Enjoying the Whites

Stats: Saturday night 8/6, MM 1869.7

(70 new miles, 1878.5 total miles)

 

Only 319.4 miles to go!

Tuesday (Mt. Lafayette or Mt. Garfield)

It’s been a really great week – amazing views of God’s creation, beautiful weather, rides when I needed them, good timing getting to the huts, hiking with Shue (met him back in North Carolina), free places to stay, and an inexpensive, nice hotel to end the week. Even with a broken pole, less mileage, longer and more difficult hiking days, and a cherry toe from all the downhill rocky climbs, I’ve had a very blessed week on the AT.

Sunday started out good after my half-day off. Had my first big climb of about 2000 feet up to twin peaks, South Kinsman Mountain and North Kinsman Mountain. Hiked up really big boulders, had to look for a space to put your foot, like rock climbing, almost straight up at times. I had to put my poles behind me and push up in some spots. Very difficult and a bit hairy at times. You’re stepping from one rock to another, very rocky trail.

Bear box at a campsite, where hikers put their food.

Caretaker at campsite / shelter, pay them when you get there

Views were good from the top, just a bit overcast. It was also chilly on top so I didn’t stay up there long. Coming back down was much the same as going up: rocky, difficult, and slow going.



Hiked 13 miles to Lonesome Lake Hut. In the Whites they have what are called huts that are maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). No reservations needed, but recommended in season. You pay $125 for bunk space, breakfast, and dinner. No heat or showers, no electricity (they use propane, mostly for cooking), but they do have composting toilets. There are shelters in the Whites also, just like on the rest of the trail, but here you have to pay for everything, even camping (camping/shelter is usually only $8 to $12 a night); the huts are in addition to the shelters. One big difference: no camping near the huts.



The huts also have a “work-for-stay” (WFS) program – available to 2 thru-hikers who arrive after 3PM, first come first serve. You clean up the place as they ask, get to eat leftovers after meals (always plenty of food), and get a spot on the floor. I got there around 4PM and they had a WFS spot available so I signed up. They had me clean up the grills on the stove after dinner. Not too bad of a trade-off for a free stay and free food! Instead of sleeping on the floor, I put two benches together and put my sleeping pad on them. Good thing – I heard something scratching around most of the night.

Monday morning, rain was in the forecast for most of the day, starting around 10AM. People’s opinions were mixed – some hikers decided to go, others advised to wait. I decided to hike 3 miles and stay in a hotel in town, didn’t want to try and hike up some of the rocks when they were wet after what I saw of the trail yesterday. And my knees were happy with a break.

On the way to town, ran into a woman who had camped under a bridge. She, too, decided to wait the day out before going back to the trail.

Glad I stayed, it rained pretty much all day so would have been miserable hiking. Did laundry and rested, very enjoyable day. Tomorrow’s forecast is cloudy so I plan to get up early and head out. Ready to get going again!

Tuesday got an early start. I saw some of the hikers who said they planned to hike out in the rain. After talking to me and looking at the forecast, they also decided to wait and were glad they did.

Walked on balds for miles, above the treeline. Beautiful views – it was a cloudy day and rained for an hour or so, but when I got to the top the clouds cleared (thank you, Jesus!) and I could see for miles. Hiked over Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette, along Franconia ridge, and over Mt. Garfield.

The hiking in the Whites is a lot of balancing from one rock to the next going up steep inclines and coming back down. Problem with rocks is that my toes get squished a lot and rubbed, especially downhill. My feet are bending every which way because almost every step is on some type of rock.

I also broke a pole today. I came to a two foot drop and stuck my poles down to lead, one pole went deep into the ground; I went forward and pole didn’t release. Bent it, broke it trying to straighten it. Prayed for a new pole, can’t imagine hiking for too long with one good pole and one broken pole that is 6 inches shorter.

 

Hiked 13 miles to Galehead Hut, WFS was available to I signed up again. This time I had dishwashing duty after dinner. Slept on benches again in the eating area, didn’t sleep well because lots of people got up and walked through to the bathrooms. But hey, it was free and the food is good.

