17 miles to Maine

It's a cold rainy day today, and I am happily resting my weary self, warm and dry with a crowd of hikers in a hostel.  I have completed the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I had gorgeous views, rocky climbs, hail and thunderstorms, and one moose. As beautiful as they are, these mountains are rugged; most trails go straight up and then straight down! By the time I arrived yesterday I felt like I had been chewed up, swished around, gargled and then spit out. Pretty much every muscle was sore! But a relaxing bath and some good food has me feeling ready to go again, though not in this weather!

I was thankful to have wonderful weather when I climbed Mt Washington, a place reputed to have the worst weather on earth. It was a Saturday and many others were taking advantage of the good weather to hike, drive, and arrive by cog railway at the top. It was overwhelming to suddenly be among a crowd of hundreds of people thronging the top of the mountain. My inner peace was restored when the crowds thinned out as the trail went farther along the spine of the Presidentials.

I have 17 more miles to hike in NH before crossing my final state line into Maine! I will be hiking the infamous Mahoosuc Notch in a few days. It is a mile long stretch of the trail that is essentially a jungle gym of boulders and can take hours to cross. Katahdin is still 300 miles away, but each step is bringing me closer.

~Little Bird

5 second update

I now have less than 400 miles to go! I have climbed my first mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Mt Moosilauke. Northward I go!