One Week

Only 6 days until the big event! As usual, I am wondering where the time has gone. This past week, I accomplished quite a bit, including finally being done with the DMV! However, I feel as busy as I've ever been. The stack of work is huge!

In meetings with Colin of the GWLT and Jess of the Barred Owl, however, the LEEP Project is taking shape. I'm continually reading through my journals, blog posts, LEEP Project proposal, and memories as it gets closer. There should be a lot of great material.

It looks like the first meeting will focus mostly on background. I want to talk about life on the trail and life since. Towards the end I'll be sure to get into some of the more theoretical parts of my thinking. I also want to talk about things y'all are interested in, so come with questions! Can't wait to see everybody.

Ted

DETAILS!

Appalachian Trail Dialogue Session

Saturday, September 26, 2015

12:00 PM

Barred Owl Retreat

88 Marshall Street, Leicester MA 01543

It's Not Over!!!

What is up?! I'm so sorry that I have not posted since finishing the trail. It's been a month since I summitted, and what a crazy month it's been crazy since then. Basically, I summitted August 13th, came home August 14th, and had about 2 days to do nothing. That was wonderful. It didn't take long, however. Pretty soon I was locked into a battle with the Connecticut DMV (still ongoing) and trying to settle into a new semester at Clark (not quite settled yet). Most difficult of all, everything seems so crazy since I've been used to worrying about very little. The way I see it, I spent five months essentially having to only worry about staying dry and warm, eating food, and hiking. Now, all of those things (ok, maybe not hiking) are pretty much taken for granted. So all of the "frilly" stuff, like classes and the LEEP Project, don't seem as important. Or at least, I have no real sense of urgency. But I have a LEEP Project to do...oh yeah...

THE LEEP PROJECT!!!

Okay, so believe it or not, I have still not put near enough thought into this. The good news, however, is that I have a date set. The project (which will be held in the form of a dialogue session) will be on September 26, 12:00 PM at the Barred Owl Retreat in Leicester, Mass (see below). I am wicked excited to have y'all over to just talk. What I want to accomplish with the dialogue session is to just give an overview of why I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail and to describe what I experienced. I want to tell you what I did this summer and hear your questions. The session is open to the public and there will be another one the next weekend.

DETAILS!

Appalachian Trail Dialogue Session

Saturday, September 26, 2015

12:00 PM

Barred Owl Retreat

88 Marshall Street, Leicester MA 01543

Final Progress Map (Week 21)

Final Progress Map
Week 21

Reflections on the Finish

What a last 72 hours it has been. I suppose it started with the morning of the Mount Katahdin summit.

When I woke up, it did not feel like any sort of special moment. Five, Firestarter, and I all headed up together, remarking on the slowness of the day hikers (nothing against day hikers!) and playing infinite questions. But as we got higher, I started slowing down and falling behind them. I think it was seeing the higher reaches of the mountain ahead of me. This was my last summit, the last mountain in a mountain of challenges. 

At the Table Land, a flat alpine area with very little vegetation, it really started hitting me. I thought about Georgia, and everything in between, and all of the hard times. Then I thought of all the good times. And then I thought of everything that was beyond my thru-hike. I thought of my family and friends who were pulling for me with every step and of all the people I hardly knew or didn't know that were also following my journey on the blog. Realizing that I was not alone on the mountain was very powerful. It felt so good to know that I had come through and succeeded not only for myself, but everyone following along.

All of these thoughts flooded my head as I looked at the top of the mountain ahead of me. I could even see people standing next to the KATAHDIN sign. Strangely, however, when I got to the top, nothing happened as I thought it would. There was no crying, no kneeling before the sign, no flood of relief or accomplishment. Even the sign was smaller than I imagined it would be. Instead, I was just in a sort of daze, looking from the sign to the view to the friends around me. My friend Vulture offered to take some pictures of me at the sign and it felt strange standing behind and feeling done. I couldn't make myself feel done!

Slowly but surely, however, it has hit me exactly what has transpired. I'm coming around to the fact that I have no hiking to do tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. And Mount Katahdin is not a goal that lies in the future, its something that I did on August 13th. Even right now, writing this blog update from my computer, I'm realizing that I'm home. I have all the comforts of my house. And I'll be sitting in class in just a few days. It's very strange!

