6/14 Day 111

Coach:

Last night we slept at Lake of the Clouds Hut doing work for stay. It was quite a surreal experience. Since we got there early, we sat around a table we had occupied playing chess. We had to be a sight playing chess next to our mini bag explosion as paying guests waited for dinner, watching us. One of the nice features about the huts is that they always over-cook and feed the extra food to thru-hikers. Let me assure you it was awesome! In fact, it was very difficult to eat everything they gave us. I really had to force the last couple cookies down, but they frown upon not eating what you take, so, what could I do other that eat the cookies? In the morning, we woke up early since we had our clothes hanging up on a line and were sleeping on the tables in the common area/dining hall. We got fed some scrambled eggs, drank some coffee, and headed out to the summit in what we knew was going to be bad weather. Even though the weather was bad, and we didn't see a view until the end of the day, the experience was awesome! We were tired pushing out the last couple of miles into Pinkham Notch where the day took on a completely surreal experience. Starting the day with a tough ridge walk in bad weather and ending it at Rosemary and John's restored 19th century farmhouse was amazing. Rosemary and John are amazing people, and I am very glad we had the opportunity to meet them.

Professor:

Lakes of the Clouds Hut to Pinkham Notch. Homemade Doughnuts were being made as we awoke on the dining room tables this morning. We had a roof over out heads last night and it was nice knowing that because I could hear the wind howling over the ridge. At the base of Mount Washington...it sounded cold. One of the paying guests used the bathroom like four or five times last night. I knew it was the same person because she must have been wearing wooden clogs or something: Cloppitty, cloppitty, clop over the wooden floor, door opens and closes...just enough time to dose, door opens and closes, cloppitty, cloppitty, clop over the wooden floor. I put my ear plugs in and dreamt of horses in a distant cold mist.

We ate free two day old pancakes and drank "sort of" recently brewed coffee as I eyeballed the fresh, warm, soft doughnuts one of the hut employees was making for the "paying" guests. He did scramble us a bowl of eggs, and for that we were grateful. As we were readying for bed the night before we threw our typical evening clothes line (...in the dining hall, after the guests went to bed of course...), and I wanted to wake up early and have it down before the hut guests came in for dinner. I didn't notice, but Coach informed me after making his morning deposit that apparently us, and our clothes line, completely stunk up the dinning hall. A nice pungent odor of thru-hiker and sweet doughnuts...it must have been confusing for the paying guests before coffee.

6:45 departure from Lakes of the Clouds to summit Mt. Washington. We geared up with our weather armor, and layered with every piece of clothing in our pack. Less than an hour later we were on the summit: 50 mph winds, 32 degrees F with a wind chill of 10-20 degrees F (we learned all this at the ranger station on the summit). Hung out with the rangers for about 30 minutes, then we began our 8 mile exposed ridge-line hike through the weather. Slippery rocks, snowbanks, ankle breakers. We had 20-40 yards of visibility, just enough to see the next rock pile indicating that we are still on the "trail," if you want to call it that. Wet, rain, mist, ring out your gloves, ring out your socks, jump from rock to rock, and watch your step.

The sky opened up right as we were exiting the ridge. Long technical hike as we entered into the tree line. Tired. Unblazed trail, confusion. Finally we reached a parking lot...Rosemary to save the day. Bananas and strawberries in the car. John grilled local chicken. Bread, salad, potato salad, beans, fruit pudding angel food cake dessert. Beer, bed.

Life after...and final days

I'm sitting here with mine and coach's last journal entries somehow trying desperately to motivate myself to enter them into the blog...and finish this trip. Its difficult. I've been procrastinating, ignoring the task. I guess in some weird way it makes it all official. It makes it all officially over and that's a big pill to swallow. I don't want to admit its over, because, after all of the bitching and moaning, pain, cold, hot, wet, thirsty… as bad as I wanted to stop hiking and get off of the Appalachian Trail, I strangely want it all back. I feel trapped in an inescapable limbo of relief and yearning, and I am haunted by The Trail.

Inevitably, like the cliche it is, I must use the AT as a metaphor for life. And this life experience I am struggling through right now is one of many. I am going to push through no matter how painful, and share with you the last days of the Appalachian Trail...

Update- FINISHED

On July 2nd, Coach and the Professor reached Baxter Peak, the Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The journey has been long, hard, and successful. The support of family, friends, strangers-turned-friends and simply strangers has been overwhelming.

Coach and the Professor will update the blog with the remaining journal entries as soon as they journey home, and also share some parting thoughts...

