White Mountains Warmup
After a wonderful three day break from the trail I hopped back on in Dalton. I enjoyed an easy nine mile hike over to Cheshire. Almost immediately I could tell that this return to the trail would be easier than the last. This was a combination of good weather and an excitement for entering the final (and arguably best) three states. In Cheshire a local church offers camping for hikers and after some ice cream I decided nine miles was enough and settled in at the church.
The next day would be spent entirely on Mt. Graylock the highest peak in Massachusetts. I enjoyed a long peaceful climb to the top, the trail wound its way slowly up the mountain making for fairly easy hiking.
After a good lunch at the lodge and a bit too long lingering I final hustled down the mountain. The days had already gotten noticeably shorter and I had some miles to make before it got dark. This would become somewhat of an issue as the weeks went on, the early onset of darkness caused many hikers to alter their hiking habits quite a bit. The descent off Graylock was much more direct dropping down into North Adams. The trail wanders through the edge of town and exits through a local homeowners yard, one of the more interesting easements I've seen on the trail. Here would begin a steep climb out of Massachusetts and into Vermont. This day I would stop just short of the border at a campsite with the nicest water source on the AT (ha ha ha).
The next day the trail would take me across the border into Vermont. At this point the trail was now shared with Vermonts Long Trail. Being a Saturday I got to meet a good number of people starting out a thru hike of the Long Trail.
From the border there was a noticeable change in the character of the environment and trail. Most noticeable was to muddy slop on large stretches of trail making for some interesting hiking. The trail was now also defined by hiking over several noticeably bigger peaks. While seemingly daunting most of these peaks were long steady climbs making them fairly easy. On most peaks there was a fire tower offering great views.
Some highlights from southern Vermont include several stunning lakes, a beautiful sunset on Baker peak and an equally beautiful sunrise enjoyed from the Kid Gore shelter.
After a nice day off the trail (Thanks Anna!) I got back on the trail at the bottom of Killington peak, the last big mountain in Vermont. This was another long steady climb that actually just skips the summit. A short and steep side trail gets you to the summit and a ski lodge where I enjoyed a pricey but delicious lunch.
Once again I realized I needed to make some miles before an early sunset. After Killington the trail carries hikers to Maine junction, this is where the trail splits with the Long Trail and heads east to New Hampshire. From this point the Long Trail heads north to Canada. I would eventually pass Kent Pond and find a quiet campsite next to a wonderful set of cascades.
The next two days of Vermont would be extremely tough. As the trail cut across a narrow corridor of land it would seemingly cross an endless number of "hills". I use quotes because these hills were all larger than they looked and the trail generally went straight up most of them making them feel much more like small mountains. However, at the end of one of these long days I was reminded how great the trail is. In the small town of West Hartford a local family opened their lawn and barn to house hikers for free. They also provide snacks, drinks and even breakfast for those that stay. It is this kind of quiet generosity that really makes the trail special and can completely change a bad day of hiking.
From here it was a easy walk into Hanover, New Hampshire. This is the second to last and one of my most looked forward to state. Hanover was a wonderful town that is welcoming to hikers.
New Hampshire is famous for the White Mountains a stretch of trail hikers look forward to and often develop quite a bit of anxiety over. The mountains in New Hampshire start gently enough but the peaks begin to change almost immediately. Instead of the dense pine summits of Vermont the peaks tend to have at least some open rocky areas offering fantastic views.
My second day out of Hanover people started talking about the omelette guy. Like most grapevine news on the AT details were sketchy but there was a guy somewhere north of us making omlettes for hikers on the trail. Thankfully the rumors were true and I finally got to meet Carl, the Omelette Guy. He read about the AT a few years ago and decided he wanted to come out and feed hikers. He spends his days cranking out eggs with veggies, cheese and ham for any hiker that wanders by.
Leaving Carl's tent with a full stomach I carried on to Hikers Welcome Hostel where I would spend the night with fellow hikers before tackling Moosilauke. Moosilauke is a huge mountain and the first of the White Mountains. There is also a lot of chatter on how challenging the peak can be especially the descent down the north side. I wasn't especially worried but was prepared for a really rough day. Thankfully most of this was hype, it helped that I had perfect weather for climbing this big mountain. The climb was long and steady but fairly smooth. The top was initially nothing too special until I realized the second peak would take us above tree line.
The descent was a different story, the trail loses much of the elevation it gained in about half the distance it took to climb. The trail mostly follows a waterfall straight off of the mountain. I often got the feeling that the trail easily could become part of the waterfall in the wrong weather.
Despite the difficulty I was able to cover this mountain in good time which was a major confidence boost heading into the hardest section of trail. As always the trail provides and almost as a small celebration some former thru hikers were at the bottom of the mountain with beers and snacks for hikers. This spun out of control and instead of making it to town to resupply I hung out with these folks and other hikers for the rest of the day, even enjoying an actual campfire which is something thru hikers never do these days. This is yet another random special moment on the trail.
At this moment I'm enjoying a relaxed zero day before jumping into the Whites full force. It's hard to believe but I'm on the final 390 miles of trail. While this may seem like a lot the miles seem to fly by and the end is starting to close in very quickly. And while I have many reasons I will enjoy being done, it is hard to fathom doing anything else at this point.