AT RunVenture Project Segment No. 14 Part 1

PART ONE:

I hopped off the plane and met up with Celia and my sister in law Megan, who would drive us to Vermont. The trip was seamless. We all chit chatted and enjoyed the drive. We met Warren Doyle, our driver, our “crew chief” for this 460+ mile adventure, at a parking lot of a gas station 10 minutes off trail. There, I loaded my stuff (which I was hoping to downsize but never had the opportunity) into his large van and he hurried us to get on trail as soon as possible.

We had 23.1 miles to cover and he was hoping we’d finish before dark. While we drove to the trail I changed into running clothing and tried to prepare myself. I had packed most of my things back in February and March and had them transferred to my Brother at Easter to have everything in Albany for easy transport. Then, I left some more stuff up there, sleeping bag and poles and such, after our last segment. Then, flew up with more stuff, and last minute “I might need” and “I can’t remember if I..,” type stuff. I had too much stuff and I was completely disoriented to my gear. I grabbed what I could food wise, which was a mouthful of cinnamon almonds and we were off, headed North again on foot.

The weather was lovely, warm and sunny. The trail was kind, with plenty of “flat” sections and small climbs. We saw Warren at a few stops that day and enjoyed not carrying much with us. Celia and I hiked strong and caught up on life. We chatted about our fears and excitement. Warren mentioned at one road crossing that a thru-hiker was just ahead and he was moving at a good pace, doing big miles trying to finish the trail in 90 days. We caught up to him, I jogged ahead of Celia a bit to chat with Chandler. He is a college student in Washington DC. He was 70 days into his trek.

I hiked with Chandler and we chatted. Celia caught up too and we even found another thru-hiker that hiked with us from Norwich, VT across the Connecticut River and into Hanover, NH. Vermont was finished! Only two more states to go! The hardest two states to go.

We opted to continue on and lower the next days mileage since we were making great time. We climbed Velvet rocks, Celia, Chandler and I. We continued to Three Mile Road where we’d sleep for the night. Chandler hiked just passed the road to camp and planned to start with us in the morning and stay with our daily mileage as long as he could.

When we arrived to Warren, all of our stuff was out of the van and now it was time to repack. I had way too much stuff. I was good food wise, but I had too much extra stuff and extra clothing especially. I was a bit embarrassed needing extra bins. As I organized, I ate white instant rice and Huel. Once I was settled and Celia was settled, we got ready to sleep. Day 2 would be 35 miles, instead of 39, but still a long day.

Celia, in general, is a better sleeper than I so I asked to take the bigger sleeping spot. We both tossed and turned all night, getting minimal rest. We expected that to be the case though and had no trouble waking up on time and getting ready to go. Day 2, we started at 5am and hiked north. Chandler was just ahead and we hiked up Moose Mountain South and Moose Mountain North, neither had a view. After descending to Goose Pond road, I was already a ways ahead of Celia and Chandler. Warren wanted me to wait so I happily did and Warren and I chatted about the trail, hiking, records and interests. There was no doubt that I had and have an interest in attempting an Appalachian Trail FKT. Warren had and has some interest in seeing how I did on this two week trek.

We all climbed Holt’s ledge and descended to another road crossing. After this road crossing we would have a couple tough climbs that would “give us an intro to the Whites.” We left Warren and the van ready for a long section up and over Smarts Mountain and Mt Cube.

Smarts Mountain was hard, but not too hard, the metal rungs in the rocks and wooden steps made it fun. The fire tower at the top allowed gorgeous views from 3,732 feet. Mt Cube was harder for me, I can’t recall why, if it was the terrain or the heat of the day, but I recall feeling exhausted at the top. The descent was long and steep but I was enjoying it. The trail then drops you on NH Route 25A. Here, I took a long break with Warren and he asked me about why I like running on trails and why I like long distances. He shared stories with me and the time passed easily.

