Aug 13: after a poor nights sleep (again) we headed out for another day of slack packing. This time, we would be climbing up and over Mt Kinsman, a 17 mile journey that would essentially bring us from Lincoln back to Lincoln.
Took a little while to get a hitch back to the trailhead. When we got dropped off, we saw the Professor disappearing into the woods.
Mt Kinsman was reported to be almost as steep as Mt Moosilauke with a difference- Kinsman was steep going up and coming down and had 2 summits, the north summit and the south summit.
Shortly after starting our hike, it began to rain. We stopped and put on our pack covers. The terrain was steep, rocky, and root ridden. Progress was slow. At 11:30, right when we predicted we would reach the shelter for lunch, we saw a sign that said the shelter was still 1.1 miles away! This was going to be a long day.
It started raining more heavily about 5 minutes before we reached the shelter. We ducked inside and found the Professor eating his lunch. We hung up our shirts to dry, wrung out our socks, and dug our rain gear out of our packs. We were joined by Forrest Gump and Winterflower, who also had been at Chet's the night before.
After lunch, the really steep climb began. We had several hand over hand climbs up roots and a few rock scrambles- not easy in the rain. Slow progress!
Finally we reached the south summit above tree line. It looked eeiry and otherworldly in the fog. The cairn at the top had been fashioned into a chair, which we, of course, had to sit in.

We continued along a relatively flat ridge walk for about 3/4 mile before reaching the climb to north summit- the higher and steeper of the two. More climbing, more rock scrambles, even some rebar thrown in there.
The descent was just as steep.
We stopped at another shelter for a rest and snack about halfway down. Talked to a couple section hikers - father and son- who were out for the weekend. They were doing the 17 miles over 3 days and were exhausted! Me too.
Back on the trail, we encountered a number of wooden ladders down particularly steep sections, as well as the wooden stairs like on Moosilauke. This just didn't let up!

Next, we came upon our first hut. The hits in the White Mpuntains offer dinner, a bunk, breakfast, and a great atmosphere for a big price tag. Thru hikers can often do work for stay- washing dishes or sweeping the floor in exchange for the leftovers from the guests dinner and a spot on the floor of the common room. We would not be staying tonight, but we ducked inside to check it out and use the bathroom.
Things flattened out a little bit after the hut- lots of boardwalking over swampy areas. We came across a sign that said a bridge had washed out and to either be prepared to ford the stream or seek an alternative route. The stream was where things went wrong for us.
At the stream, we walked along the bank until we found a place that was easy yo cross. Then we walked back along the bank on the other side.

When we got to the spot where the bridge had once stood, there were two trails. One was perpendicular to the stream, the other parallel to the stream. The parallel path was marked by white blazes- the sign of the AT. We walked parallel.
If we hadn't been coming off two nights of virtually no sleep, I'm pretty sure we would have caught on quicker. But we were both pretty much brain dead.
Throughout New Hampshire, the trail is impeccably maintained. So as the trail conditions deteriorated, we should have known. But we just kept following the white blazes- the mark of the AT. We followed this trail for about a mile and a half until it just ended. Just like that. One second trail, the next, nothing.
Then we spent over an hour retracing our steps, crossing a second river, bush whacking - anything to figure out where the AT continued. Then the light started fading.
"We need to go back to the bridge" I said. "The other trail looked better. It's got to lead somewhere!"
So back a mile and a half over deteriorated trail to the washed out bridge site. This time we took the perpendicular trail and saw- a white blaze!
The trail had been rerouted and we were on the old trail. (You would think there'd be a sign)
Now on the correct trail, we had another 1.7 miles to the road. In the dark. We had one headlamp for the two of us. And 2 more river crossings. Epic.
Finally we came to the road. The trail had dumped us out on 93 South! We walked down the exit ramp and called for the AMC shuttle.
Finally, after a bit of a wait, we got the shuttle back to Chet's. we had the driver wait a bit while we grabbed our stuff and ran back out to the van. Then we had him drive us to a hotel where we could get some sleep!

