Category: AT Thru-Hike 2024

Up at 7:00. Finalized route plan which lets me finalize my shopping list for the next 5 days in the Whites. Had a light breakfast of Chinese leftovers, did some chores, and got ready to bike 1.3 miles into town for resupply and some more breakfast.

Biked into town. Very quiet in town on a Sunday morning. Did my resupply shopping at the gas station market. I’m all set for the next 5 days including a huge roast beef sub for dinner tomorrow night in camp. Had a REAL breakfast at the Big Inn and Brew House in town (steak and eggs). Biked back to the hostel and started working on 7 days of blog uploads. 

Planning for the next 5 days has been challenging. I have to take the weather even more into consideration than normal. Wind and temps and rain can vary wildly day to day at these elevations. Plus the distances that I can make in a day are much more questionable due to elevation changes and terrain. I plan to stay at AMC huts twice this week which require reservations, but I don’t know exactly which huts I can reach by which day yet. That means I’ll have to try to make reservations one day before for each. Dana will likely have to make them for me once I message her from my Garmin as I won’t have cell service.

Then I need to figure out my plans for Friday or Saturday once I finish this week’s stretch in the Whites. I need a shuttle to Gotham, NH, and a motel room, but I don’t know which day I’ll finish yet. 

All this plus the concerns about weather are very stressful. Last thing I need right now. The forecast for tomorrow is much colder now than it was yesterday, plus chances of rain in the late afternoon. Wet, wind, and cold….lovely.

Here is my plan for the week. Curious to see how much it changes.

Day 149 Mon 09/09 (11.6) – Franconia Notch to Garfield Ridge Campsite – 1834.4

• Mount Liberty
• Little Haystack Mountain 
• Mount Lincoln 
• Mount Lafayette 
• Mount Garfield

Day 150 Tue 09/10 (14.5) – Ethan Pond Shelter – 1848.9

• South Twin Mountain 
• Mount Guyot
• Zealand Mountain

Day 151 Wed 09/11 (9.3) – Mizpah Hut OR their campground – 1858.2

• Need a reservation 
• Mount Webster
• Mount Jackson

Day 151 Wed 09/11 (14) – Lakes of the Clouds Hut – 1862.9

• Need a reservation 
• Mount Webster
• Mount Jackson
• Mount Pierce

Day 152 Thu 09/12 (11.8) – Madison Spring Hut – 1870

• Need a reservation 
• Mount Monroe
• Mount Washington 
• Mount Clay
• Mount Jefferson 
• Mount Adams
• Bailout by shuttling down Mount Washington if bad weather 

Day 153 Fri 09/13 (7.8) – Pinkham Notch Gorham NH – 1877.8

• Need a place to stay 
• Mount Madison 

I’m really looking forward to finishing Mount Washington and Mount Madison. Those, plus the traverse between them, will be the hardest part of the week with weather on Washington being the REALLY big wild card. If the weather on Washington is bad, I’ll have to wait at Lakes of the Clouds Hut until it gets better. 

For example, here is the Mount Washington forecast for today;

In and out of the clouds, trending towards clearing under partly sunny skies. Slight chance of late afternoon rain showers.

• High: Around 40
• Wind: NW shifting W at 60-80 mph with gusts up to 85 mph early, 40-55 mph midday, and 25-40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph later
• Wind Chill: 0 to 10 above, rising to 25 to 35 above

Wish me luck!

Technical Notes:

• Water 
• Miles 
• Time 
• Elevation gain 
• Calories consumed 
• Calories burned 

“Upside down

Boy, you turn me inside out

And, ’round and ’round

Upside down

Boy, you turn me inside out

And, ’round and ’round” – Diana Ross

Up at 6:00. Packed up camp and ate breakfast. On trail at 7:00.

