It’s really hard to get moving on cold mornings. You are in this cozy warm little nest of down feathers and you know as soon as you unzip, the bite of reality and chill will be upon you. Our alarm went off at 6a. We slept in until almost 8a. We weren’t going to move.
Even though we had camped near water, Warthog didn’t trust the source. So we decided we would hike the almost mile to a campsite with water before making breakfast. We really didn’t have an option to do otherwise. In between the two sites was a mountain peak with a 360 degree view of the mountains around. We sat up there for probably twenty minutes just enjoying looking out. It’s been amazing what we’ve gotten to see in this section of trail. It’s probably been the most physically challenging part of the AT for me so far, but the reward certainly meets the effort.
Not too long into the day, we came across another Whites hut. These huts are basically bunk houses that are staffed. They serve breakfast and dinner. They are pretty popular in the park. Thought we would stay in one. However, they are around $90- per person for a night. You don’t get a private room, that just gives you a single bunk. It might be something we come back to experience. For now, I’m perfectly content with our secluded spots we find in the woods. We did stop at this hut though for a snack and to make lunch.
Afterwards, we had a steep climb up a mountain. On top was another view with mountains just engulfing us. It was incredible. We easily could have stayed up there for an hour or more, but we really needed to get moving. We weren’t even halfway through our miles for the day and it was already late afternoon or early evening. Doubt set in about meeting our goal – which had already been shortened by two miles when we started out.
We continued to push as fast as we could. Our bodies are more tired than normal, at least mine is. In the Whites, we seem to be either climbing or descending a mountain. There hasn’t been much in between – eh, maybe I’m overdoing it a bit. It has been a new level of challenge, that’s for sure. I know my body is getting stronger though. That makes me feel better about it all.
We stopped for a break around 6p or so. We sat on rock faces just at the edge of the trail, right before we started a consistent downward push. As we ate, a bird flew into a nearby tree. He was grey and white and was a good size. He chirped at us, looking intently. We figured he was trying to sucker us into food. I was eating crackers, something I figured wouldn’t be too bad for the little guy. I held it out, he got closer. I stayed still, he got closer yet. After a couple of brave attempts where he decided last minute he couldn’t trust me, he finally landed on my hand. His tiny feet clinging to my fingers. Even after grabbing the cracker he sat still, trying to decide if he wanted to eat it there or in a tree. He opted for the latter and flew off. We saw him once more when Snow Monkey got him to land on his hand too. Unfortunately, that time the cracker fell when he landed. Upon seeing there was no treat, the bird flew off and didn’t come back. It was a cool experience. While I don’t condone feeding wildlife and truly feel guilty for it, it was pretty obvious this is a regular occurrence for this bird. Warthog even said he saw a video with another thru-hiker, hand feeding a bird like this.
A couple of miles further down the trail, we hit another hut. They were eating dinner while we were there. We didn’t want anything from them other than water, so we wouldn’t have to filter from a stream. Once we were loaded up, we were off! The trail continued down the mountain until it came to waterfalls and then it flattened out. I almost didn’t believe that the trail would stay so nice, but it did for several miles. At least up until where we are camped.
The sun fully set while we were hiking. It got dark enough that we needed our headlamps. We walked through a section of rockslide. The boulders stretched up the mountain and then filled the valley below. The forest opened up at this point because trees couldn’t grow in these rocks. Rather, they haven’t yet. You got a fantastic view of the neighboring mountain. The moon hung, half full, just over it. One thing I love about being outdoors constantly is you are so aware of what stage the moon is in. It’s a beautiful way to send the passing of time.
We hiked in the dark for almost forty minutes before finding our site. There was one across the river and down the trail a bit. Wonder Woman and I went to check it out and thought it was a bit creepy. The path leading to it took you far into the woods and you could tell someone once stayed there for a chunk of time. There was a rusted out tea pot and other metal items. The person even made a bench to sit on. We decided this was too close to the start of a horror movie and that we had no desire to stay there. We met back up with the guys and settled on the first site.
For dinner, Warthog made two packages of creamy garlic Knorr pasta sides with some bacon pieces in it. It was so garlicky, it was almost spicy. It reminded me of our friend, Atlas, who would eat one whole garlic clove a day to deter mosquitoes and ticks. He would offer some to the rest of us. For some strange reason, no one took him up on that offer. Occasionally you could smell the garlic on him and we would all tease him a bit for it. I miss the rest of our “tramily”. We made a lot of a great memories while we were together. I still have hope we will get a chance to make more yet on this trail before we reach Katahdin.
It was supposed to be an easy day with only 3,700+ feet of elevation gain in about thirteen miles. I know our late start really hindered us. Still, I expected to make better progress than we did. I’m just glad we met our goal. For a bit, I half expected we would fall short a few miles. New Hampshire has been a challenge, that’s for sure. Yesterday we found out that southern Maine is the same. Oh joy. Well, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… or something like that, right?
-ansel