People at home have been asking me, "Is it like you're on another planet?" No, not really. It's more like I'm living somebody else's life! Who is this guy who uses toilets and sleeps in a bed and writes emails?! Me and the rest of the thru-hikers, we all said good bye to our trail names in a way when we said good bye to each other. No one knows me as Scribbles like Tate and Firestarter and Five knew me as Scribbles. I think that leaving this wonderful thru-hiking community will be the hardest part of the transition back.

With all that said, I'm glad to be back. I'm glad to be listening to WCUW, and playing vintage baseball, and watching the Yanks on TV. I'm glad to be in one spot, and playing guitar, and seeing my girlfriend and family and everyone who I've missed. I've already reunited with a ton of people who I haven't seen since March or earlier! Even though the transition's not going to be easy, I am happy that I've hiked 2,189 miles and there is no more to do.

I'm at my mom's in Connecticut right now, seeing friends and re-setting for the real world. More to come soon, as the transition continues! Pictures for sure.

- Scribbles (aka Ted)

8:44 p.m. 8/15/2015

TREK COMPLETE!

0 miles left

I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to collect my thoughts until now, but yes, I am done. I summitted yesterday, the 13th at 10AM. And it felt awesome.

All I think I have the brain power for right now is a sort of string of events. Later today I promise to send the important stuff!

First was Abol bridge, 10 miles before Katahdin. We (Firestarter, 5, and I) got there on a rainy cold day, and were gratefully met by Fives parents. They ended up totally hooking us up, bringing us from Abol to another place where they set us up with dinner and a dry place to stay. They also later shuttled us in to Millinocket. Well, all the trail magic inspired us. We knew some of the hikers that would be at the base of Katahdin, so we decided to suprise them with a little food. In all, we carried 9 steaks, 9 ears of corn, and 3 pounds of hot dogs to our friends Vulture, Obsolete, Caboose, and Mystyr Lynyrd. It felt great to give back to the people who made the trail so special, and the steak tasted pretty good too!

Yesterday just went by too fast. I was on the trail at 7, and three hours later I was there. Katahdin. Done. It was crazy. Another post will go into much more detail about the final summit but I assure you it is a feeling unlike any other. After the pictures were taken and the PB&Js were eaten, we hiked the Knife Edge (full packs!) and descended Pamola. And now I need to adjust to NOT hiking every day. Alright, more will come later. For now, I'm going to enjoy being an official 2015 thru-hiker!

-Scribbles (aka Ted) 

10:13 a.m. 8/14/2015

Completed on Day 152

Day 150 - Nesuntabunt Mountain

Nesuntabunt Mountain, 35

After a journey of more than 2100 miles, it's hard to believe that a measley 35 miles of hiking separates me and Katahdin. From this mountain where I'm camped, I can see the end! I have a gameplan, I know how many miles to do each day, what I'm doing after summiting, how I'm getting home, it's nuts! The journey is almost over. 

 

The biggest dilemma I'm dealing with is whether to be happy or sad about the hike ending. The truth is, I am both. On the one hand, here's this awesome accomplishment at my fingertips that I've worked so hard for. How could I not be psyched out of my mind?! Plus I'll get to return to my friends and family, and start yet another chapter of my life, in which I tackle a 5-class workload and the LEEP project in my senior year. It's going to be tough, but I'm very excited.

Yet something is making me feel a bit sad, too. It's the end. A few nights ago I sat at the edge of a deserted lake, alone, just watching and listening to the forest. When's the next time I'll be able to do that? In some ways, it feels like I'm about to witness the death of good old Scribbles as I return to being Ted. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course. I can't stay out here forever! 

 

So here I go again. The plan is to summit Katahdin with a bunch of trail friends on Thursday, then on Friday I return home and revert back to a completely new way of living!

-Scribbles (aka Ted)
8:36 a.m. 8/11/2015

Week 21: Ted is in the Home Stretch! Katahdin!

Ted is in the Home Stretch!
Katahdin is now in sight!

Day 146 - No Service in Monson

That's right, Monson, Maine! I have a mere 115 miles left in my journey and I am at the southern end of the 100-Mile Wilderness.

But how did he get here? And what does he want? You may ask... Well, what I want is simple: to finish up the Appalachian Trail on a sunny day, preferably August 13th or 14th. But how I got here (a MacBook Pro at Shaw's Lodging here in Monson) is quite the story...

We left off when I was just outside Stratton, a few miles past the 2,000 mile mark. If you recall, I had just survived a hail storm, my first real hail-acious experience on the trail. Well, the next day I had the Bigelows to tackle, which leads to exciting trail story number one.
Exciting Trail Story #1: To hail or not to hail?

