Part 4: New Hampshire & Maine
Starting the ascent of Mt Moosilauke
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At the summit of Mt. Moosilauke, the large rock cairns marked the trail.
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Lonesome Lake in New Hampshire's White Mountains
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My trail food for the next three days of strenuous hiking through the White Mountains from Franconia Notch to Pinkham Notch, 54 miles
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July 24, Day 92 I had mostly ideal weather for the Whites. Looking ahead to Little Haystack Mtn.
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The Bunchberry with its pretty berries
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Ruffed grouse (aka "partridge"). I looked nearby for chicks, but did not see any
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July 25 Camped on the flanks of Mt. Webster
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I was getting used to this kind of "trail." When wet, the rocks were slippery.
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July 26, Day 94 Mt. Washington, 6,288 feet. Another milestone. I was happy to have good weather for my summit day.
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An excerpt from my journal, July 26, in the Whites: "The AT above treeline - basically from the Mt. Franklin side trail, past Lake of the Clouds Hut, up to Mt. Washington summit, and down the other side - is such a fun trail to hike. It is just a normal hiking trail. The miles are going by. I've been in the clouds, off and on, and sometimes the wind pipes up. I am wearing my blue shell jacket and I have my ski cap in my pocket. I can see the slopes of Mt. Washington straight ahead; the summit is in the swirling clouds and I think Lake of the Clouds Hut is just around the next bend and down the slope. This is amazing. This is exactly how I remembered it from 1993. This will be great - I want to get this mountain behind me."
From the high country, above treeline, of Mt. Washington, Mt. Madison and the Osgood Ridge, the AT descended to Pinkham Notch and the Joe Dodge Lodge, where I treated myself to a room for the night and a meal at the lodge.
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Looking back at Mt Washington; the towers of the summit weather station are visible in the clouds and Pinkham Notch is in the deep gorge below me.
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I was amazed to find Mountain Laurel this far north
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July 31, Day 99 Climbing West Peak of Baldpate Mountain in Maine
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The hiking in Maine was challenging and I had to step carefully to keep from tripping on an exposed root.
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A view of Mooselookmeguntic Lake
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"The morning was a gorgeous. Cool breeze, warm sun, clear sky. Another beautiful day. Rock slabs, mosses, blueberries ripe and ready to eat. The plants were low-lying and the berries were small, so it took time and effort to pick a few, but now and then I would stop and do so."
Looking ahead to Saddleback Mountain
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"It was a bit of a slog climbing to the summit of Saddleback Mtn, and certainly a steep and tricky descent from The Horn. I took it slow and made sure my footing was good. I do not want to slip and injure myself; that is my biggest fear. On the ascent of Saddleback Mountain, once I got above treeline, onto the rock slabs - oh what fun! How nice to be able to move along at a good pace. None of it was flat and level, but it was still fantastic to hike along without all the contortions of picking my way through rock jumbles, roots tangles and mud holes."
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August 5, Day 105 It was always fun to come to these impromptu mile markers on the trail. I had hiked 2,000 miles so far; just 193 to go.
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Near Flagstaff Lake, this paper wasp nest hung directly over the trail. It was about the size of a watermelon and I could have reached up and touched it. But if I had not been looking up and looking around at my surroundings, I might have missed it.
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This trail crew seemed to be having a great time, moving large rocks into place for stepping stones where the trail was eroded.
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A lot of the AT through Maine was like this
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There were many small ponds like this in the "100 Mile Wilderness" section of Maine. Definitely moose country, but I did not see any moose, despite all the fresh tracks and droppings.
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August 10 Day 110 Camped near the summit of Gulf Hagas Mtn
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"The summit of Gulf Hagas Mountain, 2,683 feet, was thickly forested. There was moose poop everywhere. I tried a couple different tarp sites, but the low tree branches wouldn't budge, I couldn't snap them off, so I kept moving. At 7:30 pm I found a pretty good site, where I had clear pitching between large spruce trees, and a rather large pile of old moose poop about 2 feet from the Spitfire. I hadn't seen any moose, so I'm not worried about them bothering me tonight. I love camping up high on these forested mountains, where the air is cooler and there is a pleasant breeze."
Nahmakanta Lake at mile 2,152 in the northern portion of the "100 Mile Wilderness"
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From Abol Bridge I finally got my first really good view of Mount Katahdin and Baxter Peak.
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August 13, Day 113 The Baxter State Park Hiker Kiosk. Here, I registered for The Birches Campsite inside the Park, where I would stay tonight. Tomorrow would be summit day and the end of the trail.
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My last camp. The tarp and the Spitfire had served me well. The tarp is in great shape and ready to go again. The no-see-um netting on the Spitfire has half a dozen tiny rips from snagging on greenbriar during pitching, but otherwise it is in good condition.
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August 14, Day 114 Summit Day. At 4:30 am I packed up camp and began the climb to the summit of Baxter Peak (elevation 5,268 ft) on Mount Katahdin, 5.5 miles distant. I am half way there, ascending the Hunt Spur. The sky is filling with storm clouds, so I am hustling to summit and get back down below treeline before the rain begins.
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Above the Hunt Spur is the "Tablelands" a plateau that gradually ascends to the peak.
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I arrived at the summit and the northern terminus of the AT at 8:30 am. The clouds moiled around so I didn't linger; only long enough for a few photographs. But what a great feeling! I had completed my AT hike and it had been a wonderful experience and a success, assuming I could safely descend before the storm settled over the mountain.
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All morning the descent off the mountain had me worried. The black, stormy clouds and the exposed route had scared me somewhat. But as I started down the mountain I was amazed at how my emotions had changed; something had flipped in my mind. It was a psychological flip-flop. I went down without any problems. I crossed the Tablelands and my knees felt ok. The adrenaline and the elation of finishing the long trek was part of it. I was done. I was going home.
The rain started and thunder boomed nearby so I put on my rain jacket. I scrambled and butt-skooched down the steep rocks and it seemed to go really quick. It was like I was floating on air. I scrambled down off the exposed boulders and into the trees and the rain got heavier and I was starting to feel a bit chilled, but I had no feelings of dread like I did on the way up.
Three hours back down; I arrived back at the Katahdin Stream ranger station and trailhead parking lot at 12:30 pm. The clouds stayed high, and down here the sun was starting to shine. I asked a small group of day hikers, if they had room in their car, for a ride to Millinocket. Within the hour I was in town at the Appalachian Trail Lodge. I liked the place immediately. It was clean and comfortable. I met the original owners, Paul (OleMan) and Jamie (NaviGator) Renauld, and their employee, Cody.
My airline ticket for home was booked for August 16, so I had an extra day to unwind in Millinocket. Mid-morning on the 16th, Cody drove 10 of us hikers to the bus station in Medway, where we all boarded the bus to Bangor. Once we arrived there, I immediately got a taxi to the airport, because my flight was leaving in about an hour.
My hike was over. I was happy for that because physically I was ready for a long rest. My body was tired. And I looked forward to the comforts of home: clean running water out of a tap, healthy foods like fresh vegetables and fruit, sleeping in a bed, hot showers, a toilet.
I knew I would miss the simplicity of trail life, where I had only myself to look after and only one job to do. Already I am thinking about returning to the AT and hiking it solo again, some day. Hiking the Appalachian Trail a second, or a third or a fourth time is like visiting with an old friend whom you haven't seen for many years. Yes, I am looking forward to that re-visit.
