Day 43 to 58, Mile 389.4 to 538.1

NH: The Good...

LOS SOBOS

The Bad, and The Cloudy...

Day 43 Eliza Brook Shelter/Campsite

The Whites are not easing up on us yet. Kinsman really rocked our world-literally. Although the trail into Lincoln, NH was delightful; gradual downhill to start the morning and we even got to go under the highway! The trail to the hut was an uphill battle-but flat! So we were able to go 5.7 miles in 3 hours. The Lonesome Lake Hut is by far our favorite AMC Hut-the scenery was spectacular and the layout was huge. The ascent up to N. Kinsman and back down to S. Kinsman was a total of 4,000 ft. elevation change. The climb was the steepest we have done since the 100 Mile Wilderness in ME. Keith had to help Corinne down several rock faces, using her harness, the most times today since the 100 Mile Wilderness. Then we did 5.8 miles in 4 hours-slow due to all the rock scrambling. I am using only one pole so that I can have a free hand to grip on tight. It was not a graceful technical climb at all! We finally made it to Eliza Brook and walked parallel to it for 0.8 miles-GORGEOUS! One of my top favorite hikes because the 'brook' was more like a series of waterfalls spilling into deep pools of clear water lined with giant boulders. We enjoyed the endless cascade full of swimming holes all the way to the tent site. Also, Eliza Brook was our favorite shelter/tent site so far-its brand new! The best part is that we have the place to ourselves! It was super weird sharing a campground with 'the public' last night. Although, non thru-hikers sure do smell nice!

Day 44 Kinsman Notch to Glencliff, NH

Hiked 7.5 miles on a NERO day to get to Hikers Welcome Hostel. We left Eliza Brook early and hiked to Kinsman Notch parking lot to find a trail angel who was a previous thru-hiker with a van full of sweet treats. I had a root beer and a donut. It was awesome. I was also able to get rid of 5 days worth of trash. When it started to rain she let us sit under the open trunk. It was awesome. 

We got a shuttle to the hostel, set up the tent, showered (in outdoor shower!), did laundry, re-supplied, ordered food, and had a bonfire. SEE VIDEO BELOW! About 30 hikers are staying here, but most are NOBOs. We were happy to listen to all of their advice, but it was obvious that Maine has prepared us for what lies ahead.

Thanks Gma!

Day 45 Glencliff, NH

Last day of the Whites-very bittersweet!

We finished the most difficult part of the whole AT in one piece!

We pushed it up Moosilauke and went 3.8 miles straight up in 1 hour and 45 minutes!

We jumped for joy at the summit (4,082 ft)! SEE BELOW!

The trail, on the decent, was so flat and smooth at some places that I skipped down the trail almost breaking into a pure sprint! 

We made it back to the hostel in record time; 10 miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes!

We are feeling very accomplished and blessed to have made it this far safely; giving glory to God! We could not have done much without Him being part of our pack...the pack leader or without the support of our friends and family! Thanks for all of the prayers! We will be sure to pay it forward! 

Day 46 Fire Warden's Cabin and Watchtower

We hiked a total of 20 miles in 10 hours with full backpacks on! The morning started with spotting a bear-a big one! Then we saw a neon orange newt-a little one! SEE BELOW! We hiked and hiked and hiked some more. The trail was a bit of everything we are used to and one thing we are not; it was muddy and rocky, but relatively flat! We had a lot of elevation gain so it wasn't like desert flat, rather flat like smooth enough to put our feet flat. Mt. Hexacuba was so not flat-longest gradual incline ever. I thought the hard part was over?!?

Red Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescen)

Eastern newts home using magnetic orientation. Their magnetoreception system seems to be a hybrid of polarity-based inclination and a sun-dependent compass. Shoreward-bound eastern newts will orient themselves quite differently under light with wavelengths around 400 nm than light with wavelengths around 600 nm, while homing newts will orient themselves the same way under both short and long wavelengths. Ferromagnetic material, probably biogenic magnetite, is likely present in the eastern newt's body.

