Camping Out in NH - June 21-22

 On top of the Fire Tower before our first Overnight of 2013

Not wasting any time, Team Nano has marked another milestone of our 2013 Adventure - our first overnight of the year.  Over the course of two days, we broke out the big backpacks, hiked almost 20 miles and summited two decent-sized mountains.  It was the perfect time to be camping, too.  Perfect weather, constant breeze, plenty of shade trees to pitch a tent under.  There were several interesting sights too.  On our first day out, we passed a sign advertising free ice cream and croquet (a classic combination if ever there was one) for hikers in a local's yard.  We also climbed a fire tower on top of our first mountain and had lunch at the old Fire Ranger's Cabin, which now serves as the hiker shelter.  

 Picnic at the Fire Ranger's Cabin

This stretch of trail didn't have as many accessible roads as previous sections, so we didn't get to see our Trail Angel for a night.  But after refilling our water bottles in the stream at the bottom of our first mountain, we found a great camping spot.  We set up camp nano in the woods overlooking a steep ledge.  It's rare to find a place to camp that has the magical trifecta of 1) being a permissible place to camp (the park service is sometimes picky about where they officially allow hikers to overnight) 2) a place flat enough to pitch a tent and 3) a view.  With this spot, we hit the jackpot.  We made ourselves some Ramen and happily settled in.     

 Dinner and a Show at Camp Nano

We had made really good time on our first day of hiking, so on Day 2 of our overnight, we didn't have much farther to go for our rendezvous with Trail Angel.  We did have one more mountain to climb - Mount Cube - and it did not disappoint.  The top of Mt. Cube was exposed and offered a great view.  

 Mt. Cube in the Morning

We continued to make good time hiking and made it to the rendezvous in time to spend the afternoon taking in some local culture.  Rural New Hampshire, much like Vermont, is known for its Maple trees.  And Maple trees can only mean one thing - Maple Sugar.  Sugar farms are abundant here.  Most of them family owned and run and very neat to visit.  We drove by several, and on many of them you can see the rubber tubing running from the trees downhill to the collecting houses.  We also got to take in some local cuisine at the Whippi-Dip, which serves everything from burgers to fried clams and whose medium ice cream cone would feed a family of 4.  After two days of hiking we were definitely glad for the treats.    

 Genuine New Hampshire Maple Sugar Shack - Probably one of the last places on earth you can shop on the honor system.   

The Whippi-Dip.  Home of the most generous ice cream portions ever.

"Real" Hills

 Our First Big Hill

The second day of our 2013 Grand Adventure brought us our first "Real Hill" of the trip.  The AT in New Hampshire definitely has a reputation for being tough hiking, and we got our first small taste of that today.  Over the course of about 9 miles, we had two big climbs.  The first was up Moose Mountain, and though one of my AT dreams is to see a moose on a hike, it didn't happen there.  The second was up to a place simply named "The Ledges," and once we got there it wasn't difficult to see where the name came from.  It was our first scenic overlook of this trip, and it didn't disappoint.  

 The Ledges - Our First Vista

Our first "Real Hills" meant more breaks and a little slower going for Team Nano today.  But it was another perfect day outside, good for taking our time.  We got some good comfort food at a local dive for dinner and I even discovered one of my new favorite special treats - Gelato Affogato ("drowned ice cream" - look it up).  Maybe tomorrow we will be ready for some more "Real Hills."

Team Nano at The Ledges 

Motto of the Day:  "The only easy day was yesterday"

Here We Go Again...

 Nano and Friends are back on the Trail!

   After a year away, I am very happy to announce (or exclaim from the New Hampshire mountaintops) that I am back on the Appalachian Trail for a few days.  It has been far too long, but now that I have some rare time off from medical school, I am so excited to be spending it on the AT.  It is particularly exciting, because not only do I have Amicus and Trail Angel, but our dear friend Hooter along for this leg of the journey.  After spending months between concrete walls and under fluorescent lights, sunshine and fresh air is a welcome reprieve.  

    As many followers of Nano may recall, when last you left your valiant Trail Warriors, we had just crossed the Vermont-New Hampshire border.  Today we picked up right where we left off...the Dartmouth Bookstore.  Which, believe it or not, is directly on the AT, along with the only Appalachian Trail Starbucks you will find along the entire 2,200 miles.  We didn't go very far today - about 8.5 miles - but we've all been in the "real world" longer than we'd care to admit, and we are trying to get our Trail Legs back.  No matter the distance covered, we couldn't have asked for a better day to hike.  Low 70s, sunny, light breeze.  Perfect.

 A good day to return.

  Here in New Hampshire (as in much of the Eastern US), they have been blessed with lots of recent rain.  That meant that a rather squishy trail was there to greet us upon our return.  But as Hooter would say, you have to test out the waterproofing on your boots sometime.  A little mud was a small price to pay for the gorgeous day.  Once we hiked out of town, the trail was mostly woods, with a few bogs and fields thrown in for variety.  We only saw a handful of people on the Trail today.  We're significantly farther north than most of the 2013 Northbound thru-hikers, and most of the Southbounders are just beginning this month in Maine.  We did meet one young Northbounder who told us he had two weeks to get to Katahdin and was averaging 30 miles per day.  A mighty and ambitious young hiker for sure.  Wherever you are tonight, sir (which is about 22 miles ahead of us), we wish you well.  We also got lapped by a giant dog and his jogging owner, who ran past us twice (once in each direction) during our lunch break.  But on our first day back this year, we were in it for the sights and sounds and smells, not the speed. 