Update- Entering the 100 Mile Wilderness

Coach and the Professor have commenced the FINAL PUSH!

Update- Closing in on Monson, Maine

Coach and the Professor will arrive in Monson, Maine tomorrow, leaving them LESS THAN 120 miles from the FINISH.

Photo courtesy of Manager Mike, taken June 21, 2011 somewhere in rural Maine.

From the Journals: DAY 110, June 13

Coach
Ethan Pond Shelter - Lakes of the Cloud Hut: 13.9mi
Easy start this morning, until we had to hike out of Crawford's Notch. The hike out was more like a climb out. The weather made it more difficult. Looked forward to more hut hopping for soup and bread. I think I am actually gaining weight now. Tonight we are doing a work for stay at one of the huts. The weather at the summit of Mt. Washington looks really bad. Basically, it will be in the 30's with strong winds and gusts up to 50mph. The windchill will be in the teens. Can't wait!

Professor
We are so excited about the huts here in the Whites that we basically woke up thinking about hot soup. 10 miles to the next hut...What kind of soup will they have?... Do you think they will hook us up with some free bread?... We asked each other these questions as we hiked. After dropping down from Ethan Pond into Crawford Notch and NH302, we started climbing arguably the steepest ascent yet of the trip.

Roughly 3.6 miles of hand over foot rock scrambling and cliff climbing. With our packs, it was incredibly difficult...shaky thighs, burning calves...keep pushing, keep pushing, loosen your chest strap so you can take deeper breaths, blood rushes to your muscles in support. My heart pumps, thumps, it feels strong about almost 1,900 miles of hiking...keep pushing, I can feel my feet starting to cramp, the arch of my foot wants to cramp in a ball of pain and curl my foot into a claw in my wet, smelly shoes... keep pushing, drink water to avoid the cramps in my calves and feet.

Cold, wet, wind. It's hard to regulate your body temperature in this weather. Coat on, coat off. Hat on, hat off. Gloves on, gloves off. Fleece on, fleece off. Etc, etc. So on and so forth. Constantly putting on and taking off our sweaty wet layers.

Finally, Mizpah shelter, soup, bread, brownies, free! They like thru-hikers around here, it's awesome! Climbed above the tree line again entering the Presidential Range of the Whites. High elevation, white out, then brief view, then white out, then rain, then quick view, climb, climb, climb, Ridge.

Lakes of the Cloud Hut, just below the summit of Mt. Washington. Work for stay - Free dinner (1 pancake, lemonade, coffee, 2 bowls of soup, salad, 1/4 loaf of bread, chicken, rice, green beans, 2 pieces of apple cake, cranberry juice), sleep on dining room floor. They liked us, we only cleaned for 20 minutes after dinner.

From the Journals: DAY 109, June 12

Coach
Garfield Ridge Shelter - Ethan Pond Shelter: 15.2 mi
After being packed in like sardines, we were actually one of the last ones to leave in the morning. The conditions yesterday didn't make us want to get back out in it. We had heard today was going to be worse than yesterday, but it turned out to not be nearly as bad. It still rained, but most drizzled all day. We also didn't have to go on any exposed ridgelines. Despite the weather, the day was actually really good and a big morale booster. We still got in 15 miles in the Whites, which is good by itself, but we also got to eat a lot of food. We started the morning by crushing oatmeal cookies our friend Anne made for us in our oatmeal. Later that morning we stopped in at a hut where we got 2 bowls of soup, which we added our lunch meat to, cake and coffee. Next, we hiked 6 miles to the next hut. There we ate another bowl of soup, carrot cake, and a lot of bread. The bread was amazing, the girl serving food really hooked us up. We finally ended the day with dinner. Tonight, we had our usual Alpine Aire dinner with a bagel, a mass produced oatmeal creme pie, and more of Anne's cookies. It was a good day and good food. As I write this I am already hungry again.

Professor
We were in a shelter that sleeps 12... with 14 people in it, wet, cold, and generally trying to look past how miserable we all really were. I shook almost uncontrollably when I brushed my teeth. Sardine lineup: A couple (2), Solo, ultra-lite dude (1), Coach and Prof (2), Maine girls (2), French Canadians (4), 3 dudes on the end (3). I was jammed between Coach and a pole with wet jackets hanging up, dripping. Today, I was thankful for: Soup at huts (vegetable chowder and tomato), Bread, carrot cake, coffee cake, coffee, Anne's oatmeal cookies. We ate like kings, the rain held off, we were warm, we felt strong again. Tomorrow we begin our two day ascent to Mt. Washington and perform our first "work for stay" at the White Mountain Presidential Range Hut.

