August 16 - August 20
Sleeping in the back of the Prius was surprisingly comfortable. We could use a little more padding, but it was still better than the ground. As we were falling asleep, we saw lights on the tower. We came to find out that people were climbing the tower at night by headlamp. So cool!! When we woke up in the morning, we walked the 1.3 mile paved path around Devils Tower. It is a pretty cool sight! It towers 867 feet in the air and is incredible to look at. There were a lot of people climbing the tower as we walked and I couldn't help but stare at them in awe. I think I've added a new item to my "bucket list." By noon, we left Devils Tower and were on our way to Cody, WY. We took the Bighorn Scenic Bypass to get there and it was absolutely beautiful! We even stopped at Shell Falls to admire a gorgeous waterfall. We arrived in Cody and checked into a motel before going to the Cody Rodeo. I haven't been to a rodeo since I worked as a wrangler at a dude ranch near Lake George during college. It was so much fun. I really enjoyed the barrel racing and when it comes to roping, I tend to cheer for the calves. :)
On August 18th, we left for Yellowstone NP. We could have taken a shorter route to the east entrance of the park, but a friend of mine (Thank you, Casey!) recommended the more scenic 120/296/212 route. I'm really happy we took that route because although it was slightly longer, it was gorgeous... and it took us into Montana. Another new state! As we drove, mountains towered over us. There were even signs labeling which time period that each rock layer was formed in... Brian enjoyed that. Once we were on 212 (Beartooth Bypass) there was a mountain that literally looked like the incisor tooth of a bear followed by a molar. I guess that's where the highway got its name. We spent a little bit of time in Cooke City, MT and then arrived at the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone. Driving through the Lamar Valley, there were hundreds of bison all around us. Some were even lying on the side of the road and crossing the street right in front of the car! We set up camp at Tower Falls Campground, which has become a lot less involved now that we are sleeping in the car. When we left Cody, we had stopped at Walmart for a memory foam mattress topper to put in the back of the car, so I was excited for it to be even more comfortable (I was not disappointed). After camp was set up, we drove down to Tower Falls. It was beautiful, but so touristy. I was starting to miss the quietness and tranquility of the back country. Next, we went to the education center... it's a bit scary that Yellowstone is within a caldera volcano that could blow any second. It was "scheduled" to blow 600,000 years after the last eruption and it has been over 640,000 years. YIKES! Now that I was sufficiently scared, we headed to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We hiked the South Rim trail to see the Upper Falls and then down the 380+ stairs on Uncle Tom's Trail to get eye level with the lower falls. Then, it was back up the stairs and then to Artist Point to get some beautiful pictures of the canyon. It is amazing to see the enormous canyon that has been created over time. We ended the day at Roosevelt Lodge with some ice cream sandwiches. While we were relaxing and enjoying the ice cream, we met a lady named Susan who grew up in Shoreham!!! She now lives in Boulder, CO. It was so weird to meet someone 2000 miles from home who grew up in the same small town that my parents still live in!
On August 19th, we woke up after a comfortable night in the car and got ready for our horseback trail ride. I was so excited because I haven't been on a horse since my wrangling days... WAY TOO LONG!!!! Unfortunately, our ride was cancelled because the smoke from the 6 forest fires in Yellowstone were giving the horses breathing difficulty. There was a stable at the north end of the park that was away from the fires though, so we were able to move our ride to an afternoon ride there. I rode Rooster and Brian rode Dodge. Brian was a bit nervous since his only horseback riding experience was an accidental bareback gallop when he was at field camp during college. As we rode though the meadows, he looked like a real cowboy though... hat and all! After the ride, we were off to Old Faithful and the other geysers in that basin. On the way, we saw elk drinking from the river, bison rolling in the dirt, and even a coyote in the field. I really LOVE all of the wildlife surrounding us. Old Faithful was pretty cool! It is amazing how many tourists gather on the benches surrounding the geyser to see it erupt and then leave as soon as it is over. Brian and I explored some of the other geysers in the area though and had a front row seat since the tourists didn't really go to those ones. After the geysers, it was time for dinner and showers. Then, we were off to Grand Teton NP. Grand Teton is absolutely stunning!!! The rocky mountains with snow filled cirques tower over the gorgeous Jackson Lake are truly stunning. It is truly a sight that I could never get sick of. As we were driving into the park, the sun was setting, painting oranges and reds across the sky that were so beautiful. It almost looked fake. We arrived at Jackson Lake Lodge and relaxed in the lobby before retiring to the car for the night.
The next day, we woke up at 6:30am and relaxed in the lodge lobby. The lobby has 60 foot window that allow you to look out at the entire range. We were even lucky enough to see 3 moose with the backdrop of the Tetons!!! As I was admiring the views, another guest was playing the piano in the lobby. He started to play Canon in D (I walked down the aisle to it) and immediately I was covered in goose bumps and had tears in my eyes. It was one of my favorite moments of this entire journey. Brian and I were yearning to get into the back country and explore some of the less traveled paths. We decided on the 4.8 mile, 3,150 foot elevation gain Amphitheater Lake/Surprise Lake hike. We drove to the Lupine Meadows trailhead and started the climb. The trail is flat for the first .25 miles and then it climbs steadily to Amphitheater Lake at 9,698 feet. At the beginning of the hike, we were surrounded by trees with views of a beautiful meadow beyond them. As we started the climb, we had numerous exposed switchbacks with breathtaking views of the meadows, mountains, lakes, and rivers around us. I find that with view like this, I am less introspecitive and thoughtful on the hike because all I can do is admire the beauty around me. The trail never went beyond a moderate grade, but the dust and the exposure to the sun made it hot and tiring. We reached Surprise Lake .2 miles before Amphitheater Lake and took the short side trail to view its beauty. After a few pictures, we climbed the last 150ish feet and spent some time taking in the views at Amphitheater Lake and enjoying a snack. Brian had to share his snack with his chipmunk friends who were trying to attack his Cheez-Its. It had taken us two and a half hours to get up, but we really flew on the way down. We were back in the parking lot one and a half hours after we left the lake!!! When we reached the car, we were tired, dirty (we were covered from head to toe in the dust from the trail), and HUNGRY! We went to the Colter Bay area for showers, laundry and dinner. Dinner at the Ranch House was delicious. Then we were ready for bed!!!! As we were falling asleep, we could hear coyotes howling in the distance. The wildlife and the scenic topography of the west are truly amazing!!!! I am in love with it here!!!