More hut info. Huts have 20-30 propane tanks (depending on hut size) that are 5ft high by 3ft in diameter, stored in a corral area. Every winter they remove the old and drop new tanks in by helicopter. No showers or electric plugs, used for cooking and hot water. Here is a sunset picture from one of the huts where you can see the propane tanks corral on the right.

I’ve been hiking with Shue on and off for a few days now. I met him early on in NC (I think), and he came to one of our Trail Magic days. It was good to see him again. We were hiking at different paces and I always leave early, so we mostly met up at night, and sometimes for lunch.

Wednesday after we left Galehead Hut, we hiked South Twin Mountain. Once again the weather was beautiful. At one point I passed some cairns – rock piles used to mark the trail. I kept going on that trail, looked up and saw Shue coming toward me. I was going the wrong way, I missed a sign where the trail turned. Went only about ¼ mile out of the way, thankful Shue came by when he did. He is using a trail guide app called Guthook, and it tells you when you’re off the trail.

We hiked many stone slabs, you have to trust your boots as you hike up or down them…and your poles. I still only have one good pole, but managing OK. Once again, the weather was really good all day.

When I got to the trailhead (where a road meets the trail), I waited for Shue. We were going to Dry River Campground and needed to get a ride there. Right after he got there, two women picked us up and took us to the campground. When we arrived, the owner let us stay for free because he liked thru-hikers – he keeps a certain spot open for them. He asked us to wait for a bit before we set up so other campers would not ask questions about why we weren’t in an official campsite. No problem.

While waiting, we met a couple in the parking lot, found out they were Christian and the guy used to be a pastor. They were local hikers, out for a vacation. They told us that if we came to campsite #7 they would give us a ride to the camp store about 3 miles away. We took them up on that so we could re-supply. Very nice people. 

Thursday morning everything was soaked from the dew – had to wring out my tent, almost like it had rained. I got everything packed up and walked to the road to hitch a ride back to the trailhead. Within 2 minutes the first car that came by picked me up. It was a woman and her son who had helped Scott Jurek last year – the guy who broke the record for the fastest AT hike. Interesting to meet and talk to them.

I started the day with a big climb up to Mt. Webster and Mt. Jackson. Once up there, stayed for a while hiking over ridges. Good weather again, weather the whole week has been amazing. Great views and lot of rock scrambling. Trail is rough, mileage is not as good through this part, and the miles I do hike take a lot longer. I hiked on Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Franklin, and Mt. Monroe on the way to the Lake in the Clouds hut.

When I arrived, the girl behind the counter was all smiles, told me I could stay for free and have dinner and breakfast. Turns out a guy whose wife got sick and couldn’t go with him had just donated her bunk to the hut for someone else. Timing was perfect, the hut was pretty full…and expensive. What a blessing! I met Drew and thanked him, enjoyed talking with him. Found out his dad is hiking the AT next year, gave him my contact info so I could help his dad when he gets to our area.

The hut also had a few poles so I got a new set – cheaper price and I got a discount thanks to Mary signing me up to be an AMC member. Here are some hut pictures, with the views in the background. A lot of locals stay at this hut to hike Mt. Washington.

Here are some pictures from inside the hut, most huts look similar to this.

Enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a nice dinner, great way to end another good hiking day.

 

Friday morning, Shue and I left after breakfast for our climb up Mt. Washington, the second highest point on the trail at 6,288 ft. elevation. I had heard that it’s only sunny 10% of the time on Mt. Washington, what a blessing to have one of the rare sunny days. Views were amazing.

At the top, they have a visitor center, snack shop, and railway that takes you up and down the mountain. Found out that the highest winds in the world were clocked there, 230mph. Saw a video of a guy in the winter, threw water in the air and it crystalized. Also a guy leaning into the wind, he let go and flew back 10 feet. For us, thankfully, it wasn’t windy at all, we had a very beautiful day at the top.

