Appalachian Trail - Day 121 - Lake of the Clouds Hut to Pinkham Notch

Day: 121

Date: Wednesday, 23 August 2023

Start:  AMC Lake of the Clouds Hut (AT Mile 1863.9)

Finish:  Pinkham Notch (AT Mile 1878.8)

Daily Kilometres:  22.5 (Ascent 3707', Descent 6709')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3073.2

Weather:  Cool to mild and sunny 

Accommodation:  Lodge

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Fried chicken/Jerk chicken & vegetables, chocolate brownies

Aches:  Dave - sore left knee and the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Summitting Mount Washington on a beautiful sunny and almost windless early morning and having the peak and it's vistas virtually to ourselves (saw one trail runner up there).  Usually the peak is a zoo, with a car park, gift shop, cafe and cog railway station, but none of that was open at 7:30am when we were there.  We just wandered around taking in the superb views down to distant valleys, some filled with fog, and ranges of mountains, some of which we had hiked along to get here.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

There were six of us in the tiny six-bunk dungeon at the hut, but by the time Dave's alarm went off at 5:00am, the other four thru-hikers had left, keen to get to the summit of Mount Washington to see the dawn.

It was cold, with an icy breeze, and we were not sorry to have "slept in".  We packed and left the hut at 6:00am to climb the remaining distance, 1.6 miles, to the summit of Mt Washington (6288', the highest peak in US north-east), which was clearly visible, dominated by a cluster of towers/aerials. It was very cold hiking in the shadow of the mountain, but when we reached the top we were in bright sunshine and the views were superb (see above).

The Appalachian Trail took a very circular route via Mt Madison to get to Pinkham Notch, our goal for the day, and we knew that it would likely be late by the time we got there because Dave was struggling a bit with his knee and fatigue.  An option was to take the more direct Tuckerman Ravine Trail, which would save about eight miles, but Dave was keen to see if he could manage the longer route and Julie was keen to follow the official AT which would be above the treeline and have great views on such a sunny day.

However, by our breakfast stop at 9:00am, it seemed likely it would be at least 6:00pm by the time we reached Pinkham Notch where we had a lodge room booked that came with dinner and breakfast.  We didn't fancy being in a rush to be in time for dinner, so we agreed that Julie would continue along the AT while Dave would take a shorter route via the Sphinx Trail/Great Gulf Trail to rejoin the AT with about four miles to go.

Dave's choice seemed unwise when, within 100 metres along the Sphinx Trail he met a hiker coming the other way (the last he would see for three hours) who, after appraising Dave and his pack, said "You're not planning to go down there are you?". He explained that the trail was hard to follow, very steep and very slippery, but Dave felt committed and continued on.  It was all of those things and scary in parts, but he took it slowly and carefully down to the valley floor - three hours to do two miles!  From there he followed a roaring Peabody River downstream past waterfalls and cataracts before rejoining the AT for the last four miles to Pinkham Notch where he arrived around 4:15pm, checked in, and then waited for Julie to arrive.

Julie arrived around 6:00pm, having enjoyed the above-treeline views on the ridge to Mt Madison (5367'), but not so much the steep rocky ascents and descents.  That it took her so long, even without having to wait for Dave, confirmed the wisdom of him taking the shorter route today.

We ate up big at the buffet dinner that was included with our lodge room booking and enjoyed our first showers for a few days before having a welcome early night in a comfy bed.

Appalachian Trail - Day 118 - Kinsman Pond Shelter to Garfield Ridge

Day: 118

Date: Sunday, 20 August 2023

Start:  Kinsman Pond Shelter (AT Mile 1820.3)

Finish:  Garfield Ridge (AT Mile 1835.9)

Daily Kilometres:  21.7  (Ascent 5397', Descent 5699')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3008.4

Weather:  Sunny, warm and breezy.

Accommodation:  Tent 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Snickers/Trail mix/Pop tarts 

Aches:  Dave - left knee sore; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Our journey along the Franconia Ridge to Mt Lafayette (5260') was spectacular.  We were above the treeline most of the way and could see mountains near and far, including Mt Washington, and our trail winding along the ridge and up to the summit of Mt Lafayette.

Lowlight:  We failed to reach somewhere to camp before darkness fell and then it was hard to find a campsite in the dark.  The trail was also steep, rocky and wet, and it was no fun trying to negotiate steep slippery rock slabs by headlamp. At one point we were literally descending in a waterfall.  It was after 9:30pm before we found a just adequate spot to erect the tent.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It was a night of disrupted sleep in our shelter which was filled to overflowing with late arrivals.  Some people also got up well before dawn so they could climb Kinsman Mt to watch the dawn.