We will have another adventurous day tomorrow. We plan to do some kayaking on Jackson Lake, some more hiking, and another horseback ride before we leave Grand Teton. We just can't get enough!!
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Rubber Tramping the Country....
August 11- August 16
We started our rubber tramping journey on August 11th. We left Gorham, NH and made it to Verona, NY where we stayed in a hotel for the night. I was really excited about the new adventure we were on, but I also felt sad to leave the AT. I felt like I had given up, like I had failed in some way. Brian reassured me that it wasn't a failure and that we would be back on the AT for day hikes, weekend hikes, other longer section hikes, and eventually a thru hike. "It is in our backyard after all," he said. As I fell asleep, I still felt very mixed emotions. I was awoken around 3 am by Brian saying he had to hide his clothes in the bathroom because they were going to smell like skunk! He must have dreamt that he was smelling skunk and he literally put his clothes in the bathroom, closed the door, and went back to bed. I have to say this may have been the best thing Brian has done in his sleep... And that's quite the accomplishment (he's told me I look like a princess, a gardener, and an octopus in the same sentence and has even gone looking for bread in the underwear drawers in our closet)! It's ok though, because he got quite the laugh when the alarm went off in the morning. He was already awake and I had mistaken my phone alarm for the alarm clock on the side table. When it went off, I started pressing every button on the alarm, then started hitting it, and then picked it up, held it out to Brian and exclaimed, "I can't turn this off!!! You turn it off!" He was eventually able to help me understand that it was my phone and the problem was solved. I guess we both needed our sleep.
We started our drive and ended our day in Howe, Indiana. I was pretty excited because we were staying at a Holiday Inn Express and I remember the cinnamon buns they serve for breakfast from when we stayed at one last year while on the trail. They were delicious, but I must say, they are not as satisfying when you haven't walked to them. We continued to Fairmont, Minnesota (and even stopped at a Walmart in Michigan on the way... Another new state!!). It was this day that I realized how much flat land America has. It is only rivaled by the amount of corn fields and Cracker Barrels!!
On the 14th, we made it to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Wow!!!! What amazingly unique topography!!!! We explored some of the formations and canyons and then set up camp for the night at Cedar Pass Campgroud within the park. Now that we are "car camping," it seems we are not prepared enough. Everyone around us has pop ups, RVs, or at the very least, HUGE tents that give some houses competition! They have coolers, BBQs, tables, chairs, bicycles, food to feed a whole town, and even kites! It's quite the contrast from the AT, where we often feel over prepared; as though we packed too many comforts. Either way, we had what we needed for us. We woke up early and drove the scenic route to the other end of the park, although there was a lot of fog so it wasn't too scenic. On the way to the Badlands, we must have passed over 100 signs for "Wall Drug." With one sign, or even 10, we wouldn't have stopped, but with 100+, it left us no choice. We pulled into the town that looked like an old western town, but was filled with souvenir shops and restaurants. We had breakfast and the five cent coffee they advertised on the billboards, but we didn't have the free water that was advertised. We got out of there just in time for it to fill with every tourist in the town and continued to Rapid City.
We went to the Crazy Horse monument, which is the largest mountain carving in progress. It is dedicated to all Native Americans and has been in progress since 1948. It is a carving of Crazy Horse, a leader of the Lakota Tribe. He is said to be pointing to his land where "his people lie buried." Next, we were off to Bear Country, USA, a drive through wildlife tour. We saw deer, elk, big horn sheep, bison, wolves, foxes, bob cats, badgers, and of course bears... black bears, baby black bears, and even grizzly bears!! Right when we were at the black bear area, a truck came through with their dinner. A worker was throwing shovel loads of bread to the bears and there were tons of bears were walking towards us to get to their food. It was really cool. I'm not usually a fan of zoos because of animals living in captivity, but these animals seemed to be well taken care of, well fed, and most important of all... Happy. Their environment was set up much like their natural environment. We made it back to the hotel, ate, and relaxed before going to sleep.