August 9: Up and out of the hotel, at the shuttle stop by 6:25am. Perfect timing; the shuttle arrived about 30 seconds after we did. Took the shuttle back to downtown Hanover and picked the trail up where we had left off yesterday. An early morning bakery had free donuts for thru hikers, so we grabbed one, hoisted our packs, and headed through Hanover. The trail north of Hanover was a dream come true. The Dartmough Outdoors Club maintains the trail in this area. It was easy, pine needle, forest terrain. Mild climbs, beautiful trees. We stopped at Aetna road for a snack and  to apply some bug spray. Those mosquitoes are back! We had a gradual climb to Moose Mountain Shelter where we saw Double D and Goodfella; they spent the night at the shelter and were off to a late start. It looks like this shelter would have a spectacular view on a clear day; today we just saw fog and clouds. After lunch at the shelter, we had a mild climb up to the north peak, but a steep descent. Slow, careful plodding down the hill, and still I slipped in the mud and fell. Totally okay, though. No injuries!
At the bottom of the descent, we crossed a road and then started right back up again for a 1200 foot climb- a steep one. The Ledges, said to have spectacular views, were nothing but fog and cloulds today. Oh well. We descended from the ledges and arrived at the shelter at 3:15. Unsure if we wanted to push on or call it an early day, it started raining pretty heavily and made our decision for us. We changed into dry clothes, pulled our sleeping bags out, and staked out a space in the shelter.
Also at the shelter today was Buddy Backpacker- the 5 year old thru hiker and his Dad Deon. I'd been hearing about Buddy Backpacker for a while now. I have to admit, when I first heard about him, I thought "What kind of irresponsible parents drag a 5 year old along for a thru-hike?" Then I met him. Buddy is not your average 5 year old. If anything, he is dragging Mom and Dad along. His Dad carries a pack, he does not, as he is only 5. He is loving it, he is thriving. I'm ridiculously impressed with this kid. His parents are really cool people, too. The own a hostel in Colorado, they do a lot of hiking in Colorado and a lot of traveling, as well. Buddy is a well rounded, happy, cool kid.
We later met Kokopelli, a 64 year old thru hiker. Kokopelli thru hikes last year but fell and broke his leg 50 miles from Katahdin. So this year, he started over from the beginning! If that had happened to me, I'd be like "ok, just 50 more miles to knock out next year". He started over! He has a flute that he carries with him and plays at night, which is how he got his name. It was nice to hear music before bed.

August 10: Long day today. We were up and on the trail by 6:30, which was still later than Kokopelli. One more mile downhill to the road and we went to Dan Ackerly's house- the ice crem man! Dan lives next to the trail and he has a sign directing you to his house. He has a register to sign and gives out ice cream. He also has soda for sale and you can refill your water from his hose. IN the afternoons, he will often challenge you to a game of croquet. It was morning, though, and he wasnt't playing. We stopped and hung out on Dan's porch for a while, talking and sharing stories. Double D had spent the night at Dan's and was just heading out. Then Dan announced that he had to make a phone call, so we skedattled. 
The trail went down the road for a while, and we looked a the cute, funky houses on the road. Then we turned left and headed up into the woods. The trail got steeper and steeper, and we encountered our first rebar in the rocks. In especially steep areas in New Hampshire and Maine, rebar is installed into the rock to form makeshift ladders and handbars. And if somebody goes through that much trouble to install it, bu golly you use it!
Our climb finally concluded at the fire warden's cabin and the lookout tower. We climbed up the tower to find that it was really calm at the bottom, and really windy at the top. Excellent views. I think I actually like New Hampshire better than Vermont!
The trail took on a gradual downhill for the better part of the day after that; no more rebar. We are passing a lot more southbounders and day hikers at this point, its nice to have people to meet and talk to. We made it to the shelter at 6, turned in early. Tomorrow will not be as long a day.

