Post Hike Ponderings

It’s been a week since I got off the trail. The transition back to living in a house with Karen instead of sleeping in a tent alone in a different place each night was easy. I’m enjoying coffee with breakfast and again after lunch. Having showers and clean clothes is great. The neglected household duties are almost done.

Two carryover things from the trip have surprised me, my knees and feet still hurt from the brief time in the White Mountains, and going to buy groceries fascinates me. This past week I went to Publix and Walmart and had to check out their selections of tuna (I never thought I’d eat tuna again), Ore Ida instant potatoes, Knorr pasta and rice sides, and a few other things. In a moment of weakness I bought 3 of the Walmart fifty cent pies and a bag of the snack size peanut butter Snickers bars. I hope this doesn’t become a habit. I did lose around 5 pounds while on the trail and can tell my upper body strength declined while my lower body strength increased, not surprising really.

Regarding the hike, it’s still hard to believe it really happened and it’s over. I was gone 8 weeks, hiked around 50 days excluding zeros and a travel day, and covered 650 miles in PA, NJ, NY, CT, MA, VT and NH. I met and spent time with many section and thru hikers, and was the recipient of a lot of kind acts from complete strangers (a.k.a. trail magic) which included water, soft drinks, snacks, steak, ice cream, and dessert, to folks giving me rides and allowing me into their homes to shower and do laundry, and even stay for a couple of nights. Acquaintances from prior hikes provided support and offers of assistance at critical times during the hike. Fellow hikers helped when I was hurt, wasn’t sure what to do, and when it was time to come home. I even learned the art of resupplying on the trail.

I am satisfied and extremely grateful for how the hike ended. I didn’t finish the trail, but that cloud has a silver lining since it means there’s more trail to hike. And now, having had a small taste of the White’s, I’m starting to prepare for what many call the toughest but most beautiful sections of the trail, the rest of the White Mountains and ME.

In closing, my only real regret about being off the trail is that it is life in its simplest form, focused on the basic necessities, food, water and where you’ll spend the night, but it’s also full of action and adventure. It strips away many of life’s distractions and time wasters and provides time to focus on the beauty of creation and the creator and sustainer of life, God. It also showed me time and time again that man plans, but God directs, and for that I am extremely grateful. For I am still…

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart Lord take and seal it.
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Prone to Wander

Going Home

Leaving to fly to Harrisburg, PA

On the bus from Bridgeton, ME to Portland to fly home

I slept good and woke at 5:00 a.m., hungry and ready to go home. I shared a room with Jammer and didn’t want to wake him so I slipped out and went to the hotel lobby to work on posts for the last couple of days since I had fallen behind. Even though I was an hour early for breakfast, everything was out. I asked if I could go ahead and eat and was told I could, so I had coffee, OJ and a waffle. On the way to the table I grabbed a newspaper and scanned it while I ate, reading articles that interested me. I really didn’t miss not knowing what was going on in the world while I was on the trail. After a while Bull and Last Mile joined me. We were originally scheduled to be on a 6:00 p.m. flight but were able to change to one that left a little before 1:00 p.m. We took a shuttle to the airport around 10:30 and ate lunch before the flight left. We ate at a bar, Bull on my right and a WW2 veteran on my left. When Bull paid his bill he also paid the veteran’s bill without his knowledge. The veteran later found out, he was persistent, and we thanked him for his service to our country. The flight was on time so we boarded and I stayed busy trying to finish the posts. The time passed quickly and we were landing before I knew it. Last Mile had his own car so we said goodbye to him at the baggage claim area. Bull and Jammer live in east Marietta and told me I could ride with them, we had arranged where they would drop me off and Karen would pick me up. We got to the QuickTrip ahead of Karen so we got out, got my backpack out, and said goodbye. Even though I had only known Last Mile, Jammer and Bull for about week, each gave me a hug as if we had known each other much longer. We had two things that bound us, our love for the Lord and our love for the trail. We all agreed to stay in touch and to try to get together for future hikes. I’d really like that. Not long after they left Karen drove in with my oldest daughter and her daughter. Even though I knew it, the welcome home hugs I received confirmed I was loved and had been missed. Another treat was planned, dinner with Karen, my daughter, her husband and my granddaughter, to celebrate my son-in-law’s birthday, and mine too. After dinner we went home. Home. While I thoroughly enjoyed being on the trail, it was good to be home. I walked around the house, surveying yard work that needed doing, weeding, mulching, pruning, picking up pine cones and branches, but that’s okay, it’ll get done. I went inside and saw a stack of mail waiting to be read, receipts from credit card charges that I had sent home, and paid bills waiting to be filed. I didn’t mind, it’ll get done. I was home and thankful knowing that the privilege of having a home brings certain responsibilities. And now, even though the hike is over, I need some time to figure out how to end these posts. Obviously there will be numbers and statistics, I was an accountant/auditor by profession, but there’s much more to the hike than that. It may take some time but I do plan to have a post-hike reflection or two before wrapping this up. Before I close this post I want to say thank you to each person who prayed for me. I saw the results of your prayers and God’s love for me time and time again.

