Jul 27, 2013
Jul 26, 2013
(July 27th) - DECISION DAY
[Hmmm... I've never tried Blueberry. But then, you can't go wrong with Strawberry. S'mores seem way too complicated for me. Mmmm... Cinnamon never gets old. Wow, Peanut Butter, is that new?!]
These were my thoughts, and the struggle within my mind (I've had a few head injuries) over which flavor Pop-Tarts to begin the trail with as I stood in the breakfast aisle. Last year we hiked from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to Mt Washington, NH. This August we hope to hike 330+ miles from Mt Washington, northward to Mt Katahdin, Maine. We will begin Monday, July 29th and hope to finish by August 26th.
A few days before this Pop-Tart dilemma, I wasn't even sure I wanted to hike 330 miles this summer. Last year we left for West Virginia just hours after school ended and arrived back home two months later, worn out, the day before the school year began. A big part of me just wanted to relax at home all summer long...
Heather was encouraging (annoying) me to continue hiking this summer, especially since NH and ME are my favorite states on the trail. In a brilliant move, she convinced me to at least go do some Trail Magic and hiking on Bear Mountain, NY. Hiking up the mountain I felt myself break away from the stresses I'd been carrying. My blood was pumping, legs churning, lungs breathing and I felt great! By the time we got to the top, sat down on the warm, sun-baked stone, and looked out towards the rolling green mountains in the distance, I knew I wanted to continue this adventure in August. Just as I had this breakthrough a 6 year old girl also reflected on her day's hike as she yelled back to her father: "Can't you hurry up! This is the SECOND WORST day of my LIFE!!!"
~Daddy Long Legs
(Scroll down for pictures and blog entries from last summer!!!)
These were my thoughts, and the struggle within my mind (I've had a few head injuries) over which flavor Pop-Tarts to begin the trail with as I stood in the breakfast aisle. Last year we hiked from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to Mt Washington, NH. This August we hope to hike 330+ miles from Mt Washington, northward to Mt Katahdin, Maine. We will begin Monday, July 29th and hope to finish by August 26th.
A few days before this Pop-Tart dilemma, I wasn't even sure I wanted to hike 330 miles this summer. Last year we left for West Virginia just hours after school ended and arrived back home two months later, worn out, the day before the school year began. A big part of me just wanted to relax at home all summer long...
Heather was encouraging (annoying) me to continue hiking this summer, especially since NH and ME are my favorite states on the trail. In a brilliant move, she convinced me to at least go do some Trail Magic and hiking on Bear Mountain, NY. Hiking up the mountain I felt myself break away from the stresses I'd been carrying. My blood was pumping, legs churning, lungs breathing and I felt great! By the time we got to the top, sat down on the warm, sun-baked stone, and looked out towards the rolling green mountains in the distance, I knew I wanted to continue this adventure in August. Just as I had this breakthrough a 6 year old girl also reflected on her day's hike as she yelled back to her father: "Can't you hurry up! This is the SECOND WORST day of my LIFE!!!"
~Daddy Long Legs
(Scroll down for pictures and blog entries from last summer!!!)
Sep 5, 2012
LAST PICTURES
Endless mountains...
Another mushroom
White Mountains
Flicka and the mountains
Blue ridges
Brian with Mt Washington behind him (miles back)
Mt Washington in a cloud...
The first white blaze Brian ever passed 10 years ago...
Heather with Washington far behind (mountain with the towers on top)
Trail junction
Crawford Path (oldest hiking path used in America - 1819)
Lakes of the Clouds Hut (bottom right) and the trail winding its way through the mountains
Lake below Washington summit
Heather excited to be on top of Mt Washington (or that we're eating real food)
Golden alpine grasses on the ridge
Sunset
Perfect sunset our last night in the woods
Rocky ridges
Goodbye Sun...
...Hello Moon
Full Moon rising...
Red skies at night... hikers delight
Lakes of the Clouds Hut under Mt Washington summit
Moon in the mist...
Heather at the summit (85 mph winds so standing was an accomplishment)
Moon and a lenticular cloud from the ridge
Back home...
Rockin' the foo man chu
Say goodbye to the beard! So sad...
Another mushroom
White Mountains
Flicka and the mountains
Blue ridges
Brian with Mt Washington behind him (miles back)
Mt Washington in a cloud...
The first white blaze Brian ever passed 10 years ago...