We packed up as quietly as we could and left at about 6:40am.  We were hoping for easier trail, but it was very difficult and it took us nearly four hours to do the first five miles down to the Permigawasset River and the Interstate Highway, including a couple of tricky fords, in one of which Julie fell partially into the water.

From the valley we began our long journey up to the Franconia Ridge and Mt Lafayette.  It was slow going on the rocky trail, on which we had plenty of company.  Being a sunny Sunday, many day hikers were out on the trail and Mt Lafayette is a popular destination.  Most of them were on their way back down from the ridge since they would have started early, and our ascent started around 11:00am.

When we finally reached the ridge, the trail was rocky and boggy whilst in the forest but, once we emerged above the treeline, the walking became easier and the views were fabulous (see above).

As we approached Mt Lafayette we could see a group of about twenty people slowly wending their way up the last stretch to the summit and when they reached it they began singing as a group.  When we reached the summit, we discovered it was a group of nuns from Washington DC on a summer outing.  One of them was originally from Parramatta in Sydney.

By this time it was getting late and we still had four miles to go, and a climb over Mt Garfield, to reach somewhere to camp. As has been the case for the last few days, it took longer than we thought and we ended up hiking way later than we wanted, though we did get to enjoy a lovely sunset.  The White Mountains are certainly living up to their tough reputation.  Even though our mileage expectations are low, we are still having trouble meeting them.

Appalachian Trail - Day 119 - Garfield Ridge to Ethan Pond

Day: 119

Date: Monday, 21 August 2023

Start:  Garfield Ridge (AT Mile 1835.9)

Finish:  Ethan Pond (AT Mile 1850.5)

Daily Kilometres:  21.7 (Ascent 3081', Descent 3645')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3030.1

Weather:  Cool to mild, foggy in the morning then mostly overcast.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pancakes and cold oatmeal (neither with any condiments)

  .:  Pop tarts and trail mix

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

Aches:  Dave - left knee sore; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  The awesome views from Zeacliff were some of the best yet for our trip.  To the north we could see Mt Washington, its top shrouded in cloud, and to the east range after range of mountains in different shades of blue.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We let ourselves sleep in until 6:00am because of our late night and were hiking by soon after 7:00am on a mild mostly morning.

We had about the same distance to go today as we did yesterday, so were a bit anxious about how long it would take.  The early miles didn't help.  They were grindingly technical on rocky trail with steep ascents and descents.  It took us nearly two hours to do the first 2.7 miles which took us to the Appalachian Mountain Club's Galehead Hut.  At these huts, from 9:00am, after the paying guests have had their breakfast, the leftovers are available to thru-hikers. Thru-hikers seemed to materialise from everywhere at 9:00am and we joined them.  Not very inviting at any other time, we were all devouring the cold pancakes, with no butter, syrup, etc, and the cold claggy oatmeal.  It was particularly welcomed by us since we hadn't had much for dinner the night before and Dave ate many pancakes.

Amongst the thru-hikers there was discussion about how hard the trail had been, but also the news that the last few miles of today's hike might actually be quite easy, which lifted our spirits a little.

From the hut we had a very slow and technical climb up to South Twin Mountain (4902') which turned out to be our highest point of the day.  There were no views because of the fog and we continued on.

After summitting Mount Guyot and the shoulder of Mt Zealand in fog, it began to clear and we were lucky enough to get fabulous views from Zeacliff, touted as one of the best viewpoints on the AT.

Around 3:45pm, we reached the AMC's Zealand Falls Hut and hoped to get some thru-hiker snacks, such as cookies and soup but, sadly, they were all gone.

From there the trail became much easier, though very boggy after a few miles, and we reached our target tent site for the day around 6:45pm, a little later than we had hoped, but not too bad.

A cold wind blew up as we set up camp and had dinner and we were in our tent as quickly as possible.

Appalachian Trail - Day 120 - Ethan Pond to AMC Lake of the Clouds Hut

Day: 120

Date: Tuesday, 22 August 2023

Start:  Ethan Pond (AT Mile 1850.5)

Finish:  AMC Lake of the Clouds Hut (AT Mile 1863.9)

Daily Kilometres:  20.6 (Ascent 5098', Descent 2927')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3050.7

Weather:  Cool to mild, sunny and windy.

Accommodation:  The Dungeon (Emergency shelter under AMC hut)

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Pastries and trail mix

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - left knee sore and the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported 

Highlight:  We couldn't have asked for better weather for our hike along the main ridge of the Presidential Range (5000+') in the White Mountains.  This is one of the most anticipated sections of the whole Appalachian Trail, but it is also infamous for its bad weather and many hikers don't get the views.  The air was clear and we could see scores of miles in all directions.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

After a cool night we were hiking by 6:30am anticipating, and a bit apprehensive about, a big day.  We were going to climb onto the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, famous for its challenging trail, scenery and bad weather.