Prone to Wander

Day 55

Bull, Last Mile, Jammer and Prone to Wander

I slept off and on last night since there was a snorer in the bunk room, but woke early and quietly went into the dining room. Breakfast was served at 7:00, coffee, oatmeal, bacon, eggs and homemade donuts. After breakfast we packed up and were the trail shortly after 8:00. The trail was mild, part of it following an old railroad bed, with a few boggy areas and some short but steep and rocky descents. We got to Crawford Notch at noon just as JoAnn was pulling into the parking lot. She took us to Bridgeton, ME where we had lunch while waiting for the bus to Portland. On the bus, Last Mile made hotel reservations. After we got off the bus we used Uber to get to the hotel. At the hotel Bull and I did a load of laundry and we all got cleaned up and went to Portland Lobster Company for a celebratory dinner of fresh ME lobster. I was worn out by the time we got back to the hotel and went back to the room to pack and go to bed while the guys went to Last Mile’s room to hang out. It was a full day and I didn’t have any regrets about getting off the trail and going home. I was both amazed and relieved that this adventure was over. The hike from Zealand Falls Hut to Crawford Notch was 7.8 miles.

Prone to Wander

Day 54

Galehead Hut

Zealand Falls Hut

It was cold last night but the cold didn’t bother me since I slept in all the clothes I had. However, one of the other hikers, not one of our foursome, snored loudly most of the night. Last Mile fell asleep before the other hiker, and Jammer had ear plugs so they both slept, but Bull and I were awake most of the night. It was another clear and beautiful day, 100+ mile visibility, as we climbed over South Twin Mountain (4,902 feet). On the way up South Twin we stopped at Galehead Hut for lunch of soup and bread. The soup was mainly broth since we got the bottom of the pot. I had a packet of Ore Ida instant potatoes that we added to thicken it up. Rain was predicted for the night, so one of of the group suggested we try to make it to Zealand Falls Hut, 6.9 miles away, to see if they had any bunks that weren’t already reserved. It was risky but we didn’t have anything to lose so off we went. Dinner is served at the huts at 6:00, so we had plenty of motivation to go as quickly as we could. Last Mile got to the hut first, followed by me, and Jammer and Bull got there right at 6:00. I had always wanted to stay at a hut but wasn’t hopeful since they are normally full, but God provided, so we’d be well fed, warm and dry for the night. Each hut is different but they are all rustic and somewhat primitive. They have bunk rooms so you share sleeping quarters with others. They have bathrooms with mouldering privies and sinks to wash your hands but no showers. The bunk rooms don’t have lights so you have to use headlamps when it gets dark, and there’s no heat other than that generated by the kitchen and fellow guests. The Croo, workers at the huts, are young and entertaining, and enjoy working in such a beautiful place. The food was good, soup and bread followed by salad, followed by spinach and cheese shells and broccoli, followed by dessert of brownies, as much as you could eat. Supper was followed by a short program on the history of the area, given by an older woman named JoAnn. After the presentation we talked to JoAnn, a section hiker who completed the trail years before, and she offered to meet us at Crawford Notch the next day and take us to Bridgetown, ME, where we could take a $3 bus ride to Portland for our flight home. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place as God provided once again. I was the first of the group to go to bed. We hiked 9.8 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 53

