December 17, 2024 5 min to read

AT Blog: Day 112 through 114

Entering NH, encountering tornados and entering the Whites

Day 112:

Wake up at St Barnabas Church and get to work. I left some of my stuff inside last night to dry, and got to use dry socks again. I also ate the last of the apple cider donuts for an early breakfast.

I’ve also moved to a new sleeping pad a while ago, and it’s been comfy so far.

Anyway after a night of dry socks its right back to wet socks in the rain. It rains as I cross into New Hampshire and into Hanover. I stop by the Works Bakery Cafe for orange juice some eggs and some chocolate milk. After 30 minutes I get going. There’s also some interesting street art with the states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine painted with a few landmarks.

I leave Hanover and enter into New Hampshire woods proper. It’s not the Whites yet, but there’s some interesting shelters on the way. It’s raining most of the way. I pass by Mount Moose and enjoy the artwork of the signs. I also meet Master Splinter for the first time, after Lobster told me about him back in March. It’s funny how I hear of folks hiking near me but don’t encounter them till the end. He’s hiking with his dog Leo.

I end up at Trapper John Shelter for around 18 miles of hiking. Also the shelter used to have a privy made of a rocking chair seat. But a recent upgrade meant the chair is sitting to the side.

I end camp with Greenbeard and Cards. Cards is just 19 doing this after high-school, which is amazing.

Day 113:

Get moving at Trapper John Shelter late. It’d been raining a bunch this morning, so I don’t get going till around 7:50. It’s still raining when I left but I have to get moving at some point. Greenbeard and Cards remain at the shelter waiting a while longer.

The trail is a mud bath for the first part of the day, I slip once and cover half my body in sludge. I take a brief break at the Firewarden cabin on top of Smarts Mountain, where 2 other hikers that were at my shelter were warming up.

There’s a long descent afterwards, that has the added benefit of the rain stopping completely. I am able to dry off while hiking. All the brooks and creeks are flooded and brown with silt. The next hike is up Mount Cube. It’s more of an annoying hike with the mud and creeks forming in the trail. Despite the lack of rain my shoes remain soaked. I debate about staying or not at the shelter there, due to tornado warnings, but decide to push through.

When I get below the mountain it just so happened a trail angel named Nancy was passing through. She lives in the nearby town and was seeing if any hikers needed a place for the night. I take up her offer and head with her. My hiking day is cut short at my 17 miles, but with the tornado watch and intense rain picking up, it was worth it.

She takes me by the dollar general to get some stuff, then we head to her place. She let’s me use her guest bedroom and bathroom which was amazing to dry off and scrub off in. She preps some turkey burgers and cucumbers for dinner which I devour. We chat for a while and I learn about her saddle making practice and her skiing trips.

Eventually I start to fall asleep and head off to bed for the night.

Day 114:

Start the day at a trail Angels house. I’m always slower rising when I’m in a real bed and a climate controlled environment. I eat some toaster stroodle I bought, alongside a few scrambled eggs. We keep chatting through the morning, until eventually I have to go (and she has an appointment in Maine later for a saddle fitting).

She drops me off at NH 25A again and I get going. The hike is pleasant early on as there’s no rain until later. My shoes get soggy fast as there’s tons of mud and pools still on trail. I pass Mount Mist to little fanfare, and eventually cross mile 1800!

After that I enter into the Whites of New Hampshire. They are considered the hardest part of the Appalachian Trail and for good reason. They consist of mountains above treeline, meaning it stays so cold up there year round trees aren’t able to survive. The climb is somewhat brutal, a 3500 foot climb over 4 miles or so.

As I start up the mountain it begins raining again, soaking me despite my gear. Thre trek up takes some time but I power through it. I witness the trees slowly get smaller and smaller, and stubby. Mount Moosilauke has 2 peaks, where I’m climbing the southern one first. The fir trees growing there are only 6 feet tall or so. As I climb up to the north peak, the trees peel back completely.

At this point in the blog I would probably post a photo of the amazing view of Mount Moosilauke and the views of the rest of the whites. Unfortunately it was raining and completely covered over in clouds. All I could see was the rocks around me and the sign post that said my elevation. Meanwhile I’m freezing my butt off and I decide to keep moving.

I hike another few miles to Beaver Brook shelter, where Goose is at as well as a Southbounder named Snowman. He’s the first true southbound hiker I’ve met (true meaning he started at Katahdin and did not skip it for the end). While we chat I hang up all my stuff to dry out and switch into dry clothes. I finish my 18 mile hike or so around 5, which is early for me, but tomorrow I’m heading into Lincoln to visit my brother and mother.