The day started off great. I got out a little late, but the weather was beautiful. I topped Bigelow and was feeling the best I had since Old Blue. A cacophony of "OLD BLUUUE"s rained down on the Maine lowlands that day. But at the second peak of Bigelow, named Avery Peak after Myron Avery (one of the founders of the AT), I saw some seriously dark clouds to the east. The clouds mostly just made Avery Peak one of my favorite views on the AT so far. I had super dark clouds what seemed like mere feet above my head, then a shadowy area near the mountain, and in between was a sunny greenish-blue area where Flagstaff Lake was. Just incredible! I was admiring the view until I saw a big ole flash of lightning descend from a cloud and hit the lake, followed by thunder, followed by a clear band of rain to the east. Being above treeline, and especially being at 4200 feet, is not a good idea in a thunderstorm! So I admired one more lightning strike and ran down to Safford Gap, which is a little haven of sub-alpine area between Bigelow and Little Bigelow.

Oddly enough, upon arriving at Safford Gap, the thunder went away and the clouds cleared up. What I thought had been imminent hail turned into cloudless skies. "Great, let's do some Little Bigelow!" I thought. So Little Bigelow it was...for about a half mile. Then it got ominously dark...then the thunder came back...then it started to hail. I was not yet above treeline, but I kept going anyway, straight in the direction of the thunder. My thinking was that if I could just keep moving, I'd get to the shelter on the other side of Little Bigelow and be safe from the elements. And all that separated me from the shelter was, well, five miles of alpine zone, most of it above treeline. Oh well, the hail had died down, and I wasn't quite up to exposed rock yet so I felt pretty good about the decision.

I'll tell you what though, having pine trees above your head and a thin layer of needles and branches to protect you can make you feel good about a lot of things. The thunder only got louder, the sky only got darker, and Little Bigelow only went up and up and up. I finally found myself on a treeless slab of rock looking at a big ole storm approaching. And I was scared! The hail wasn't even too much of a concern. It was the lightning. I was definitely the highest thing up there, and I still had miles to go. All I could do was go as fast as possible and pray for the trail to start going down.

Now that Exciting Trail Story #1 has you excited, I might as well give you the most anti-climactic ending possible: just when I thought I was about to get slammed with the storm, the trail DID start going down. And I made it to the shelter. And I didn't get hailed on. And you all feel slighted after having read the previous three paragraphs.
It actually got sunny again, and I got to Flagstaff Lake to swim and camp. I was right on the edge of the lake, in what was probably my best camping spot ever. And the next day, I had the best hiking day ever, and I also had Exciting 

Trail Story #2...

Exciting Trail Story #2: Ultra-Marathons and Blueberry Gods

I'll try to keep this one a little shorter. Basically I hiked 34 miles on Wednesday. BAM.

The terrain was just oh-so flat, after a month of it being oh-so mountainous. And I am currently reading Born to Run, about the Tarahumara indians in Mexico who can run forever, so I was very inspired. I was going to stop at 25, but if I stopped at 25 there would be no reason to include "Blueberry Gods" in the title to Exciting Trail Story #2.

I got to a shelter at 4:30, and being relatively tired and having done 25 miles, felt that it was a good place to end the day. But amidst a friendly conversation with some section hikers, the names "Five" and "Firestarter" were brought up. Some of my best trail buddies? Just left here at 3? Next shelter? Forget camping! I got my stuff together and started the last 9 miles at around 5. If I hustled, I'd be at the next shelter around 8.

After slamming a considerable amount of Mio, I sprinted up Pleasant Pond Mountain and was down- wait! No, how can I leave this mountain when there are literally too many blueberries to eat up here!? I considered my options; keep going and get to the shelter, pick some berries and get there at night, pick some berries and camp short of the next shelter... Naturally, I chose "spend an hour picking a 591 mL Smart Water Bottle full of blueberries and then run (literally) to the shelter to avoid night-hiking." That evening, after running the final 7 miles to the shelter in a little more than an hour, and arriving with blueberries for all, I became Scribbles, God of Blueberries.

And that's my last few days! I skipped over yesterday, because it was a terrible 20 mile day that I want to forget. But today will be an easy  10-ish day whenever I start, and I'll be entering the 100 mile wilderness! I'm very excited. Crazy to think that I have about a week left out here. No promises with the service in the Wildy, but I will do the best I can to provide more updates!

