Old Blue Mountain - 1932.6 miles

Sept 11
Did 10 miles - some steep up & down - some boulders to climb over and some rocks. Crossed Sawyer Notch Brook - that we were suppose to ford - you walk over some rocks - easy to cross. We camped at road - trail magic at camp - little Debbie's - so nice.


Sept 12
Climbed Old Blue Mountain - steep up some boulders - on top of some ledges was level surface to walk - not slippery - nice views - saw some fall colors - did 13.3 miles to get to road where Black Birds' Dad was to pick us up - his Mom was admitted to hospital this morning - his sister came to make sure we were fed. We went back to Walmart - made 3 boxes between us and Black Bird - his sister is mailing them to Manson, ME (town just before 100 miles of wilderness). We did laundry and shower - Black Bird and his sister went to visit Mom.


Sept 13
All of us slept in - got up at 8 am to get ready - Black Birds' Dad dropped us off at the trail at 1:30 pm - we did 8.3 miles in 4 hours - All 3 of us were tired and ready to tent and sleep.

Baldpate Mt - 1913.4 miles

Black Birds' Dad dropped us about 11 am to continue our hiking north for 3 days - where he will pick us up again (this is spoiling us with all this luxury).

We climbed Baldpate Mountain - very windy - nice views - the terrain and mt is still much like the "Whites". In Maine there a lots of places to camp - the trail is also very nice and maintained - in some spots the trail had some weather damage. The nights are getting cool - might need some thicker sleeping gear...we will see. We did 10 miles - camped at a nice spot next to river - close to road. Fancy Pants and Gozer had hitch hiked and flip flopped to make sure I got my tent - sleeping in my own tent again is very nice. Black Bird made a nice fire Hold out and Patches sang and made music. So nice and relaxing.

Mahoosuc Notch - 1903.9 miles

We entered Maine - the first 50 of of 80 miles - same range as the "Whites" - just another name. Spent first night in Maine at Full Goose Shelter - just before Mahoosuc Notch (the most fun mile of the AT? - you make your way through a jumbled pit of giant boulders)


Got up early Sept 9 to get ready for this mile and to go 10 more miles before 5 PM where Black Birds' Dad will pick us up for a night at home.


The jungle gym was interesting - it was fun - difficult.....It took us about 2 hours to complete - you have to get over - under - around these boulders. You have to take your back pack off to get under the narrow ledges - then jump from rock to rock - like young mountain goats. I have to think, plan and sometimes have to slide down - just to get over instead of jump. They try to teach me how to jump (sounds easy) - 4 ft is just to far for me and my back pack. We made it thru with out a fall, bruise or broken/torn back pack. It was lots of fun!!!!!


We made it about 4 Pm to parking lot and waited for Black Birds Dad - he arrived with his red work pick up - 4 of us sat in the back with back packs - all of us had jackets and windbreakers on - it was about 45 minute drive. When we got to his home we had warm shower - did laundry and had very nice lasagna - his mom make it from scratch with a nice salad. The food and company was very nice. I still do not have my tent so I got to sleep in a bed - Patches pitched tent. We went to Walmart to resupply for 16 days - when we got there we found out they close at 10 (not 12) we rushed and of course forgot a lot of things. We wanted to make a box with food to mail to Monson - just before we enter the 100 miles of wilderness.

The "Whites"


For most of the Presidential range you hike above trees and the huts are positioned so that you will not miss them - huts are really a hut with a few bunk rooms where people can sleep on bunks - you get 3 blankets and a pillow - the bathrooms are about like the shelter's privy - no hot water - only cold to wash hands - some of the rooms has 3 - 4 bunks on top of each other - some huts can accommodate 40 - 60 - one hut can accommodate 80. The dining room is part of the open kitchen w/Gas Stove - it has long tables with benches - most of the huts has 3 croo (not crew) members that does cooking and some cleaning. The huts belong to the AMC - cost $84 and up per night (while we were at the huts they will all full). Thru hikers can work for stay - pay $10 with no food - work for stay hikers get left over super and breakfast (which is most of the time nothing more than our trail food). The thru hikers get to sleep on dining room tables or floor (well if I pay $84 for a bunk - I better not see a stinky hiker or boots on my table). Since we were thru "Whites" towards the end of the session the thru hikers does all the hard cleaning jobs and get treated like outcast (no good). Gozer and myself did dishes twice and swept the bunk room - folded blankets once. The reason we do our work at night is due to the fact that we hike so slow over the boulders. The boys got to do the hard work that really spoiled the fun. Patches only had to talk about his hike one night - but the 2 other mornings he and the rest of the boys had to scrub/clean the bunk room walls - mattresses and kitchen stove. The worst was they did not leave the hut until 11 AM to climb Mt Washington. One of the thru hikers dream climbed and view. Needless to say we did not like the huts or the face that we could not camp.