Today (August 16), we headed to Mount Rushmore to start our day. It was pretty neat to see the faces of George, Thomas, Teddy, and Abe in the side of a mountain. After admiring it for about a half hour, we left the tourists and took an awesome, scenic drive up and down the Black Hills, over awesome bridges built from logs, and through one lane tunnels that required us to "sound the horn" before passing through. I was very happy that Brian was driving because the road was narrow, the edge was close, and the cliffs were steep. We made it to a beautiful lookout where we sat for a while on rocks and admired the view of Mount Rushmore in the distance. As we were enjoying the views, we received a call from Miles Supertramp!!! It was great to hear his voice. We've been in touch since the AT last year, but always through text. He called to share some of his favorite must see places for us to see, to reassure me that we were on an epic journey and the AT will always be waiting for me and most importantly, to tell us that his mom thinks Brian is "dreamy." Mama Supertramp, if you're reading this, I'm sorry your son sold you out! We continued to follow the beautiful death trap of a road until we got into Custer State Park. Immediately, we saw bison. There is a huge herd that lives in the park. We stopped at the visitor center to get some hiking information and then drove some of the Wildlife Loop to eat lunch at Blue Bell lodge. It is a western motif restaurant and I ate a pulled bison sandwich and Brian ate ribs. When we walked out, I tried to steal one of the horses that were tied up outside, but Brian reminded me that it was not likely to fit in the Prius. We drove on Needles Highway to the trailhead. The highway was another narrow strip with hairpin turns, one lane tunnels, and steep cliffs, but added to this drive were HUGE towering stacks of granite. They were incredible (Pictures of all of this will be on Brian's blog soon). We reached the trailhead for the Little Devils Tower trail and started the 1.3 mile hike. We were going to do the hike up Harney Peak since it is the highest peak east of the Rockies, but Little Devils Tower was rated as a more difficult trail and is only a little more than 200 feet shorter than Harney Peak. Most of the trail was a meandering, inclined dirt path, but at the end there was some really fun climbing on rocks and up ledges. We flew up in less than 30 minutes and at the top, we had gorgeous views of the surrounding Black Hills, Harney Peak, and the awesome granite needles. I was at the highest elevation I have climbed to at this point! 6980 feet! I'm sure that record will be beat soon, but it was pretty cool for now. We hiked down in about 30 minutes, caught a glimpse of two baby deer with their mama, and then started the two hour journey to Devils Tower in Wyoming! A new state for me!! I am LOVING the HUGE skies of the west! It feels like I am in a huge planetarium, surrounded by a gigantic dome!! We arrived at Devils Tower just as the sun was setting and set up camp at the campground in the park. We have a front row view of the tower from our campsite. We chose to sleep in the back of the Prius tonight. We folded down the back seats and made a bed out of it. My Prius would make for an AWESOME Toyota commercial right now!!!
Tomorrow, we will walk around the tower and then head to Yellowstone!!! What an epic journey we are on!
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We started our rubber tramping journey on August 11th. We left Gorham, NH and made it to Verona, NY where we stayed in a hotel for the night. I was really excited about the new adventure we were on, but I also felt sad to leave the AT. I felt like I had given up, like I had failed in some way. Brian reassured me that it wasn't a failure and that we would be back on the AT for day hikes, weekend hikes, other longer section hikes, and eventually a thru hike. "It is in our backyard after all," he said. As I fell asleep, I still felt very mixed emotions. I was awoken around 3 am by Brian saying he had to hide his clothes in the bathroom because they were going to smell like skunk! He must have dreamt that he was smelling skunk and he literally put his clothes in the bathroom, closed the door, and went back to bed. I have to say this may have been the best thing Brian has done in his sleep... And that's quite the accomplishment (he's told me I look like a princess, a gardener, and an octopus in the same sentence and has even gone looking for bread in the underwear drawers in our closet)! It's ok though, because he got quite the laugh when the alarm went off in the morning. He was already awake and I had mistaken my phone alarm for the alarm clock on the side table. When it went off, I started pressing every button on the alarm, then started hitting it, and then picked it up, held it out to Brian and exclaimed, "I can't turn this off!!! You turn it off!" He was eventually able to help me understand that it was my phone and the problem was solved. I guess we both needed our sleep.
We started our drive and ended our day in Howe, Indiana. I was pretty excited because we were staying at a Holiday Inn Express and I remember the cinnamon buns they serve for breakfast from when we stayed at one last year while on the trail. They were delicious, but I must say, they are not as satisfying when you haven't walked to them. We continued to Fairmont, Minnesota (and even stopped at a Walmart in Michigan on the way... Another new state!!). It was this day that I realized how much flat land America has. It is only rivaled by the amount of corn fields and Cracker Barrels!!
On the 14th, we made it to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Wow!!!! What amazingly unique topography!!!! We explored some of the formations and canyons and then set up camp for the night at Cedar Pass Campgroud within the park. Now that we are "car camping," it seems we are not prepared enough. Everyone around us has pop ups, RVs, or at the very least, HUGE tents that give some houses competition! They have coolers, BBQs, tables, chairs, bicycles, food to feed a whole town, and even kites! It's quite the contrast from the AT, where we often feel over prepared; as though we packed too many comforts. Either way, we had what we needed for us. We woke up early and drove the scenic route to the other end of the park, although there was a lot of fog so it wasn't too scenic. On the way to the Badlands, we must have passed over 100 signs for "Wall Drug." With one sign, or even 10, we wouldn't have stopped, but with 100+, it left us no choice. We pulled into the town that looked like an old western town, but was filled with souvenir shops and restaurants. We had breakfast and the five cent coffee they advertised on the billboards, but we didn't have the free water that was advertised. We got out of there just in time for it to fill with every tourist in the town and continued to Rapid City.
We went to the Crazy Horse monument, which is the largest mountain carving in progress. It is dedicated to all Native Americans and has been in progress since 1948. It is a carving of Crazy Horse, a leader of the Lakota Tribe. He is said to be pointing to his land where "his people lie buried." Next, we were off to Bear Country, USA, a drive through wildlife tour. We saw deer, elk, big horn sheep, bison, wolves, foxes, bob cats, badgers, and of course bears... black bears, baby black bears, and even grizzly bears!! Right when we were at the black bear area, a truck came through with their dinner. A worker was throwing shovel loads of bread to the bears and there were tons of bears were walking towards us to get to their food. It was really cool. I'm not usually a fan of zoos because of animals living in captivity, but these animals seemed to be well taken care of, well fed, and most important of all... Happy. Their environment was set up much like their natural environment. We made it back to the hotel, ate, and relaxed before going to sleep.