- Scribbles (aka Ted)
10:54 a.m. 8/7/2015

Day 143 - Cranberry Stream Camp

Cranberry Stream camp, 186

I was going to send an update from Crocker Mountain, but a thunderstorm chased me down before I could...and then it turned into a hail storm. Some of the craziest weather I've faced on the trail. Marble-sized hail, and so much of it that when the storm was over, there were places where you could scoop a couple dozen into your hand! I even had to stop hiking and take refuge under a tree.

I have now hiked 2000 miles, 2003 to be exact. I kicked off the new millenium of hiking with a bad night of sleep however, resorting at one point to reading until tired. Maybe I was just looking forward to this update! Anyway, it's time to hit the trail and hike Bigelow. The last 4000 footer until the end! Also, I have a preliminary goal of summiting August 14, with the 15th a bad weather/way too tired backup. The 14th would finish me under 5 months (remember it was the Approach I did on March 14), and the 15th would be 5 flat. So I gotta keep up the pace!

- Scribbles (aka Ted)
9:34 a.m. 8/4/2015

Day 141 - Saddleback

Saddleback, 215 

 

I'm back! I just took a weekend off the trail to hang out with some friends from home. It was great!! We had a nice campsite in Blue Mountain State Park, we hiked a 13 mile section of the AT, and got to swim in some awesome ponds. Without a doubt, the highlight was a canoe adventure on Webb Lake, where two of my buddies capsized and had to be helped back to shore. Everyone was all right, of course. What an experience though...

With the fun times with friends past me, the main event now is getting to Katahdin. There are no more big meetups planned. The next thing to look forward to is finishing. It is me vs. the trail for the next 200 miles. Hard to believe I'm only about 2 weeks from finishing!

A few more quick notes: As usual, the views here are incredible. Maine is a rugged, beautiful state and I have loved every minute. Saddleback, where I am now, is a 3 mile above treeline stretch with views in all directions. Amazing! Also, I ascended Old Blue after Moody Mountain and although Moody didn't make me too moody, Old Blue made me feel a little blue. It went up and up and up and my legs were absolutely on fire. By the time I reached the top, I was as tired as I've ever been on the trail. I did relish yelling "OOOOLD BLUUUUUE!!!!" upon summiting however! I think yelling that phrase might become a habit...

-Scribbles (aka Ted)
6:34 p.m. 8/2/2015

Day 137 - Moody Mountain

Moody Mountain, 249  

 

I'm feeling particularly Moody this morning... Ok, not actually, but Moody Mountain did not disappoint. Progress is still slow through Southern Maine. I've only gone about 12 miles since the last post! One of the hurdles that goes along with tough terrain is that you underestimate the amount of food you need. I had to make a stop into Andover to pick up an extra day of food to get me to Rangeley. And man, Andover was very reminiscent of those nowhere towns in Virginia and Pennsylvania. The guy who we hitched a ride from to get back didn't even know about the trail!

Since getting back on trail after Grey Fox, I've been in a completely new bubble. And that's to say, there's no bubble! I've seen about five separate fellow northbounders since returning. Mostly I've been hiking with Five and Firestarter, two guys who I haven't seen since Shenandoah. Firestarter makes legit egg sandwiches for food, complete with kielbasa, cheese, fresh eggs, the whole kit and kaboodle! It's pretty impressive.

Well, back to the trail to face the next challenge: Old Blue!

-Scribbles (aka Ted)
10:00 a.m. 7/29/2015

Day 136 - Baldplate

Baldpate, 263

He's a Maine-iac! Wow! 13 states down, 1 to go. I really liked New Hampshire, and Maine is already similarly beautiful. Right now I'm up on Baldpate, a big rock slab 3800 feet up, looking around at a 360 degree view.

Maine has a lot more to offer than views. How about crazy bouldering adventures, endless rock mazes, and impossibly steep ups and downs? I've gotten all of that over the last couple days. I'd go so far as to say that the last two days have been the hardest two day span of my entire hike!

Two days ago I crossed into Maine via Mount Success (aptly named). Success was really difficult; it took me 3 hours to go 4 miles. Then yesterday I was faced with the "most difficult mile of the AT": Mahoosuc Notch. In the notch, I had to navigate some crazy boulders, tunnels, ledges, everything. My favorite point was when I had to sneak under some branches along a ledge, so I went belly-down with a 20 foot drop just to my left. Or maybe it was when I was trying to fit through a rock crevasse with my pack on, finally gave up after a 10 minute effort, and just carried my pack through. I don't know, but it was super challenging! I ended up getting through the 1 mile notch in an hour and fifteen minutes, which is actually pretty quick.