Once Chandler arrived I took off with him, knowing Celia wouldn’t be far behind. I hung with Chandler the rest of the day and hiked strong at his solid pace through the afternoon heat. Rolling hills led us up Mt Mist and rolling terrain brought us down to Jeffers Brook. Chandler would stay at the Shelter there and Celia and I would sleep in the lot just a quarter mile up the trail. That evening, we “bathed” in Jeffers Brook scrubbing the first couple days of dirt off and rinsing out our sweaty clothing. Instant rice and salmon fueled my body. I was beginning to be able to find things in my bins a little easier and prep better for the next day.

We would enter the White Mountains in the morning, so the next 227 miles would be the hardest the Appalachian Trail has to offer. We would be doing “lower miles” only about 24 per day through the rest of NH. We got to sleep by 9pm and woke up after another fairly restless night. Our morning was a bit smoother in terms of efficiency and we were ready to go right on time for 5am, again.

Chandler met up and the three of us climbed Mt Moosilauke. The climb wasn’t too bad, it was steep and kept on going and going and going. We all sat for moment at the top of the South Peak and commented about high heart rates, and mild stomach discomfort that comes with hard efforts. We all made it and soon continued above the tree line to the North Peak. The views were amazing! On the descent I took off, I descend well, and so I moved at my own pace. I reached Kinsman Notch well ahead of Celia and Chandler.

I spent about 15 minutes there, planning to wait until they arrived so I wouldn’t be too far ahead all day but then a thru-hiker was dropped off. He immediately recognized Warren and thanked him for a ride he’d provided him the prior day. I asked if he was North bound and when he said he was I took off to hike with him. “Peachfuzz” and I hiked up Mt Wolf, which was a continued uphill through rolling terrain. We kept a great pace and continued on together chatting about his history of hiking, since age 3 and his interest in ultra running. He shared his big trail setback when he contracted Lyme Disease and spent a week in the hospital only to get Covid and spend another week there. He had only been back on the trail for two weeks.

We arrived at Eliza Brook and met two other hikers. One was “Margaritaville”, Chandler had mentioned her with another hiker and discussed her fast pace and big miles. The other hiker was “Jack Rabbit” who had hiked almost all of the Appalachian Trail and was completing his final section. The rain that was supposed to come after 3pm, began to drip from the sky at noon. All four of us packed up and turned to begin hiking. As soon as we were on the opposite bank about to hike away, Chandler arrived at the brook. I wished him well as I hiked away, I expected him to catch us on the climb up Kinsman. Within one minute the trail bobbed and weaved as we followed the brook, “Peachfuzz” fell back and “Margaritaville” and “Jack Rabbit” hung with me and pushed my pace.

We climbed over trees, roots, rocks and across a wooden plank and straight up, up and up. We climbed rock faces and rock stairs. It was humbling, but also so much fun. The effort felt easier in the cool rain and maintaining conversation the entire way up also made the struggle feel easier. At the top of Mt Kinsman the rain was cool and wind was whipping around us. It felt good momentarily but I knew I'd get cold quickly if I didn’t keep moving. As soon the trail descended I left the two hikers behind and with my pace I did not see them again. I continued down the mountain but as I went everything was soaking through. I was wet, my phone was impossible to use because my fingers were too wet to swipe or type. I wondered where the first hut, Lonesome Lake Hut, was, I knew it had to be soon. Literally, when I finished that thought the roof appeared.

I almost went right by, but the words of Liz Derstine rang in my head, “If you have the time, stop and enjoy the huts, get some soup” and so I did. I went in and had tomato soup and freshly baked bread. I dried off my phone and my “dry bag.” After twenty minutes I was ready to go and knew I’d be cold so I pulled out my poncho and threw that on.

Moments later I was shivering down a very wet trail. I passed Lonesome Lake and saw nothing but gray thick fog. I continued on the trail and continued the next three miles to Liberty Springs Trailhead. There, I climbed into Warren’s van, sopping wet. Once inside, I learned that the van leaks and so most of the stuff in the back was also wet, in plastic bins, thank goodness, but very wet. I sat on a small corner of the wooden area our bins sat on. I tried to get dry and start doing what I could for recovery. I had one bar of service so I played on my phone a bit, Warren and I chatted a bit, and then I simply waited.

