Wow, it seems like so much has happened since we've been in Hanover! New Hampshire is a beautiful state as well! The first couple days of the state was very similar to Vermont- breath taking views on top of mountains that weren't too hard of climbs. Then, we started the Whites... our first mountain in this range was Mt Moosilauke, which so far is my favorite mountain! Most of the mountains we climbed in the Whites were above tree line on top, so there were basically 360 degree views on top of everything! (Having nice views all day really makes climibing 3000 feet more enjoyable and rewarding). After our first mountain in the Whites, we got into the town of Lincoln and stayed at a wonderful hiker hostel called One Step at a Time. It is ran by a guy named Chet and he is a really wonderful person! We had a blast there, and took a day off to prepare ourselves for the rest of the Whites.
Man... did the rest of the Whites kick our butts!! It was still amazing-- there were a ton of weekend and section hikers who were really nice. The mountains themselves however, are no joke!! We basically climbed up and down 3000+ feet everyday! The Whites also had huts that people pay too much to stay in, but the thru hikers can do work for stay and eat left overs... I might have actually gained weight in this part of the trail because of all the good left overs! The "croo" at the huts were also very cool people (for the most part... of course there's always at least one bad apple, but oh well). Mt Washington is the second highest peak on the AT and it took us about a day and a half to get all the way up and over it! We also hit most of the presidential peaks on the way- the AT doesn't actually go over all the summits, but there were plenty of side trails. We had some nasty weather our first couple days out, so we might actually come back and do the Franconia Ridge again so we can actually see what its like on top :) I seemed to have hurt my ankle coming down Washington tho... so we're taking a day off here in Gorham to see if it just needs rest or if its slightly more serious. It was swollen yesterday, but its going down so I'm just taking it easy!
In Chicken Pot Pie news... well, we don't actually know where the rest of the group is. After we left Lincoln, they seemed to seperate from us a little... and either decided they didn't want to hike the White or they're just taking their time threw these mountains- its hard to tell and we can't get in touch with anyone since we don't have a phone. Oh well! Hopefully they'll catch back up, but Eric and I have really enjoyed being on our own and pushing ourselves and meeting new people on the trail. Its been a pretty amazing experience to be on our own again :)
Anyways, we should be crossing into Maine when we leave this town! Only 298 miles left from here!! Its a bitter sweet thought to be so close to the finish. We've had so much fun out here that I don't want it to end too soon... however, I am really looking forward to the future (and regular showers, haha). Watch out Maine... here we come!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
From Dalton, MA (08/05) to Hanover, NH (08/18)
Wow! It seems like so much has happened since I last updated! We blew right through Mass it seemed-- though we found some very nice hostels to stay in. The trail was very nice, and we're back (officially) in a land with some views! Our group started to get spread out by a day or so for the last little bit of MA, but we managed to get back together by the time we were in Vermont.
Ah, Vermont... this was DEFINITELY my favorite state so far. We're getting back into some real mountains (the Green Mountain range was beautiful). The people were awesome, there were once again a few hostels that were really perfect for hikers, and there was Ben & Jerry's everywhere!! The ice cream was also super cheap, seeing as B&J is made in Vermont. It is really a lovely state. We have also been running into more and more south bounders who are thru hiking the AT. Its very intersting to get a glimpse of what is to come and to meet people with a totally different look out on the trail (they're at mile 500 or so, while we're at mile 1700+). There weren't any major wildlife encounters in Vermont-- though I'm pretty sure I heard a moose snorting the other day, which was kind of scary. I really want to see a moose... but I'd rather there be a pond or lake inbetween it and me :)
Anyways, we crossed into New Hampshire yesterday and we're currently in Hanover, though we'll be hiking out later today. Hanover is a interesting town. Dartmouth (the ivy league school) is in the middle of town... so needless to say, the town is rather expensive and not your typical college town. It is, however, a very pretty town. Supposedly Bill Bryson lives here... let's just hope we don't run into him-- after hiking this much of the trail, most thru hikers have lost a lot of respect for his Walk in the Woods... it is a great story... but a real thru hike is drastically different :)
Well, we've showered, done laundry and I personally just stuffed myself at Dunkin Donuts, and now its time to pack everything up and keep on going! We have less than 450 miles left and less than a month! New Hampshire will, I'm sure, prove more difficult than what we've been doing, but we're all looking forward to the Whites! Hope to update again soon!