But we had wonderful weather thru the "Whites" and NH - we are probably the largest group in years to go thru the "Whites" with no rain and really nice fall weather. We also managed to camp in our tents at rivers, ponds and creeks without a $250 fine for illegal camping. At a few of our camp spots we just could not resist to camp with a "no camping sign."


Our "Whites" group was:

Black Bird, Gozer, Fancy Pants, Stick man, Patches and Crazy Lady


Black Bird - we met before and hiked some with him - he is 24 and lives in Maine - he use to do 20 plus miles a day but after he met up with us at the 1st NH shelter, he now hikes with us - good company and lots of fun - he of course tells everyone the reason he hikes with us is because Patches and myself (Crazy Lady) are such good entertainment. I think he really just enjoys the trail with less miles a day and more camping time.


Gozer - we met before - early 30's from Austin, TX - she can run a few miles herself, but the "Whites" slowed her down - she does the trail for courage and self esteem - she hiked my speed and it sure was nice to have someone to talk and laugh with on the trail.


Fancy Pants - a special friend for 7 yrs - also from Austin, TX - he does the trail for emotional support - he is the lightest hiker and the trail his backpack only weights about 12 lbs (with food about 16 lbs) - he tried to do trail with only $1000 but realized it was not possible - he stayed at lots of places and worked for stay and departed with free food (trail magic) - nice guy - a very good hiking partner for Patches.


Stick man - also with us on and off

Crazy Lady - from Georgia - an Occupational Therapist for Home Care

Patches - from Georgia - a student and a very special person to Crazy Lady and especially to her daughter.


We call ourselves the A Team - all 6 of us got lost/missed the trail - it was not marked very well. We did manage to get where we were suppose to be.


One day Gozer and Fancy Pants hitched into town and brought us lots of nice food - Italian sauces, hot dogs, chicken - we had a nice fire and a feast. Patches and Black bird was surrounded by a big BLACK BEAR - the bear charged them a few times - circled them and even took Patches tent out of his back pack and ran down the trail with it - all that Patches could here was the tearing noises - lucky it was only the bag - and the tent was OK. Stick man came down the trail and the bear left - I was so glad that it was 2 of them and not just 1.


Black bird and I (Crazy lady) got to fly our kite on Mt Washington - not very good because the wind was not good.


The "Whites" (NH) so far was definitely my best - the climbs was wonderful - the views breath taking - the wind fantastic - pretty cruel, brutal, hard - but all and all AWESOME - like you are in the clouds.

NH - MAINE BORDER - 1894.8 miles

Hitched out of Lincoln - got a ride with Duster - Duster, White Glaze and White Glove thru hiked in 1989. Duster's husband thru hiked in 1999 - she started with him, but could not finish due to a injury - they live just down the road from Cheb - we talked with them when we went to the store - they offered to take us back to trail and hike the 1st mile with us - very nice couple.



We did good thru N.H. - average 9.5 miles a day with all the steep climbs up & down. The "Whites" was one of those experiences that is hard to share - but it was fantastic!



Fancy Pants got a job for a few days in Gorham, NH to help him get thru Maine. He used my tent - I shared with Gozer 4 nights. Gozer got sick and stayed at Carlo Col Shelter - 1st shelter in Maine waiting for Fancy Pants to catch up - I spent the night in the shelter - we gave her some of our meds and hope for the best.



Good Bye New Hampshire - Hello Maine (the one we have been waiting for) - LAST STATE

Kinsman Mt - 1798.1 miles

Some light rain - cloudy - not much visibility. Climbed Kinsman Mt - South and North - 2000 ft in 3 miles.

We did plus/minus 10 miles - not to much view - the wind blew - Love the wind remind me a lot of Capetown - the wind blew me almost off my feet. For all the people in South Africa it is like a windy day at the Labour - I just love it. I met a young man from S A that is here for 3 years - day hiking - it was nice to talk with him.

We made it back to Lincoln - the 3 of us got a ride with a lady that knew Chet and lives close to him - how nice for us - when we got to Chet's house they were busy fixing super for all the hikers. Due to the rain most all the hikers took a 0 day (no hiking) - they all pull together to make food and breakfast the next morning - there were 26 north and south bound hikers - nice group.

