I was almost half way to work by the time I realized that tomorrow is the 17th.
Monday is a long day for me. This week, my parents are in Texas so the Hazelnator will be alone.
Fueled by last night’s pizza and Cheez-Its, I decided to scrap my original workout plan and ride my thirty seven miles this morning.
Sunday morning is a good time to ride because the roads are quiet. The weather was perfect. I was making good time, despite wearing a backpack which contained 60 ounces of water and my work clothes.
At mile 33 I thought there wouldn’t be a chance I’d do this in under two hours. At mile 34 I decided to dig a little deeper and pulled it off.
It felt good to suffer.
A few hours later I was walking the dog and found this. It was your way of reminding me that you are at peace.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Day 2: The Traverse
Sunrise was a few minutes after 5AM, but I was awake shortly before it. I was nervous...I was excited...but most of all, I was ready to tackle this hike.
I played around with sock and shoe options the night before, but hadn’t settled on anything. Ultimately, I decided to go with the Smartwool/Cascadia combination that got me through the Presidential Traverse in 2015.
The GPS on my Garmin Forerunner 25 would only be good for eight hours so I decided to use it on the first leg of my journey, up the Wildcats to the Carter Notch Hut. After a quick look at the map I was on my way. Ten minutes later I had the map out again, doubting myself. Did I go the wrong direction? Shouldn’t I have seen a sign by now? I kept walking and a few minutes later saw the sign for the Wildcat Ridge Trail.
Here we go...
The Challenge: The Wildcats are no joke! The trail was difficult and steep. There were sections where I was scrambling on my hands and knees. The best word to sum up this section of the trail would be “relentless.”
Nearly three hours of solitude had passed before encountering my first set of humans, two older men traveling south. They asked where I was going and I told them I had started at Pinkham Notch this morning and was headed to Mount Moriah. Their response was “Wow, you are really moving!” Which put the wind back in my sail as I made the final push toward Carter Notch Hut.
I had climbed over 3,100 feet in under six miles. I was ready for a sandwich.
The View: After a brief stop at the hut I was ready to tackle the climb up to Carter Dome. It sucked, but the worst was over and it was time to enjoy the scenery. The Carters were a pleasant walk in the woods. Going slightly out of my way to access Mount Hight (Zeta Pass Trail) was well worth it. The views were AMAZING!
The Battle: The signage on the AT isn’t too great which had me guessing how much longer it would be until I stumbled upon Mount Moriah. I could hear some voices in the distance so it had to be close, but then the voices faded and I sensed that something wasn’t right. A quick map check confirmed that I had missed the cut off for Moriah (thankfully not by much) so I backtracked and followed the voices. On my sixth peak of the day, I encountered someone to snap a photo...and of course, his little ankle biter of a dog photobombed me.
I was 3.8 miles away from completing the traverse. I wanted to finish in under twelve hours...I wanted to eat a big piece of cake...but most of all, I didn’t want to fall descending slippery rock slabs. With half a mile left the bugs started to get BAD...like bad to the point where I used sunglasses to protect my face and a buff wrap to protect my ears and nose. I stashed my poles and began continuously waving my hands in an attempt to saw them away. I am thankful that this only happened on the end of my journey, otherwise it would have been a pretty miserable experience.
I popped out of the Carter Moriah Trail (in eleven and a half hours) and scared the shit out of an older woman who was sitting on her front step. She pointed me in the direction of the footbridge and I walked to my car.
On the ride back to the lodge I contemplated what I wanted more, to eat or to shower. Surprisingly, the shower won, which means I must have been pretty skanky (or delirious). When I got to the dining hall I loaded up on roasted sweet potatoes, shepherd’s pie and salad (for good measure). Dessert was strawberry shortcake, which wasn’t nearly as good as the coconut cake that was served the night before. Thankfully, I grabbed an extra piece of that, but I still ate the shortcake. I think I earned a second dessert that night.
I played around with sock and shoe options the night before, but hadn’t settled on anything. Ultimately, I decided to go with the Smartwool/Cascadia combination that got me through the Presidential Traverse in 2015.
The GPS on my Garmin Forerunner 25 would only be good for eight hours so I decided to use it on the first leg of my journey, up the Wildcats to the Carter Notch Hut. After a quick look at the map I was on my way. Ten minutes later I had the map out again, doubting myself. Did I go the wrong direction? Shouldn’t I have seen a sign by now? I kept walking and a few minutes later saw the sign for the Wildcat Ridge Trail.
Here we go...
The Challenge: The Wildcats are no joke! The trail was difficult and steep. There were sections where I was scrambling on my hands and knees. The best word to sum up this section of the trail would be “relentless.”
Nearly three hours of solitude had passed before encountering my first set of humans, two older men traveling south. They asked where I was going and I told them I had started at Pinkham Notch this morning and was headed to Mount Moriah. Their response was “Wow, you are really moving!” Which put the wind back in my sail as I made the final push toward Carter Notch Hut.
I had climbed over 3,100 feet in under six miles. I was ready for a sandwich.
