Date: 2016-07-20
From: Andover, ME

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We have made it to Maine and the Whites kicked our butts. Yesterday we made the group decision to take an impromptu zero and come in to the thriving metropolis of Andover, ME. While there isn't much to do here after completing the White Mountain National Forest and being welcomed by Maine with the most difficult (or fun depending on your viewpoint) mile of the AT a day of rest and food is what we need.After leaving Bennington, VT (July 1st) we hiked out about 15 miles to Kid Gore Shelter and decided to stay put to avoid the impending thunderstorm. When it did hit we quickly learned the shelter leaked and a boy hiking the Long Trail worked on setting up his tarp over it so that we could stay relatively dry. The next day Mismatch felt horrible which was apparent when he took an hour longer than the rest of us to get to the top of Stratton Mountain (fun fact this is where Benton MacKaye was inspired to propose the creation of the AT) and ended up staying at the shelter just after. Then the next morning Ginger Patch wasn't feeling well and I began to worry that we had all caught something, fortunately it was just a morning funk and he felt better later. We had heard the trail was near the annual Rainbow Gathering and when crossing the road to get to it a man walked past in sarong that came off shortly after and stayed off (Caboose and I giggled like school girls as it was so random and the look on Sweeper's face as he passed him was priceless). Ginger Patch and I tried to get a ride to the gathering but they had closed down the road and it wasn't worth hiking three miles off the trail to get to. On the 4th of July we treated ourselves to lunch at Q's Whistle Stop which was delicious but going up two back to back steep 500ft climbs after a sundae was a bad idea. We resupplied in Killington, VT (Mismatch caught back up with us) the following day and the best part was for the first time in at least 1,000 miles an outfitter was willing to exchange damaged Darn Tough socks for new ones, thanks Base Camp Outfitters! Throughout the trail Sweeper has struggled with shin splits and on July 6th they came back with a vengeance. While his new hiking boots may not have been the culprit they definitely weren't helping the situation. Ginger Patch came to the rescue and switched shoes with Sweeper for the afternoon, now that's a team player. Thursday, July 7th we crossed over the Connecticut River and entered New Hampshire starting with the town of Hanover where Dartmouth College is located. We left our packs in the Dartmouth Outing Club (not that we really blended in to the crowds without them) and headed to Ramuntos for lunch (they offer hikers a free slice of cheese pizza). We did laundry and took showers at the Richard W. Black Community Center and lucked out after when a trail angel named Ack drove us to an outfitter (Sweeper made the change to trail running shoes... About time haha) and the grocery store. It began raining soon after but we were dry and happy in the Salt Hill Pub which we hung out at way too late and had to hike in the dark to Velvet Rocks Shelter just out of town. This was everyone's first time night hiking, excluding Mismatch, and it proved to be a slow process when going over slippery rocks and after a few beers, crazy I know. Friday was a rough morning mainly because we all seemed to have two left feet and kept falling. The day became much better when we got to the recently deceased home of trail angel Bill Ackerly who would give hikers water, ice cream and a place to relax and even play croquet. At least for now his family is keeping the tradition going and letting hikers continue to stop by which is so sweet. I'm not exactly sure when we entered the White Mountains but on Sunday we climbed up Mt. Moosilauke and were over 4,000 feet for the first time since the Priest. That evening we all got spots in the Eliza Brook Shelter and managed to stay dry throughout the night as it poured. It wasn't raining the next morning but we started the day with a stream crossing that required us to be in ankle deep water and the trail was literally a river in various sections, so much fun. Thankfully we went in to North Woodstock, NH that day and stayed at the Autumn Breeze (a nice and inexpensive motel) so we got to wash our wet and muddy clothing. Tuesday was a clear, sunny day and when climbing up Mt. Lafayette l understood why so many people raved about the Whites. As soon as we hit the ridge and were above tree line the views were spectacular! We had a snack at Lonesome Lake Hut (there are 8 huts in the Whites and we visited all but Greenleaf Hut since it was a mile off the trail), lunch at the top of Mt. Lafayette and made our way to Garfield Ridge Shelter and Campsite the first of many sites in the Whites that charge $10 per night to stay at (which is really expensive in my opinion for tenting). Wednesday the big climb of the day