After about an hour and half or so Chandler came by the van and grabbed his resupply bag that he’d left with us and mentioned having a rough afternoon. He was soaked and tired and so did not hang to chat but caught a ride to a hostel nearby. This was the last time I saw him. Later, I learned that this afternoon almost broke Chandler. I had messaged him that afternoon to apologize for not waiting for him to begin the climb up Mt. Kinsman. We were not committed to one another, not a hiking family, and very much doing our own thing, yet when I turned away to hike up Kinsman at Eliza Brook a part of me felt like a crappy friend. Knowing he struggled, became lost and extremely stressed, I still hold a bit of guilt that he wasn’t with us up that climb.

After a couple more hours, Celia arrived. I had already made the call that we’d be staying in a motel for the night. The leaky van, wet stuff, wet everything, made the idea of a dry bed seem pretty darn good. After a decent night’s rest at the motel, Celia and I were dry (except our shoes) and our bottles were clean. We were as ready as we could be for another hard day. It was still raining so we would start wet and then it was supposed to dry out and get hot and sunny in the afternoon. We were ready for anything.

We climbed up and approached Franconia Ridge, neither of us knowing what to expect above the tree line. As soon as we were above the trees the wind was wild. It was threatening to knock us over as it pounded damp misty air against us. The ridgeline was rocks, all rocks, everywhere. We scaled up, and slid down, climbed and crawled and jogged across big open sections. These three miles tested Celia but she never showed it. I have no idea how long we were up there but it was very intense, cold, wet and so, so windy. We made it though and descended from Mt Lafayette to find some relief.

In no time we were climbing Mount Garfield and then descending. All rocks up, all rocks down. We passed Galehead mountain and stopped at Galehead hut for coffee and I enjoyed 3 or 4 leftover pancakes from their breakfast. Then, we summited South Twin Mountain, Mount Guyot and Zealand Mountain and then I enjoyed some great views from Zealand Falls Hut where I stopped and waited for Celia to catch up with me. They were out of food so I treated myself to an overpriced Snicker’s bar and talked with some folks that were staying at the hut for the night. Once Celia arrived we continued to descend and finish off day 4 at US Route 302. At almost 14.5 hours and thousands of feet of climbing and descending, it was our second HARD day.

Day 5 we would cover the Presidential range. The weather was looking good, as in, no Thunderstorms expected. Day 5 was only 27 miles, but we traversed the Presidentials from one end to the other. We began at 4am and had a cool morning to start as we climbed to Mt Webster. The views were spectacular and helped the treacherous climb. Somewhere between Mt Webster and Mt Jackson we ran into “Blessed Billy Goat” who was a 20 something year old who loved to hike. He planned to cover the Presidentials that day too and seemed to pace well with Celia. I found his topics of conversation to be uncomfortable and rarely did he wait for my answers and so it was quickly apparent he was hiking with Celia and not with "us" so I opened my stride and allowed myself to pull ahead a bit.

I waited at Mitzpah Spring Hut, which was enveloped in clouds. From there we climbed straight up Mt Peirce and then began the long ascent to Mount Washington. I waited at every trail intersection and made sure we all stayed close. I arrived at Lakes of the Clouds Hut just in time for some free leftover breakfast. I had some sausage and eggs and chatted with some day hikers. Celia arrived only a few minutes after I did. We wasted very little time before heading back out for the final 1.6 mile to reach the summit of Mount Washington.

We did it, and it was glorious. We had no view but white windy fluff in every direction but it was still spectacular! We went in and enjoyed the snack bar. I bought a small hot coffee and sour patch kids. The coffee was too hot to drink so I brought it down the rocky descent. In the cold windy conditions, the coffee cooled quickly and I finished drinking it so I could move faster over the rocks. The entire trail for six more miles was all rocks. I moved well and spurred conversations with a few hikers. The sky cleared and the views were amazing.