Today (August 16), we headed to Mount Rushmore to start our day. It was pretty neat to see the faces of George, Thomas, Teddy, and Abe in the side of a mountain. After admiring it for about a half hour, we left the tourists and took an awesome, scenic drive up and down the Black Hills, over awesome bridges built from logs, and through one lane tunnels that required us to "sound the horn" before passing through. I was very happy that Brian was driving because the road was narrow, the edge was close, and the cliffs were steep. We made it to a beautiful lookout where we sat for a while on rocks and admired the view of Mount Rushmore in the distance. As we were enjoying the views, we received a call from Miles Supertramp!!! It was great to hear his voice. We've been in touch since the AT last year, but always through text. He called to share some of his favorite must see places for us to see, to reassure me that we were on an epic journey and the AT will always be waiting for me and most importantly, to tell us that his mom thinks Brian is "dreamy." Mama Supertramp, if you're reading this, I'm sorry your son sold you out! We continued to follow the beautiful death trap of a road until we got into Custer State Park. Immediately, we saw bison. There is a huge herd that lives in the park. We stopped at the visitor center to get some hiking information and then drove some of the Wildlife Loop to eat lunch at Blue Bell lodge. It is a western motif restaurant and I ate a pulled bison sandwich and Brian ate ribs. When we walked out, I tried to steal one of the horses that were tied up outside, but Brian reminded me that it was not likely to fit in the Prius. We drove on Needles Highway to the trailhead. The highway was another narrow strip with hairpin turns, one lane tunnels, and steep cliffs, but added to this drive were HUGE towering stacks of granite. They were incredible (Pictures of all of this will be on Brian's blog soon). We reached the trailhead for the Little Devils Tower trail and started the 1.3 mile hike. We were going to do the hike up Harney Peak since it is the highest peak east of the Rockies, but Little Devils Tower was rated as a more difficult trail and is only a little more than 200 feet shorter than Harney Peak. Most of the trail was a meandering, inclined dirt path, but at the end there was some really fun climbing on rocks and up ledges. We flew up in less than 30 minutes and at the top, we had gorgeous views of the surrounding Black Hills, Harney Peak, and the awesome granite needles. I was at the highest elevation I have climbed to at this point! 6980 feet! I'm sure that record will be beat soon, but it was pretty cool for now. We hiked down in about 30 minutes, caught a glimpse of two baby deer with their mama, and then started the two hour journey to Devils Tower in Wyoming! A new state for me!! I am LOVING the HUGE skies of the west! It feels like I am in a huge planetarium, surrounded by a gigantic dome!! We arrived at Devils Tower just as the sun was setting and set up camp at the campground in the park. We have a front row view of the tower from our campsite. We chose to sleep in the back of the Prius tonight. We folded down the back seats and made a bed out of it. My Prius would make for an AWESOME Toyota commercial right now!!!
Tomorrow, we will walk around the tower and then head to Yellowstone!!! What an epic journey we are on!
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Change Of Plans...
August 10, 2013
Start: Carlo Col Shelter
End Carlo Col Shelter
Daily Mileage: 0 on AT (5.2 of non AT)
Total AT Mileage: 51.3
We have been camping at Dolly Copp Campground. It's a really nice campground and we have enjoyed the zeros here. We only intended to take 2 zeros to rest my knee, but it poured all day yesterday, so two turned into three. The plan for today was to hike back up the Carlo Col Trail to where we left the AT and then continue about 5 miles to Full Goose Shelter. We made good time up to the AT, doing 2.6 miles in a little over an hour. We took a break at the shelter and started talking about our journey this summer. Initially, we left with 5 weeks to do 332 miles because it would leave us enough time to feel free. It would be enough time to not feel like we had a deadline. Fortunately, I got a job that I really wanted, but now I have to be back a week earlier. Add to that my knee slowing us down, and we are definitely feeling the pressure of a deadline. The AT is amazing but with my knee and the new end date, the daily mileage has become more of a chore and not enjoyable. I stopped taking a moment at the views to take it all in and didn't want to walk the extra little bit to get to the views because we had to get certain mileage done. Doing that made the AT lose what it's all about. We both want a journey where we can go see the views. Where we can take it all in. We know the AT will be that in the future, but right now, this summer, a different adventure is calling. So DDL and I are doing what may be the most spontaneous thing we've ever done. We are driving west, across the country. We will explore all the beauty of our country by car, and sometimes by foot. I will continue to blog our travels because even we are not sure where we will end up. Now, I feel free.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Start: Carlo Col Shelter
End Carlo Col Shelter
Daily Mileage: 0 on AT (5.2 of non AT)
Total AT Mileage: 51.3
We have been camping at Dolly Copp Campground. It's a really nice campground and we have enjoyed the zeros here. We only intended to take 2 zeros to rest my knee, but it poured all day yesterday, so two turned into three. The plan for today was to hike back up the Carlo Col Trail to where we left the AT and then continue about 5 miles to Full Goose Shelter. We made good time up to the AT, doing 2.6 miles in a little over an hour. We took a break at the shelter and started talking about our journey this summer. Initially, we left with 5 weeks to do 332 miles because it would leave us enough time to feel free. It would be enough time to not feel like we had a deadline. Fortunately, I got a job that I really wanted, but now I have to be back a week earlier. Add to that my knee slowing us down, and we are definitely feeling the pressure of a deadline. The AT is amazing but with my knee and the new end date, the daily mileage has become more of a chore and not enjoyable. I stopped taking a moment at the views to take it all in and didn't want to walk the extra little bit to get to the views because we had to get certain mileage done. Doing that made the AT lose what it's all about. We both want a journey where we can go see the views. Where we can take it all in. We know the AT will be that in the future, but right now, this summer, a different adventure is calling. So DDL and I are doing what may be the most spontaneous thing we've ever done. We are driving west, across the country. We will explore all the beauty of our country by car, and sometimes by foot. I will continue to blog our travels because even we are not sure where we will end up. Now, I feel free.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