Lucky for us, the weather was looking good and after our first four miles, two of which were steeply uphill, we reached our first viewpoint, Webster Cliffs, and some breathtaking views over Crawford Notch.

As we climbed higher, often on some very challenging rockfaces, hand-over-hand in places and scary in some, we had lots more views and in more directions.  The air was crystal clear revealing wave after wave of silhouetted mountains reaching into the distance.  After Mt Webster we climbed Mt Jackson before descending to the AMC Mizpah Hut where we had lunch augmented by some of the pastries available to thru-hikers and spent some time enjoying the warm sunshine out of the very cool breeze.

After the hut we climbed Mt Pierce and then remained above the treeline in a strong wind for the rest of the afternoon, feeling on top of the world and savouring the visual feast.

Our target for the day was the AMC's Lake of the Clouds Hut where we knew there was an emergency shelter, known as The Dungeon, where thru-hikers could stay, but we also knew that there were only six bunks there.  (To actually stay as paying guests in the hut would have cost $A500+ for the night.)  If there were no bunks available then we would have had to hike down to below the treeline and camp, which would have been a pain in the butt.  Lucky for us, there were still four bunks available (none now) and we paid our $10 each for the privilege.

After a surreptitious wash in the hut bathrooms we cooked our dinner outside in very cold conditions but were able to bring it inside to eat.  We could have paid another $10 each to eat the dinner leftovers after the paying guests, but would have had to wait until maybe 8:00pm and expect it to be lukewarm. 

After our dinner we stayed in the warmth of the hut until 8:00pm before adjourning to the cold unheated dungeon for the night.  Tomorrow we summit My Washington, the highest point in the Presidential Range (6288') and the weather forecast looks good.  Can't believe our luck.

Appalachian Trail - Day 117 - Kinsman Notch to Kinsman Pond Shelter

Day: 117

Date: Saturday, 19 August 2023

Start:  Kinsman Notch (AT Mile 1808.8)

Finish:  Kinsman Pond Shelter (AT Mile 1820.3)

Daily Kilometres:  18.5

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2986.7

Weather:  Cool, overcast and occasional drizzle.

Accommodation:  Shelter 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Muffins

  Lunch:  American subs

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - left knee quite sore; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  None

Lowlight:  Too many to mention

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were picked up by our shuttle driver for the trip back to the trail around 6:45am and were there by 7:15am.  At the same trailhead, as we prepared to leave, other vehicles turned up from one of the hostels with Appalachian Trail thru-hikers who were going to slackpack the section we were hiking, carrying little or no gear and being picked up at the other end of the section.

It brought home to us that, in contrast, we had full packs including four days food and were about to hike one of the toughest sections of the AT (hence so many thru-hikers were slackpacking).  

From Kinsman Notch the AT was to follow the Kinsman Ridge trail up and over two mountains - Wolf Mt and Kinsman Mt.  It turned out to be a slow, miserable, wet and muddy day.  There were periods of drizzle and the trail was very wet and/or boggy almost the whole way.  Where it wasn't wet or boggy it was beset by rocks and roots.  There was lots of crawling up rocky slabs, and Dave had a couple of falls.  Julie also ended up knee-deep in a bog at one point.  Neither of us was happy and the drizzle and clouds meant few views.

In all, walking from 7:30am to 6:30pm, with two 30 minute breaks, we covered 12 miles!

Kinsman Pond Shelter, which was pretty much our only option for the night, is run by the Appalachian Mountain Club, who charge a fee to stay and enforce rules about considerate camping.  For instance, we had to cook away from where we sleep (so bears aren't attracted) which meant sitting in freezing conditions under a leaking tarpaulin cooking and eating our dinner.  Not pleasant.  Then the shelter filled up with late arrivals so we are sleeping cheek by jowl with people we never met.  Everybody's gear is wet so there's stuff hanging everywhere.

Hopefully the weather is better tomorrow.  Slackpacking never looked so good!

Appalachian Trail - Day 116 - Day Off in Lincoln

Day: 116

Date: Friday, 18 August 2023

Start:  Kinsman Notch (AT Mile 1808.8) but staying in Lincoln.

Finish:  Kinsman Notch (AT Mile 1808.8) but staying in Lincoln.

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2968.2

Weather:  Mostly overcast and showery with a bit of sun in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast wraps and cookies.

  Lunch:  Mexicali subs

  Dinner:  Sausage, mac & cheese/Chicken burger & fries, apple Danish & rice pudding.

Aches:  Nothing to report.

Highlight:  We had dinner with a cousin of Dave's who we hadn't seen for a year or two who made the long drive up from Manchester NH for the occasion.  It was good to catch up on each other's news.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: No pictures today.

