Hanover to Crawford Notch

I've been here before

Day 131

Holt's Ledge 

I was a little cranky as I left camp this morning heading into a day of rain. And the rain didn't disappoint. I was thoroughly drenched by the time I took a lunch break at Moose Mountain shelter, where several people were hanging out from the night before to avoid hiking in the rain. The wind picked up on that side of the peak, so I had to keep moving to stay warm.

Hanging out

Luckily, there was a break soon after. By the time I hiked to Holt's Ledge at the Dartmouth Skiway, it was clear but thundering again in the distance. This was the site of my very first backpacking trip, and it was pretty cool that I got to camp there again. Despite a very unique stone chimney, I did not recognize the site at all.

Trapper John shelter 

I shared the shelter with a SOBO couple, and we all read books for an hour or so before dinner as the next part of the storms rolled through. I'm on quite a reading streak lately!

Leaving Hanover made me sad as it reminded me of past good times in contrast with the loneliness I'm feeling now. Yes, as a NOBO there's generally people on trail, but it's been pretty quiet recently. I rarely see the same people for more than a few days at a time. I might run into someone once or twice a week so we're generally keeping pace but not spending much time together. Hiking with my original group wasn't always easy, but I miss checking in with the same group regularly. It's actually really easy to be geographically close on trail, camping a few miles apart and maybe staying at alternating towns, but not overlap.

Day 132

Where it started

Yet again, I hiked across peaks that I had visited before. Smarts Mountain is known for its fire tower since the summit itself is forested. I'm pretty sure I was there in winter, so I'll give myself a pass on this lack of recognition. I can tell the climbs are getting steeper.

Random stone marker 

Pretty to look at, not so fun to walk through wet plants 

Dutch caught up to me at lunch, and we hiked together long enough for him to witness me meeting the bog monster. By that, I mean: I went to step across a puddle whose log was broken. It was NOT the normal puddle it appeared to be, and I sank my entire leg in.

Fire tower views

Just another day in paradise 

Mount Cube rounded out the end of the day. This is the first rock slab open summit in New Hampshire, though it's not actually above treeline.

Slab summit with a view

Fluffy moss deserved a photo 

Day 133

While I accept mud is my future, I am not happy about it every time my shoes get covered. So I was in a bit of a funk when I happened upon some trail magic! It was actually a combination setup with a previous thru hiker and his wife who have been doing trail magic for several years, and a different previous hiker who got magic from them last year at this same spot. I decided on a short day to avoid a big end of day climb, so I was happy to chat with them for an hour and eat some food.

Since these mile markers are DIY affairs, sometimes there are duplicates.

The terrain wasn't too bad today, and I was feeling much improved when I happened upon a SECOND trail magic setup. These two hikers met on trail last year, and this was their first in-person meetup since then. I was even sent with a PB&J sandwich to go.

Please enjoy this random mushroom

I shared camp with a lovely father daughter hiking pair (Captain Nemo and Lil Fruity) and a SOBO hiker Rabbitfoot. The father daughter team had previously section hiked in the Whites, so between them there was good discussion about the upcoming trail. While the terrain is steeper and rockier and has challenges unlike the rest of the AT so far, there can be unnecessary fear mongering. If you've hiked this far, or even a few hundred miles for any flipflop hikers, you can handle the Whites. People often recommend half of your previous miles per day, and respect the weather.

Day 134

The Dartmouth Outing Club maintains this section, and their signs are characteristically orange.

Today was a shorter day with only 8 miles up and over Mount Mousilauke before heading to the Notch Hostel. Shockingly, there was no real mud or bugs. I cannot state enough how much of a change that is! Sometimes it's a sensory overload when hiking. You're breaking spider webs, hiking through foliage, maybe brushing against wet/dew covered plants, and trying to swat mosquitoes.

Great day for a hike

The summit is the first time NOBOs get above treeline, and it was a beautiful sunny day with great views. There were a decent number of other hikers at the summit, too.

The alpine zone is home to fragile, slow-growing plants that are remnants of the last Ice Age. They're basically Arctic plants stranded in these tiny climate islands.

While I hiked Mousilauke more than once due to its Dartmouth connection, I had never seen Beaver Brook Trail. The last 1.5 miles of descent are remarkably steep along a cascading brook. The granite slab luckily has wooden or rock steps built in, but picture the height of 3 normal stairs. One of the primary benefits of hiking poles is to absorb the shock of descents to assist your joints. If the slopes are too steep or rock scramble-y, then poles are useless. This was one of those descents. By the end, even my young knees were feeling a bit sore. There was a five year old boy hiking behind me who was practically running down the steps, and his dad was at times struggling to keep up. To not have far to fall!

Waterfalls and stairs often go together 

The White Mountains are very popular with hikers and trail angels apparently. At the bottom of Mousilauke I encountered ANOTHER combination trail magic setup. Since I had plenty of time before check in at the hostel, I chatted with the trail angels and other hikers and again feasted.

Great plan, sign

I'm staying at the Notch Hostel, which I have visited several times before while skiing. I'm fairly sure I even had the exact bunk previously. It's often cited as a favorite hostel.

Day 135

Little cascade

Today I slackpacked over the Kinsmans, the first full day slack I have done in quite a while. Have I been missing out? I felt so light without the extra weight on my back and was able to keep up my classic 2 mph pace over tough terrain.

Tired summit photo

The climb up was definitely technical and required use of hands and feet to climb rocks, and on this clear sunny day the views were great. There were fewer mosquitoes once you climbed up, and I only really dunked my feet in mud once.

Trail from South Kinsman looking north

I actually set foot inside an AMC hut for the first time today. I had hiked a few miles of this section last fall, but the huts were closing down for the season and were not open inside. I stopped in for a snack and water break plus bathroom and then enjoyed the easy descent after this.

Lonesome Lake

The Appalachian Mountain Club runs several huts in the White Mountains that are full service lodges up in the mountains. It is not cheap at $175 a night or so, but it includes a bunk, dinner, and breakfast. Capacity varies from 30 to 90 people per night, depending on the hut. During the rest of the day, there are limited food and drinks for purchase. Hut croo members (yes, spelled that way) are generally college aged, and they manually carry supplies in and out twice a week to the tune of 50-60 lbs. Other bulky items, like fuel, are flown in by helicopter at the start and end of each season. These are rustic accomodations for sure but are conveniently located trailside. You must hike in several miles but don't need to carry tents or full camping gear. The huts are often used for a traverse (one-way hike) or as a base camp for day hikes.

Hi, duck

By the end of the day I was feeling strangely disconnected from my thru hike. Perhaps I missed the status symbol of my backpack more than its weight. I returned to the Notch Hostel for a second night. Turns out some dirt can only be scrubbed off after showering two days in a row.

Hostel dog is a little nosy

Happy hiking!