August 11: Short Day today. We were hiking by 7:15. Made quick time through muddy terrain with boardwalks over them. Quick climb up Mist Mountain; too misty to get a good view. Very appropos name! We descended to Glencliff, NH by 9:45 and turned down the road to the hostel, only .25 mile away. Since it was Sunday, and since we both needed to use the post office, there was nothing for us to do except hang out all afternoon.
The Welcome Hikers Hostel is run out of somebody's garage. There are bunks upstairs, and a table, fridge, microwave and TV with DVD player downstairs. On this day, thre was a ton of free food at the hostel, since a local campground had just closed for the season and had come over to the hostel with all their leftover food. We ate cold cut sandwhiches and pudding for lunch. The we showered and did laundry in the tent in the backyard. And then, we lounged in the sun for the aftternoon! it was wonderful.
Kokopelli, Buddy Backpacker and parents, and Steady showed up. Later, the Professor, who we hadn't seen since Great Barrington, and Little Engine and Timber who we also hadn't seen since Mass. Finally, Miss Janet showed up in her psychadelic van and out came the Professor and Mother Teressa. Full house. We all had free hotdogs for dinner, and a pasta dinner that Miss Janet whipped up. I helped in the kitchen, making brownies for dessert. Great atmosphere, lots of cameraderie, and a great dinner.
Not a great nights sleep though. I can never sleep in bunkhouses!

The ice cream man's house

Buddy Backpacker

August 12: One thing I had planned on from the very beginning of this journey: slack pack as much of New Hampshire as possible! The slack packing began today.
Buddy Backpacker's mom, Adriana, offered to shutte some packs to Lincoln. So we were able to hike Mt Moosilauke without packs. Score!
The day started out with a river crossing- I crossed on a fallen log while Sub opted to rock hop across. Then we began the ascent. Slow and gradual at first quickly gave way to steep and rocky. Without packs, though, we made good time. We passed along a path right at tree line, surrounded by 3 foot tall evergreens. It was like a Christmas tree farm!

After about a quarter mile of Xmas trees, we again started climbing, this time above tree line with cairns instead of white blazes to mark the way.

The summit of Mt Moosilauke was fantastic! The sky was a blue you usually don't see outside the Caribbean and it was warm enough to hang out for a while.

The descent started tamely enough- pretty much the climb on reverse. Then we hit the waterfall.
The trail grew sharply steep. Steep enough for the reappearance of rebar and the appearance of something new: wooden steps placed into notches in the bedrock. Steep wooden steps. Steep, wet wooden steps from the waterfall spray. Boy was I glad I didn't have my pack! Boy was I glad it wasn't raining

Our pace slowed down to around one mile per hour. It was agonizing to have to move so slowly.
We reached the road around 2:30 and caught a ride into Lincoln with a couple day hikers who had also just finished the waterfall trail.
In Lincoln, we were staying at Chet's Place, another word- of-mouth hostel that was operated out of Chet's garage for donations.
Chet is a pretty interesting guy. Many years ago, he was injured in a camp- stove explosion. He was burned and in a coma for quite a while. Newspaper articles on scrapbooks around the hostel tell of his rehab to get back moving and living on his own.
Now he has this nice service out of his home for thru- hikers. Shower, laundry, and a bunk for whatever you want to throw in the jar.
We came in, met Chet, found our stuff that had been shuttled ahead, claimed some bunk space, and showered. Then we hit Lincoln for some errands. On the way to town, we passed this colorful house:

I've been to Lincoln several times before to go to Loon Mountain, but never in the summer. It's like a different town altogether! We hit the outfitter, the post office, the grocery store, and had some food at a cute little restaurant.

Then we went back for laundry.
The weather forecast was calling for rain the next day. So there was a lot of grumbling around Chet's place and a lot of " I don't hike when it rains." We should have known.
With the sheer number of people zeroing the next day, and the sheer number of people who hadn't been to town in a while, it added up to another sleepless night. Some people should not drink!