Didn’t sleep well last night, the coming cold and wet weather weighed heavily on my mind. That and the physical challenges of the White’s don’t mix well. I wasn’t sure what to do and was planning to go back to the Notch Hostel to sort things out. I told Mac my plans and he understood, he was having the same thoughts but was going to hike on. On my way to get the food bag out of the bear box I stopped and talked to Bull, Jammer and Last Mile, three section hikers I met at Hikers Welcome Hostel several days ago, who are also from Marietta, my hometown. I told them I wasn’t sure about continuing and they invited me to join them on their hike to Crawford Notch, 25 miles away, over the next 3 days. From there they are getting off the trail to go to Portland, ME to fly home. That was just what I needed since it allowed me to get more miles on the trail while deciding what to do, plus it gave me a way to get home if I decided to end the hike. I packed my gear and got back to their campsite as they finished packing up. Prior to hitting the trail each day they have two traditions, each takes a plug of chewing tobbacco and then one of them prays, since they are Christians. God provided 3 brothers in Christ as hiking companions, what an encouragement. Man plans, God directs. They asked me to pray and I did, then we hit the trail. We left Liberty Spring Campsite (3,905 feet above sea level) and had a hard day as we went over Little Haystack Mountain (4,800 feet), Mount Lincoln (5,089 feet), Mount Lafayette (5,254 feet) and Mount Garfield (4,453 feet), before stopping at the Garfield Ridge Shelter (3,923 feet) for the night. The day was clear and once again the views were spectacular, surrounded by majestic mountains with 100+ mile visibility we were later told. We also had a special but somber treat on the top of Mount Lafayette, we saw the “Flags on the 48” ceremony which takes place each year on the Saturday before September 11th, where flags are raised on all 48 of the 4,000 foot and higher mountains in the Whites. Just think, I would have missed all of this if the guys hadn’t invited me to join them. While hiking today I decided it was time to go home. My knees were constantly hurting and the weather forecast was only getting worse, plus there was additional uncertainty about the impact of Hurricane Florence if it came this way. And most importantly I’d been been away from Karen and my daughter and granddaughter that live in Marietta long enough. It was time. Amazingly, I was able to call Karen from Mount Lafayette to let her know and ask if she could make a reservation on the same flight the guys were on and she happily agreed. I was able to call her again from Mount Garfield and found out that she was able to get a ticket for me on the same flight. God once again provided. We hiked 7.6 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 52

Slept in a bit after the late night yesterday and didn’t start hiking until 8:30. The trail paralleled Eliza Brook as it climbed 2,000 feet over South Kinsman (4,358 feet above sea level) and North Kinsman (4,293 feet above sea level) Mountains. About half way up South Kinsman the trail went through a boggy area around Harrington Pond. Unfortunately the boardwalk was two to three inches under water so my shoes and socks got wet. The climb was hard and got harder the higher we went, such that we were climbing over large slabs of steeply angled rock and areas that seemed more like washes than trail. The day was clear and the views from the top were among the best I’ve seen on the AT. After going over North Kinsman the trail descended 2,800 feet on similar rock slabs. By the time we reached the bottom my knees were very sore. At the bottom was Lonesome Lake Hut, named after the beautiful lake nearby. We stopped at the hut for lunch around 1:30 and I had three bowls of 38 bean soup and two pieces of bread. The trail was fairly tame for a while as it went down to Franconia Notch and under north and south lane I-95 bridges. The trail then started climbing again, this time 2,500 feet to Liberty Springs Campsite, where we are camping for the night. The climb was slow and over smaller rocks so no rock scrambling was needed. Got there worn out from the day and met the caretaker, Wizard, who assigned us campsite no. 4. It had a wooden tent platform, something I had never used before, but I was able to get the tent up without any problems. I prepared and ate dinner, put the food in the metal storage container, and climbed into my tent. The 2 day weather forecast is posted so hikers can prepare and plan, lows tonight are mid 30’s, the highs tomorrow are upper 30’s and the lows tomorrow night are mid 20’s. Mac had phone service so he checked the extended forecast. Rain is predicted for most of next week but the temperatures will rise a bit. I’m not sure how I’ll handle the cold weather. I hiked 11.5 miles in 10 hours today.