August 6, 2013
August 6, 2013 - Day 8
Start: Gentian Pond Shelter
End: Carlo Col Shelter
Daily Mileage: 5.2
Total Mileage: 51.3
We woke up at 6:30 but it took us until about 7:30 to brave the cold and leave our sleeping bags. We eventually packed up camp and got on the trail around 8:00 am. My knee was hurting pretty bad. I guess the consecutive days of big miles with lots of ups and downs are taking a toll on it. We started with a climb and had a few ups and downs before we climbed Mt. Success. Our last mountain in NH!! The top was exposed and it had become a beautiful day. On the way down, we had a lot of boulders and ledges... Definitely rough terrain on my knee. But, shortly after we descended, we were at the NH/ME border!! We are finally in Maine! I can't even imagine what NOBO thru hikers feel because we were so excited to get there and we haven't walked there from Georgia (yet!). A half mile after the border, we stopped at Carlo Col Shelter. Originally, we were thinking we would push to the next shelter for a total of 9.6 miles today, but my knee really hurt. DDL and I were having a conversation over lunch about what we should do because the next exit point off the AT is at Grafton Notch about 15 miles away. Those 15 miles include Mahoosuc Notch ("the most fun or difficult mile of the AT" as stated in the guidebook) which is a mile long boulder field. I wasn't sure that continuing to Grafton Notch was the safest decision based on how I felt. It is a difficult decision to make though because I so badly want to continue, but since DDL has already carried me up Mt. Washington after my broken leg incident (3 weeks after we started dating), my only hope of a rescue if needed, would be a helicopter. Haha. A couple at the shelter were out for a day hike and overheard our conversation. They told us they had a car down a side trail about 2.5 miles away. They offered that if we went down the side trail, they would give us a ride back into Gorham. We decided that being able to rest my knee for 2 days before tackling Mahoosuc Notch was a good idea. Also, my comfortable boots (from the second half of our hike last year) were in my car. This year, I had decided to try some trail runner sneakers in hopes to avoid blisters and maybe because they are purple and yellow, but I am beginning to think that the lack of support combined with the different insoles are the reasons for my knee pain. When we hit the trail again in a couple of days, I will wear the boots. Anyway, we made it down the Carlo Col Trail and the kind couple drove us down the 8 mile long, rough gravel road and then into town. We even scored free moose tour tickets from Top Notch Inn from our stay earlier in the week. We saw 5 moose on the tour!!!! They are huge!!! So cool!!! Tomorrow and Thursday we will be taking zeros, mainly to rest my knee, but also to avoid the rain on Thursday. Hoping to hit the trail on Friday feeling like a new girl with happy knees.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Start: Gentian Pond Shelter
End: Carlo Col Shelter
Daily Mileage: 5.2
Total Mileage: 51.3
We woke up at 6:30 but it took us until about 7:30 to brave the cold and leave our sleeping bags. We eventually packed up camp and got on the trail around 8:00 am. My knee was hurting pretty bad. I guess the consecutive days of big miles with lots of ups and downs are taking a toll on it. We started with a climb and had a few ups and downs before we climbed Mt. Success. Our last mountain in NH!! The top was exposed and it had become a beautiful day. On the way down, we had a lot of boulders and ledges... Definitely rough terrain on my knee. But, shortly after we descended, we were at the NH/ME border!! We are finally in Maine! I can't even imagine what NOBO thru hikers feel because we were so excited to get there and we haven't walked there from Georgia (yet!). A half mile after the border, we stopped at Carlo Col Shelter. Originally, we were thinking we would push to the next shelter for a total of 9.6 miles today, but my knee really hurt. DDL and I were having a conversation over lunch about what we should do because the next exit point off the AT is at Grafton Notch about 15 miles away. Those 15 miles include Mahoosuc Notch ("the most fun or difficult mile of the AT" as stated in the guidebook) which is a mile long boulder field. I wasn't sure that continuing to Grafton Notch was the safest decision based on how I felt. It is a difficult decision to make though because I so badly want to continue, but since DDL has already carried me up Mt. Washington after my broken leg incident (3 weeks after we started dating), my only hope of a rescue if needed, would be a helicopter. Haha. A couple at the shelter were out for a day hike and overheard our conversation. They told us they had a car down a side trail about 2.5 miles away. They offered that if we went down the side trail, they would give us a ride back into Gorham. We decided that being able to rest my knee for 2 days before tackling Mahoosuc Notch was a good idea. Also, my comfortable boots (from the second half of our hike last year) were in my car. This year, I had decided to try some trail runner sneakers in hopes to avoid blisters and maybe because they are purple and yellow, but I am beginning to think that the lack of support combined with the different insoles are the reasons for my knee pain. When we hit the trail again in a couple of days, I will wear the boots. Anyway, we made it down the Carlo Col Trail and the kind couple drove us down the 8 mile long, rough gravel road and then into town. We even scored free moose tour tickets from Top Notch Inn from our stay earlier in the week. We saw 5 moose on the tour!!!! They are huge!!! So cool!!! Tomorrow and Thursday we will be taking zeros, mainly to rest my knee, but also to avoid the rain on Thursday. Hoping to hit the trail on Friday feeling like a new girl with happy knees.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
August 5, 2013
August 5, 2013- Day 7
Start: US Rt 2
End: Gentian Pond Shelter
Daily Mileage: 11.8
Total Mileage: 46.1
Today was a day full of thoughts on the trail. I think the breathtaking views and long miles encourage deep thinking. I contemplated which I would write about first: the trail or the thoughts.