was South Twin Mountain, we had lunch at Zealand Falls Hut and scored some leftover lasagna (the hut crew provides dinner and breakfast for guests and when there is leftover food they will often offer it to thru-hikers) before meeting Ginger Patch's Sobo doppelg¤nger named Honest Abe. The section of trail from the hut to Ethan Pond Campsite was the easiest part of the Whites and I enjoyed every minute of it. Thursday was a rough start as I hadn't drank enough water the night before and while going up Mt. Webster was pouring sweat, dizzy and lethargic. I had to take multiple breaks and ended up drinking all 2 liters of my water by 11am, fortunately I felt much better after the water and a snack. At Mizpah Hut we devoured free pork and a beef/mushroom concoction before booking it to Lakes of the Clouds Hut as the weather forecast called for rain, strong winds and potentially hail. Even though we got there quite early we were able to get a work for stay option for all five of us. In exchange for some labor, I helped clean up the mess hall and washed dishes after dinner, we got to sleep on the dining room floor (rather than the dungeon a small, dark, cold room on the outside of the hut with dilapidated bunks) and eat the dinner and breakfast leftovers after the guests. It was a great deal and we enjoyed watching the crew entertain the guests, the hardest part was watching and smelling the food being served and having to wait until they were all finished before we could eat. As forecasted it rained throughout the late afternoon but cleared up just in time for a gorgeous sunset. With full bellies the next day we climbed the remaining mile up to the summit of Mt. Washington (at 6,288ft it is the second highest point on the AT) and were rewarded with a view of... Fog as far as the eye can see haha. While we didn't get a good view it was still cool to be at the top and get tossed around a bit due to the intense wind (I almost lost my ATM hat =O). Descending was a pain in the butt as it was essentially a rock scramble with no defined paths and required a lot of concentration. At Pinkham Notch a "friend" ended up bailing on me and we had to hitch rides to get in to Gorham, NH and around town (a fellow Nobo named Rain came to our rescue and took us to our motel from Walmart, thanks man) making it a very late night trying to get all our errands accomplished. After breakfast I hitched a ride for us back to the notch from a New Yorker named John, me being directionally challenged however neglected to tell him to turn South on 16 and we ended up driving several miles in to Maine before we realized we had gone the wrong way, he was very nice about the detour though and just turned right around. That weekend was the annual "Seak the Peak" event and there were hundreds of day hikers going up Mt. Washington, thank goodness we avoided those crowds and instead got to climb up the Wildcat Mountain peaks (insert sarcastic tone here as they were freaking steep). We did get to watch a small wedding ceremony at the top of one of the mountains which was cool before having a late lunch at Carter Notch Hut (the final hut in the Whites and the most quaint). Sunday we had had lunch at White Mountains Lodge & Hostel where I got hooked up with a free pint of Ben & Jerry's from a staff member named Guardian thanks to our mutual friend Bill Nye. We stayed at Gentian Pond Shelter and ran in to two new Nobo's (which doesn't happen often lately as we either know them already or people are Sobo's by this point) named Tesla and Johnnhy Rocket. Monday morning, July 18th we finally hit Maine and man was it a slap in the face with Goose Eye Mountain followed by Mahoosuc Notch. Just imagine a mile of boulders that require you to go up, down, in between and under them to get to the other side and the varying heights mean the temperature is constantly fluctuating in places as much as 20 degrees farenheit. We weren't exactly speed demons before that section but that mile took us a bit over 2 hours for our entire group to get through and then we still had the lovely arm to go up. By the time we reached Speck Pond Campsite it was about 7:30pm and we were exhausted. The next day Sweeper's left knee which had started bothering him in the Whites was super inflamed and red. That paired with our general low moral after the beating of the last few days is what brought us to Andover and it sure was a great decision I had a wonderful nights sleep last night and am thoroughly enjoying our lazy morning so far. Sorry for the long entry I just had a lot to catch up on and finally the time, opportunity (thanks Caboose for lending me your IPad) to type something up. My phone stopped working at the top of Mt. Washington (probably due to all the humidity) and I have no idea when I'll be in a place with a Sprint store so that I can get a new one. Hope you all enjoyed the update and please send well wishes and prayers our way as we make our way North, we are coming for you Katadhin!!