From the Journals: DAY 108, June 11

Coach
Franconia Notch Visitor Center - Garfield Ridge Shelter: 10.0mi
This day was by far the hardest one we have had. It began with a resupply, which combined with our cold weather gear change made our packs heavier than they have been in a while. Then we had to hike up to the ridgeline and over 2 summits. Although it was only 10 miles, it was a lot of up. I knew were in trouble when it felt difficult to hike up a small incline on a bike path out of the Visitor Center. It only got more difficult after that. The fact that we were hiking through heavy rain meant we were soaked to the bone. The Professor was really cold. I only got really cold once we reached the first summit. After arriving to the summit, we got to hike on an exposed ridgeline for over 2 miles up and over the second summit. On this exposed ridgeline, we got to endure rain and strong winds. Winds with gusts up to 45mph. The wind chill was 28 degrees, according to a weather report we saw from Mt. Washington. Needless to say, it wasn't a very good time. All I could think about was getting to the shelter and to get dry and crawl into my 0 degree sleeping bag that I am very thankful I brought back. Of course, when we got to the shelter, it was pretty packed, since everybody goes for shelter in bad weather in the mountains. The full shelter and bad weather reminded me of the Smokies. We packed in like Sardines. The Professor was next to a group of French Canadians and I was next to a girl who asked me if my foot was "O.K."? after she noticed me cleaning them. I can only take that as a good sign. It was a cold night. Basically, the most positive thing from today is that chances are very strong it can only get better after this day.

Professor
Today went south, so fast I almost had a psychological meltdown. It certainly rates in the top 2 to 3 moments when I seriously thought about quitting. Saving graces:

1. Thoughts of finishing for Lindsay
2. Anne Farra's cookies and bourbon
3. The fact that Coach didn't like the idea of taking a side trail off the ridge and down into the tree line to a parking area
4. Remembering to eat
5. Moving to stay warm
6. Concentrating on blazes so as not to get lost
7. Elijah Craig 18 year from Manager Mike/Hell Hound
8. Remembering all the people who are helping, supporting, and sending their love to us
9. Not having to pay for the shelter

From the Journals: DAY 107, June 10

Coach
Franconia Notch Visitor Center - Glencliff: 25.9mi
-Rough terrain
-Beautiful views
-Wrong turn = additional 3/4 mi
-Ate half a jar of peanut butter on Mt. Moosilauke
-Worried about ankle
-Mud Elephant's bday with some Wild Turkey

Professor
Corn beef hash, award winning maple syrup. Lesson: listen to guys with grey beards. Lost in the Whites. Found in the Whites. Marathon in the Whites. (almost 27 miles). Met some Southbounders, they were really skinny, I think Coach and I eat well. Pushing up a hill. Big push. Finally feeling strong. I think I'm finally getting into trail shape, I don't want to speak too soon though. The elevation and weather in the Whites are incredibly difficult. We worried Fat Chap, because we were a little later than "planned." We drank Wild Turkey with Mud Elephant, it was his birthday. Had frozen pizza and ice cream.

From the Journals: DAY 106, June 9

Coach
Ore Hill Shelter - Hostel in Glencliff: 7.6 mi
Due to a logistical error and a thunderstorm in the afternoon, we ended up staying at the hostel. The guys running the place were awesome. They basically did what Kentucky Greybeard did for us in the Smokies, proving my theory that you always listen to a guy with a big grey beard. They suggested to make up miles we should slack pack 26 miles southbound. Apparently they didn't normally suggest this idea because the terrain is very rugged, but I guess our resume passed the litmus test. So, big day tomorrow. We also passed out at 4pm for a 3 hour nap only to wake up, eat dinner, and go back to sleep. I am pretty sure we were extremely fatigued. Tomorrow will put us back on track.

Professor
Coach's dad said "Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast." This has calmed my anxiety a little about our progress. Between injuries (mine and Coach) and logistic nightmares, our plans seem to change daily. I mean, when you think about it, we are trying to tackle something with so many impossible to predict variables that our "plan" is really an ever changing daily guideline...almost an hourly changing guideline. The further we hike North, the more impossible is the "plan."

