This is Barb...or "Nascar" (a retired school teacher and now a part-time shutle driver) who picked us up at the airport on day 1 and shuttled us to the trailhead. Her "trail name" of NASCAR was given to her by some people she shuttled once.....well....becuase she drives like a Nascar driver!!
First day out we met "Lateral" at the shelter we stayed at. An always smiling 20 something NOBO from Florida with a great personality. Claims in his current life he is just moving side to side (thus his trail name) so he hit the trail to move it forward! Considering that "Lat" was hiking 20-30 miles a day we surprisingly saw him several times over the next month. He told us he had a tendency to take zeros often:). What was unique about "Lat" was that he ditched his sleeping bag and tent at mile 700 and has Cowboy camped or "Shelter Blazed" ever since. Hope that works well for him once he is in NH and ME!!
Hermes – first SOBO we met (don’t let the closed eyes fool you. He was indeed awake while standing up. It was camera operator error😊). In ancient Greek religion and mythology Hermes is an Olympian deity and is considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, merchants, and orators……all traits of a Long Distance Hiker!
“Bells Free” from Eastern North Carolina (back story on her trail name is that she use to hike with a bell to scare off bears….but people didn’t like the constant noise so much 😊) and “NDY” (means “not” dead yet”?) from Atlanta. Two section hikers out for a couple weeks. Their strategy is to “hopscotch” the trail by shuttling each of their cars. Let’s them slack pack every day and then sleep in their cars at the subsequent trailheads. Cool way to hike! We would see them several times over the next week or so.
This is "Lucifer" a SOBO from California. She had such a great attitude and was the complete opposite of what the original Lucifer was like!
This is "Tigger" a section hiker and schoolteacher from PA we met at Kirkridge Shelter.
This is "Riot" a SOBO...and she really was a riot! She has an Instagram account...and I think the name is Casual Spoon.... where she is posting various people she meets on the trail. Check it out if you have an account, MacGyver and I should be on it.
Met this group of SOBO thru hikers at a hidden and vital water spot. Most have been together from the beginning of their thru hike in Maine....they really seem to have bonded quite well to the point where while taking a zero in New York City, all decided to buy the same 'very colorful" hiking shorts. I guess that is better than other things they could have done in the Big Apple! Their trail names from left to right are: "Podcast", Tang", Hippy Gandolf", "KT" and ......"Pleiadian"??
Coming back to the hiker "Pleiadin" above....I didnt have the courage to ask him what his trail name meant so I looked it up:
- "Light-bodied humans residing in the 5th Dimension, ancestors to Pleiadian starseeds living on Earth, bringers of agriculture, givers of civilization, builders of megaliths, masters of inter-dimensional travels on space vehicles of light, returning to earth-human awareness as spirit beings to be seen by the spirit eye"
Well...okay then...probably MUCH MORE information than any of us wanted!!😊
This is "YAK", a YO YO hiker. Basically he is doing a Thru hike NOBO, then when he gets to to the northern terminus.....he turns around and thru hikes SOBO to Springer! almost 4,400 miles. Why is he so happy??
Day Hiker Bob whom we met at the base of a climb called "Stair Way To Heaven". I enjoyed the song by Led Zeppelin better than the climb :)
A group of Yale students bonding with nature. Most didn't seem to happy about camping out, particularly all in one tent! But they gave us some much needed water!
This a Trail Angel "Day Dreamer", a scientist at Memorial Hospital in CT, that we met on day 12 that was out day hiking....specifically to offer food and drinks to hikers! What a treat.....Gatorade, chocolates and other candies!
At Silver Springs Campsite we met Vince, a Ridge Runner from Cape Cod. He really was/is dedicated to keeping these campsite in great shape. Thanks Vince!!
This is Vanessa Barton who owns a Hostel in Salisbury, CT where we stay for 2 days. Great lady who also helped us slackpack for a day. Take a look at her "unique" place on the ""Places" page.
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Met this SOBO thru hiker on day 21 in Massachusetts. Dont remember his trail name but I do remember the t-shirt he was wear...Go Pirates from East Carolina University!
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This is "Wild" from Canada, doing a LASH for a month. Met her at the Birkshire Lodge and she was headed south. Had just 10 days left of her hike.
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This is "Snakes", "Sticks" and "Lost Wheel" from Kentucky. Three siblings we first met at Tom Levardi's place and met again a few more times over the next week. They also have been LASHING the AT since Springer just like MacGyver and I. Great people that we stayed in contact with while on the trail giving each other a heads up on any issues we ran into. Many thanks "Snakes" for the shuttle ride to the trailhead in Williamstown!
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This is "OWL" with MacGyver, a NOBO from New York. This was the second time we saw OWL on our LASH and he is trying to make it to Kathadin before it closes for the winter. He also seems to do a bit of night hiking so maybe that is how he got his trail name. Hope he makes it!
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Met some great NOBO Long Trail hikers on day 29.
Day 33 we stayed at Minerva Hinchey Shelter at mile marker 1,686 and what a treat we had there meeting some hiker Trail Angels. The 3 hikers below came in after MacGyver and I had already set up our tents...and they were staying in the shelter. Well....these 20 something guys came over to MacGyver and I and asked if we wanted to joing them for dinner. They had just resupplied and had packed in Hamburgers, with all the condiments, vegetables......AND Smore's! What a meal we had that night!
The one on the right is "Sea Monkey" who was thru hiking the Long trail.
This is Steven, a friend just tagging along for a few days.
This is "Cheese Man", who just got finished with his Thru Hike on the AT......and decided to join Steven and Sea Monkey (friends from U. of Mass)
And Tony from Boston who we have seen on and off for the past week must have smelled the burgers cooking and joined us.
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??