Southern Maine is certainly no piece of cake, but it is as pretty as any part of the trail I've been on. And it's humbling; no longer am I racing to some endpoint for the day. Instead, I need to simply focus on each mile. 

Next up, the infamous Moody Mountain, with its 1500 foot climb in .8 of a mile!

-Scribbles (aka Ted)
10:26 a.m. 10/28/2015

Day 134 - Trident Col Campsite

Trident Col Campsite, 291 

Man oh man, hiking is hard right now. I think it has something to do with the crazy slack pack I did a few days back. I was really sore yesterday, and today I am having a lot of trouble getting out of my hammock...it's almost 11!!! The bottom line is that I've felt lazy like this before, and I've found that the best thing to do is to wait it out and then ride the surge of energy that predictably will come afterward. So I will continue to try motivating myself... 

Looking back at the last week, it's pretty impressive the terrain I've covered. There were some big mountains in there! I'm still getting over how fast the Whites came and went. But I have more to do. There are no more Mount Washingtons, but there's still some really hard terrain. Most southbounders I've talked to said southern Maine is harder than the Whites. If that's true, then I sure hope I get that energy back soon! 

Anyway, yesterday I met up with my friend Stefan from Clark. He's a counselor at a nearby camp, and it was great to do a little hiking with someone familiar. We made it up Hayes Mountain and ate some wild blueberries before we had to split up. It was a nice recovery day.And now, after an additional recovery morning, I am ready to hike. The sun is trying to peek through after a cold and rainy night and morning. On to MAINE!

-Scribbles (aka Ted)
10:57 a.m. 7/26/2015

Ted's Progress Map: Week 19

Ted's Progress Map: Week 19

After time away at the music festival, Ted is back at it, and about to leave New Hampshire!

On the cusp of Maine!

Go Ted!

Day 133 - Gorham

Gorham, 298 

Where has New Hampshire gone?! I only have 17 miles left in the Granite State, and no landmark mountains either! The Presidentials are behind me, as are Wildcat, the Carters, and Moriah. Now, it really feels like all I have left is Maine. 

Two days ago was the test from Mother Nature. With fog settling and the wind whipping (I think the official report from Mount Washington was 75mph gusts), I tackled the northern Presidentials. It was kind of a blur. There were no views, but it was a lot of fun balancing myself between the uneven rocks and the wind. And then once in a while the Gulf Edge trail would take me right up next to a precipitous drop off. Good thing the wind was blowing away from said drops! 

There was a certain air of morbidity in the hike two days ago. At Mount Washington, there was a list of 155 people who had died on the mountain, from the 1800s to one month ago. Easily the scariest names were those who died of hypothermia and exposure...in the summer. It's possible. It was in the upper 40s with strong wind, so all it would take is some rain and a little unpreparedness... 

The good news is I survived with flying colors, and ended the day at a hostel. The hostel offers a slackpack for the 21 miles from Pinkham Notch to Route 2, and I decided to break down and enjoy my first ever slack.And what a slack it was. 21 miles!  

While that's doable pretty much anywhere else, in the Whites it is really difficult! I am pretty sore this morning after scaling three sets of mountains yesterday, all 4000 footers. First it was the Wildcats, which are crazy steep on the way up. Without a backpack, I felt like a god at first. I raced to the top of Wildcat, where there is a ski gondola, in one hour. Then it was Carter Dome, Mt. Hight, and Middle and North Carter. These were a long ridge walk, with some nasty ups and downs along the way. By the end of this I was pretty tired. And then it ended with Mount Moriah, which by the end I was just dog tired. 20 mile days are not recommended here! 

So today will be easier, and tomorrow I'll be in Maine. Wow. My goal end date is in a mere three weeks, August 15. Also wow.

- Scribbles (aka Ted)
8:00 a.m. 7/25/2015

Day 131 -Mount Washington

Mount Washington, 333

I'm on top of the world! At least it seems that way. Currently, I am at the summit of Mount Washington, 6288 feet up. Outside, it is a whiteout, with gusty winds that are very audible even from where I am, in the basement of the visitor's center. The mountain with the worst weather in the world is in full force today! 