First, the trail...
We woke up at 7 am at the hostel, packed up our stuff (my pack is so heavy today... I know I have WAY too much food packed) and headed out to drop our car off at the Top Notch Inn. On our way there, we saw our new trail friend, Bane. He needed a ride to Walmart, so we brought him there before dropping off the car. By 9am, we caught a hitch from the hotel where we left our car to the trail. The trail started on a road for about .5 miles and then on a dirt road before turning up for a steady, but relatively easy climb (easy compared to what we have been climbing) for about 3 miles. The whole way up, we kept seeing moose scat... But where are the moose?!?! We also saw 2 snakes on the way up... Ewww!! After climbing some ledges (or sidewalks of the mountains as I call them), we reached the top. We were surrounded by wild blueberries, so DDL and I picked a bunch and ate them. They were awesome!! We descended Mt. Hayes and then climbed Cascade Mountain where we had views of the Walmart we have repeatedly visited over the last week. Once we arrived at the side trail for Trident Col Campsite, we stopped for a snack break. We were 6.9 miles in and still had 4.9 to go. We came to a big pond a few miles later where two young girls doing a 4 day section hike had set up camp. They pointed and said, "The AT goes that way." Against our better judgement, we listened to them and quickly found ourselves walking in deep mud that was not the AT. We turned around and found the correct path. Ughhhhhh. Frustrating. We climbed up Wocket Ledges and had more beautiful views. Earlier on, a SOBO (southbound AT thru hiker) told us that the shelter that we planned to stay at did not have a good water source (a complete lie) so we pumped water at the next stream which was the last water source listed in our guidebook before the shelter (also a lie). There was one last climb before a relatively flat, but VERY muddy and boggy section and then a descent to the shelter. We finally arrived at the side trail and then walked the .2 miles to the shelter. We arrived about 6pm and we were exhausted. Bane and Double Nickel walked in just a few minutes behind us. There is also a group of seven 15 year old girls here who have walked from Katahdin and are headed to Carter Dome and then Rt. 16. They are walking it over 7 weeks, but not stopping in any towns!! Awesome accomplishment for them! We hung out with Bane and Double Nickel for a while before retiring to our tent for the night. There are platforms and a bear box here, which are always much appreciated. It is a cold night so I am bundled in socks (I NEVER sleep with socks), pants, an under armour turtle neck, a fleece, my down jacket, a hat, gloves, and in my sleeping bag. Burrrrrr. I'm sure that I will have no problem sleeping though. My knee is hurting quite a bit, but I'm hoping it feels better in the morning.
Now the thoughts....
While climbing today, I was humbled. Everyday in "normal" life, I, as most of us do, worry about what I have to do, where I have to go, what I want to do, what I want to get, who I need to see, etc. Basically, the common thread is "I." My daily ongoings in "normal life" are very "me-centric." Now, I don't mean that in a selfish way, because I truly don't think I'm selfish, but in more of a busy, "want to cross things off my to do list" kind of way. More of a what I have/want to do, buy, see, etc. is the driving factor of my day. When driven by these things, we often lose the sense of how small we are, as an individual, in this world. In this universe. There is nothing to humble you more, to make you realize just how small you are, and to take the feeling of unwarranted importance away, than climbing a mountain. Now, these mountains that I climbed today are not the largest mountains in the world. They are not even the largest on the AT; yet they still made me feel like I am such a small part of something so much bigger and something much more important. Definitely a thought to take home with me.
Today, I also realized that when walking in the woods, all of my senses are alive. I hear the sound of the earth under my feet. I hear the birds and frogs around me. I hear the wind blow and the water flow. I see the vibrant green of the canopy against the brilliant blue of the sky. I see the rays of sunlight passing through the trees. I see the shiny specks of mica (thanks Brian!) in the rocks. I touch the trees as I pass and the rocks as I climb with my hands. Sometimes, I even touch the rocks and dirt with my butt as I fall (seems to be happening more this year. I think I'm up to 3 falls). I smell the pine needles. I smell the recent spray of a skunk. I even smell the dirt. And today, I got to taste the wild blueberries! I feel so alive.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Start: US Rt 2
End: Gentian Pond Shelter
Daily Mileage: 11.8
Total Mileage: 46.1
Today was a day full of thoughts on the trail. I think the breathtaking views and long miles encourage deep thinking. I contemplated which I would write about first: the trail or the thoughts.
First, the trail...
