August 27 (Day 119)

I went to bed at 7:30 last night, and I needed every bit of those ten hours of sleep. I will need no less than ten hours of sleep again. The 17 miles I did today were the most exhausting 17-mile stretch I've walked on the AT so far.

I hiked up out of the shelter early this morning and made slow progress over the next 5 miles to a shelter next to a very beautiful pond.

From there I had to climb again and then make the long, steep descent into Mahoosic Notch, the "toughest mile on the AT." Just prior to the notch, I passed a group of about eight college-age kids going the same direction.

August 24 (Day 116)

There was a decent amount of rain last night that came and went. It didn't rain hard continuously, but it just never seemed to want to stop.

Clouds were rolling past quickly this morning, and it was very foggy. Just like the last time I hiked in the Whites, the day I went past Mount Washington, it was extremely foggy, and so we didn't feel the need to take the side trail to the summit. It was the same for me today. I saw no reason to take the side trail just to see more fog.

The descent off the ridge was almost as bad as I remember, and it was a little treacherous because of the rain.

August 22 (Day 114)

I slept well in my tent last night. It was just cold enough that I had to get into my sleeping bag.

When I got up this morning, I wasn't sure how far I was going to be walking today. I didn't know whether the hiking was going to be very difficult or not.

From the Liberty Springs Campsite, the ridgeline wasn't far, and soon after reaching the ridgeline, I got above treeline, at which point I could see just about everything. It was a very clear day and I could see for miles and miles in every direction.

The trail followed the ridgeline, very rocky and very abruptly up and down all the time. At the Galehead Hut I took a short break, and I decided that I would walk 8 more miles to see if I could arrange a work-for-stay at the Zealand Falls Hut.

August 20 (Day 112)

Another nice night, but a very crowded shelter. There were three southbounders there, and six northbounders. Everyone heading north has pretty much the same plan, which is to stop in Glencliff and have a short day before going into the Whites.

Since I didn't have far to go, I got up this morning and cooked pancakes. It was just warm enough this morning that I was comfortable with my jacket on.

The walking this morning was the easiest it's been for days. It was still up and down, but there were flat areas also. There was one spot that allowed a little bit of a view to the northeast, toward Mount Moosilauke [Ed: 4,802 feet]. I can't see the top of the mountain from here, because it's too far away and I'm too low down. But the mountain still looks enormous.

August 18 (Day 110)

The hotel I stayed in last night had no air conditioning, but it did have a fan, which I placed directly on the table beside me and had it blowing on my face for the whole night.

I slept well, and this hotel only serves its continental breakfast from 8 to 9:30, so I got up just before 8. I couldn't have checked out any earlier anyway, since the hotel office doesn't open up until 8 either. So, I ate breakfast, and I was going to walk the 2 miles back to the trail (since the bus system here doesn't run on weekends), but the hotel owner offered me a ride.

August 15 (Day 107)

There are a lot of people on the trail through here. There were eleven people at the shelter last night, and there were ten others who came through while I was sitting there but who decided to move on.

I was up this morning and gone before anyone else was moving. Unfortunately, it was warmer this morning that it was last night, so the mosquitoes have been out in force again.

A couple rain clouds passed over me this morning and let off a little rain, but never for very long.

I think today was one of the most tiring 20-mile days I've done in a while. Except for one ¾-mile stretch where it was nice and level, everything on the trail today was steep up or down. It reminded me a bit of Georgia, in that a lot of the climbing was for no reason. Lots of climbs with no rewards of a view or some landmark at the top.

After spending a good deal of time riding trails out of Breckendridge this summer, we've really come to love the extensive singletrack trail network that connects Breck with Keystone and Frisco. More than that, we've learned to respect the propensity for heavy clouds to gather, coalesce and dump their colossal loads of rain and hail here before rolling eastward over the Kenosha Mountains. After a notably dry first half of the season we'd been thrashed on four consecutive trips to the slopes of Georgia Pass. With this in mind we started Friday's ride carrying backpacks full of rain and cold weather gear, but the familiar 'storm tubes' never formed. Crazy ol' Mother Nature would challenge us in a new and exciting way, however.

Reid photo.

Every piece of clothing in the pack comes out in a cold rain above 11,000 feet. 

Reid photo

August 13 (Day 105)

It did rain, as expected, last night, but it had stopped by this morning. Both Woody and Speaks Little, the other thru-hikers in the shelter, got up as soon as it was light, just as I normally do.

The walking was not very difficult, but there was a lot of up and down, and I passed quite a few people hiking south.

I didn't stop often, but at about 11 a.m. I started hearing thunder. I hadn't planned on stopping at the Minerva Shelter, but it was getting darker, so I stopped. There was no one there, and this shelter was excellent because it had a chair. It was just a cheap, plastic patio chair, but it was still great to sit in a real chair to relax. A few minutes later, it started raining. I got out my book and read a little, and I think I dozed off for a few minutes. Also the rain didn't last long, and I started hiking again about 12:30.