Heather with Washington far behind (mountain with the towers on top)
Trail junction
Crawford Path (oldest hiking path used in America - 1819)
Lakes of the Clouds Hut (bottom right) and the trail winding its way through the mountains
Lake below Washington summit
Heather excited to be on top of Mt Washington (or that we're eating real food)
Golden alpine grasses on the ridge
Sunset
Perfect sunset our last night in the woods
Rocky ridges
Goodbye Sun...
...Hello Moon
Full Moon rising...
Red skies at night... hikers delight
Lakes of the Clouds Hut under Mt Washington summit
Moon in the mist...
Heather at the summit (85 mph winds so standing was an accomplishment)
Moon and a lenticular cloud from the ridge
Back home...
Rockin' the foo man chu
Say goodbye to the beard! So sad...
Sep 3, 2012
Day 69 (Aug. 30th) - SUMMIT DAY!
"What orbits of the planets have brought you and me to this place at this moment. Where time takes a breath and we dance on the edge of our dreams."
-Anonymous (thanks Tom)
Start: Nauman tent site
Stop: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Today: 6.1 mi (including summit)
Total: 572.5 mi
We woke up early but the frigid gusts of wind blasted through the tent and kept us cowering in our sleeping bags for much of the morning. I was wearing every article of clothing I had on the trip and still the gnawing chill found its way deep into my bones. Finally we ventured out of the tent, packed up and went into Mizpah Hut to escape the fierce winds. I ate a snickers, powerbar and some skittles... breakfast of champions!
Heather and I climbed 500 feet straight up out of Mizpah to Mt Pierce (4312'). As my quads pushed my body up each boulder I wondered what it would be like, a week from now, not having to climb a mountain first thing each morning. Would I wander the streets, half asleep and groggy, trying to find the climbs?
Soon, we were on the ridge with Mt Washington showing its peak miles away in the pale blue sky. We followed the trail markers, piles of rocks called cairns, towards the summit. Green and black lichen spotted the loose rocks except for the ones on the path. Nearly 200 years of foot traffic on this trail has scrapped them clean and worn them smooth. How amazing a sight it was to see sharp boulders on either side and a seemingly smooth path for me, like a sidewalk to the sky.
We skirted Eisenhower (4760') and passed over Fanklin (5001') and beside Monroe (5372') before Lakes of the Clouds came into view. The two lakes beside it were mirrors, reflecting the skies above. This sight made me remember, after Heather had twice summited Mt Washington this way, her asking me "why do they call it Lakes of the Clouds Hut?" That shows you how dense the fog can be, a veil revealing only a few feet of terrain around you. These thoughts helped me appreciate what a great day we had for the summit, wind or no wind!
Heather and I checked in at Lakes of the clouds, a present to ourselves, rested for a bit and then made the final push 1200' up to the summit of Mt Washington. The weather report at lakes confirmed that the wind was blowing a constant 50+ mph with gusts approaching hurricane force. Visibility was over 100 miles as I glanced back and saw the mountains we had climbed today, yesterday and even last week. From here, up on the roof of the northeast, I peered into Vermont on one side and over to Maine on the other.
Anticipation grew in me, like a roller coaster clicking its way up the first hill, as I climbed up Washington. When I passed the .6 mi to summit sign, satisfaction and pride overcame me like a warm blanket. I can't describe or even fully understand it but there is an energy about this place. An energy even more powerful than the winds knocking me around. I passed the .2 mi sign and looked up beyond the slopes of Washington at the views all around. A gust of wind pushed me up the final rocks to the summit of Washington. I was here. I threw my arms up in the air, but realizing that I was around people again, settled for a silent celebration in my head. I continued on into the observatory building and sat down. I did it! 20 minutes later Heather walked in and we hugged, congratulating each other that we made it. I can't believe we're sitting here! It feels like I'm visiting the memories of a former life! An ocean of time seems to separate this moment from the last time I sat here or even from when we began this trip!
After a few slices of victory pizza and relaxing for a bit, I noticed a few kids glancing at me (was it the smell or the beard?). I remember my parents bringing me up here as a child and seeing long distance hikers eating and relaxing. I used to wonder where they'd been and what they'd seen, inspiring me to want to do the same. Now I see kids looking at me. It seems I've gone full circle.