Prone to Wander

Day 51

Slept good but woke early so I got up and made a pot of coffee. I was still sore and a bit swollen from the hike over Moosilauke. Yesterday I knew rain was forecasted for early afternoon today, and had no desire to climb wet rocks, so I decided to stay at the hostel during the morning and catch the 3:00 shuttle back to the trail. That allowed me to go grocery shopping again and go through my gear and send some things home that weren’t needed. I also connected with another hiker named Mac, who I’d been seeing for the last couple of days, and we decided to hike together through the White’s. The morning was relaxing, much needed after yesterday. I talked to Karen a couple of times too, a real treat. I’ve been having phone problems sporadically, “No SIM Card detected”, which means no phone service so I called the provider. I was told it was a problem with the SIM card and they would send me a new one. When asked for a mailing address I explained I was backpacking in NH and it would probably have to wait until I got home. The shuttle left at three and Mac and I were hiking by 3:20. The plan was to hike to the Eliza Brook Shelter. The trail was tough, climbs, descents, rocks, roots, mud, you name it, and we went slow. So slow that it was after 9:00 p.m. before we made it to the shelter, we really underestimated the difficulty of the trail. We hiked the last 2 miles in the dark using our headlamps, not something I enjoyed, but there were no other options. We both found good campsites and set up our tents. I didn’t want to cook so I had a Lara Bar and some cheese and then put my food in the bear box, a large metal container that bears can’t get into. I didn’t take any pictures today since we were trying to make miles and there really wasn’t anything that caught my eye. We hiked 7.5 miles in almost 6.5 hours. I forgot to mention a significant milestone in yesterday’s post, I have now hiked 600 miles.

Prone to Wander

Day 50

Didn’t sleep well last night since I kept thinking about hiking over Mount Moosilauke. The hike today has a 3,500 foot climb followed by a 3,000 foot descent, all in an 8.4 mile stretch of trail. I woke at 4:00 and laid there until 5:00, then quietly got my things together and took them outside. I ate breakfast, charged my phone and waited until daylight, around 6:15, to walk back to where the trail crossed NH 25. After leaving NH 25 the trail goes through the woods, crosses a stream, follows a gravel, paved and then a dirt road before heading off into the woods, getting steeper and rockier as it went. After 3 hours of hiking I saw a side trail to the south summit and followed it thinking this was the top. From there the views were grand. I called Karen and we talked for a bit. When I returned to the trail I realized I hadn’t reached the true peak since I could see it in the distance. The trail followed the ridge line, the trees getting shorter and shorter the higher I went, until finally being replaced by rocks and low growing ground cover. A series of rock cairns appeared giving hikers a visual aid where the trail went in poor weather. At the top I met a day hiker and we took turns taking pictures of each other by the summit sign. The view was grand and I could easily have spent hours there taking it in, but I still had to get down the mountain. The trail down started gently but then became difficult, getting steeper and rockier as it went. At one point a stream flowed down the trail making the rocks slippery before leaving the trail and flowing beside it all the way to the bottom. In some areas wooden steps were bolted into rock faces with rebar drilled into the rock as a handrail. Near the bottom part of the trail had washed out leaving two rocks jutting out. Instead of rerouting the trail a rope had been tied for hikers to hold onto as they stepped on the rocks. Made it to NH 112 around 1:30 and needed to get a ride to the N. Woodstock PO, where new shoes and socks and some other cold weather gear waited. Five minutes after getting to the road a Mercedes stopped and took me and another hiker into town, dropping me off at the PO. From there I was going to walk to a McDonald’s, about a mile away so I could use the free WiFi since I didn’t have service, but I heard a car horn, someone stopped and asked if I needed a ride. I met two other hikers at McDonald’s and we called the Notch Hostel and made reservations, then went to the local grocery store to shop. I was tired and frustrated with the food options so I didn’t buy anything, knowing I could come back in the morning. The shuttle picked the three of us up and took us to the hostel, one of the nicest I’ve ever stayed at. Took a shower, the second in two days and then spent time talking to others before going to bed. My knees, ankles and feet were sore and swollen from the day, so I took Advil, only for the third time on this trip. Overall it was a very good day and I was thankful, making it over Moosilauke safely, getting two rides without any problems, new shoes and much needed gear, a shower and a comfortable bed for the night. Thank you Lord! I hiked 9.3 miles today, some of the hardest miles so far on this trip.

