Date: 2015-09-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a request for some trail details!Favorite things about the trail This one is really hard. It's hard to choose favorites. However...Favorite trail mix addition: M&MsFavorite town food: Pizza (in the early days, veggie. Later, BBQ chicken).Favorite trail town: either Hot Springs or Waynesboro. Pinkham Notch visitor center was really nice. I wish that I'd had more time to poke around there.Favorite state: I DON'T KNOW.Favorite hiking section (enjoyment-wise): Probably Vermont, minus the mud. It felt like home, and there were some easy sections of trail. Heading down the north side of Mt. Moosilauke by Beaver Brook was really cool, and I enjoyed that part. At the same time, IT SUCKED. It was so slippery and dangerous. It would have been an awesome day hike. Heading down those steep ledges and on those slippery steps hurt my knees, though.Most beautiful section: Definitely the Whites. As much as they kicked my M&M butt, they were absolutely gorgeous. The views, the climbs... the ridgelines.... hiking above tree level is amazing. Best places to stay: This one's hard. There were several good hostels that I passed through. My standards are a little different than yours might be... I LOVED Kincora Hiking Hostel. It was not totally clean, but was just so cozy and cute and full of dust and fighting cats that I just thought it was hilariously amazing. Plus, Bob Peoples is one of the nicest trail legends I have ever met. Elmer's in Hot Springs was amazing, eclectic and wonderful. The Cabin in Andover had the sweetest owners ever (they made me FOUR hamburgers). Mt. Cube Sugar Farm was a cool place to spend a night. Some places I wouldn't bother staying at again. Ironmaster's Mansion was a cool place, but not worth the stay.Favorite gear company: I got decent customer service from Granite Gear (emailing them is useless, and phone calls take a while to be productive, but they were great in replacing my pack as it slowly fell apart). Sea to Summit also had great customer service. My favorite, however, was Merrell. After suffering through a few bad pairs of shoes, getting my Merrells in Hamburg, PA made so much of a difference. MY FEET WERE SO HAPPY. No more serious blisters! Less stiffness! Less time spent with numb toes! Hooray! AND, when the toes of my soles started peeling away prematurely, they sent me a new pair of boots. Then I sent them a thank you card, and they sent me STICKERS. Amazing. Merrell is my favorite.Favorite socks: Darn Tough. All the way. Almost everyone uses Darn Tough socks. They have a lifetime guarantee. Favorite piece of gear: Gertrude. Gertrude is my gear true love. She is trashed and horrible, but a part of me forever.Relatedly, vital gear: My trekking poles were amazing. They made such a difference. I can't imagine hiking the trail without them.Favorite spring: Potaywadjo (Hundred Mile Wilderness)Favorite shelter: I didn't visit every shelter. Some were ridiculously nice. Some were really boring. Pierce Pond Shelter was probably my favorite, because it was right next to the pond (Bathing! Swimming!). Also, Partnership Shelter, because it had a hot shower. Also, pizza. I first started hiking with Chris after Partnership, and he shared pizza with me that night. Pizza, how I love you.Favorite trail magic: I definitely enjoyed the trail magic picnic that my friends and family threw best. Besides that, anything unexpected (like Marion, who pulled over as I was walking through Manchester and offered me a ride, then sang perverted songs to me in the best of moods). Also, my family and friends. Best maintenance: This is hard, but it seemed like the PATC (Potomac Appalachian Trail Club) and MATC (Maine Appalachian Trail Club) were the winners in trail maintenance. Their stretches of trail were very well kept.Funnest section: I enjoyed Mahoosuc Notch. It was really rough, but like a fun puzzle. There were several frustrating moments of "THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. I CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE." but you figure out a way, eventually, somehow.Favorite card: I'm including this one just because it is so memorable. The card that Fran and Bonnie gave me with the cat on the front, which said "Taco knows how long its been since you washed that bra you're wearing."Least favorite thingsThis is really hard, because I enjoyed most of the journey. You can't pick out bad things when everything seemed great.Worst places to stay: The Pocono Inn in Delaware Water Gap is one place that I would not really recommend... I don't know if they were having an off day or what, but the Aussie Legs AND Coco and Magnus AND Doc and Forward had trouble getting clean rooms. I didn't stay at the Doyle but didn't have a great experience there, because of