for a free slice. Then we went to "The Green," which is a large park in the middle of Dartmouth college. As Dawn napped in the sun we learned of a list of local trail angels that will take hikers in for the night. We hit jackpot when we snagged a spot in Warren Thayers basement. He warned us that there would be another group of 4 hikers but that there would be plenty of room. His home was amazing! It was three story's tall and we had full access to his kitchen, bathroom, kuereg, porch, refrigerator, and laundry. To top it all off, he and his wife treated us to burgers for dinner on their porch. It turned out that we would be the only ones staying with them, which meant they also gave us a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. We truly felt like their home was fully open to us. We've had encounters where we really didn't feel completely welcome in a home but they truly made us feel welcomed. Our night ended with Dawn scooting two mattresses together so we could cuddle close. Life goes easy. 

7/25 Day: 117

Hanover, NH-Trapper John Shelter

Total miles: 16

I awoke this morning at a loss as to where I was. I looked around, saw Dawn and remembered that I was staying in a basement. We've been on the move for 117 days now and the places seem to blend together. I walked upstairs made some coffee and took up Warrens offer to raid his pantry. I found some nice granola cereal, and settled in for a delightful meal with a table and chairs. A little while later Dawn made her way up. Unfortunately, she declared that I had taken her favorite cereal. Since I was in the middle of eating the last bowl I offered to trade her for the Cheerios, but she let me keep it. I think my wife will make the best possible mother. She is always so willing to give of herself and save the best for the people she loves. I've truly married an amazing woman. 

After breakfast, it was slow going but at 9:30am we did get moving towards the trail. Warren gave us a ride back to where he had picked us up and off we went. The trail out of town was pristine. Mostly because it was covered in pine needles. Pine needles are the trail equivalent of walking on memory foam. We hiked until 2:00pm, and stopped for lunch at a trail head parking lot. At that point, it was 15-miles to our destination, but we still thought it was manageable. At 4:30pm, we came upon some trail magic and the idea of hiking another 9-miles at that point went out the window. After a few hot dogs and some orange soda, we hiked 2.6-miles to this shelter and called it a day. Finishing early our first day out of town always puts us on a good rhythm of getting early starts. Life goes easy. 

7/26 Day 118

Trapper John Shekter-Stealth camp

Total miles:22

Last night was one of the best nights of sleep I remember getting in a long time. It cooled off to about 50F and the humidity was minimal. Normally, I'm having to get Dawn to wake up but this morning I found myself the one clinging to my sleeping pad. 

After only 3-miles of hiking, we came across Bill Acerly's residence. His house lays 20-yards off the trail and is notoriously known for its freezer full of free ice cream. Bill wasn't there to greet us, but a note told us where to get the famous ice cream. We sat around for about a half hour ate 2 servings each and moved on. 

Our big climb for the day was Smarts Mtn. This mountain is the same height as Vermont's tallest A.T. peak, but will quickly be dwarfed in the coming days as we traverse the high peaks of the White Mountains. It even gave us our first taste of what's known as iron ladders. This is where the trail is to steep to walk so holes have been drilled and iron rebar is shaped and placed into the rock to form a ladder. For all the work we put into climbing it, the view was well worth it. 

The rest of the day was pretty tame with the exception of one more large hill to climb. At dinner, we had hiked 19-miles and since it was only 5:20pm when we got to the place we planned on stopping we decided to eat and move on. This was probably a good decision since the camp ground was full of teenagers who should have been made to hike twice the distance they had done so they would have been more peaceful camp mates. We did another three miles to a road, crossed it, and found the first well hidden tent site we could find. Our friends from England who also hiked on after dinner came and joined us in our little oasis. Sleep should come easy tonight. We're pretty tired. 

7/27 Day 119

Stealth camp-Wolf Mtn 

Total miles: 17

Today is our first day in the Whites. We broke camp at 8:00am and started heading for our biggest mountain since TN. Mount Moosilauke being our first of many ascents. Just before we started the climb a thunderstorm blew in. Thankfully, there was a shelter at the bottom to use while the storm blew through. Not only that but the shelter was also sheltering some day hikers who gave us some brownies and apples to help pass the time. After about 2-hours the storm passed, we said our goodbyes and started climbing. By the time we made it to the peak it was pretty foggy, but awesome none the less. Besides, the weather channel said it would be bad weather today, but nice for the rest of the week. The trip down the other side was daring at best. How anybody envisioned a hiking trail where we climbed down at is beyond me. At one point we decided to stow our trekking poles and use a more hand-to-hand technique to safely descend the mostly vertical trail. Arriving at the bottom felt like a serious accomplishment, and motivated us for the rest of the Whites. The problem was that since we had to wait out the storm earlier we would not be able to make it to our intended destination without night hiking. Of which I hate to do. Thankfully, Dawn was willing to forgo the night hiking and we found a nice little spot by the trail. It's currently thundering in the distance, but hopefully we won't experience any exceptionally bad weather. Life goes easy.  