Last night I heard a loud banging in the middle of the night. When I  got to the shelter to get my food from the bear boxes, I realized that one of the bear boxes was upside down. The bear wandered in and tried for a while to get into the box and eventually FLIPPED IT UPSIDE DOWN. Those things are heavy and this one was full of food. It took 3 people to turn it back right side up. The folks in the shelter were not sure what to do while all this was happening 20 feet away at 2:00 a.m.!

I got to the AMC Lonesome Lake Hut at 8:30 and 2 miles. Got water and talked with an AMC volunteer for a bit. She said that they will let me move a hut reservation a day assuming there is an opening available. Good to know as I plan to use huts on both sides of Mount Washington next week.

The lake at Lonesome Lake Hut is gorgeous today. That is Franconia Ridge behind the lake. I hike that on Monday from right to left. The hike down is very rocky but nothing like yesterday’s ascent.

Texted the hostel shuttle to let them know that I would be at The Flume Visitor Center for their 11:30 shuttle. 

Made it down the mountain and arrived at the bike path from the AT to the visitor center at 9:55 and 4.9 miles. I have 1 mile on the bike path to the visitor center. Glad I did not try to do this last evening or I would have done the last hour in the dark.

Got to the visitor center at 10:20. Got lunch and a coffee from the snack bar while I waited for the shuttle. Shuttle picked me up right at 11:30. I was the only passenger. We stopped at a market on the way to the hostel so the driver could gas up the vehicle and I grabbed adult beverages and snacks. I’ll bike into town this evening for dinner and do real resupply shopping tomorrow. 

I ran into 2 of these today. Yes, they work!

Arrived at The Notch hostel about noon. I dried out my tent and other gear, put all my clothes in the dirty laundry basket (staff washes laundry in bulk), got a shower, talked to Dana, and started working on blogs and posting blogs for the past 7 days. I’ll work on route planning in detail and making reservations tomorrow.

YouTube video of The Notch Hostel

Speaking of tomorrow, here is the weather forecast for the high mountains where I was last night and will be all next week:

As cold air follows the front, the rain will transition to a wintery mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow by sunrise Sunday. Steady precipitation will taper to showers, which will linger through Sunday as favorable upslope conditions develop on the backside of the departing low to our north. Most models have the freezing line dropping to about 5000 feet and then holding at that elevation through sunrise Monday.

The increasing winds will likely whip up the newly fallen snow and ice through Sunday and Sunday night. The winds will also make the cold air feel even colder on exposed skin and increase exposure risks if not adequately covered or prepared. For those underprepared, conditions will be prime for hypothermia, and frostbite could develop with prolonged exposures, especially during overnight hours.

That plus the rain tonight is why I’m taking tomorrow (Sunday) off. It’s gonna be sunny down here at the town level, but near freezing with sub-freezing windchill at altitude Saturday and Sunday night.

Ordered Chinese for delivery. OK, not great. Read then watched a movie till 11:30 p.m.

Technical Notes:

• Pop tarts 370
• Snickers 250
• Cheese crackers 190
• Town day…not counting anymore 
• Water 1.4
• Miles 4.9 + 1
• Time 3:15
• Elevation gain 155
• Calories consumed 
• Calories burned 3000

“Who’s tripping down the streets of the city

Smilin’ at everybody she sees

Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment

Everyone knows it’s Windy “ – The Association 

Up at 6:00. Had coffee and donuts, then packed and headed to the trail at 7:00 via a shuttle from the hostel. On trail at 7:25.

I got a new pair of convertible hiking pants in PA in July (thanks, Dana). I dropped the size from 36 to 30. They fit great….until recently. They are falling off me now, so I improvised a belt with a length of paracord I found in the hiker box at the hostel. Works great!

Clouds and light drizzle turning partly sunny, 51 going up to mid-60s.

So much for the sunny and warm forecast. I’m wearing rain gloves and a rain coat. Hope this clears up. The rain will make the rocks very slippery. Welcome to the Whites:(

Steep 1-mile climb with almost a 1000-foot per mile grade to start the morning. First summit of the day will be Mount Wolf at 4.6 miles. Curious to see how long it takes to do that section.

