1 Step at at Time...

7/21/08 - Amos decided to drive up to Lincoln, NH where Tupperware, Spock & Twiggy, Buns & Roses were waiting for him - he's planning on going back to finish the section of trail (157 miles worth) that he missed in Vermont after they reach the summit of Katahdin.

• Arrived at Chet's house in Lincoln yesterday and just in time to enter the White Mtns! (Chet was blinded and confined to a wheelchair by a camp stove explosion years ago and has since opened a hostel for AT hikers.)
• Woke up and went to McDonalds for breakfast - Egg McMuffin, hash browns & coffee.
• A little out of shape from the 2 weeks worth of recovery (plus the White's are notoriously difficult) so they packed up slackpacks & took a shuttle to Kinsman Notch where they hiked south toward NH 25.
• Started with a 3000 ft climb up Mt. Moosilauke - most of it following a really, really, really pretty waterfall - until it disappeared near Beaver Brook Shelter.
• On Mt. Moosilauke, they were above treeline for the first time on the entire AT (I love that there are still "firsts" on his adventure!). They ate lunch up top where it was slightly windy & cold and where they met up with Mouth & Chef (2 north bounders).
• Climbed back down to Jeffers Brook Shelter when it started raining.
• Came to a brook near NH 25 and most crossed the raging torrent (sarcasm) in bare feet while Tupperware & Spock decided to build a bridge instead. They spent about a half hour stacking rocks and then crossed... Spock traversed successfully while Tupp fell in & got his shoes all wet anyway.
• Arrived at NH 25 where they stuck their thumbs out and caught a hitch to a gas station down the road to use the phone. Called the shuttle service only to find it extremely expensive & settled on having the hostel pick them up instead.
• Ate McDonalds - again! Then cleaned up- took showers & did laundry.
• Chet's house was chaos but all Amos wanted to do was go to sleep as he had only 4 hrs the night before. Snagged a bunk & drifted off to la la land.
• 9.5 mi slack.

7/22/08 - Ate breakfast at McDonalds AGAIN!! Hearts said he could feel his arteries clogging as he downed 3 hash browns - each of which you could squeeeze out the grease...

• Stood outside to hitch a ride back to Kinsman Notch but had some difficulty so Roses decided they needed a catch... something to grab peoples attention & instill security that they weren't a bunch of crazies... something like choreographed hitchhiking!! You can think of it as being similar to synchronized swimming for thumbs... and they did become quite creative! Unfortunately, all they got were a bunch of giggles, looks, and people pointing at them but no ride - so it didn't quite work - but it did pass the time!
• Eventually, a past thru-hiker from 1980 drove by & picked them up (they had given up the song & dance by then).
• Steep ascent up the Kinsman Peaks where they were met with more above treeline action. From North Peak -whenever the clouds & fog would break- they could see Franconia Ridge (the start of the Presidential Range).
• Then to the first hut - AMC Hut - to fill up water. [I learned that AMC stands for Appalachian Mountain Club and that they maintain the White Mtns but that they nickel and dime hikers to death and are thus often called the Appalachian Money Club. They argue that the $8 cost to stay in shelters and $90 cost to stay in their solar powered huts are necessary to helicopter in bark mulch for decomposition in the privies. At one point, Tupperware bought an AMC patch in one of the huts, asked for a red magic marker (in front of the salesman), proceeded to scribble a big circle with a line through their logo, and then safety pinned it to his pack. It would seem there's some tension between thru-hikers and the AMC...]
• 3 miles downhill, they walked past Kinsman Falls which Amos described as being the beginning of an "awesome, amazing" class V section of river known as Cascade Creek. He took (and you can enjoy) SEVERAL (maybe a half a roll of film's worth of) photos.
• Arrived at Franconia Notch & I-93 where it is illegal to hitchhike... they did it anyway. Got a hitch back to Rt 3 and then another from Rt 3 into Lincoln.
• It was a zoo back at Chet's house. Every hiker you could imagine had converged: The General, Jukebox, Chief Daddy, Mouth & Chef, Loafy, Catfish, Root, a bunch of south-bounders they didn't know, and 1 homeless guy.
• Not thrilled with the situation but Roses made up for it by whipping together a spaghetti dinner complete with salad & garlic bread for their little band (plus Chet).
• 16 mi day.

7/23/08 - DIDN'T eat McDonalds! Whohoo! But they did zero today due to bad weather on the mountain.

• Went to breakfast & had pancakes.
• Spock & Hearts went to several different outfitters to find water filters and they somehow managed to convince a clerk to open brand new water filters, take the filter out of the pump and sell them just the filter! That's skill.
• Then to the post office where everyone, except Hearts, mailed forward food.
• Back to Chet's (more chaos) for Poker & Eukre tournaments. Hearts didn't win, but Tupperware did - the Poker champion!
• Tupperware's dad surprised the group by putting $ into his account specifically to take the crew out to dinner!
• They went to a really fancy restaurant that served "free" hors d'oeuvres while waiting to be seated. (The word "free" is in parentheses because we all know nothing in life is free. It has been suggested that the very same "free" hors d'oeuvres were probably responsible for making Spock & Roses sick later that night...) Once they were seated in the main dining room, they realized the food was too hoity-toity and decided to go back & eat in the bar.
• Amos enjoyed a crab cake sandwich which was "to die for" (thankfully he didn't).
• After dinner, Spock was challenged to a game of checkers by an elitist 9 year old & LOST!! Man, that hurts!
• Amos shuttled the crew back to Chet's in his dad's little Honda Insight & then called it a day.