Date: 2009-05-26
From: Dream Lake NH

To: Success Trail NH
Miles today: 5.6

Today was a great day!! Today was a great day!! Today we finished the State of NH after many years of hiking here! We did an 11.7 mile hike to do our final 5.6 miles on the NH AT. We climbed up the Peabody Brook Trail from North Road to Dream Lake where we got on the AT where we had left off in October 2008. We went north first to Moss Pond, then to Gentian Pond/Gentian Shelter which was one of the coolest shelters we've seen on the AT. The shelter faced across the Androscoggan Valley to the Carter/Moriah Range. What a beautiful view. We then went up Success Mt., again with beautiful views, 55 degree temps, and sunny. From here we had 360 degree views back to the Presidentials and north into Maine. We went down the mountain to the Success Trail where we left the AT (where we had been last Fall) and went down to Success Pond logging road where we had left our rental car last night.The hike had an elevation gain of 3,825 ft and a descent of 3,050 ft.Dream Lake, Moss Pond, and Gentian Pond are some of the prettiest lakes you will ever see. They are remote, pristine and quiet. There were moose tracks and moose droppings along the entire trail, but no moose! That is, except for the moose skeleton that we came across on the way up to the summit of Success Mt! Mr. or Mrs. Moose met his/her end recently as there was moose fur all over the trail and a freshly-cleaned carcass just off to the side.We have been hiking for the past month in TN/NC. What a difference it was to be back in NH!!For all you northbounders...I would like to describe the AT portion of this hike in a little more depth...Let's compare the trails in NC/TN with NH and the Mahoosuc Range...First..place yourself in the rockiest portion of the AT that you can remember in NC...then turn to the right or left and start bushwacking...this is how NH is...rocks, roots, trees encroaching on the trail and then throw in a bog or two!! How is it possible that on top of a mountain you could have a swamp? Travel to NH to find out. The book described the hike up Success Mt. as 'arduous'. It was just plain 'brutal'!! One portion going up to Success Mt. gained 800' in .5 mile! Even Burly Girl was doing some whining up that hill. Coming down off of Success Mt. we came to one of those trail dead ends that we have seen so many times before in NH. Burly Girl said 'where does the trail go?'. I pointed straight up a 20' cliff. Burly Girl said 'we must have gotten off the trail'. I said 'no...there it is'...We crawled on hands and knees and pulled ourselves up, and got to the top, to our own amazement...! Every so often the AT in NH throws one of those vertical walls at you that makes you wonder...why am I here???Having said all of the above, we were so pumped up at the end of this hike. It was a beautiful day...sunny, with views like you were on top of the world. This is why we are hiking the AT. And this kind of day is what makes NH, the White Mountains, and the Mahoosucs so special.BugsyFrom Burly Girl:Thru hikers...don't let this discourage you...NH and ME are very different from the trail down south, but if you've survived the Smokies, the rolling hills of GA and the extensive length of VA, you will certainly survive (and enjoy) NH and ME. We are much older than you (or most of you) and are inching our way towards finishing the AT this year or next. Remember, we are on the 20 year plan, are not sleeping out much and have the luxury of picking and choosing whether we go north or south.So go forth and enjoy the last 3rd of your journey! We will be up in the north area in July, August and September and if we meet you along the way we will take you into town to resupply, rejuvenate or to just get to the next point on the trail.The most important thing is that you 'hike your own hike' and don't succumb to the numbers game. A 20 mile day on a bumb knee is a stupid thing! Cherish your zeros, enjoy your good health days, and above all, stop to smell the trillium (hint...they don't smell, but stop to enjoy them and to take a photo)!See you in Maine at the end of your journey...Burly Girl