Still hiking in the fog and rain...with MacGyver still leadng the charge!
Stopped by a rather "Unique and Rustic" Hostel, GREASY CREEK FRIENDLY HOSTEL, owned and operated by Connie. A great lady. And we even had an alcoholic beverage!
And this is Connie from Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel.
Taking a well deserved break.
Sometimes on the trail you come across some things that words cannot describe. The above was one such site. It was pine tree decorated like Christmas and was a memorial for a young kid that loved the woods that passed away way too young.
Still hiking thru some rain but also still seeing some beautiful scenery!
After our marathon hike from hell during the storm filled-day we finally made it to this shelter. Was a small 5 person shelter with 3 people there when we arrived at 7pm. But they fit us in. Was really cozy! 2 brothers that were active military out for a weekend hike. I think they regreted their timing because of the storms all weekend. And then a thru-hiking lady named Teeter.
Taking a break at Sam's Gap, in the shade, before tackling the next mountain.
Even parts of the AT can be a "Gated Community".
...a gated community to either keep the person who wrote this in or out??
Out of Sam's Gap we headed to a 5,000+ ft. summit....that sounds "interesting".
The climb was well worth it!
You have heard of "Dancing With Wolves"?....well this is MacGyver "Dancing With Bugs"! They, and the cobwebs were thick. And it worked, no bugs would come near him!
One of the "shorter climbs" we had :) This was actually taking us onto private property owned by a "Hiker Friendly Owner".
Stayed at Mother Marians Hostel one night after a hard rain the night before. Marian is the owner with her husband Fred the retired Navy commander.
Rain started to hit us hard right before we started up a series of Balds. Sideways rain with Thunder and Lightning...but MacGyver and i are still smiling :)
One thing for sure...you better take care of the blister on your feet!
??? I got nothing.
High above the Nolichucky River.
Great views from the top of South Twin Mtn!
Okay....starting on June 21st we decided to do a bit of "Platinum Blazing" at the AMC Huts. It was not the plan at all in the beginning for various reasons.....but the bad weather we are experiencing and lack of camp sites in the Whites; it made a lot of sense :)
Stayed at the AMC Highland Center June 21st and it was quite a place......and we celebrated MacGyver's Birthday!
On day 11, on the way to "Lake Of The Cloud" Hut, we had some good views around, of, and on top such mountains as Mt. Webster, Mt. Jackson, Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Franklin.....and a pile of snow!
Day 12, June 23rd's highlight was summitting Mt. Washington. Its legendary for having very unpredictable, sometime dangerous weather but we hit it on perfect day...and definitely perfect compared to what we have already been thru in New Hampshire!
From the summit of Mt. Washington to the Madison Hut (where we stayed tonight) was only another 6 miles but the rock scrambles down were brutal...but the Hut they had Veggie Pot Pie for dinner!
Day 13, June 24 we hiked up, over and down Mt. Madison! Pics to follow shortly but let me just say that this was one of the toughest descents so far. Jagged black rock proved very difficult! Made it to Gorham for the night...thinking about the pending "Wildcats" ahead!
Day 14, June 25 we did the Wildcats. That first day wasn't too bad but that did change! This is MacGyver and I enjoying our first summit......forgot to mention that the Wildcats had 4 summits! But also, some good views
Stayed at Craford Notch Hut after the Wildcats for a much needed, inside a building, rest! Also met NOBO Thru Hiker "Big T" from Mississippi.
Well....the weather had been generally bad the whole hike; but things got much worse the next days (June 26 and 27).....dangerously worse
This is not a picture that we took (because we were too busy trying to stay alive!) but almost like one of the crossings we made (but ours was in deeper rapids). We crossed a flooded Rattle River several times with one crossing getting worse than the other. Made us pause a bit.......
June 27th we slipped and limped, soaking wet to U.S. 2 in Gorham and stayed at the Barn Hostel managed and owned by Paul. But about 2 miles or so before we reached U.S. 2 we passed by the Rattle River Shelter....and it looked like this....
Of course, our initial reaction, cold and tired, was "What Kind of Long-Distance Hiker" would violate so many unwritten rules of hiking etiquette!!!
Then we found out that those staying in the shelter (for multiple days at a time) were AMC trail volunteers and State Park staff helping out to shore up the trail as best they could during the unprecedented flooding that was going on.
MY TOTAL APOLOGIZE for jumping to conclusions without know the facts. Thank you for what you do!!
Okay...coming back to The Barn Hostel.....MacGyver and I fell in love with it at first glance! Growing up in the 60's and early 70's, this Hippy vibe that we saw and felt, made us feel right at home :). In fact, I think I stayed at a place like this when I hitchhiked to Southern California in 1972! :)
Best laid plans??