Prone to Wander

Day 49

Slept good except for the heavy rainfall that came through in the night. Woke, packed, ate and was on the trail before 7:00. I can’t write much about the trail I hiked today, other than I went by a small pond, since my mind was on other things, specifically Mount Moosilauke and the White Mountains. All I wanted to do was to get to NH 25 as quick as I could so I could go to the Hikers Welcome Hostel, which is .3 of a mile off trail, to shower, do laundry and plan for the White Mountains. The challenge with the White’s is that there’s a 90 mile stretch where no resupplies are available. And the White’s are tough, one person said you can expect to hike about two-thirds of the distance you normally hike in a day. If I use 15 miles, that means I can expect to cover 10 miles a day, so I’ll need 9 days of food. The most I’ve carried so far is 5 days worth and it is heavy and fills my pack, so adding 4 more days isn’t an option. There are huts where you can buy lunch, snacks and sometimes get free left overs from breakfast. There are even opportunities to work for stay where you get a free dinner and breakfast if you are selected. While it seems impossible to me, thousands of hikers a year make it through without any starving to death, I doubt I’ll be the first one. The hostel was nice. It’s funny but there was a southbound thru hiker and 3 section hikers, all from Marietta, staying at the hostel, what are the chances of that happening? I hiked 10.3 miles today.

Prone to Wander

Day 48

Last night I finished all the chores and laid down at 7:00. Other than having to get up a couple of times, I slept until almost 6:00 this morning. I could tell the difference that getting a good night’s sleep makes while hiking today, even though it was warm and muggy. Today was similar to yesterday since I had two large climbs, up 2,000 feet, down 1,700 feet, up 1,400 feet, down 1,900 feet. The climbs up Smarts Mountain and Mount Cube both had a lot of rocks and were very challenging. Even though it hadn’t rained many of the rocks were wet from condensation. The descent down Smarts was gradual but at one point I almost fell into a bog that was a foot and a half deep. There was a boardwalk but the boards weren’t firmly secured so the boards sank as I stepped on them. Both shoes got soaked but it could have been worse. That’s the first time I’ve had wet shoes in a while and that caused me to be thankful for all the rainless days we’ve had recently. The first part of the descent down Cube was like walking down a gully but then got better. Prior to finding a campsite I stopped to get water. Two hikers were right behind me with a dog. The dog jumped into the stream where I was going to get water and the owners didn’t do a thing. After they left I went a ways upstream to get water to filter. I was hoping today would be another short day but the two mountains were challenging, and I didn’t find a campsite until around 5:00. I rushed to set up camp as thunder sounded but it passed by and I stayed dry. I’m camping about a half mile south of NH Route 25A. I hiked 13.9 miles today.

Prone to Wander