After relaxing on the summit for a couple of hours, we descended back down to Lakes of the Clouds Hut. At dinner I began to notice just how many people were around me. So many faces. So much movement. Kids were playing games. Some adults were focusing intently on trail maps. One gentleman, with a discordant voice and a guitar, sang "killing me softly with his song." Ironic! I wondered if he realized he was killing me softly with his song!
A little while later the sun began setting. The skies burst with reds, oranges and yellows with the soft, purple silhouettes of distant mountains below. The golden alpine grasses on the ridge whipped back and forth while the pines far below, stuck in eddies of wind, danced in the breeze. As the crimson sun set, the moon simultaneously rose on the opposite horizon. It was gorgeous! A perfect ending to the trip of a lifetime!!
~ DADDY LONG LEGS
-Anonymous (thanks Tom)
Start: Nauman tent site
Stop: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Today: 6.1 mi (including summit)
Total: 572.5 mi
We woke up early but the frigid gusts of wind blasted through the tent and kept us cowering in our sleeping bags for much of the morning. I was wearing every article of clothing I had on the trip and still the gnawing chill found its way deep into my bones. Finally we ventured out of the tent, packed up and went into Mizpah Hut to escape the fierce winds. I ate a snickers, powerbar and some skittles... breakfast of champions!
Heather and I climbed 500 feet straight up out of Mizpah to Mt Pierce (4312'). As my quads pushed my body up each boulder I wondered what it would be like, a week from now, not having to climb a mountain first thing each morning. Would I wander the streets, half asleep and groggy, trying to find the climbs?
Soon, we were on the ridge with Mt Washington showing its peak miles away in the pale blue sky. We followed the trail markers, piles of rocks called cairns, towards the summit. Green and black lichen spotted the loose rocks except for the ones on the path. Nearly 200 years of foot traffic on this trail has scrapped them clean and worn them smooth. How amazing a sight it was to see sharp boulders on either side and a seemingly smooth path for me, like a sidewalk to the sky.
We skirted Eisenhower (4760') and passed over Fanklin (5001') and beside Monroe (5372') before Lakes of the Clouds came into view. The two lakes beside it were mirrors, reflecting the skies above. This sight made me remember, after Heather had twice summited Mt Washington this way, her asking me "why do they call it Lakes of the Clouds Hut?" That shows you how dense the fog can be, a veil revealing only a few feet of terrain around you. These thoughts helped me appreciate what a great day we had for the summit, wind or no wind!
Heather and I checked in at Lakes of the clouds, a present to ourselves, rested for a bit and then made the final push 1200' up to the summit of Mt Washington. The weather report at lakes confirmed that the wind was blowing a constant 50+ mph with gusts approaching hurricane force. Visibility was over 100 miles as I glanced back and saw the mountains we had climbed today, yesterday and even last week. From here, up on the roof of the northeast, I peered into Vermont on one side and over to Maine on the other.
Anticipation grew in me, like a roller coaster clicking its way up the first hill, as I climbed up Washington. When I passed the .6 mi to summit sign, satisfaction and pride overcame me like a warm blanket. I can't describe or even fully understand it but there is an energy about this place. An energy even more powerful than the winds knocking me around. I passed the .2 mi sign and looked up beyond the slopes of Washington at the views all around. A gust of wind pushed me up the final rocks to the summit of Washington. I was here. I threw my arms up in the air, but realizing that I was around people again, settled for a silent celebration in my head. I continued on into the observatory building and sat down. I did it! 20 minutes later Heather walked in and we hugged, congratulating each other that we made it. I can't believe we're sitting here! It feels like I'm visiting the memories of a former life! An ocean of time seems to separate this moment from the last time I sat here or even from when we began this trip!
After a few slices of victory pizza and relaxing for a bit, I noticed a few kids glancing at me (was it the smell or the beard?). I remember my parents bringing me up here as a child and seeing long distance hikers eating and relaxing. I used to wonder where they'd been and what they'd seen, inspiring me to want to do the same. Now I see kids looking at me. It seems I've gone full circle.
After relaxing on the summit for a couple of hours, we descended back down to Lakes of the Clouds Hut. At dinner I began to notice just how many people were around me. So many faces. So much movement. Kids were playing games. Some adults were focusing intently on trail maps. One gentleman, with a discordant voice and a guitar, sang "killing me softly with his song." Ironic! I wondered if he realized he was killing me softly with his song!
