Date: 2011-10-19
From: New Hampshire

To: New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0

Days 164-187 9/4-9/27 What can I say about New Hampshire? Hmm, well we were in it for a very long time. There is a saying that goes something like this: Once you get to the White Mountains, you have done about 80% of the hiking, but 20% of the work. I would tend to agree, but Trudge says "that the Whites were hard, but that they did not represent 80% of the work." It is ironic that we can hike the very same trail and have very different experiences and opinions.New Hampshire started out wonderfully with the owners of Tigger's Treehouse Hostel in Hanover picking us up late and then treating us to breakfast at Lou's. This was completely unexpected, but cherished none-the-less.Then we "shared" the shelter with two college-age Russian girls who decided that they would put their tent in the shelter (making less room for others) because of a little rain and then spend the entire night talking, laughing, and occasionally bursting out into strange fits of noise. We had some not so pleasant words with them after asking them to whisper did not get the desired affect. I am positive they were only out for that night and would be heading back to Dartmouth the next morning. For the most part, non-thru hikers and thruhikers get along and are respectful to each other, but that night was the exception.Since, we were so close to Dartmouth for awhile, there were Dartmouth Outing Clubs (DOC) all over the place for freshmen orientation. One night as we were approaching a shelter with our friend Torch, we heard loud screams, followed by laughter. Turns out they had seen a mouse, but what do they except since they were very messy housekeepers. Most DOC groups were polite, friendly, and accomodating to others. One group asked if we wanted some Cabot cheddar cheese since they were hiking out the next day. I instinctively said "Yes," which was a mistake, because the block of cheese they gave us was about the size of my head (i.e. 2 lbs). However, we did manage to carry and eat the entire thing. Imagine that.We had a break from hiking before heading into the Whites. This came in the form of my friend, Katie's, wedding. Her parents drove several hours (THANK YOU) to pick us up and take us to North Conway area for the weekend event. It was a busy weekend, as all weddings tend to be, but still a nice break from sweaty, nasty, hiking clothes and boots. Also as with all weddings there were some mishaps. One of these involved my bridesmaid dress residing in Pittsburgh, instead of at the wedding. With some hectic phone calls to a bridal shop near Boston, we managed to inquire another similar dress for Katie's sister, Emily, and I wore Emily's dress. With a few pins, it fit fine. But, wouldn't it have just been easier if I had worn my dirt-stained brown zip-off pants, my sweaty green t-shirt, and my worn-out, mud-caked boots? I could have even left my hair in its dreds and walked up with my cane, ehh I mean hiking pole. You know I wouldn't do that to you, don't you, Katie?New Hampshire possess some tough climbs, one of the first being Mt. Moosilauke, which is at the southern end of the Whites. The hike down Mossilauke is exciting, slippery, and beautiful. It is very steep with wooden steps and rebar handles and follows the Beaver Brook Cascade, so you get views of waterfalls flowing effortlessly beside you as you stumble down the mountain. Once at the bottom, it is worth turning around and looking at the gorge you just walked down. We came down that?? We met Kat Dog and her dog Springer who is finishing up a thru-hike from last year. Besides mountains, there is mud, and lots of it. I thought we were out of Vermud, but I was dead wrong. In fact one day I decided I needed a mud bath. The trail was wooden boards "floating" in a pool of icky, sticky, deep stinky brown mud. I took one step, planted my left foot on the board, took a step with my right foot and promptly fell in with my right leg up to my thigh. Not sure if the board sank or I miss-stepped. Either way, I found myself in quite a predicament. My pack was making me topsy turvy and I was afraid that it would make me fall completely in. Thankfully, I managed to free myself, but my entire right leg and arm were now brown. What a sight! I didn't even wash off, just so Trudge could get a picture when I caught up to him and Katdog. Aren't I a nice girlfriend? One of the amazing aspects of the trail is meeting equally amazing people. We had the fortune of meeting, Chet West, a hostel owner in Gorham, New Hampshire. Chet is extremely lucky to be alive, as about 10 years ago he was left paralyzed and legally blind from a camp stove explosion. I admire Chet and his upbeat attitude after all that he has gone through. He runs his hostel on donations and gives back to the hiking community in all that he does. Chet is a man of fierce determination, strong will, and graciousness. A big thank you goes out to Chet for helping us keep what is important in life foremost in our minds.Well, my thoughts on New Hampshire are longer than I anticipated, so you should expect to see "On the AT in New Hampshire Part II" coming to theaters near you soon.