Right now I am laying in a bunk in the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire that we were forced to stay in because we were waiting for the Post Office (I say Post Office loosely because it was really an old ladies home with a flag out front) to open so we could bring back some winter gear for the Whites, which we are entering tomorrow. As we waited in 90 degree weather for our winter gear (which felt absurd), dirty, bug bitten, or should I say bug ravaged, deet covered sweat mixed in with mud and last night's thunderstorm, another thunderstorm hit and forced us into the Hostel. This was not a part of the "plan."

In the hostel, we met Mud Elephant and Fat Chap. Thru-hikers from the past and apparently very experienced hikers of the Whites. Fat Chap stroked his long grey beard and helped us formulate a new "plan."

At 4:45am I am supposed to wake him up out of his Winnebago, after which he insists on taking us to a breakfast joint because they open at 5am, then to the Franconia Notch, from where we will be hopefully slackpacking southbound (over the Whites) 25 miles back to this hostel. So it appears our Northbound Thru-Hike will include a 26 mile southbound section.

From the Journals: DAY 105, June 8

Coach
Moose Mountain Shelter - Ore Hill Shelter: 24.8mi
Tough day, the terrain is certainly becoming more difficult. I am glad we are dropping what we need to average a day through the Whites. Ate lunch in a fire tower, which was awesome. Bugs were bad all day and we had to hike into the night. I think the nights would be unbearable without the Bivy sacks, courtsey of Professor's Mother in law, thanks Sherry!

Professor
Hot, hot, thunderstorm, bugs, mileage. Yet another day we are hiking until dark, after dark. We are having a lot of trouble getting on a schedule such that allows us to get to a shelter or campsite early. (when it's light). Ran into a couple of other thru-hikers today. First time in a while. They looked emaciated. I think Coach and I eat better than most.

Swamp, swamp, swamp, hot, hot, hot, bugs, bugs, bugs. Thank god for the Bivy sack or we would never get to sleep, no relief.

A giant beetle got caught in my bug bivy with me. I felt it crawling behind my ear next to my head. I killed it.

The heat is so uncomfortable, the deet we lather on ourselves clogs our pores and makes us feel like we are baking ourselves alive...with a marinade of bug poison.

From the Journals: DAY 104, June 7

Coach
I-89 underpass - Moose Mountain Shelter (New Hampshire): 20.2 mi
Although it was difficult to leave Brittany and Rockstar, we headed out today for the final push. The next 3 weeks are going to quite a challenge. My ankle did recover from the two days rest, but I know it will continue to be a problem until the end. I am going to try to stay with the Professor as long as I can, but the White Mountains are filling me with doubt. It will be the toughest part of the Trail. Highlight of the day was eating gelato in Hanover, NH, people were watching.

Professor
Today we left the slack packing of Brittany and Rock*. I have a very strong feeling that Coach and I will not be hiking together for much longer. Everytime I hear him grimace in pain behind me, I can't help but picture the profile of the Whites that lay in front of us. It totally bums me out...the idea of having to push ahead and basically leave Coach behind. It makes me feel sad like I'm bailing on him...not to mention I would rather not have to tackle 100 mile wilderness totally alone. We walked directly through Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. (yeah, we're in New Hampshire). Totally surreal experience walking through a beautiful college campus. The students were everywhere, just getting out of school. It's times like these when I feel like an outcast. I'm starting to get tired of feeling that way.

From the Journals: DAY 103, June 6

Coach
VT 12 (Woodstock) - I-89 underpass: 13.8mi
First day back on the Trail after giving the ankle some rest. Starting nice and easy with some slack packing. Things went well, but I am nervous about whether it will hold up in the long run.

Professor
Slacked with Coach today went 14 miles and his ankle was hurting by mile 8 or 9. I think it's becoming apparent to both of us there is a chance we will not be hiking together much longer. It's really bringing a bummer mood over us both. A psychological blow. I don't want to hike a month alone.

From the Journals: DAY 102, June 5

Coach
Woodstock, VT: 0mi
Still hanging out and resting my ankle with Rockstar and Brittany.

Professor
Slacked 20 miles from Kent Pond to Woodstock. I did it in 7.5 hours alone...I just wanted to get it over with so I could be with friends. Coach wanted an extra day for his ankle. Britt fixed us pot roast tonight. Mmmmmm.

From the Journals: DAY 101, June 4

Coach
Woodstock, VT: 0mi
Got to hang out and rest my ankle with Rockstar and Brittany.