Okay, so I haven't updated since Franconia Notch on account of never having service, and a lot of stuff has happened since then! The quick rundown: poured on Sunday night, beautiful on Monday, Franconia Ridge was spectacular, worked for stay at Galehead Hut, terrain is crazy in the Whites, had a big climb yesterday to Lake of the Clouds Hut, weather is pretty crazy too. Got all that?

I'll start with Franconia Ridge. It was incredible. It might even be my favorite part of the trail yet. I had beautiful weather, and there was almost no one there too! I kicked it off with a side trip to Mount Flume, which I've been to a few years ago on a trip with some buddies. And then the party really got started. The ridge traverses a bunch of really high mountains above treeline. So basically it feels less like hiking and more like flying. On the way down Lafayette, the view just spread out before me.

With the great views, however, comes some really tough terrain. I've already had a few 3500+ foot climbs. And even the "flat" stuff goes up and down, just not as much. On top of that, sometimes those ups and downs involve really steep, technical stuff. You always have to be on your toes up here!

One nice thing about the Whites is the options for camping. There are many good stealth sites, but even nicer than that are the AMC huts. The huts are way up at some gorgeous locations. The Lakes of the Clouds hut is only a mile and a half from Mount Washington, and 5200 feet up! Customers get a bed, dinner, and breakfast. But thru-hikers pay no money and instead work-for-stay. I've swept floors, done dishes, and folded blankets. It's easy work, and you get to sleep on the floor and eat all the leftovers from it! Not bad. Anyway, the huts seem like a pretty cool system for those who use them.

Well, I need to be hitting the trail. The weather is stinky, and I don't particularly relish being windswept at 6200 feet, but the trail doesn't hike itself, and my theory is that by hiking in bad weather, you gain weather karma. And I plan to cash in my karma at Katahdin! So 50 degree weather and 50 mph winds, here I come. Next stop Pinkham Notch!

Also, the mileage I put next to my location is the miles to go. I'm going to keep doing that til the end.

- Scribbles (aka Ted)
8:50 a.m. 7/23/2015

Day 128 - Franconia Notch (again)

The music is flowing through me right now. As usual I left Greyfox with a renewed motivation to get better at playing bluegrass on whatever instrument I can. I also left with six zero days worth of rest and a fresh mind for the trail ahead.

The festival was awesome like always. I got to see the people that I've been used to seeing over the years. I also met new friends, and of course I saw some wonderful music. It's always hard to choose your favorite act, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Stray Birds, The Wiles, Frank Solivan, Rushad Eggleston, the Steep Canyon Rangers, and Sam Bush, among others. Just an all around fun weekend.

It was also a somewhat strange weekend. I did not feel like my usual Grey Fox self until the end. Usually I'm all about endlessly going from stage to stage, staying up all night and then doing it again the next day. This year was different. I often found myself watching a band and being surrounded by people and saying "I think I need to take a break alone in my hammock." On one occasion, I found myself relishing a bathroom break in a port-a-potty. Some nice alone time. Perhaps being on the trail has gotten to me a little. I'm just not used to having so many people around me! 

All of the rest has certainly benefitted my body. I can feel it, walking around the last few days and even waking up this morning. I no longer feel like the tin man who needs oil! And on top of that, there is no fatigue in my muscles.And now it's time for the Whites! After being poured on last night (but staying dry!), today I will hike Franconia Ridge. I'm so so excited to be up above treeline! The sun is out! Mount Lafayette here I come!

- Scribbles (aka Ted)
6:41 a.m. 7/20/2015

Day 122 - Granny, Connecticut

I owe y'all an explanation. I can see the confusion now. "It's been three days!" "Why did you go back to Connecticut?!" "Where is Franconia Notch!?" Well, I have answers, and they lie in the story of a few jam-packed days.

I left y'all at Mount Moosilauke, which I've since decided has been my favorite and the most physically challenging mountain of the trail. Yes, I have raved about McAfee Knob, Bear Mountain (NY), and Killington, but after three days I'm still itching for another climb, view, and overall hike like Moosilauke. And yes, several mountains pushed me much harder than Moosilauke (I'm thinking Roan Mountain in TN or Chestnut Knob in VA), but putting weather and mental state aside, it's hard to argue with 3800 vertical feet over 5 miles up and a section of 2500 vert over 1.5 down.It took us 2 hours to do the latter. For those keeping score at home, that's 0.75 mph! (My usual speed is more like 2.75 mph). But slow and steady was the name of the game, especially with 15-30 pounds on our backs. One sign along the way warned inexperienced hikers to seek an alternate route and avoid "tragic results." That is some seriously scary wordage. At the bottom, we decided that we had earned a big 90 minute break.

