Date: 2006-07-01
From: North Woodstock

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 69.2
Weather: light rain

I am writing about this last leg of the journey from Hanover, NH. We are currently in a very nice public library and it is July 1st at 1:18 pm.    The hitch hike into N. Woodstock was more hike than hitch. we walked 5 of the 5.6 miles into town before being picked up by a baby blue Toyota Corolla. It was the classic hitch hike car and it seemed as though I had broken the door before even getting inside. The owner assured me that this was normal and we proceeded into town and the Post Office.    At the PO I got a very nice package from Mom and Dad Morelli. Thanks for the delightful snacks. Enjoyed all those fancy foods that I am to cheap to buy. HAHA!! The soups worked out well and jon and I split the split pea soup. It was great. Also that morning we ate the Hungry Man's Special at a local establishment called PEG'S. The breakfast was great and we were no longer hungry men upon leaving the restaurant.    After that we got supplies and called the parents before that dreadful hitch out of town. Luckily the weather was good if not hot and we could have been doing alot worse. After about a mile of walking an old blue schoolbus full of mountain biking tourists pulled over and gave us a lift back up the hill into Franconia Notch. They and the bus staff were friendly and inquisitive. Felt bad about exposing those poor innocent children to what must be a powerful odor by this time.    Back on the trail we did nine miles up and over a large mountain whose name escapes the memory. This is our last leg in the whites and we both feel pretty strong on the uphill climb. My pack felt monstrous though, but the hungry man special gave us the fuel to continue. The weather was still decent, but clouds were building(AGAIN). That night we camped with two NOBO thruhikers and a good group of campers and counselors from an inner city youth program. Apparently the kids were of the bad variety, but we saw no real evidence of their past(heinous) crimes and they really were interested in the idea of such a long hike.    The next morning we set off for Mount Moosilauke the end of our white mountain experience. It rained hard all morning and we reached its famous slippery staircase by early afternoon. The trail was bordered by a really elegant cascade and it was nice to hike up in the cool rain. By now we are used to this phenomenon, and it is walked through with only a small dose of apprehension. The mountain was surprisingly easy and we got halfway up its slope to the beaver brook shelter for lunch. There we were greeted by two other NOBO thrus and a writhing mass of wet summer-campers. Not what you want to see, believe me. They soon cleared out however and we had a good talk with Tea Leaves and Slow Leak as the other hikers were called. They were middle aged fellows and have grown weary of this foul weather after 3-4 months on the trail. This poor weather pattern has followed them since Pennsylvania. Not so motivating I guess.    They were surprised to learn that we would be pushing on, and an hour or so latter we were walking through an environment reminiscent of a wet Scotland. Very neat. I would expect nothing less to finish of the white mountain section. At the bottom of that hill we encountered the first pastureland of the entire trip. A welcome sight indeed.   From there it has been two 20+ miles days into Gorham. The terrain has been so amazingly different. The tranistion from hard to easy was so abrupt. We can't help but smile. The paths have gotten so smooth and pleasant to walk on. The hills are small and things are really going great. My feet however are chaffing due to constant wet socks and I will be buying a pair of sandals today so that they will be able to breath and dry quickly while hiking. I don't forsee this being a problem for much longer. The weather broke yesterday after more rain, and hopefully the boots and trail will dry soon.    We are now well over 400 miles into the trail, the hard part behind us, and many great hiking days ahead. Hope the rest of the trail community is doing well, and I miss all my friends and family from, PA, VT, and around the country. Your son, friend, nephew, etc.............SAUCE DOG