Appalachian Trail - Day 124 - Day Off in Gorham

Day: 124

Date: Saturday, 26 August 2023

Start:  US Route 2 (AT Mile 1900.0) but staying in Gorham 

Finish:  US Route 2 (AT Mile 1900.0) but staying in Gorham 

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her walk around Gorham this afternoon.

Total Kilometres:  3107.9

Weather:  Mild, mostly overcast with a late shower.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  MacDonalds Breakfast Platter

  Lunch:  Ham, chicken & cheese subs

  Dinner:  Chinese buffet 

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

Highlight:  None really 

Lowlight:  None really 

Pictures: No photos today.

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We had a good sleep-in then walked half a mile to the town McDonalds for breakfast before shopping for supplies to see us through the next five days at a small grocery and outdoor store.

When Dave returned to our motel they were cleaning our room which was a total mess.  We hadn't expected the room to be serviced and there was damp gear spread all over and hanging from every conceivable place to dry along with a bathtub covered in leaf debris that was coming off the drying tent, fly and groundsheet.  While waiting outside he could hear muttered curses, but they were polite and friendly when they emerged from the room and Dave apologised for its state.

After lunch we had a quiet afternoon on admin and packing stuff.  Julie went for a short walk but got caught in a rain shower.

The small town of Gorham seems to be an ATV centre and they are roaring up and down the street, for sale or rent at multiple stores, and parked in all the motel carparks.

For dinner, we went to the All-You-Can-Eat buffet at the Chinese restaurant next door to our motel and ate all that we could eat.  A couple wearing guns sat at a nearby table.  Maybe it gets a bit rough at the buffet some nights.

Back on the trail tomorrow, with a 6:30am pickup booked from our motel for the short journey back to the trailhead.

Appalachian Trail - Day 123 - Imp Campsite to US Route 2

Day: 123

Date: Friday, 25 August 2023

Start:  Imp Campsite (AT Mile 1892.2)

Finish:  US Route 2 (AT Mile 1900.0) but staying in Gorham 

Daily Kilometres:  12.9

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

Total Kilometres:  3107.9

Weather:  Overcast and cold with rain periods.

Accommodation:  Motel 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Cheeseburgers & fries

  Dinner:  Penne pasta & meatballs/Calzone, apple turnover & ice-cream.

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

Highlight:  The last four miles of this morning's hike was following the Rattle River on a good, relatively flat, hiking trail.  It was nice to be able to walk normally after a week of careful foot placement and steep climbs and descents.

Lowlight:  Shortly after we started our last two miles of the day, having dried out somewhat after the earlier rain, there was a roll of thunder and then a torrential downpour.  We were quickly saturated and the rain continued when we reached the highway along which we hoped to hitchhike to Gorham.  Bedraggled in the rain, we began hitching.  It was miserable and seemed hopeless when we were so close to our motel room and dryness and warmth.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

When our alarm went off at 5:30am it was raining heavily on the tent and it was very cozy in bed.  Very tempting to stay there.  But, we knew there was a good chance that by the time we had packed as much as we could inside - pretty much everything since we had kept our food and bear barrels inside the flysheet overnight (don't tell the ranger) - the rain might have stopped.  And, that proved to be the case, though water continued to drip from the trees.

We ultimately packed up the very wet tent and were on our way soon after 6:30am on a very gloomy, misty, windy, cold and occasionally rainy morning.  As we made the gnarly climb up Mt Moriah (4049'), our last peak in the White Mountains, we were passed by a succession of thru-hikers, many of whom had stayed at the same campsite as us.  There were maybe 15-20 overall, all keen to get to Route 2 and town and out of the miserable weather (no views) like us, but spirits were high, probably because we all knew we would be warm and dry by tonight.

The descent from Moriah started out steep and technical but, the further we went, the gentler the gradient until, with about four miles to go it levelled out and followed the Rattle River to US Route 2 (see above).  We took a delayed, because of the rain and cold, breakfast break around 11:00am at a shelter with two miles to go.  The rain seemed to have cleared at last but, not long after we left the shelter, the heavens opened (see above).  Although it was our fastest two miles in the White Mountains, as Julie pointed out, it wasn't fast enough to avoid getting saturated again.

We arrived at the highway earlier than we expected and started hitchhiking in the rain with little optimism at 12:30pm.  We walked down the highway towards Gorham with our thumbs out until the rain eased somewhat and we stopped to hitch again. Miraculously, a young Californian guy on his way to do some day-hiking in the Whites over the next week, pulled over and picked us up.  I think we were lucky he was in a rental car and didn't care whether we were wet and dirty.  He kindly dropped us at our motel where the friendly owner let us check-in early.