Fire Tower

1730 Miles To Go!

 Day 47 Moose Mountain Campsite

Went 13 miles in 6.5 hours
The best part was in Lyme, NH (where Lyme disease gets its name) with Dr. Bill Ackerly. He lives right off the trail and is the most amazing trail angel we have met so far! He gave us free ice-cream...Corinne too! SEE VIDEO BELOW! It was hilarious watching her scream for ice-cream. He also let us fill up our water bottles from the hose and we had awesome conversations about The Lion King-he had never seen it!
We hiked uphill and were thankful that we had just re hydrated because we totally sweated out all the ice-cream. Because the rocks are spaced too far apart on hills we don't have 'steps' to walk up so we are working a completely different set of muscles and are super sore today.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Cattails!

Day 48 Hanover, NH

Went about 11 miles to get to town
Super strange going from nature directly into a college town (Dartmouth); we didn't take a shuttle or hitch a ride...just walked into Dartmouth's baseball outfield. Since the AT backed up to the ball field we were able to follow the white blazes all the way down Main Street. There were even some painted on the light posts!
Crazy weird seeing parents dropping their students off on campus. HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL!

White Blaze on Light Post

Day 49 and 50
ZERO DAYS,  Dartmouth College Campus

We 'slept-in' till 7:30 and went to a diner for real food. Then we walked across the street to a theater to catch a movie, which was a totally different environment than being in the woods. Loved the cold AC! We enjoyed the contrasting feeling of returning to civilization, but always look forward to getting back to hiking; more peaceful and more productive.
Keith misses the town food already.
I miss the AC and ice cubes.
We both miss watching Seinfeld.
Corinne misses the King size bed.

We went to St. Dennis Church this AM-its 100 years old! We were given free donuts at breakfast and free pizza at lunch just for being thru-hikers! I am beginning to think that the 'Bible Belt' also runs North to South! We are sure grateful for others' generosity!

and versatile outfits!  

The Church is Over 100 Years Old!

Day 51 Thistle Shelter/Campsite

Today we left Hanover through the opposite end of Dartmouth campus-we felt like we were walking to class...with our backpacks on and all! First was 2 miles of road walk; we hiked along busy streets full of commuters, under highway overpasses, weaved in and out of neighborhoods,  and across the NH/VT state line to get back to the trail. SEE BELOW! The trail had more dirt than rocks and roots for the first time so we were able to go 14 miles in 6 hours! We walked loving the pastoral views of farmland, barns, and front porch swings. Tons of trail magic today including Randy, who gave us root beer and zucchini bread brownies (sound so gross but it was delicious!) He even lets folks jump off the bridge into river. 

Met a NOBO kid from Blessed Trinity HS and met a lady who retired from CDC and lives a few miles away from us in ATL-small world...a little homesick thinking of my peeps in the city! Miss y'all! 

Vermont!

Day 52 Stealth site near Stony Brook

We went 21 miles in 10.5 hours, but because we left camp before dawn the first few miles were like night hiking! The day was full of switchbacks and sweating! We are not used to winding up hills so gradually, but the uphills are are sill up hill so were were total sweat balls by the end of the day. The landscape changed so drastically throughout the day we were entertained and preoccupied so much that the heat wasn't unbearable. We hiked through fields of blooming wildflowers, private homesteads, tree farms, and rocky/rooty woods. They nickname Vermont VerMUD because of all the muddy terrain, but honestly it is not muddy at all compared to the mud pits we have walked through already. We think the mud in VT is the good kind of mud because it actually feels good to walk through it-think walking on Jell-O! Raspberry Jell-O!

Raspberries taste like raspberries?

Queen Anne's Lace

D. carota was introduced and naturalised in North America, where it is often known as "Queen Anne's lace". Both Anne, Queen of Great Britain, and her great grandmother Anne of Denmark are taken to be the Queen Anne for which the plant is named. It is so called because the flower resembles lace; the red flower in the center is thought to represent a blood droplet where Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle when she was making the lace.

Stealth Camping

The Moon!