We woke up at 7 am at the hostel, packed up our stuff (my pack is so heavy today... I know I have WAY too much food packed) and headed out to drop our car off at the Top Notch Inn. On our way there, we saw our new trail friend, Bane. He needed a ride to Walmart, so we brought him there before dropping off the car. By 9am, we caught a hitch from the hotel where we left our car to the trail. The trail started on a road for about .5 miles and then on a dirt road before turning up for a steady, but relatively easy climb (easy compared to what we have been climbing) for about 3 miles. The whole way up, we kept seeing moose scat... But where are the moose?!?! We also saw 2 snakes on the way up... Ewww!! After climbing some ledges (or sidewalks of the mountains as I call them), we reached the top. We were surrounded by wild blueberries, so DDL and I picked a bunch and ate them. They were awesome!! We descended Mt. Hayes and then climbed Cascade Mountain where we had views of the Walmart we have repeatedly visited over the last week. Once we arrived at the side trail for Trident Col Campsite, we stopped for a snack break. We were 6.9 miles in and still had 4.9 to go. We came to a big pond a few miles later where two young girls doing a 4 day section hike had set up camp. They pointed and said, "The AT goes that way." Against our better judgement, we listened to them and quickly found ourselves walking in deep mud that was not the AT. We turned around and found the correct path. Ughhhhhh. Frustrating. We climbed up Wocket Ledges and had more beautiful views. Earlier on, a SOBO (southbound AT thru hiker) told us that the shelter that we planned to stay at did not have a good water source (a complete lie) so we pumped water at the next stream which was the last water source listed in our guidebook before the shelter (also a lie). There was one last climb before a relatively flat, but VERY muddy and boggy section and then a descent to the shelter. We finally arrived at the side trail and then walked the .2 miles to the shelter. We arrived about 6pm and we were exhausted. Bane and Double Nickel walked in just a few minutes behind us. There is also a group of seven 15 year old girls here who have walked from Katahdin and are headed to Carter Dome and then Rt. 16. They are walking it over 7 weeks, but not stopping in any towns!! Awesome accomplishment for them! We hung out with Bane and Double Nickel for a while before retiring to our tent for the night. There are platforms and a bear box here, which are always much appreciated. It is a cold night so I am bundled in socks (I NEVER sleep with socks), pants, an under armour turtle neck, a fleece, my down jacket, a hat, gloves, and in my sleeping bag. Burrrrrr. I'm sure that I will have no problem sleeping though. My knee is hurting quite a bit, but I'm hoping it feels better in the morning.
Now the thoughts....
While climbing today, I was humbled. Everyday in "normal" life, I, as most of us do, worry about what I have to do, where I have to go, what I want to do, what I want to get, who I need to see, etc. Basically, the common thread is "I." My daily ongoings in "normal life" are very "me-centric." Now, I don't mean that in a selfish way, because I truly don't think I'm selfish, but in more of a busy, "want to cross things off my to do list" kind of way. More of a what I have/want to do, buy, see, etc. is the driving factor of my day. When driven by these things, we often lose the sense of how small we are, as an individual, in this world. In this universe. There is nothing to humble you more, to make you realize just how small you are, and to take the feeling of unwarranted importance away, than climbing a mountain. Now, these mountains that I climbed today are not the largest mountains in the world. They are not even the largest on the AT; yet they still made me feel like I am such a small part of something so much bigger and something much more important. Definitely a thought to take home with me.
Today, I also realized that when walking in the woods, all of my senses are alive. I hear the sound of the earth under my feet. I hear the birds and frogs around me. I hear the wind blow and the water flow. I see the vibrant green of the canopy against the brilliant blue of the sky. I see the rays of sunlight passing through the trees. I see the shiny specks of mica (thanks Brian!) in the rocks. I touch the trees as I pass and the rocks as I climb with my hands. Sometimes, I even touch the rocks and dirt with my butt as I fall (seems to be happening more this year. I think I'm up to 3 falls). I smell the pine needles. I smell the recent spray of a skunk. I even smell the dirt. And today, I got to taste the wild blueberries! I feel so alive.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Sunday, August 4, 2013
August 4, 2013 - Day 6
Start: Carter Notch Hut
End: Rt. 2
Daily Mileage: 14.9
Total Mileage: 34.3
We lucked out last night!! The $40 for a shared bunk that we paid turned into $40 for a private bunk room with 4 bunks!! It was even better than having an empty seat next to you on a plane! We woke up early! At 4:45 am, I heard Brian yawn. I was already awake, and said "Brian, are you awake?" "Yes," he answered. So we laid there for a little, eventually packed up and were out on the trail by 6am. Immediately, we climbed up Carter Dome. Beautiful views with threatening clouds off in the distance. We descended a little before summiting Mt. Hight. It was some more rough terrain until we reached the side trail for Imp Campsite. We took a short break, had a snack, and then continued on. I was already tired and we were only about half way done. The next climb was up Mt Moriah and then back down to Rattle River Shelter. Now, I was excited!! It was about 2 miles to Rt. 2 and the guidebook said "Gently sloping trail from shelter to US 2." What?!?! GENTLY SLOPING!!! Yes!!!!!! The last two miles felt great and we were finally walking with some speed! We did it in about 40 minutes and I was happy about that because just before we reached the road, it down poured! We walked the .1 mile of AT road walk to the hostel in the rain... Actually we RAN the .1 mile of AT road walk to the hostel in the rain! We arrived at the White Mountain Hostel at about 6pm. It was a long day and we are definitely happy to be at the hostel. There is a new owner as of about 5 day ago and she is amazing! It is $30 per person and includes a bed, shower, towel, laundry (that they do), a big breakfast, and homemade snacks throughout the night!!!!! We are here with all SOBOs... Potato Shake, Almost, Whiplash, Ziplock, Strudel, Rerun, Crunk, and some others. It's a great end to a long day. We're only a little over a day from MAINE!!!!!!
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
End: Rt. 2
Daily Mileage: 14.9
Total Mileage: 34.3
We lucked out last night!! The $40 for a shared bunk that we paid turned into $40 for a private bunk room with 4 bunks!! It was even better than having an empty seat next to you on a plane! We woke up early! At 4:45 am, I heard Brian yawn. I was already awake, and said "Brian, are you awake?" "Yes," he answered. So we laid there for a little, eventually packed up and were out on the trail by 6am. Immediately, we climbed up Carter Dome. Beautiful views with threatening clouds off in the distance. We descended a little before summiting Mt. Hight. It was some more rough terrain until we reached the side trail for Imp Campsite. We took a short break, had a snack, and then continued on. I was already tired and we were only about half way done. The next climb was up Mt Moriah and then back down to Rattle River Shelter. Now, I was excited!! It was about 2 miles to Rt. 2 and the guidebook said "Gently sloping trail from shelter to US 2." What?!?! GENTLY SLOPING!!! Yes!!!!!! The last two miles felt great and we were finally walking with some speed! We did it in about 40 minutes and I was happy about that because just before we reached the road, it down poured! We walked the .1 mile of AT road walk to the hostel in the rain... Actually we RAN the .1 mile of AT road walk to the hostel in the rain! We arrived at the White Mountain Hostel at about 6pm. It was a long day and we are definitely happy to be at the hostel. There is a new owner as of about 5 day ago and she is amazing! It is $30 per person and includes a bed, shower, towel, laundry (that they do), a big breakfast, and homemade snacks throughout the night!!!!! We are here with all SOBOs... Potato Shake, Almost, Whiplash, Ziplock, Strudel, Rerun, Crunk, and some others. It's a great end to a long day. We're only a little over a day from MAINE!!!!!!