Ah, Vermont... this was DEFINITELY my favorite state so far. We're getting back into some real mountains (the Green Mountain range was beautiful). The people were awesome, there were once again a few hostels that were really perfect for hikers, and there was Ben & Jerry's everywhere!! The ice cream was also super cheap, seeing as B&J is made in Vermont. It is really a lovely state. We have also been running into more and more south bounders who are thru hiking the AT. Its very intersting to get a glimpse of what is to come and to meet people with a totally different look out on the trail (they're at mile 500 or so, while we're at mile 1700+). There weren't any major wildlife encounters in Vermont-- though I'm pretty sure I heard a moose snorting the other day, which was kind of scary. I really want to see a moose... but I'd rather there be a pond or lake inbetween it and me :)
Anyways, we crossed into New Hampshire yesterday and we're currently in Hanover, though we'll be hiking out later today. Hanover is a interesting town. Dartmouth (the ivy league school) is in the middle of town... so needless to say, the town is rather expensive and not your typical college town. It is, however, a very pretty town. Supposedly Bill Bryson lives here... let's just hope we don't run into him-- after hiking this much of the trail, most thru hikers have lost a lot of respect for his Walk in the Woods... it is a great story... but a real thru hike is drastically different :)
Well, we've showered, done laundry and I personally just stuffed myself at Dunkin Donuts, and now its time to pack everything up and keep on going! We have less than 450 miles left and less than a month! New Hampshire will, I'm sure, prove more difficult than what we've been doing, but we're all looking forward to the Whites! Hope to update again soon!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
From Kent, CT (07/28) to Dalton, MA (08/05)
Well, here we are, yet another state down! We're about 1559 miles into the trail with about 619 to go! Everyone feels much better than since the last time I wrote. We all caught the viral-stomach thing, but everyone recovered just fine (though it did slow us down a bit). Claire is also feeling much better! The vet gave her the antibiotics for Lyme's Disease, and its working fantastically!
Connecticut was a very nice state for us! The views were incredible, and the trail wasn't too hard. It was, however, a very crowded part of the AT on the weekends... which sometimes made finding a campsite a little harder for us. We've encountered some very hiker friendly towns lately. Lee, MA was probably the best so far! Everyone talked to us and wished us luck... we even had an older guy buy us some strawberries and he drove around town until he found us to give them to us! Apparently, from here on out, the towns are much more welcoming to hikers (and probably a little more outdoorsy than the NJ/NY area).
Not really much else to report from this week. We're very close to the Vermont border. After that, the trail is suppose to become a little more difficult again with the Presidentials and the White Mountains. :) We're very excited though. We're hoping to pull out some big miles again until then, so we can slow down and take our time through the more difficult sections.
We miss everyone and we're just over a month from being done! That realization hasn't completely sunk in yet... its going to be a little odd readjusting!
Connecticut was a very nice state for us! The views were incredible, and the trail wasn't too hard. It was, however, a very crowded part of the AT on the weekends... which sometimes made finding a campsite a little harder for us. We've encountered some very hiker friendly towns lately. Lee, MA was probably the best so far! Everyone talked to us and wished us luck... we even had an older guy buy us some strawberries and he drove around town until he found us to give them to us! Apparently, from here on out, the towns are much more welcoming to hikers (and probably a little more outdoorsy than the NJ/NY area).
Not really much else to report from this week. We're very close to the Vermont border. After that, the trail is suppose to become a little more difficult again with the Presidentials and the White Mountains. :) We're very excited though. We're hoping to pull out some big miles again until then, so we can slow down and take our time through the more difficult sections.
We miss everyone and we're just over a month from being done! That realization hasn't completely sunk in yet... its going to be a little odd readjusting!
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