Day 53 and 54 Killington, VT

The Inn at Long Trail/McGrath's Irish Pub

We went 9 miles in 4 hours
Our room wasn't ready when we got there so we sat outside in the sun and learned all about the Long Trail of VT (it is the oldest long distance trail in the US; 272 miles constructed between 1910-1930 by the Green Mountain Club). The AT runs on it for 100 m miles in Southern VT-the people we pass by on the LT go from MA/VT state line to the Canadian border. We watched rock climbers repel down a huge rock face from the front lawn of the hotel. SEE BELOW! That night we played darts at the pub and I had too much fun losing to Keith. SHOUTOUT to Louise and Tyler aka my dart playing friends!
The building was constructed around huge boulders that were too big to move, but they left the surface exposed. Way cool. Got some awesome trail magic from Gma! XOXO

Someone Rock Climbing!!!

BULLSEYE!

Root Beer Float!!!

Thanks Gma!

Day 55 Claredon Shelter/Campsite

18.8 miles in 9 hours!
More roots/rocks than dirt today so we worked up a big sweat...again. But we didn't mind it because we knew our clothes had to be smelly (not like detergent) in order to keep the bears away. Phil taught us there is no need to hang bear bags or use bear canisters if you just put food bag under smelly clothes. So win/win!

Awesome trail so far! We walked passed the 500 mile sign and sang the song of course!
At one point we were hiking with a river on either side of us-talk about surround sound!

The Looooooooooong Trail (LT) intersects with the AT for about 100 miles

I have walked 500 miles and I will walk 500  more! 

Day 56 Lost Pond Shelter/Campsite
We did 12 miles before 12 noon! 12 before 12 has been our goal since we met Yukon!
Actually we did 19 miles before 3:30 so 19 miles in 9 hrs!

Tough trail again today-some parts even reminded us of Maine terrain. We are in the Green Mountains National Forest and it is stunning-ponds, lakes, waterfalls, rivers...and rain! We ended the day with a rain storm, but it stopped as soon as we got to camp. Our favorite part of the day was coming across the CREEPY cairn field; tons of intricate cairns built all along WhiteRock Mountain. Corinne and I even made one! SEE VIDEO BELOW...if you dare!

Yukon

Shelf Fungi

View of Rutland Airport

Creepy Cairns at WhiteRock

Day 57 and 58 Manchester Center, VT

We hiked 15 miles before 1 PM.
Actually we went 11 before 11!
One of our most favorite hikes so far because it was so easy! I didn't even break a sweat! Best part of the day was hiking up Bromley Mountain and Ski Slope! We saw gondolas/chair lifts and black diamond signs! SEE VIDEO BELOW! It was visually jarring since we are not used to seeing man-made structures on the trail. Corinne met a dog named Bromley (yes, after the mountain we were on). Her dad is the trail maintainer for that part of the AT/LT. He ended up giving us a ride into town so thanks Corinne for hooking us up! We went to the Farmer's Market and saw Mission Impossible 3 after dinner. Check out the sunset over the Green Mountains below.

Antiques

Clintonia

 Clintonia is a genus of flowering plants first described as a genus in 1818. It is distributed across North America and eastern Asia where it is found as an understory plant in woodlands. It was named after De Witt Clinton, an 18th-century botanist and U.S. politician.Clintonia species are herbaceous perennials growing from rhizomatous underground stems with thin, fibrous roots. They grow from 1.5 to 8 dm tall. They have 2 to 6 basal leaves arising from the rhizome crown, the basal leaves are sessile and sheathing, and the cauline leaves have a stalk, the blade of the leaves have a prominent central vein and entire margins, and the bottom ends are obovate to oblanceolate in shape. The leaf apex is acute to abruptly short-acuminate, often mucronate (ending abruptly in a short sharp point). The inflorescences are terminal, and the flowers are arranged into short racemes or umbel-like clusters, with 1 to 45 flowers. The flowers have 6 tepals with nectaries present. The stamens are inserted at the base of the perianth, and the anthers are oblong-obovate to oblong-linear shaped. The rounded to cylinder shaped ovary is superior with two chambers (sometime three). Each chamber produces 2 to 10 ovules. The smooth fruits are berry-like, round to egg-shaped, metallic blue to black in color. Four to thirty seeds are produced in each fruit and the seeds are shiny brown, round and the ends are angled with 2 or 3 faces.

closed to hang gliders? 

SHOUTOUT to Kate-a-Kins. Love you!

Amen!