Date: 2012-07-13
From: Gentain Pond & Campsite

To: Route 2 (Gorham)
Miles today: 11.8

2012 ¢ Day 13Sunny; hot at times; an occasional light breezeI slept well last night.I was up at 5 AM and on the trail at 6:30 AM. My pack was very light ¢ pleasure to carry.As soon as I left camp, I encountered a section of trail that had been flooded by beaver activity. The way across was to carefully traverse the top of one of the beaver dams. Soon I was back on solid ground for the trek up Wocket Ledge. I stopped at the top to take in the great views of Mount Washington in the early morning light. Next it was on to Trident Col Campsite and then Cascade Mountain. I stopped again at some ledges before the summit so I could take in more views of the White Mountains. This was my last day on the trail, so I need to take in the views at every opportunity. Now it was one final climb to Mount Hayes. All that was left was the 3 mile downhill trail to Route 2 outside of Gorham. I arrived at 2:15 PM.I hitched into Gorham and got a ride from a local in only 5 min. The first stop was Burger King for lunch and then on to ¢A Top Notch Inn¢ ¢ my home for the night. After showering, I made a trek out to Walmart for new pants and a clean T-shirt. The inn¢s bookkeeper gave me a ride out so I only needed to walk back (about 35 min. walk ¢ piece of cake!).I had dinner with Chris and Becky at the Dynasty A.Y.C.E. Chinese Buffet. I have truly enjoyed spending most of my nights at the same campsite with them as well as crossing paths with them several times each day on the trail. I wish them well on their SOBO thru hike.Some reflections now that my hike for this year is over -----Of the five years in a row that I¢ve done a long backpacking trip, this has been the best. It is a combination of things. One was the stunning views from so many peaks. Another was the great weather ¢ I wore my rain jacket for only four hours on the whole trip. Another was the challenging trail and the fact that my knees and the rest of my body held up well to the stress. Crossing paths with Chris and Becky every day was certainly a highlight. I very much enjoyed their company, conversation, and the many meal-times that we shared.As far as animal sightings go, the largest mammal that I saw (other than people) was a rabbit. The amazing thing was how many toads I saw. They ranged in size from as small as a finger nail to a hand-full. On some days I saw more than a dozen of them and every day I saw at least 3 or 4. I¢ve hiked in Maine for the last 26 years and have never seen so many. Maybe this was due to the mild winter, the early spring, or the wet spring. I also saw lots of small snakes.When I got home I found that I weight the same as when I started. Thus, the amount of food I was eating was about right. I think having Bridgford Shelf Stable Flat Bread with P.B. and J. for lunch each day helped. The bread alone has 330 calories.Next year I hope to do another segment of the A.T., this time from Gorham, NH to near Killington in Vermont. This would be about 190 miles. When completed and when combined with my hike of the Long Trail in Vermont, I would have done all the A.T. in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. I¢m already looking forward to next year¢s backpacking trip!