A little while later the sun began setting. The skies burst with reds, oranges and yellows with the soft, purple silhouettes of distant mountains below. The golden alpine grasses on the ridge whipped back and forth while the pines far below, stuck in eddies of wind, danced in the breeze. As the crimson sun set, the moon simultaneously rose on the opposite horizon. It was gorgeous! A perfect ending to the trip of a lifetime!!
~ DADDY LONG LEGS
Sep 1, 2012
Day 68 (Aug. 29th) - FIRST BLAZE DAY
"The wind will not stop, gusts of sand
swirl before me, stinging my face. But there is still too much to see and
marvel at, the world very much alive in the bright light..."
-Edward Abbey
Start: Stealth site near Zealand Hut
Stop: Nauman tent site
Today: 14.3 mi
Total: 566.4 mi
We made quick work of the first 5 miles
(and the only flat section of the White Mountains) before descending about 1700
feet to Crawford Notch. Standing there at the road, Webster mountain
loomed before us. It's spire of rocks, so far above us, convinced me to take a
break.
We sat there in the coolness of a NH
morning talking about how excited we were to finally be entering the
presidential range. I wondered what emotions I would feel standing at the
Washington's summit. It is a mountain I had climbed 12 times already but
this one would be different. Would I feel immeasurable joy at that
moment? Or the sadness of the double whammy of ending the trip and starting
work in a few days wash over me? And the worst transition: shaving the
man-beard I've been cultivating for 2 months!
It was more of a rugged climb up Mt Webster
and Mt Jackson than I anticipated. There was a lot of negotiating around
narrow ledges and hand over hand climbing, all while contorting your body so
you and your 35 pound pack didn't go over the edge. We had an amazing
time doing this but with high winds and some cliffs with 1000 foot drops, a bit
scary too.
With each step upwards the winds amplified
in speed and sound. They howled above us while we walked below tree line
and when we entered the exposed ridges, they blasted us with chilly, Canadian
air. On Webster cliffs I sat between boulders so I could escape the
screaming winds and enjoy the views. The cold rock of the cliffs were
weathered smooth by many years of glaciation. A deep, sharp valley,
Crawford Notch, stood before me with a parallel ridge of dense, green trees
across the way.
The winds convinced me to move on. After
Mt Jackson, we came upon a shelf with wet, marshy ground. The bog bridges
helped us move over them quickly. Before long we arrived at the spot
where Crawford Path joins the AT and they travel together.
Crawford Path is the oldest hiking trail
still used in America. It was carved out of the forest and ridges by a
man and his son in 1819. As amazing as it is to share a path with tens of
thousands of people who came before me, I was halted because this was my very
first white blaze. 10 years ago, almost to the day, I followed Crawford
Path to this spot and passed this white AT blaze with little thought. I
now stand beside this 2 inch by 6 inch white blaze knowing I walked from West
Virginia to get here! What a moment...indescribable!
After a minute with the faded white blaze,
we carried on another 200 yards to Mizpah Hut and our tent platform at Nauman
for the night.
~DADDY LONG LEGS
Day 67 (Aug. 28th) - SLIPPERY DAY
"Now I see the secret of the
Making of the best persons.
It is to grow in the open air,
And eat and sleep with the Earth."
-Walt Whitman (thanks Erica)
Start: Guyot Shelter
Stop: Stealth site near Zealand Hut
Today: 4.2 mi
Total: 552.1 mi
Day 66 (Aug. 27th) - STORMY DAY
"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep..."
-Robert Frost
Start: Franconia Notch
Stop: Guyot Shelter
Today: 15.8 mi
Total: 547.9 mi
Aug 31, 2012
Day 65 (Aug. 26th) - HARDEST DAY
"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out 'til sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in."
-John Muir
Start: Kinsman Notch
End: Franconia Notch
Today: 16.3 mi
Total: 532.1 mi
Mornings can be a funny time on the trail. Some days you can't wait to get out there and start climbing the high peaks while other days you desperately try to come up with some excuse for not hiking. You scan the weather channels, seek out the heat index and even check the fire risk level from Smokey the Bear (jk). Today was that type of day. We planned on hiking one of our longest days in the toughest terrain we've yet seen this summer. I gritted my teeth, subverted my thoughts of shortening the day and left for the trail.