Stopped for a break at 10:35 and 5 miles in. Very rugged trail. Getting technical in places. From what others told me, this gets worse later today when I ascend South Kinsman Mountain. Rain and fog cleared off about 10:00. Breezy and cool, but mostly blue sky. 

Got 2.5 miles to Eliza Brook Shelter where I’ll take a break. Then 6.6 miles to Kinsman Pond Shelter. I’m guessing 4-5:00. I’ll be curious to see what pace I can average today.

Reached the Eliza Brook campsite at 12:20. Stopped for a snack. I have the big 2.5-mile ascent up South Kinsman Mountain (833ft/mile), then 1.6 more miles to Kinsman Pond Shelter.  My pace so far averages 1.5 miles per hour. Back on the trail at 12:35.

Hiked along a series of small waterfalls for a mile.

Crossed a stretch of bog boards next to a bog. 

Then I got a view of what I have to climb next. Gulp!

The last 1.5 miles up South Kinsman was brutal. Steep and more rock climbing than hiking. I’m talking about using both feet to lever your way up between rock faces, wedging hands and feet into cracks between rocks, and pulling yourself up. I made under 1 mile per hour in that stretch. This is part of why a lot of days in the Whites mileage is in the single digits. I gotta say, I’m in really good shape now, carrying 35 pounds less weight, and I am a lot more flexible than I was 5 months ago. All that helps tremendously. Also, very happy that I have brand-new shoes and new tips on my trekking poles for this!

Summited South Kinsman (4333 feet) at 2:40.

YouTube video from South Kinsman 

That is on tap for early next week.

Summited North Kinsman (4268 feet) at 3:40.

Arrived at Kinsman Pond campsite at 4:10 and set up a tent on a shared tent platform. Just as I was finishing, a couple showed up and used the other half of the platform. It’s a fall weekend, and there are a LOT of weekend campers here. 

I paid for my 10-day AMC temporary membership with the camp caretaker for $10. All tent sites only cost me $5 after this, and I can get a members discount for 10 days. That’s a big deal given that I do plan to use AMC huts at least twice. Also, it gets me some free snacks at AMC huts.

Had an early dinner at 5:45, then settled into my quilt to keep warm. Thank god I got my 20-degree quilt back! It’s cold and windy at these elevations.

Overall, a good day. Second hardest climb of the AT so far, next to Lehigh Gap, and I did it fairly easily. Amazing views from both 4000-footers. And another day of good weather at altitude in the Whites. 

Technical Notes:

• Mini donuts: 560
• Oreos: 160
• Zero-sugar sausage: 240
• Oreos: 160
• Snickers: 250
• Tuna: 190
• Ramen: 370
• Mini donuts: 280
• Pepperoni: 150
• Fritos: 600
• Water: 1.7
• Miles: 11.6
• Time: 8
• Elevation gain: 4554
• Calories consumed: 3200
• Calories burned: 6500

“There’s always gonna be another mountain

I’m always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be an uphill battle

Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose

Ain’t about how fast I get there

Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side

It’s the climb” – Miley Cyrus

Up at 6:00. Shuttled to Kinsman Notch at 7:00 along with Steady Eddie, Lady Bug, Big Blue, and Jerre Bear. On trail at 7:45.

41 days left … again 🙁

The first mile of the ascent follows a series of waterfalls. Gorgeous.

The climb is very steep and rocky. Handholds and steps bolted into the rocks for several miles. I’ve had harder climbs, but not for 3+ miles. 

I passed the Beaver Brook shelter at 8:10 and 1.5 miles in. I’m doing right about 1 mile per hour. It is utterly quiet. No cars, no trains, no planes. That has rarely happened.

Crossed above the tree line at 10:15 and 4724 feet elevation. Now I follow the cairns. It gets foggy above the tree line and there are no trees, so the cairns are used as markers instead of blazes.

Summited Mount Moosilauke (4802 feet) at 10:20. There are 6 other people up here.

