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
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