The only flat sections of the entire day was the street crossing at .1 mi and the parking lot we arrived at as the skies began to grow dark 16.3 miles at the end of the day. My mood lifted with the rythem of my steps, the cadence of my heart beating hard and the sweat dripping down my face. Any worries I had for the day evaporated.
We started the trail early and hadn't seen anyone until about 11am when another group of Dartmouth freshman hiked past us going southbound. Hiking is their college orientation! I wish I had had the grades to get into Dartmouth...or the money (wouldn't want to pay that off for the rest of my life)! A little while later I passed an older man who was sitting on the side of the trail. He told me "you're almost there." Hmm..."I'm almost where?" Sounding like some oracle out of a greek myth he explained "wherever it is you are going."
Just over 4 hours into the day we arrived at Eliza Brook Shelter. The first thing I did was take off my boots, ankle brace and socks and massaged my feet back to life. Every inch of them felt bruised and extremely sore. At least we were almost halfway done with today's mileage by noon. After our break at the shelter we began our tallest and steepest climb of the day. I soon fell into a rythym and moved up and up and up the mountain. Heather, joking around, complained that I was a "slave driver" and even put my unreasonable hiking into sound with a totally exaggerated "whoopitish!" The climb was long and each turn of the trail revealed another stone staircase. But as trees became more dwarfed with elevation, the views began to pay off. To our south we could see Moosilauke and Cube Mt. To the north we could see Franconia Ridge and the Presidents.
We took a break on South Kinsman and next tackled North Kinsman before the drop. The trail plummeted almost 1500' in 1.5 miles. Our pace was excruciatingly slow as our feet and knees took a beating going down. We got to Lonesome Lake Hut at 5:15 and rested there 'til 6pm. Just as it was getting dark we emerged from the woods into a parking lot at the base of Franconia Ridge. Our toughest day was done! I layed on the hard, paved parking lot but somehow it felt so comfortable!
~DADDY LONG LEGS
-John Muir
Start: Kinsman Notch
End: Franconia Notch
Today: 16.3 mi
Total: 532.1 mi
Mornings can be a funny time on the trail. Some days you can't wait to get out there and start climbing the high peaks while other days you desperately try to come up with some excuse for not hiking. You scan the weather channels, seek out the heat index and even check the fire risk level from Smokey the Bear (jk). Today was that type of day. We planned on hiking one of our longest days in the toughest terrain we've yet seen this summer. I gritted my teeth, subverted my thoughts of shortening the day and left for the trail.
The only flat sections of the entire day was the street crossing at .1 mi and the parking lot we arrived at as the skies began to grow dark 16.3 miles at the end of the day. My mood lifted with the rythem of my steps, the cadence of my heart beating hard and the sweat dripping down my face. Any worries I had for the day evaporated.
We started the trail early and hadn't seen anyone until about 11am when another group of Dartmouth freshman hiked past us going southbound. Hiking is their college orientation! I wish I had had the grades to get into Dartmouth...or the money (wouldn't want to pay that off for the rest of my life)! A little while later I passed an older man who was sitting on the side of the trail. He told me "you're almost there." Hmm..."I'm almost where?" Sounding like some oracle out of a greek myth he explained "wherever it is you are going."
Just over 4 hours into the day we arrived at Eliza Brook Shelter. The first thing I did was take off my boots, ankle brace and socks and massaged my feet back to life. Every inch of them felt bruised and extremely sore. At least we were almost halfway done with today's mileage by noon. After our break at the shelter we began our tallest and steepest climb of the day. I soon fell into a rythym and moved up and up and up the mountain. Heather, joking around, complained that I was a "slave driver" and even put my unreasonable hiking into sound with a totally exaggerated "whoopitish!" The climb was long and each turn of the trail revealed another stone staircase. But as trees became more dwarfed with elevation, the views began to pay off. To our south we could see Moosilauke and Cube Mt. To the north we could see Franconia Ridge and the Presidents.
We took a break on South Kinsman and next tackled North Kinsman before the drop. The trail plummeted almost 1500' in 1.5 miles. Our pace was excruciatingly slow as our feet and knees took a beating going down. We got to Lonesome Lake Hut at 5:15 and rested there 'til 6pm. Just as it was getting dark we emerged from the woods into a parking lot at the base of Franconia Ridge. Our toughest day was done! I layed on the hard, paved parking lot but somehow it felt so comfortable!
~DADDY LONG LEGS
Aug 30, 2012
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