The view is a spectacular 360 degrees of awesomeness. It’s probably low 60s, barely a cloud to be seen, light breeze. A lot of hikers only see this mountain on clouds and high wind. It really could not be a better day. 

YouTube video from Mount Moosilauke

YouTube video below the summit on Moosilauke

I ate lunch and started the 5.7-mile descent to NH 25 and the Hikers Welcome hostel at 11:10. Guessing it will take me 4 hours. Passed Mockingbird and Fullmoon on my way down. They are headed up and then to The Notch hostel.

Crossed the 1800-mile mark. I’m less than 400 miles from Katahdin! Woo hoo!

Hiked the last 2 miles with Lady Bug. She had been sectioning the AT since 2016 and is finishing her AT journey in NH and ME this year. I expect to see her and Jerre Bear a lot over the next week. Got back to the hostel just before 2:00.  Much easier descent than I expected.

My shoes arrived at The Notch hostel. I texted a shuttle driver from the mountain and they will pick me up at 3:30 and drop me at the Notch hostel with a quick stop at a market for dinner on the way. Very good as my right shoe is falling apart even more. I really did not want to hike the Kinsmans in these worn-out shoes. Need the traction plus they are just falling apart! This is working out great. 

Packed up and checked out of Hikers Welcome by 3:00. The hostel is closing for the season on September 10, just 5 days away. I am running a bit late in the season!

Got a shuttle over to The Notch hostel at 3:30. It’s a solid 45-minute drive. I lucked out and got the last room they ate packed. The Rascals are here plus Uno and that large crowd. Mockingbird and Fullmoon are also here along with Lady Bug and Jerre Bear. I moved my reservations for the weekend to Saturday and Sunday night. I can leave stuff here until the weekend, which I will to lighten my load for the next two days in the Kinsmans.

The Notch is the best organized, nicest, and probably largest hostel so far. It’s my new number one. Very, very nice landscaping, decoration, furniture, etc. I have a small private cottage. The main building is a very bright, airy three-story building with several standalone cottages. The middle floor has a large kitchen and two very large common rooms. Also, a large wraparound porch with very comfortable seating. 

Talked to Polar, Newt, and Glass to get a feel for my hike tomorrow. They said it’s hard but not as hard as that nasty rock scramble out of the Lehigh Gap in PA. Just longer. I’m feeling good about tomorrow. 

Talked to Dana and filled her in on my plans through Sunday. Ate the sub for dinner that I picked up at the market on the way to The Notch.

Prepped gear for the next two days. I’ll be leaving some items at the hostel until Saturday. Researched route plans for next week through the Presidentials. I’ve got a plan, but want to sanity check it with people this weekend. Highly dependent on the weather.

Chatted with Uno for a bit and with 23. I feel decent about my plans. Mount Washington is the big wild card due to weather and altitude, but I have a few bailouts planned if needed. 

Technical Notes:

• Mini donuts 560
• Roast beef sub 12’’ 800
• Snickers 250
• Root beer 160
• Root beer 160
• Root beer 160
• Steak and cheese sub 1100
• Chocolate chip cookie 500
• Seltzer 600
• Fritos 300
• Water .7
• Miles 9.5
• Time 6:15
• Elevation gain 3116
• Calories consumed 4700
• Calories burned 5500

“You ain’t lived until you’ve watched those northern lights

Set around the campfire and hear the coyotes call at night

Makes you feel alright” – Chris Ledoux

Up at 6:30. Packed, had breakfast, and got ready to leave by 7:30. Shuttled to the trail and hiking at 8:00.

Doing 9.7 miles to Hikers Welcome hostel. Goal is to be there by 2:30.

Sunny, 55 going up to 75.

41 days left!

Possibly my favorite sign I’ve seen in a long time. Bathroom sign at the Barn Door hostel.

Trail magic at 8:45 by Cape Moonshine road. 