Shue, at the top of Mt. Washington

Me, trying to be artsy?

Next up were Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Madison, a lot of ridge walking and steep ups and downs. Shue and I stopped at Madison Hut for lunch on the way to Mt. Madison. The huts sometimes have leftover food, we asked and they had enchilada casserole. The woman working there heated it up for us, really good and beats cold peanut butter or tuna wraps.

After hiking Mts. Madison, Jefferson, and Washington – 15 miles – I was exhausted. And my toe was rubbed raw from all the downhills. We ended the day at Pinkham Notch around 7PM, called for a ride to the White Mountains Lodge and Hostel, where Mary sent me a package. Ran into Drew again and met his wife – they hiked one of the local paths to the hostel and made it there hours ahead of us. Very nice people, glad to meet them.

Hiking the rocks is tiring, especially carrying 37+ pounds on your back

The hostel was full (about 30 people there) so the hostel owners (very nice people) said I could sleep on the couch. Once again, noisy as people got up and down during the night so I didn’t sleep well. I definitely missed the privacy of my tent for better sleeping.

Decided to take a zero on Saturday in Gorham, a nearby town. I said goodbye to Shue who was moving on to make it to Maine by 8/24, I will miss hiking with him.

I tried getting a room in Gorham but all rooms were booked for the nearby Jericho ATV Convention. Marny, the hostel owner, drove me back to Pinkham Notch and suggested I try Conway. I called some hotels in nearby towns, including Conway. First one was $398 per night, second one $198, and the third one – the winner – was only $119 and it was also closer than Conway.

Marny, hostel owner

Hitched a ride to the hotel, New England Inn and Lodge, in Intervale, NH. After a short time, a young guy who works on the trails picked me up and drove me to the hotel. He said that working on the trails in that area was a tough and brutal job, most workers only last 3-4 years.

When I got to the hotel, I asked the manager if he knew how I could get a ride to Walmart for shopping. Met two very nice young ladies, Meghan and Seanna, in the breakfast area while waiting for my room. They worked at the hotel. The guy working at the front desk told them I needed a ride to Walmart – they were going there to pick up something. They took me to Walmart and I bought them lunch. They offered to take me back to Pinkham Notch Sunday morning, I really appreciated their help.

After lunch I took a nice long nap and rested, my knees and red toe really appreciated the rest. I had a good dinner, then talked to Mary and gave her the blog info (I really miss her!), and sent her pictures. It felt good to have a day of rest, I needed it.

Next up for me are the Wildcat Mountains, which I heard are also challenging. Forgot to mention, I heard from a SB hiker that south Maine (where I’ll be in a few days) is also rough – trail is more primitive, not as clearly defined and more rocks, sticks, roots to walk through. He also said he stepped in some mud and sank up to his knee, almost like quicksand.

In the Whites it’s been tougher climbing and a lot more rocks to climb over, but the views are well worth it, just like I heard. In some ways I enjoy the challenge, it feels good to get up and over another mountain. And in some ways it’s not as hard as I thought it would be.

I hope you enjoy the pictures, it's hard to show how beautiful it is with pictures.

Everyone I meet is friendly, helpful, and nice – rides, hostel owners, hut workers, hikers, and hotel staff. And the weather, what a blessing to have such great weather every day! When in the Whites, hikers are cautioned to keep a close watch on the weather as it can turn at any time – weather is subject to rapid changes and extreme conditions all year round. Thankfully I didn’t experience any of that on my trip so far. Hopefully that will continue for my last few days of the Whites and on into Maine, my last state.

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers and support. I know I could not do this on my own, without God’s help and your prayers and encouragement. My knees still bother me, some days more than others, and I know your prayers make a difference.

Onward to Maine! I am enjoying the hike and blessed to be able to continue…but ready to be home.

(PS from Mary: I enjoy supporting Don's hike and am glad he's doing it...but more than ready to have him home, too!)