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

The usual day-off activities today - resupplying for the next four days, replacing broken/worn gear (leaking water bottles, a bent carbon fibre trekking pole from yesterday's descent, a leaking air pillow, new boots for Dave, hopefully with better grip), eating and drinking.

For much of the day it was raining, so we were happy not to be hiking in the mountains.

Julie went for a long walk in the afternoon and dropped the smartphone she found up on the mountain yesterday in at the local police station.  Despite her best efforts, contacting local hostels, calling recent numbers on the found phone and leaving message on hiking noticeboards, nobody has claimed it.

While Julie was out walking, Dave worked out our more detailed schedule for the remainder of the hike.  Barring the unforeseen, we should summit Mt Katahdin, and the end of the trail, on 16 September.  Less than a month to go!

We had an early dinner with Dave's cousin who drove up from the south of New Hampshire (see above) at the restaurant adjacent to the motel and then packed to be ready for an early departure back to the trail tomorrow morning.

Appalachian Trail - Day 115 - Jeffers Brook Shelter to Kinsman Notch

Day: 115

Date: Thursday, 17 August 2023

Start:  Jeffers Brook Shelter (AT Mile 1800.4)

Finish:  Kinsman Notch (AT Mile 1808.8) but staying in Lincoln.

Daily Kilometres:  12.1

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2968.2

Weather:  Overcast, cool to mild, with long periods of light rain.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Hot dogs & fries.

  Dinner:  Chimichangas, rice & beans/Nachos, apple turnover & rice pudding.

Aches:  Dave - left knee sore plus a few other niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  The long, steep, rocky and slick part of the descent from Mt Mousilauke alongside the cascading Beaver Brook was nerve-wracking, exhilarating and spectacular.  The roar of the rushing waterfall drowned out all other sounds as we carefully clambered down through the gnarly alpine forest was nature in the raw.  And best of all, we managed it without any drama.

Lowlight:  Yet another day where no rain was forecast until at least the afternoon, but it started raining at 9:00am and continued through to the early afternoon, obscuring the views we hoped to enjoy from Mt Mousilauke (4802') as we crossed its open summit.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were hiking by soon after 6:30am in mild overcast conditions hoping that we had a short day in prospect before our day off in Lincoln tomorrow.

The distance was short, only a little over 8 miles, but it involved transiting Mt Mousilauke, the first 4000+' mountain the trail has gone over since Virginia, nearly 1000 miles ago.  There were lots of comments on our crowd-sourced navigation app about how difficult the descent from the peak was for north-bound thru-hikers, especially when wet, and nearby hostels were promoting slackpacking shuttles which would allow thru-hikers to hike the section in reverse without their full packs.  So, we approached the day with some apprehension, especially Dave.

The ascent of the mountain was long and mostly rocky, but not that steep or dangerous.  It wasn't raining and we were hopeful of some views, even if above the clouds.  However, as if on cue, as we reached the southern end of the summit ridge and still below the treeline, it began to rain.  We took a break in miserable conditions, huddled against the rain and cold in the dripping forest, aware that if we waited until we reached the peak we would be above the treeline and much more exposed to the weather.

Half a mile from there we emerged from the treeline into a ghostly alpine landscape shrouded in a thick fog with the rain still falling.  We stopped briefly at the summit sign then, as we were leaving, incredibly, Julie found a smartphone lying on a rock.  There was nobody else around so Julie picked it up and will post details on the nav app and hand it in to the police in town.

Initially the descent was just steady, rocky and boggy, and we began to meet slackpackers, some of who we recognized, on their way up.  A couple of them warned us of the dangers of the descent and wished us a safe journey, just increasing our apprehension!  With 1.5 miles of the descent to go, we reached Beaver Brook and then  followed it very steeply downhill (see above).  It was very difficult especially because of the slick rocks in the rain and the huge steps down required.  We took it very slowly, especially Dave, and it took us just under two hours to cover that last 1.5 miles.

We finally emerged onto NH Route 112 at Kinsman Notch in light drizzle and fog.  After walking a hundred metres along the road to a good spot, we began hitchhiking, though not optimistic given the wet conditions and how bedraggled and wet we looked.  However, after about 10-15 minutes, a.lady on her way home to Rhode Island with a pretty full car pulled up and offered us a lift.  We squeezed in, with Dave nursing his wet rucksack on the back seat, and were kindly driven directly to our motel about twenty minutes away where we arrived right on 2:00pm.

We checked in and bought some take-out lunch from a cafe across the road in the busy tourist town and spent the balance of the afternoon doing the usual chores.  Later we walked down to a Mexican restaurant for a "so so" dinner.

Everything in our packs seems very damp as a consequence of the persistent rain and humidity, so we will be spending our day off here tomorrow drying everything out ….. again.  For once we seems to have timed our day off well, since the forecast is for bad weather tomorrow and hikers are being warned not to venture into the high country.