AUgust 8: After a somewhat fitful sleep (I kept sliding off my pad on the slightly less than horizontal surface) we were up and hiking by 7. Easy terrain today, lots of gradual downhill on pine needles, no roots or rocks. We emerged from the woods onto a road where we saw Steady. He was by a cooler of trail magic and smiled. "Oh, good. There are three cokes left. One for each of us!" We drank some sugary trail magic and started down the street. At the mailbox in front of another house, we hit trail magic #2: banana bread! So good for second breakfast. Then we started down the 1.5 miles of road walking into the town of Hanover. Halfway across the bridge over the Connecticut River, we came to the border crossing: we were now in New Hampshire! Then we walked into Hanover.
Hanover is a lovely little town. Of course, there's Dartmouth College, plus a nice little main street with cafes and bookstores and art galleries. Our original plan was to hang out in Hanover for a couple hours, resupply, and go another 6 miles to the hostel in Aetna. But when we called the hostel, we found that they were full. It looked like we were staying in Hanover. They had free shuttles, so that at least made it convenient.
We had lunch at the Dirt COwby Cafe and got the bus to the Sunset Inn Motel. After cleaning up, we took the next free shuttle to the grocery store for resupply and to a pizza place for second lunch. (and I'm losing weight. Go figure) Ran into FunkyTown in the plaza. Again, I thought they were 2 days ahead of us, but here we were, in the same place. We grabbed some 12 inch subs at Subway for dinner, and went back to the motel to do laundry. Free laundry at this place! ALways a plus. Spent the rest of the afternooon laying around in the air conditioned room, watching TV. Kind of a shame to be inside on a day like today, but when you are essentially living outside, an inside day is ok every now and then.

August 6: This morning, we were down for breakfast at 6:45, which was a little TOO early for breakfast! We hung out until it was ready at 7. Then we had some yummy cranberry bread, waffles, yogurt, fruit, and cereal. We packed out some hard boiled eggs for lunch, settled the bill, and headed back out to hike.
The trail started off pretty smooth and level and after acouple miles began to climb. It started getting pretty roller coastery and rooty, a bit harder than the past few days. We stopped for our lunch of eggs and fruit at the shelter and were joined by Double D. I had thought he and his buddies were a day or two ahead of us!  We had some fast, flat terrain after lunch and made good time to the fire tower for some views. We talked a bit to Maverick, a south bounder who was staying at the cabin near the shelter. He gave us some good info that the next shelter had a bad water source and lots of mosquitoes. That settled our day long question of whether we should stop for the night at this shelter. We were going to press on!
We had 7.5 miles to the next road crossing that deteriorated from the fast terrain we had been enjoying to slow, rocky, roller coastery, root strewn stuff. It took a lot out of me. I was quite tired at the road, but determined to push out another 2 miles so we could stealth camp near a water source.
The trail actually went down the road for 1/4 mile. We passed a white house, and I was thinking "Man, I wish the people in that house let hikers camp in thier yard. That would make this day so much better." And just then, a pickup truck came driving down the road, beeping at us. Dan, the home owner, had seen us walking on the road and invited us to camp in his yard! How lucky is that?
Dan calls his house "the secret hostel". It is not  listed in the guidebooks, but he has a big yard for tenting and a big barn he lets people sleep in. There were about 12 hikers there that night with me and SUbaru.
Trail magic abounds when you need it most!

August 7: We were awake at 6am, with the sun. Everything was dewy and wet from the grass. Have to carry a wet tent today. We left Dan's by 7 and started the day with a long, slow climb. So glad we did not have to do this last night! There was a nice meadow at the top where we had a break and got some sun. Then the trail got steeper and more jagged. At around 5 miles, we stopped for a fiver (5 minute rest) and decided that we would hit the Cloudland Market at the next road crossing. We took in the views of Stratton Mountain and Killington from the peak (always nice to look back at what you have already climbed and be impressed with yourself!) and started down.
After the descent, we passed a crew of workers mowing the long grass on the hill by the road. Made the walking much easier, but the trail harder to see. At the road crossing, we came across some excelent trail magic! Water, PB&J sammies, brownies, cookies, chips, and s'mores fixings. SUbaru ran to the market and grabbed some sodas while I pulled out our set tents to dry in the sun. And we had a feast by the roadside! It was great.
We packed up after the feast and decided to stop in another 5 miles. But the milage in the guidebooks must have been off, because we never found the gravel road at 5 miles. Instead, we came up on the paved road at 6.5. We grabbed some water and granola bars and were passed by Steady who told us that there was another store in 0.3 miles down the road. So down the road we went (the trail joined the road in town) and got some ice cream. We ate it while watching some SOBOS jump off the bridge into the river. Some jumped, some never got the courage up. It was like a soap opera!
After the ice cream was gone, we had one more 4 mile stretch to a shelter. We followed the road for a while, then a gradual climb with smoother terrain. At the shelter, we set up our tents and talked to some southbounders, sharing information with what we both had ahead. Nice to get that info beforehand!