Professor
Today I climbed over Killington. Trail was rough and rugged. It was a good climb to the top...an off season ski lodge stood quiet. It's cold up here. Makes me wonder about the Whites. My feet started hurting today in a very familiar way. My shoes are obviously breaking down. Went 14 miles to a road crossing where Rockstar, Brittany and Coach were supposed to meet me for lunch. I decided it was not worth risking the feet problem in hopes that my shoes had gotten to the Post Office. Unfortunately, they had not arrived. But Rockstar and Brittany offered to slack pack me the next day. So between being lonely and hurting it was impossible to resist the offer. Tonight I am staying at their house. We had porkchops, zucchini and squash. 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 roommates, Rockstar, Britt, Coach and me. Full House.

From the Journals: DAY 100, June 3

Coach
Peru Peak Shelter - Danby-Landgrove Rd, VT: 7.6mi
Once again, the Professor and I parted ways. It was very sad and I really hope the time off will allow me to finish this adventure with him. He continued on the Trail and hiked to the nearby town of Danby to get picked up by our friend Brittany. My ankle injury is really frustrating. I can still hike, but not the 20+ miles we need to cover a day. I guess time will tell.

Professor
On my own again...
Peru Peak Shelter - Governer Clement shelter: 29.1mi
Coach hiked the first 8 miles with me. Then I left him off at Danby-Landgrove Rd...3 miles outside of Danby, VT. It was odd Danby being where I spent some memorable times as a youth with my Uncle Billy. It was also odd to part ways at that road...Coach hobbling down a forest road, me disappearing back into the woods. I didn't like it. I hope the rest he gets this weekend will get him back in the game for good.

We woke up cold this morning, couldn't have been more than 45 degrees. Today was beautiful, lonely, and sad. 21 miles is a long way to think. As I get further North I find that I become more reflective. This has been such a long journey.

From the Journals: DAY 99, June 2

Coach
Stratton Mountain - Peru Peak Shelter: 23.9 mi
I was wondering when it was going to happen again and today coming off Bromley Mtn I reaggravated my ankle injury. The last couple miles were painful. We made the decision to take advantage of the fact that we had friends in the area. They agreed to come pick me up so my ankle could have time to recover. While I rest, the Professor will continue to hike, so he can stay on schedule. I will come back and slack pack this area after we finish.

Professor
We got off the mountain quick this morning. High winds and threat of a storm looming. It was cold. Colder than I've felt since Virginia. We pushed out for a while but Coach's ankle started hurting again and we had to pull up a shelter short of our goal. We've decided to separate again. He's going to pull off and get picked up by Rockstar and Britt, our friends from college. We are very lucky that they live in the area and can help us out.

From the Journals: DAY 98, June 1

Coach
Hell Hollow Brook - Stratton Mtn: 23.1 mi
Made another big mistake concerning food. I didn't bring enough and have to ration. It really affected my energy level. I felt like I was dragging all day. We did some cowboy camping on a mountain. The winds are very strong.

Professor
Stratton Mountain- HARD!
Crazy flash boom storm in the afternoon. We got wet but were able to hole up in a shelter for 20 or 30 minutes with a chaperoned group of high schoolers...Stratton was a long climb at the end of a day. Firetower, crazy winds, camped illegally on top of the mountain. Coach was not feeling good, did not sleep well.

From the Journals: DAY 97, May 31

Coach
Williamstown, MA - Hell Hollow Brook: 21.7mi
Made a good push out of Williamstown. Nothing too exciting, but we did use the Bivy sacks thanks to Professor's Mother in law, Sherry. They will no doubt prove to be worth their weight in gold.

Professor
We saw a MOOSE! Entered Vermont and started hiking on the "Long Trail" which coincides with the AT for over a hundred miles, then peels off and goes to the Canadian border. The foliage is so dense now that we are full on into Summer we almost ran smack into the face of a moose. I'm in my bivy sack, it works great! Thanks Sherry! Feels kinda crazy we needed to push out some miles today so we pushed almost until dark. The only place we could find to camp is a mosquito and black fly infested area next to a stream. Made a fire and put some half wet wood on it to create smoke to keep bugs at bay while we ate dinner.

From the Journals: DAY 96, May 30

Coach
Williamstown, MA: 0mi
-Awesome Indian food
-Resting up for strong push
-Restored hope in humanity

Professor
Some days just don't turn out like you think they will...Waking up at Doug and Jane's was surreal. Very restful, very feng shui. It kind of makes me realize how hard we are being on our bodies. I'm looking forward to having a couch to sit on again. Note to self: 12 doughnuts and 6 doughnut holes is too many for two people. I don't care who you are.