   

The (now familiar) Green Tunnel

New Hampshire is one of the most famously beautiful, but also most infamously difficult sections of the AT.  I have no idea how far we will get during the time we have out here this year, but as always, this is about the journey.  Not the destination.  Stay tuned, Followers of Nano.  More Grand Adventures are sure to follow. 

The Trail Awaits!

The End of the Line...For Now...

Crossing the state line into New Hampshire

   Today was our last day of hiking for this round of our AT adventure.  We hiked about 8 miles.  We had such luck today, because even though the forecast included a 70% chance of rain and thunderstorms, we only walked in a drizzle for about 20 minutes.  

Last hike on the AT for a while.

    We didn't see many people on the trail today, so it was almost like we had the wilderness to ourselves.  We only stopped once during the entire hike.  At one point, we heard a mooing sound in the distance.  A local had recently told us that this was moose country.  This is also dairy farm country.  I'm choosing to believe what we heard was a moose bidding us farewell.  A little natural Trail Magic.

Non-moose Trail Magic on our last day.  I especially like the hiking boots repurposed as planters. 

   At the very end of our hike today, as part of one of the longest road-walks on the entire AT, we crossed the state line from Vermont into New Hampshire.  I always like ending with some sort of definable milestone.  This trip to the AT is particularly special for me because we took no zero days and it's the first time we've actually made it to our original goal point.  The trail walks right through the middle of Hanover, New Hampshire, home of Dartmouth College.  We said that we would hike to the Dartmouth bookstore.  And that's exactly where we ended up.  I've always said that this experience is not about the destination, but the journey.  I truly believe that, and I am trying to live it.  It's been a year since I was last on the AT, and I have no idea when I'll be able to be on the trail again.  Now, the "real world" is calling me out of the woods.  Once again I find myself saying goodbye to this adventure for awhile, and wondering where it will take me next.  The only thing I know for sure is that this journey is far from over, and the Trail still has much to teach me.  I have been blessed beyond measure with an incredible family and amazing opportunities, both here in the wilderness and beyond.  Happy Trails, friends of Nano.  Until our wanderings bring us together again.
    

An educational ending.

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mileage Update:

Miles Hiked this trip:  196.7

Miles from Springer Mountain:  1,737.3

Miles from Katahdin:  441.1

Views of Vermont

Trail Family at 1700 miles.

    We're getting close to the end of this part of our AT journey.  Today we hiked about 15 miles.  It was one of the only days of hiking we've had during this round that contained consistently good views. It was a beautiful day, and since it's the end of July, we even got to enjoy some organic trail treats, since the blackberries are just starting to ripen here in Vermont.

Foraging for blackberries.

    We hiked up lots of small hills today, and through lots of open fields, which is a departure from the "green tunnel"of Vermont forest we've been in for the past couple of weeks.  It was so nice to have such nice views all day.

Vermont Fields. 

     We had to walk on the road through town for the last bit of our hike today.  It's always interesting to see what kind of accommodations - if any - the trail towns make for hikers.  Some towns really go all out to make hikers feel at home.  I love seeing the little bits of trail magic the towns have to offer.

Hiker friendly!

Stormy Nights on the AT

Stormy skies on the AT.

   Last night, we did our final overnight on the Trail for this trip on the AT.  We hiked a little over 26 miles in the course of 2 days.  26 miles that ended up being very tough miles.  There were lots of short but steep climbs and descents.  

A bit of high-tech AT mountaineering. 

    The terrain was demanding, but the weather also factored in to our hike this time.  Just as we were looking for a good spot to camp for the night, it started to thunder.  As soon as we got the tent set up and had a bite to eat, the rain rolled in.  It rained for most of the night.  Heavily.  Not just rained, stormed.  At one point, Amicus and I counted 4 seconds between the lighting and accompanying thunder.  Luckily, we had gotten camp set up before the storm began, and all of our gear held up beautifully, which was wonderful.  We didn't even get anything except the tent wet.  We were well prepared, and it actually ended up being a lot of fun.
  

Traversing the AT fields.

   Today, we got to the rendezvous point in time for a yummy hamburger lunch and a little exploring.  We have an extra treat because Trail Sister is here with us now, to join us while we finish this round of our AT adventure.  Here in Vermont, they are very proud of their cheeses and other dairy products, which all come from the fine Vermont dairy farms. We got to visit one of those dairy farms today, and it was full of knowledgable people and beautiful animals.
 

Making some new friends at the the dairy. 

Mountains and Shelters

Fireplace in a shelter.

      Today we walked about 11 miles, 5 of them uphill and 6 of them downhill.  It was yet another beautiful day, and we passed lots of other hikers on the trail.  We spent the first 5 miles climbing a mountain, only to discover that the AT didn't go to the actual summit and there was no nice view to enjoy at the top.  I prefer my long climbs with a rewarding view at the top.  But it was cool and breezy and sunny and a great day to be in the woods.  We passed a couple of very neat old shelters, one with a fireplace built into it and one with a stone (rather than dirt) floor that must've been built decades ago.  Always something interesting to see on the AT.

View of the Day - interestingly *not* at the top of the mountain.