I took a bunch of photos as I tripped down the trail finally arriving at Madison Spring Hut. Here I had a pretty long wait. I enjoyed some bread and took a brief nap. Then, I sat outside and relaxed talking with a man who used to be very athletic but then was treated with chemo for cancer and now has so much neuropathy in his feet that he felt he could not manage the day's hike with his friend. He was crushed. We chatted for a while until Celia arrived. I helped her refill water bottles and I recommended she rest for a few but she was ready to go.

The descent was notorious. We had to climb Mt Madison, but then we’d descend for 5 rugged miles. The climb up Mt. Madison was like many others in the Whites, bouldering straight up, and then, you guessed it, bouldering down for hours it seemed. Finally though, we dropped back into the trees. The trail wasn’t really any easier, I struggled. I had many slips, trips, nearly falls as I carefully continued on. Once the trail became “easier” I was mentally toast. I was hot, tired and wondering when it would end.

I allowed myself an hour of my audiobook and just walked. Finally, I popped out at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. I plopped down at a picnic table across from Warren. "That was tough" I said to him. We chatted for a while and then I went to the van to get changed, cleaned off and grab some food. I returned to find Warren chatting with a group of thru-hikers. I sat again and shoved my little chicken salad sandwiches into my mouth, one after another, after another until I felt better. Then, I said to Warren, “I could hike more now, I’m better.” He laughed at me and we continued to talk until Celia arrived.

Day 6 we would finish off the Great White Mountains of New Hampshire. We woke up and began at 5am, not as early as the prior day. That morning we would ascend Wildcat. Celia was moving slower than me from the start and I felt strong. I took off at my own pace within the first half of an hour. The climb up Wildcat was Wild! Reaching the top felt so good. The descent was rough and slow. I arrived 0.1 from Carter Hut a little after 7am, which I knew was too early for after-breakfast freebies and I didn’t need water yet so I turned and began the steep, also very hard, climb up Carter Dome, Mount Hight, South Carter, Middle Carter and North Carter Mountains. I was pushing hard and barely holding a 29 minute mile. It was hot and my back was blistering with heat rash. I ascended Mt Moriah knowing it was the last 4000’ mountain in New Hampshire that we’d cover. I don’t honestly remember much except enjoying pushing hard, knowing I’d finish pretty early and have the entire evening to recover.

On the descent you pass Rattle River a few times. I met a thru-hiker at a shelter here named “Zippy Morocco” and he is also an ultrarunner, he is from Montana. We chatted for a bit before I took off to finish my day, The trail then arrived at a road that you follow across the Androscoggin River. I walked the road and messaged Warren, knowing I was way under his time estimate for the day. I offered to hitch a ride to town, but he said he’d be able to get me in an hour, so I sat by the river with my one single bar of service and played on my phone until he arrived.

“Zippy Morocco” walked by and we wished one another well, no idea if we’d run into one another in the coming days. Once Warren picked me up, we headed into Gorham, NH for a motel. I got settled, showered, repacked and it was about 3pm.

Warren highly recommended the Chinese buffet across the street. I don’t really eat Chinese, but I knew he was right. Six days into this endeavor and 300 more miles to go, a big calorie dump was a good call. So, I walked myself over and grabbed a table. I ate as much fried, sugar coated protein as I could manage. It was pretty yummy overall and I could tell I needed it. In the mirror I still looked the same but my system was working overtime under the surface.

After dinner, I lounged around. Celia arrived and she tried desperately to eat calories, but nothing was tasting very good. She opted to try and eat a full jar of Ghee, 4500kcal. I jokingly expressed my concern of all the oil having nothing to soak into, like rice, but Celia didn’t feel like eating anything else. She was exhausted.

Warren had revamped our mileage plan to cut the next day short and get us out of a very hard section before we overdid it. We agreed, but by morning Celia said she wanted to try and stick to the original plan. Due to the difficulty of the day ahead, I would be sticking with Celia.

To be continued...