By 1:00pm we were showering and changing into dry clothes with the room heater going full blast.  Heaven!  Later, Julie walked down to McDonald's to get us some lunch while Dave got the laundry going.

Julie's hiking shoes have taken a battering in the Whites and now have bad holes worn in the uppers.  During the afternoon she walked down to the local sports/hardware store to see if they sold any shoes she liked.  They didn't, so will be wearing her spare/camp shoes to the next town in a week's time.  On her walks around town she kept bumping into thru-hikers we have become friends with over the last few months.  It has been like a reunion town and quite a coincidence to meet so many in one place, especially when most of them are much younger and hike much faster than us.  As we were walking into the car park of a pizza place where we had planned to have dinner, a van pulled in front of us and in the passenger seat was a thru-hiker we used to see frequently 1000 miles ago.  We figured he was way in front of us, but apparently not.

A day that started pretty miserably has finished OK and we have a day off tomorrow.  The forecast is for rain, so our timing is good.

Appalachian Trail - Day 122 - Pinkham Notch to Imp Campsite

Day: 122

Date: Thursday, 24 August 2023

Start:  Pinkham Notch (AT Mile 1878.8)

Finish:  Imp Campsite (AT Mile 1892.2)

Daily Kilometres:  21.8 (Ascent 5787', Descent 4590')

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

Total Kilometres:  3095.0

Weather:  Mild and sunny most of the day with cloud building later.

Accommodation:  Tent 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Full buffet breakfast

  Lunch:  Soup, roll/sandwich, cake

  Dinner:  Trail mix

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

Highlight:  From the open summit of Mt Hight (4665'), in mid-afternoon, we had superb views of the Presidential Range  and back along the Wildcat Ridge from where we just came.  We shared the view with three thru-hikers we have got to know over the past month and had some fun.  I think we were all happy that our journey through the White Mountains was almost over and that we had been fortunate with great weather for much of it.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We went down to the buffet breakfast that came with our lodge room at 6:30am, just behind a tour group of about twenty late-teens who were very well-behaved but big eaters.  The staff were run off their feet replenishing food items and slow to get out some of the more attractive hot food.  It meant we took longer over breakfast than planned, but certainly ate our fill.

It was a little after 8:00am by the time we checked out and began hiking.  We had read the comments on our navigation app and knew that the climb up to Wildcat Ridge along the AT included a very sketchy rock face ascent rated one of the toughest on the trail.  Dave was not keen to be climbing more rockfaces with a 40lb pack, hanging on by his fingernails, than necessary and, on this occasion, there was an alternative route via a ski resort service road up to the Wildcat D Peak (4050') and the AT.  We chose the service road even though it was a longer route.

The climb went on for 3.5 miles and was tough enough.  At the top we took a break at a picnic table adjacent to the ski lift top station and admired excellent views across the valley to Mt Washington.  From there we followed the Wildcat Ridge northward through mossy fairytale forest and up and down steep rocky knolls until summitting Wildcat Mountain (4422').

There followed a very steep descent to Carter Notch, with its lovely ponds and an AMC Hut to which we detoured.  They were offering soup and cake to registered thru-hikers and we added that to the packed lunch we had carried from Pinkham Notch.  Our second big meal for the day.  Quite a few thru-hikers were there, or arrived while we were there, all seemingly headed for the same shelter/campsite as us, there being few other options on the rugged mountain range.  

It didn't seem that far, a little over seven miles, but it was already 2:00pm by the time we left and we knew the terrain would be challenging.  We also didn't know how easy it would be to get a tentsite there and wondered about staying in the shelter, if there was room, given the forecast for rain overnight and tomorrow.

The climb out of Carter Notch up to Carter Dome (4832') was very steep and long and we got no views at the summit.  But, the next peak, Mt Hight, was treeless and we got spectacular views (see above).

Ahead, we could see the Carter Range, which we had to negotiate before dropping down to our planned campsite.  We continued on, going as quickly as we could on the less technical trail and taking it carefully on the more dangerous stuff.  The descent from North Carter Mountain (4530') was very challenging and slowed us up, but we eventually reached our target, the Imp Campsite, in gathering gloom around 7:40pm.

Given we will be staying at a motel in Gorham tomorrow night, giving us a chance to dry out our tent, we decided to take a nice secluded tentsite rather than stay in a crowded shelter, despite the forecast.  Other hikers were arriving after darkness fell, and we were happy to have got our spot.  Having eaten well at breakfast and lunch, we just climbed into our tent once set up and ate a few snacks for dinner.  It started to rain at 9:00pm, as forecast.

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.