Got to NH 25C at 10:15. Had to make emergency shoe repairs. I love duct tape! I have new shoes arriving Friday, hopefully. I’ll have to do Mount Moosilauke and The Kinsmans with these old shoes. At least it’s supposed to be dry when I do those two days. 

Summited Mount Mist at 11:45.

Arrived at NH 25 at 1:40. Short road walk to Hikers Welcome hostel. Got settled into a bunk, started laundry, and showered. Old school outdoor showers. Haven’t seen that in a while.

Replaced the tips on my trekking poles. That was much easier than I thought it would be. 

Tortilla showed up around 6:00. I have not seen him in a month. 

Shuttled to the store and got dinner, breakfast for tomorrow, lunch for tomorrow, and a few supplies. Hung out at the fire with staff and other hikers.

It was very nice to hang out by the fire and chat. Most of the folks are around my age, and Miss Janet, the owner, had tons of good stories as well as a lot of trail wisdom. I have not had this experience since TN.

After a lot of talking with staff and other hikers, plus my research and the weather, I have made some changes to my schedule:

• Slacking Moosilauke SOBO tomorrow 
• Staying at Hikers Welcome tomorrow night
• Shuttling to Kinsman Notch Friday morning 
• Hiking the Kinsmans in two days instead of attempting slacking it in one day
  • Camping at Eliza Brook Shelter or Kinsman Pond Shelter Friday night 
• Arrive at Flume visitors center Saturday midday 
• Stay at The Notch hostel Saturday night
  • It’s supposed to rain Saturday night and all day Sunday 
• Zero on Sunday at The Notch
• Start Franconia Ridge on Monday 

This costs me two days on my schedule, but my original plan to do the Kinsmans in one day was just not realistic. Plus, a foul weather day. I feel a lot better about this plan and got positive feedback from some experts.

All that said, I’m feeling anxious about the next few days 🙁

Technical Notes:

• Chocolate chip muffin 450
• Coffee 30
• Snickers 250
• Italian sub 400
• Italian sub 400
• Coke 140
• Root beer 140
• Dinner 1200
• Cider 260
• Seltzer 400
• Water .7
• Miles 9.7 
• Time 5
• Elevation gain 2319
• Calories consumed 4000
• Calories burned 4750

“You got loud horns, we got dogs barkin’

Ain’t got a pip, no John Deere parkin’

There’s meat n’ taters, lots of fried pickles

If ya don’t like that, let me tell you a little

Think about that

Don’t let the barn door hit you on your way out” – Alex Miller

Up at 8:20. Short day today, so I slept in. Had breakfast, packed up, and was on the trail at 9:35.

Sunny, 55 going up to 72.

42 days left!

Lots of climbing up to start the day. That is Smarts Mountain that I climbed yesterday. I can see the fire tower on the summit.

Would not want to do this in wet conditions due to all the slab rocks. Super slippery.

Summited Mount Cube at noon.

Tried contacting Barn Door hostel via text and phone. No response to either. I worry they don’t check their messages until 3:00 when their office hours begin. I don’t like heading down the mountain where there is no cell service until I have made contact. Crap. I’ll head down to the road about 1:00. Should take 90 minutes or so.

Arrived at NH 25A at 2:45. Found a nice spot against a tree to settle in.  Hopefully, my shuttle will arrive. I have not gotten any confirmation from the hostel, which worries me.

Got a Garmin message with pickup confirmation. Shuttle picked me up about 4:00. Stopped at a local market for dinner and snacks. I’ll resupply tomorrow or Thursday. Got settled in at the Barn Door hostel about 4:45. Nice place. Caters to rock climbers and others mainly, but hosts some hikers. I have a nice little private room. Very good showers! They will take me back to the trail at 7:30 tomorrow morning.

Talked to Dana and got my gear ready for tomorrow. Did some research on White Mountain hiking after Franconia Ridge. We have bad weather coming in Saturday and Sunday, so this is getting tricky.