Eliza Brook Shelter - 1794.7 miles

BB and us hitch hiked out of Lincoln back to trail. Patches and myself ate some nice breakfast in town - we waited about 5-10 minutes for a ride - a nice lady that just dropped her brother off at trail head - gave us a ride and each of us a Vermont apple.

We hiked up Kinsman Notch, Mt Wolf east peak - slept at Eliza Brook Shelter - some day hikers/section hikers and us. Pretty cold and also rained most of the night. All three of us were very tired and sleepy due to previous night - little sleep in hostel - over crowded and Lucky Joe came back for slack pack about 10:30 pm and could not stop talking - the tent pads was horrible and lots of mud - fire sand splatter into our tents and our zippers.

North Woodstock, NH - 1803.5 miles

We got up early - Black Bird (nice guy and we enjoy his company) is hiking with us and sounds like he might stay with us thru the "Whites" and Maine.



We left camp 1/2 hour earlier than usual - ready for our 1st mountain of the "Whites" - Mt Moosilauke - Elev 4802 - the morning is cool (about 40 degrees) with some wind - 4 1/2 miles to the top - no turning back - some nice boulders and steep rocks - a pretty sunny morning. On Top of the Mt the wind was blowing strong and about 50 degrees - with the wind we did not know we had our winter gear on - the view was spectacular. We saw Mt Lafayette and Mt Lincoln and of course Mt Washington - clear sky - we had our lunch a little down the east south side - out of the wind.



The down was steep and very slick - 3.8 miles - 3000 ft down a waterfall - so pretty!



At the Rd we hitched into Lincoln - 6 miles. We were very lucky - in about 10 minutes a nice man from CT picked us up and took us in to North Woodstock, NH - about 1/2 miles from Lincoln - here we got another ride to the hikers hostel. Now we have stayed in a lot of hostel's - but this hostel is "one step above the others". The owner (late 30's) is in a wheelchair - about 7 yrs ago a white gas camp stove exploded while he was priming it - he lost most of his function in his legs and is legally blind. his attitude is so positive - he still does his exercise and works out daily. He is able to ambulate some with a walker and a few steps without. He lets you use bikes to go to town to shop. Well....at the hostel we ran into hikers that was quite some miles ahead of us.

We plan to stay here tomorrow night again.



Stick man was also at the hostel - he is about 15 miles ahead of us. If we can keep our days 8-10 miles in the "Whites" we will be OK.



We love the "Whites" very pretty and we meet lots of nice day hikers/section hikers.



Have fun......we do!

Mt Moosilauke - 4783.4 miles

Four days in NH - Aug 23 and 24 we had rain - heavy rain later in day and to much thunder. The Mt's and ledges are very pretty - some beautiful view.

Aug 23 after start in rain and resupply we made it to Moose Mt Shelter - it is muddy - some nice tent spots - 2 section hikers and some south bounds and Blackbird - a younger man that has hiked with us before. The three of us are going to tackle the whites together. We have lost track of Poppins.

At the shelter a day hiker left us some fresh water and cookies - It was nice!

Hiked most of the day in sun - last few miles when we went up Smart's Mt - Elev 3240 ft - it started to rain. I made it over ledges and mt without cuts and falls.

Before we climbed Smart Mt we stopped at an older mans house for fresh water and ice cream (trail magic). We (Patches, Black Bird and myself) played a game of crochet - what fun! Later we heard that his nice man is a "Physic" - just turned 81 and still practicing (just on thru hikers I think...Ha..Ha)

We are camping at Fire Wardens Cabins - nice view over a lake and mt - not much of a sunset but the morning was very pretty - we were above cloud level - very nice.

We met some day hikers - older people that hike in a group - stay in hotels at night. Saw them 2 days in a row - said that Patches and myself looking good and happy - happier than most other hikers that pass them.

Aug 25 - We had the whole day to hike 10 miles where we could have hot chocolate - another thru hiker and his mom is going to give us nice food - What a feast....Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Salads...they brought their gas grill to cook the meat - it was so nice! We pitched our tents on level spot close to the road.

Aug 26 - we officially in the "Whites" - we slept at the start of Mt Moosilauke and very ready to climb the 4800 ft to the top. We had some rain today, but it is suppose to be a pretty day tomorrow - it is cool. We had a nice campfire - thanks to Black Bird and Patches.

Goodnight.............Have fun - we still love our hike..............