The View: After a brief stop at the hut I was ready to tackle the climb up to Carter Dome. It sucked, but the worst was over and it was time to enjoy the scenery. The Carters were a pleasant walk in the woods. Going slightly out of my way to access Mount Hight (Zeta Pass Trail) was well worth it. The views were AMAZING!
The Battle: The signage on the AT isn’t too great which had me guessing how much longer it would be until I stumbled upon Mount Moriah. I could hear some voices in the distance so it had to be close, but then the voices faded and I sensed that something wasn’t right. A quick map check confirmed that I had missed the cut off for Moriah (thankfully not by much) so I backtracked and followed the voices. On my sixth peak of the day, I encountered someone to snap a photo...and of course, his little ankle biter of a dog photobombed me.
I was 3.8 miles away from completing the traverse. I wanted to finish in under twelve hours...I wanted to eat a big piece of cake...but most of all, I didn’t want to fall descending slippery rock slabs. With half a mile left the bugs started to get BAD...like bad to the point where I used sunglasses to protect my face and a buff wrap to protect my ears and nose. I stashed my poles and began continuously waving my hands in an attempt to saw them away. I am thankful that this only happened on the end of my journey, otherwise it would have been a pretty miserable experience.
I popped out of the Carter Moriah Trail (in eleven and a half hours) and scared the shit out of an older woman who was sitting on her front step. She pointed me in the direction of the footbridge and I walked to my car.
On the ride back to the lodge I contemplated what I wanted more, to eat or to shower. Surprisingly, the shower won, which means I must have been pretty skanky (or delirious). When I got to the dining hall I loaded up on roasted sweet potatoes, shepherd’s pie and salad (for good measure). Dessert was strawberry shortcake, which wasn’t nearly as good as the coconut cake that was served the night before. Thankfully, I grabbed an extra piece of that, but I still ate the shortcake. I think I earned a second dessert that night.
Sunday, July 9, 2017
Day 1: Pinkham Notch and the car spot
I left early on the morning of July 4th (which is the perfect day to travel). The roads were clear and I made it to Pinkham Notch in under seven hours. Check in time at Joe Dodge Lodge was 3pm, but the desk attendant let me store my bags in her office. This enabled me to spot my car and return in time for dinner.
The parking area on Promenade Street was a short walk from the end of my hike (AKA Point B). I parked my car, put the wheels on my bike and rode back to the lodge. The woman I spoke with a few days prior to my arrival informed me that it would be an easy ten mile ride down hill. For this reason I didn’t swap cassettes or replace the trainer tires. Apparently, she misunderstood the direction in which I was traveling. After a ten mile climb, I showered, did yoga and ate dinner.
My hike would begin (AKA Point A) on the Lost Pond Trail, located directly across the street from the lodge. My goal was to complete the traverse in twelve hours, but I gave myself some wiggle room to ensure I would make it back to Pinkham Notch in time for dinner. After the dessert I had on Wednesday night there was no way I’d be missing that meal!
The parking area on Promenade Street was a short walk from the end of my hike (AKA Point B). I parked my car, put the wheels on my bike and rode back to the lodge. The woman I spoke with a few days prior to my arrival informed me that it would be an easy ten mile ride down hill. For this reason I didn’t swap cassettes or replace the trainer tires. Apparently, she misunderstood the direction in which I was traveling. After a ten mile climb, I showered, did yoga and ate dinner.
My hike would begin (AKA Point A) on the Lost Pond Trail, located directly across the street from the lodge. My goal was to complete the traverse in twelve hours, but I gave myself some wiggle room to ensure I would make it back to Pinkham Notch in time for dinner. After the dessert I had on Wednesday night there was no way I’d be missing that meal!
Sunday, July 2, 2017
good for the soul...
it’s a phrase that i was introduced to a few months ago. at the time, i had come to the realization that i needed to purchase a pair of water proof trail shoes for a hiking trip. they weren’t in my budget, but someone told me to buy them and go on the trip because it was “good for the soul.”
i didn’t find a pair that fit and ended up postponing the trip. since then, i have been waiting for a “weather window” of two nice days that would enable me to complete at least one of two hikes in the white mountains. it looked like that was going to happen next weekend, but the forecast changed and now that is in question.
i have come to learn that what is good for my soul isn’t necessarily what is good for my wallet. missing a couple days of work isn’t the best financial decision, but wednesday will be absolutely delightful...so i will drive to new hampshire on tuesday and get an early start on wednesday.
The numbers:
20 miles
6 four thousand footers
7,200 feet elevation gain
12 hours or less is my goal
google "carter traverse" for more information
i didn’t find a pair that fit and ended up postponing the trip. since then, i have been waiting for a “weather window” of two nice days that would enable me to complete at least one of two hikes in the white mountains. it looked like that was going to happen next weekend, but the forecast changed and now that is in question.
i have come to learn that what is good for my soul isn’t necessarily what is good for my wallet. missing a couple days of work isn’t the best financial decision, but wednesday will be absolutely delightful...so i will drive to new hampshire on tuesday and get an early start on wednesday.
The numbers:
20 miles
6 four thousand footers
7,200 feet elevation gain
12 hours or less is my goal
google "carter traverse" for more information
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