Technical Notes:

• Pop Tarts 370
• Oreos 160
• Snickers 250
• Cheese Crackers 250
• Zero Sugar Sausage 120
• Trail Mix 300
• Snickers 250
• Oreos 160
• Ruben 1200
• Dr Pepper 240
• Chips 980
• Misc 1180
• Pepperoni 280
• Water 1.7
• Miles 7.2
• Time 4
• Elevation Gain 1749
• Calories Consumed 6000
• Calories Burned 4000

“And when he’d finished speaking,

He turned back toward the window,

Crushed out his cigarette,

Faded off to sleep,

And somewhere in the darkness,

The gambler he broke even,

But in his final words,

I found an ace that I could keep” – Kenny Roger’s

Up at 6:50. Hung with the Rascals a bit. On trail at 8:15. I may push an extra 3-5 miles today. There are two camping spots, one at +3 and one at +5. The Rascals are heading to the second one.

43 days left!

Sunny, 55 degrees going up to 65. Looks like a nice, cool day.

Got to the summit at 8:35. No view.

Met the trail angel who maintains the soda cache at Goose Pond Road at 9:45. He pulled out some chairs, and we talked a while. 23, Newt, and Glass showed up for a soda and talked a while too. He gave us some good insight into the Whites. Really nice 86-year-old guy who has been hiking the Whites all his life. Back on trail at 10:30.

The best advice we got was:

• Don’t be afraid of the Whites.
• Respect them. 
• Pay close attention to the weather.

Crossed a bog just after meeting the trail angel.

Ran into a hiker named Four Legs because of his walking canines. He gave us Pop-Tarts. Nice!

Up and over Holts Ledges at 11:45. First of 2 big climbs today. That thing was steep! Now to descend it and start climbing Smarts Mountain.

Took a snack break at Dorchester Road before tackling Smarts Mountain. Got a 2-mile road walk up Dorchester Road.

Just saw my second bear in 2 days . Youngster. Dropped out of a tree and bolted into the woods as I was walking up Dorchester Road to the base of Smarts Mountain. 

Got to the parking lot at Dorchester Road and the AT. 23 was resting here before ascending Smarts Mountain. Wished him a good hike. There is NO water on the mountain or at the shelter up top. I’ll load up 2.7 liters and lug them 3.5 miles up to my camp for tonight. Yay!

Summited Smarts Mountain at 3:55. That last 1.5 miles was brutal! 

Stopped by the fire tower on top of Smarts to check the view. The Rascals are all here as well.

YouTube video from Smarts Mountain fire tower

I planned to stay in the fully enclosed cabin up on Smarts, but it’s 4:30 and it’s COLD and very, very windy. I sucked it up and hiked 3 miles downhill to a small river. There are about 6 of us stealth camping by the river. Camping is not allowed, but I am not going 4 more miles uphill starting at 6:00 p.m. to get to a legal camp spot. It is very sheltered from the wind in this gap where I’m camping. I can hear the wind up in the trees, but it’s not reaching down here. Plus, there is water.

Got camp setup by 6:30 and cooked dinner. Tough hikes today, and I’m starving! Ate about 7:00. Got into bed at 7:45. Did some planning for tomorrow and read till 10:00.

I have a quandary. Since I hiked long today, I only have 7.5 miles tomorrow to where I  can get a pickup to Barn Door hostel where I  made a reservation for a private room. Then on Wednesday I only have a 9.7 mile hike to Hikers Welcome hostel. Part of me says eat the $90 for the room and just push on to the second hostel tomorrow. Part of me says since it’s non-refundable, just do a Nero! It was a good plan when I originally set it up 🙁

Technical Notes:

• Pop Tarts 370
• Oreos 200
• Coke 140
• Pop Tarts 370
• Skittles 175
• Snickers 250
• Snickers 250
• Cheese Crackers 250
• Pepperoni 280
• Ramen 740
• Dehydrated Chicken 170
• Oreo 160
• Water 2.4
• Miles 15
• Time 10
• Elevation Gain 4068
• Calories Consumed 3600
• Calories Burned 6500