Date: 2008-10-08
To: A Quote and Top Fives
Miles today: 0.0

Well it has been one month since I completed the trail. Not a day has gone by, not an hour really, that I have not thought of some aspect of my hike.I came across the following passage in "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy the other week and it greatly amused me and reminded me of my feet in the beginning of my hike:"On the second day of the march, having examined his feet by the light of the campfire, Pierre thought he could not possibly walk on them; but when everyone got up, he hobbled along with them, and after he had warmed up, walked without pain, though by evening his feet looked still more dreadful. But he avoided looking at them and thought of other things."I've also been thinking of what my top five views on the trail were, ever since originally discussing the topic with Bearpack out on the trail. Looking back on everything my top five views (as in views from mountain tops) were:1. Franconia Ridge/Presidential Range, NH - I am lumping these two together. The enormity of the landscape I viewed from these two makes them number one. They were similar in that they were both above treeline ridge walks that included miles and miles of 360 degree views while hiking. 2. Whitecap, ME - I had numerous good views in Maine, among them Baldpate, Saddleback, and the Bigelows, thanks to 3 weeks of great weather there, but Whitecap stands out because I got my first view of Katahdin from it. Even though I was still 73 miles away I could make out all sorts of details on it. Not to mention the rest of the view from Whitecap showed me everything else in between me and Katahdin as well as the rest of Maine. Unforetunately I had no views from Katahdin until I was about halfway down it, otherwise Katahdin may have been my top view.3. Killington, VT - Although the views from Glastenbury and Stratton Mountains were good, they had nothing on the view from Killington. At the time it was probably my top view on the trail. Green Mountains as far as the eye could see, and even the Whites far off in the Northeast.4. McAfee Knob, VA - Not as high as some other views and not 360 degrees, but this stands out because of the rocky promontory jutting out over the valley below. Just an incredible feeling of openess.5. Albert Mt., NC - This was my first clear 360 degree view of my entire hike. What made this stand out so much is that it was the first time I literally climbed above the clouds and gazed down upon them.Runners up: Clingman's Dome, Max Patch, Big Bald, Big and Little Hump, Blood Mountain.I also compiled my top five most random/crazy experiences on the trail:1. Getting in a car accident while hitch hiking near Watauga Lake, TN.2. The bear encounter at Roaring Fork Shelter, NC/TN, taking two food bags and sticking its head in the shelter at 1:45 in the morning.3. Creek Diver's 'shortcut' around Lake Nahmakanta, ME. It is not the best idea to bushwhack your way through the 100 Mile Wilderness.4. The snow storm in the Smokies. Hiking all day through anywhere from six inches to a foot of snow.5. Mahoosuc Notch. It took me 2 hours to go one mile. And I had to take my pack off six times to get around, under or over boulders.Runners up: Heat wave in Northern VA and New York, 3 weeks of rain in VT and the first part of New Hampshire, Half Gallon Challenge, my yellow bee attractor shirt, the chicken at Cloudland farm, VT, staying at a country club in DWG, staying at the Mayor of Unionville's house.And my top five windiest places on the trail. While I really have no idea what the actual wind speeds were at each of these places, I am ranking them by how windy they felt to me:1. Katahdin2. Chestnut Knob, VA3. Baldpate Mt., ME4. Mt. Washington, NH5. Carver's Gap/Round Bald/Jane Bald, NC/TN