Steep terrain!

The secret hostel at Dan Swain's

August 5: Subaru and I went down to the breakfast at 8 am, as that is the time  posted on the door for the starte of breakfast. We arrived as the other hikiers, having already eaten, were heading out the door. Hmmm. I guess the sign on the door was wrong. Oh well. We had a nice breakfast and headed upstairs to organize our packs and head out. Then my stomache started acting up. Feeling nauseous and crampy is no way to hit the trail. We decided to spend the day at the Mountain Meadowns Lodge.
I immediately went back to bed for an hour or so, and woke up feeling miraculously completely better. maybe it was my body's way of letting me know that it wanted to enjoy the ammenities of the lodge. So after my morning nap, I went down and used the hot tub, which was actually more of a warm tub. We asked the owner, Bill, if there was a place to go for lunch, and walked through the woods into town to a deli for sandwhiches and for dinner, as there was no dinner service that night at the lodge. And since eating is such strenuous work, we came back for another nap.
In the afternoon, I soaked my feet in the pool for a while. It was a tad too shilly to go swimming, but the cold water fetl great on my swollen feet. We walked the grounds and looked at the animals and strolled by the lake and then came in for our deli dinner. We watched the sunset through the big picture window and then watched Field of Dreams on the DVD player before retiring early. Good day. Feeling better, rested, and refreshed.

Alice the pig.

August 4: We woke up and went down to the free hotel breakfast and ate heartily, probably the equivalent of 2 1/2 normal hotel patrons. Then it was time to hit the trail again. Dad was going to drop us off at the trail and then shuttle our stuff off to the Mountain Meadows Lodge, which was right on his way home. Meaning another slackpack - 21 miles today. We got hiking at 7:30. It started through a meadow of very tall, very wet grass. Which meant our boots were pretty much soaked by 7:35. We exited the meadon and entered the forest where we began a gradual climb. We stopped at the shelter for food at the top of the climb, and ran into the Long Trail Boys; the ones without a map. They asked us some questions about milage and about the whereabouts of the Inn at Longtrail, which was about 3 miles before our final destination of the day.
A gradual descent followed by another climb_ this one pretty big. Two Thousand feet to Shrewsbury Peak, where we once again stopped for food at a shelter. The rest of the day was a gradual downward trend, but true to the nature of the trail, down means up and down, up and down. Overall, though, nice terrain. Have I mentioned how much I love Vermont? So much easier on the feet with all those pine needles and no rocks. I don't even mind the mud!
As the trail continued on the downward trend, we picked up the speed and were practically running at times! The trail entered a state park where it got so super well maintained it was crazy. It went from walking over roots to walking on a raked gravel path! So  nice and easy. Made for a nice last few miles.
We arrived at the Lodge at just before 6, just in time for the "hiker feed dinner". Nice! It seems there was a wedding at the lodge the day before and now we were feastin on the leftovers from the wedding. Rice pilaf, salmon, chicken, green beans with slivered almonds. What a nice surprise!
Also a nice surprise- we ran into Ponybear and Indy at the Lodge, as well as Honeybun and Stink Bug. We hadn't seen Honeybun and Stink Bug since Virginia. So, good food, good companionship, good reunion.
After dinner, I showered and wandered around the grounds, looking at the animals and scenery while Subaru joined in a volleyball game in the backyard. Excellent day!

Impromptu bridge where the real bridge had washed out.

August 3: we had planned on leaving at 7 promptly, but early morning rain delayed us by about 45 minutes. We started on rocky terrain around the pond, mist hovering above the surface. Soon the rocks faded out, and we hurried along a series of ups and downs. Along the way, we passed a number of cairn gardens.