The rest of that day was all about balancing progress with recuperation. As I mentioned in the last blog entry, Mount Moosilauke was one heck of a place to drag Uncle Phil and Nick into, and the predictable second-day slump hit us hard. Day 1 was 7.5 miles over Moosilauke, giving us a technical challenge, and Day 2 was 9.0 over the much smaller Mount Wolf, giving us a distance challenge. Honestly, Day 2 was harder, with Nick and especially Phil feeling the effects of the previous day.

But we made it, and bouced back remarkably well yesterday. Maybe it was the fantastic night of sleep, or the diminished pack weight from eating our food, or more than likely just those guys getting used to the hike and beginning to find trail legs. Whatever, we smoked 8.8 miles over Kinsman Mountain (I considered it a combination of Day 1's terrain and Day 2's distance) by 3PM! Then it was a short walk to the car, a stop back in Hanover to get a bite of food, and back to Connecticut.

We all went over highlights of the trip on the way home. The obvious one was Moosilauke, seeing all the massive, impossibly steep mountains to the east. Another oft-mentioned moment was the pit stop at Lonesome Lake for a swim in the crystal-clear water, with a similarly stunning view of Franconia Ridge. And then there's all of the gorgeous mountain streams we saw along the way. But for me, the highlights are less nature-y. I liked taking the hour long breaks for food and setback. I liked hanging out with a family of 6 the first night and then a bunch of thru-hikers the second night. And of course I liked doing all that with my uncle and cousin, sort of giving them a peek into what my life's been like for the past 4 months. Those guys did great. Hiking 25 miles over 3 days in the White Mountains is no small feat.

And now I'm in Connecticut, my home state. Way back in August of last year, when I was first planning this, I remember thinking "How can I still get to the Greyfox Bluegrass Festival?" As the plan begame more and more concrete and viable, Greyfox remained a part of it. And now, I am days away from a weekend of picking and singing. The festival, simply, is something that I decided to never miss again. It's a blast. I have friends there that I only see once a year. Each year it's been more and more fun, ever since my mom convinced me to go a few years back. The plan is to drive up today, set up camp tomorrow, and then watch music, jam out, and get very little sleep Thursday-Sunday morning. Then I'll be back on trail Sunday evening (most likely camping five steps from where I'm dropped off), and Monday I'll do the 4000 foot climb up to Franconia Ridge. Wow!

So as you watch the All-Star game tonight, consider this my All-Star break. 6 days off the trail, not hiking, and not even thinking about it. I'll be sure to send a mid-festival update, and of course update you again on Sunday. I think it will be strange to be off the trail for so long. To tell you the truth, being at my cousin's house is already weird! But I'm excited. Incredibly excited.

-Scribbles (aka Ted)
7:16 a.m. 7/14/2015

Ted's Progress Map: Week 17

Ted's Progress Map for Week 17
Ted begins the trek in the White Mountain National Forest.

Day 119 - Mount Moosilauke

I'm doing super here on the trail. Right now I'm with my Uncle Phil and cousin Nick, atop the 4800 foot Mount Moosilauke. It's the first of three days hiking with them, and we'll be at Franconia Notch when we're done.

The last few days were tough. It's like every mile feels like two. Not because of terrain but just because I've been so tired! I've been going pretty steady since Manchester, and it kind of got to me the last few days. Two days ago I woke up at 9! I still managed 20 miles however, and got over Smarts and Cube Mountain. Then yesterday I finished off the pre-White Mountains part of New Hampshire, and got to the Hikers Welcome Hostel.And now it's great. My uncle and cousin drove up last night, and now I get to hike 25 miles with them over three days. We made it up Moosilauke, which was a pretty hard spot to start! But man, what a view. The mountains out to the east are immense. Can't wait to hike em! Tonight we're headed to Beaver Brook Shelter, and then it's another 9 miles tomorrow.

So the trail is really great right now. My schedule is three 8ish mile days, then six zeros for Greyfox Bluegrass Festival, and then then back to the trail for the hardest part. I should be well rested! Oh, and a sidenote: the tahini was so bad that I ended up dumping it. It's back to peanut butter for me!

-Scribbles (aka Ted)
4:12 p.m. 7/11/2015