one staff member. I do not hold this against the establishment. I think it was just not a good day to visit the Doyle.Worst shelters: This doesn't really count, but I hated the Hut system in the Whites. There are very few shelters for thru-hikers to stay in. If you can't get work-for-stay at a hut, you're out. And there aren't many stealth campsites, either. It is a pain. I got through fine - I was lucky to get work-for-stay when I needed to. However, I really hated the system. Hikers arriving late at night would get booted back out into the rain (although some did kind of deserve it for not planning better, sometimes it's just unavoidable). Some huts would allow hikers to claim work-for-stay jobs early in the afternoon, while others wouldn't accept hikers until after 4. It was just messy. (But I really enjoyed Galehead Hut... the croo there was great, and the view was awesome).Worst sections of trail: This is hard. There weren't any sections that I really hated more than others. The Whites frustrated me, and were difficult, but still enjoyable. There were a couple of places in New England that were just terribly overgrown. Most of all, it came down to water. I hate the pudding-mud. And rain. I don't mind hiking in the rain, but I hate when the trail is wet and slippery. I fell so many times. And I hate being at camp in the wet, and packing up a wet tent. I want to be able to sit on a dry rock or log at night, instead of having to sequester myself in my tent, and try to cook in my vestibule or crammed under a shelter with 10 other hikers at dinnertime. Also, having wet socks is terrible.Worst trail food: Pasta Sides are horrible. I don't understand how some people could eat them every night. I don't care if you mix in mashed potatoes or not, they are still TERRIBLE.Worst state: There's no such thing. Pennsylvania rocks definitely are incredibly painful on your feet. However, Pennsylvania was beautiful. It was worth it. It was ALL WORTH IT. A lot of people also complain about Virginia, but I thought it was beautiful. No matter what people tell you, Virginia is NOT FLAT. There are some flat places, but don't go into it thinking you're going to coast through the state.Worst hiker encounter: There were some weird and crazy hikers (Hawkeye!) but I didn't endure too many painful situations. The guy in the union suit babbling about politics was obnoxious, but not dangerous. I could have taken Hawkeye on without a problem (those trekking poles could be great weapons).Worst mountain: South Kinsman mountain made me want to cry. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I did not enjoy that climb. At the same time, when I got to the top, I had that wonderful feeling of accomplishment that comes with working your butt off and actually being successful. So there's always that.Worst gear: Not really gear, but I hated using AquaMira after my SteriPen broke. Waiting 20 minutes instead of 90 seconds was not fun.Best MomentsThis is also really difficult! There were so many good experiences. I can't even remember them all. Also, the feeling you get when you are climbing a mountain, and finally reach the top, and can look out around you at such an amazing (but really tiny!)First, hiking up Springer Mountain with Trail Mentor Alexa. The best way to kick off the journey.Hiking like 30 miles into Damascus was a good moment. A stupid choice, but so empowering and awesome. (Thank you, body, for not falling apart).Meeting back up with Chris definitely was a good moment, every time it happened. I really, really loved sunset on Spy Rock.Hiking up to McAfee Knob in a downpour, and then having it clear up after all of the day hikers dashed to their cars was GREAT.The week I had a huge bag of M&Ms for trail mix was pretty great. Staying with Jim, Marie, and Kelsey in VT and then Matt and Jeralyn was just about the best week ever. Seeing a rainbow from Mt. Madison. Even my terrifying run in the hail and rain to Madison Spring Hut was awesomeIn the end, meeting back up with the Aussie Legs and climbing Katahdin with my final trail family was probably the most important factor in the end of my hike. I had friends to camp with and talk to, and even though I sometimes really wanted to be alone, it was good for me. Thinking about my trail family makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. Having Muddy Duckling, Firebear, Coco and Magnus over a week after summiting, reminiscing about the trail, and eating tacos for dinner and blueberry cobbler for dessert (Firebear and I picked the berries ourselves!) was a wonderful way to kind of ease away from trail friends. I miss them already.By far, I think that the best moment was descending Katahdin and finding my mom and pizza fairy walking up the Hunt Trail towards Katahdin Stream Falls to meet me. Also, that cake.