We passed the Florida Flip Floppers and Little Engine & Indy slack packing south. We descended to a nice river where we got water and saw Fire Hazard and Sherwood. Nice to see those guys again. At the road crossing, they picked up some trail magic left for them while Sub and I ate some snacks from our packs.
We hightailed it the next 6 miles, past a swimming hole, to the next road crossing where we met my Dad!!
He brought us snickers & other snacks. We drove into Rutland, stopping at EMS to pick up my new sleeping bag and for Sub to get new boots.
We tried to go to the Yellow Deli for lunch, but it was Saturday, the sabbath, so it was closed. We ended up going to a pub.
Nice visit with Dad, laundry, showers, and resupply. Good town stop.

Aug 2: today was the first day of my forth month on the trail! I celebrated with a great day of hiking. We were up and out by 6 am, after our early end yesterday. Early morning fog and wet leaves- we left our pack covers on as we negotiated through the brush.
First order of business, climb Bromley Mountain. The last half mile or so we were hiking up a ski run ( green circle, not so bad) to the warming hut at the top. We stopped there for a snack, talked to a guy who had spent the night there- it's available as a shelter for hikers.

The descent from the mountain was marked by lots of evergreen trees with that great evergreen smell! Lots of boardwalk walking over mud pits, both on the descent and over the next few miles. Pony bear and Indy passed us, Ponybear covered in mud on one side- the result of slipping on the wet boards. A few minutes later, I came up on Subaru, sporting the same mud spatters. I managed to stay dry until 5 minutes before we reached the shelter for lunch. My foot slipped off a rock and *splash* I was up to my ankle in mud. Yuck!
The shelter at lunch had a nice sunny tenting platform where we all spread out wet gear (and clothes) (and boots) to dry in the sun. New faces on the trail- SOBOs (southbounders) and Long Trail hikers. We saw Mellow Johnny, back on the trail after zeroing for injuries. And Kokopelli, an older guy who is light and quick.
More flat, mellow walking after lunch, rock hopping and boardwalks to avoid mud. We walked along a gravel road for a quarter mile or so before turning up the trail across from a parking lot. The first mile or so after the turn was a gently inclined gravel path. I could get used to this!
Good thing I didn't.
After that first mile ( with a campsite at the end) it started getting rockier and steeper. I started getting more tired, stumbling and kicking rocks. But made it to Little Rock Pond Shelter without any more wet boots.
The shelter and campsite were lovely! Nice spacious bunks, a large area for cooking and eating, and the pond was gorgeous! (The water source, a slow spring, not so gorgeous) Since we arrived shortly before sunset, it was just a touch too chilly for swimming. But nice company and a good night's sleep.

Aug 1: up and hiking by 6:30 - south easier to do when staying at a shelter rather than in town. One older gentleman we were talking to over dinner last night was hiking by 5:30! 3 younger guys doing the Long Trail were out at 6.
These guys are hiking with no guidebook, no map. They have no idea how far it is to the next water source, shelter, or town. Every time we see them, they ask a question about Milage.
We started the day with a steady uphill, then downhill, then across a gravel road. And then we started up Stratton Mountain- our first 4000 footer! It was pretty gradual- much more gradual than the elevation map suggested. On top, we found ourselves in a cloud bank. We had a snack and made phone calls, since e had cell coverage, but skipped climbing the fire tower because of the poor visibility.
Then we started downhill- again, more gradual than we expected. It started drizzling- we put on our pack covers, but skipped the rain gear. Lots of easy, fast terrain. A few rocks, but mainly that forest path I like so much.
At our last food break of the day, it stArted to rAin. We banged out the last 3 miles to the next shelter pretty quick, arriving around 3.
Three is pretty early to end the day, but now that there are SOBOs on the trail, shelters are filling up faster. We decided it was better to stop here.
Different shelter- 4 walls, a door, windows. More like a cabin, really.

We were later joined by aim hiking the Long Trail with her 10 year old son and by the Florida Flip Floppers- a mom thru hiking the AT with her 2 daughters- aged 12 & 14. Pretty inspiring.
Early nite preparing for an early start.