7/28 Day:120

Wolf Mountain-Comfort Inn Lincoln, NH

Total miles:12

We got a good start on the day. Lately, we've gotten into the bad habit of eating breakfast in our tent. Not that I'm afraid of bears coming to the smell, but more concerned about mice smelling any crumbs left behind. As we slung our packs on it began to sprinkle. Soon, the trail was in full rain storm mode and the sky was really letting us have it. Just before we reached a side trail lighting struck very very close. The atmosphere turned from cloudy grey to extremely bright orange and purple followed by what sounded like the earth exploding. The rest of our day, if we stayed on the trail, was going to be spent on a exposed ridge line that would be terrible in a thunder storm. We came to a side trail called Gordon Pond and bailed off for town. One side trail led to another and soon we didn't really know where we were. Thankfully, my phone had service and we were able to use google maps to guide us to a road. I seriously felt like Bear Grilles at the end of one of his shows when I walked onto the road. The feeling of safety became very real. In only a couple hours time we were laid up in the Comfort Inn enjoying hot showers, and free coffee. 

Since we took a side trail down the mountain to escape the severe thunderstorm, it does mean we passed a small portion of the trail without summiting Mt. Kinsman. At this point, we have no plans of hiking back up the side trail we took to cover the ground we missed and basically doubling the miles. Right now, I'm enjoying chocolate milk and pizza which is our favorite town meal on the trail. Thank God for a side trail, safety, and for a warm dry place to sleep. Life goes easy. 

Dawn's new shoes

The Hart home during a storm

Dawn's bruise

Soaking wet hikers. Thankfully not us. 

The NH border

Warren's house

Iron ladders

Our new tent

Day 107-114

7/14-7/22 Day 107-114

Mount Greylock-Winnturri Shelter

Total miles: 135

I've had some issues with my phone and since it's been my turn to post, they didn't get done in a timely manner. Since the last post we have completed Massachusetts, and the majority of Vermont. The day we went down Greylock started awesome. The air was thick with humidity but none the less nice weather. The next town we came to was North Adams, MA, it was also the last. One enterprising town alderman trying to attract the revenue potentials of hikers had provided bicycles for hikers to ride and spend money at local businesses. It totally worked. I road a bike down to Price Chopper and bought some food and chocolate milk. Chocolate milk has become our drink of choice. It is loaded with calories and seems to have a rejuvenating quality about it. We hiked out, and soon we're caught by some showers. The showers quickly turned to storms and the trail to mud. Thus, Vermont greeted us in proper fashion and owned its nickname "Vermud." It was given that nickname because of the notoriously muddy trails. After another 14-miles of sloshing around in the swamp trail, we settled in at a shelter. It was there that we met our soon to be friend, Acorn, and we learned about the importance of selecting a tent site that drains well. It rained all night and when we woke it was up to a 3-inch deep puddle. We gathered our stuff and headed for town. 

Our first impression of Vermont wasn't flattering, but both of us were willing to give her a second chance. As we hiked out the next day, the sky cleared the birds chirped and the trail seemed to improve drastically. It would remain this way for the duration of our time in VT, thus quickly making it our favorite state. 

About half-way through the state we stayed at a hostel called the Yellow Deli. It's run by a group called the Twelve Tribes. I would best describe them as hippies that found Jesus. Their community was very inviting. All the men had beards, and the whole atmosphere was extremely joyful. If they had one purpose it would be to recreate the experience of the early church in the book of Acts. They believe in living a common life together and sharing all things, while maintaining that sharing the love of Jesus is the most important aspect of life. While I was not able to delve into all of their doctrine, from the outside looking in it seemed relatively sound though very different from how I walk my Christian walk. We left there happy that we had stayed. 

All in all, it's been a pretty good time. Thankfully, I was able to get my phone situation resolved and the coming post should be done in a more timely manner. I hope everyone who reads this enjoys it. We are having a great time. Some times are hard and some are easy, but I know this experience is quickly becoming a building block for the rest of our lives. 

Hello Vermud.

Yes this 6" deep water is the trail

The mountains of Vermont!

Fire tower on Stratton Mountain

One of the gorgeous ponds in Vermont

Found some water to paddle in.

And jump in!

Gondola on top of the mountain

Setting up a stake tent on a platform requires creativity and innovation.

Some mice got in to our food bags.

The rock garden we stubbled upon. We're not sure how we felt about this.

Mount Killington! Almost 4000 ft.

Yellow Deli fashion!

And the beard still grows..