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Saturday, August 3, 2013
August 3, 2013
August 3, 2013 - Day 5
Start: Wildcat Peak D
End: Carter Notch Hut
Daily Mileage: 3.0
Total Mileage: 19.4
We woke up and took our time this morning. The gondola doesn't start running until 10am, so we were not in a rush. Our plan was to drive to the White Mountain Hiker Hostel on Rt. 2, just off the AT, leave our car there, and get a ride from them to the gondola. On our way there, we drove past and who do we see?? Tallboy and Grandpa! We gave them a ride to Wildcat 2 days ago when we saw them at McDonalds. Now, we ran into them again. This time, they needed a ride to Walmart, so we became their "trail angels." After we dropped them off, we went to the hostel and shortly after that, we found ourselves at the Wildcat gondola. We rode to the top and just like that we were back on the AT. I'm thinking they should consider making the gondola the official AT route!! We started up (the AT always seems to go up) and climbed over wet rocks and ledges. Sometimes, I was pulling myself up using all four limbs. It was tons of fun except for the 35 pound monster that decided to jump on my back today! The last two days we hiked, we slack packed so my pack weighed no more than 8 lbs. The down side of slack packing is that your pack feels ten times heavier when you put it back on after you slack. It also doesn't help that we are just starting out again so the pack always feels heavy and my legs always feel tired. By the time we reached the summit of Wildcat A, we started to descend into Carter Notch. I was really excited because we were on our way to the only AMC hut that we haven't seen. The way down was steep (about 1000 ft in 1 mile), rocky, wet, and muddy. Mentally, I was enjoying it. Physically, I was a bit worried about my knee. It didn't hurt anywhere near the way it hurt the other day, but coming down on it with an additional 35 lbs. was no "walk in the park." Haha. Just before the hut, we walked along a pond for about .2 of a mile. It was covered in lily pads. Have you ever actually seen a frog sitting on a lily pad??? I have... I saw the frog just long enough for it to jump into the water with a "plop" sound. Once we arrived at Carter Notch, we talked to the awesome hut master, Justin. We asked about camping options since we didn't think we would get to Imp Campsite as planned. The campsite was 7 miles away and it was already 2:30. With my knee and the rough terrain, I was doing about one mile per hour. He told us about 2 stealth campsites in the area, but both were right near the hut. He then offered us the one bunk they had left in the hut for $40! They are usually about $100. Deal! We decided to stay at the hut so I can rest my knee and tackle some more rough terrain tomorrow.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Start: Wildcat Peak D
End: Carter Notch Hut
Daily Mileage: 3.0
Total Mileage: 19.4
We woke up and took our time this morning. The gondola doesn't start running until 10am, so we were not in a rush. Our plan was to drive to the White Mountain Hiker Hostel on Rt. 2, just off the AT, leave our car there, and get a ride from them to the gondola. On our way there, we drove past and who do we see?? Tallboy and Grandpa! We gave them a ride to Wildcat 2 days ago when we saw them at McDonalds. Now, we ran into them again. This time, they needed a ride to Walmart, so we became their "trail angels." After we dropped them off, we went to the hostel and shortly after that, we found ourselves at the Wildcat gondola. We rode to the top and just like that we were back on the AT. I'm thinking they should consider making the gondola the official AT route!! We started up (the AT always seems to go up) and climbed over wet rocks and ledges. Sometimes, I was pulling myself up using all four limbs. It was tons of fun except for the 35 pound monster that decided to jump on my back today! The last two days we hiked, we slack packed so my pack weighed no more than 8 lbs. The down side of slack packing is that your pack feels ten times heavier when you put it back on after you slack. It also doesn't help that we are just starting out again so the pack always feels heavy and my legs always feel tired. By the time we reached the summit of Wildcat A, we started to descend into Carter Notch. I was really excited because we were on our way to the only AMC hut that we haven't seen. The way down was steep (about 1000 ft in 1 mile), rocky, wet, and muddy. Mentally, I was enjoying it. Physically, I was a bit worried about my knee. It didn't hurt anywhere near the way it hurt the other day, but coming down on it with an additional 35 lbs. was no "walk in the park." Haha. Just before the hut, we walked along a pond for about .2 of a mile. It was covered in lily pads. Have you ever actually seen a frog sitting on a lily pad??? I have... I saw the frog just long enough for it to jump into the water with a "plop" sound. Once we arrived at Carter Notch, we talked to the awesome hut master, Justin. We asked about camping options since we didn't think we would get to Imp Campsite as planned. The campsite was 7 miles away and it was already 2:30. With my knee and the rough terrain, I was doing about one mile per hour. He told us about 2 stealth campsites in the area, but both were right near the hut. He then offered us the one bunk they had left in the hut for $40! They are usually about $100. Deal! We decided to stay at the hut so I can rest my knee and tackle some more rough terrain tomorrow.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
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