The Whites (Glencliff to Gorham, Nh) - Mile 1,883

We finished hiking the White Mts of NH and are taking a nero day in Gorham, NH. The Whites are beautiful but very tough. We had nice weather for two-thirds of the trip, then had rain and fog the last 2 days. At least we had good weather for Franconia ridge and Mt Washington, which were highlights.

Mom & Dad came out one final time to meet us in Lincoln, Nh. Dad did a 2-day backpack with us over Franconia ridge, Garfield, Galehead, South Twin, Guyout, Zealand, and down to Zealand Falls. It was an amibitous hike that nearly did us in, but all ended well. Our mileage dropped considerably in the Whites due to the difficult terrain. Also, hikers reported a record number of falls in the Whites.

 Mt Cube

 The rounded summit of Mt Moosilauke

Summit of Moosilauke, elevation 4,802 ft

 Sunset from the top of Moosilauke

 We camped (illegaly) on the summit of Moosilauke

Sunrise the next morning

 Summit of South Kinsman

 Summit of North Kinsman. We could see stormclouds to the north, and it rained as we hiked down.

Our motel in Lincoln, NH

 Franconia Ridge - Haystack, looking over at Mt Lincoln

 Y-Knot and Hayman having lunch, overlooking Cannon Mt

The AT, heading over Franconia Ridge - Mt Lincoln and Lafayette

 A large crowd of thru-hikers at the summit. We've been hiking off and on with some of this group since Virginia.

Overlooking Garfield and the Bonds

Hayman and Y-Knot on the top of Mt Lafayette

 Heading back into treeline, coming down from Franconia Ridge

 Looking back at Lincoln and Lafayette Mts, from the summit of Garfield

Our tent platform at Garfield campsite

 Heading over Mt Guyout

The terrible rocky trails of the Whites

 Overlooking Crawford Notch from Webster Cliffs

The Presidentials - heading up Mt Washington

 The summit sign on Mt Washington. It was Saturday, and so crowded with people who drove up or took the railway that the real hikers had to wait in line to get a photo at the top.

 Crossing the cog railway, heading down from Mt Washington

 Cairns mark the trail, looking towards Mt Jefferson

Madison Springs hut, in front of Mt Madison

 Doing a work-for-stay at Madison hut. Hikers can do work in exchange for food and a place to sleep at the hut. You eat after the guests and sleep on the floor, but the food is quite good.

 The weather deteriorates and we have no views from Wildcat Mt.

It rained all morning, but the sun came out late afternoon, heading up Mt Moriah

Rutland, VT to Hanover, NH - Mile 1,740

We are seeing lots of people on the trail now - sobos (south bounders), nobos (north bounders),and people hiking the Long Trail, which runs with the AT for 105 miles. We still have 500 miles of trail left to go.

Mom met us in Rutland, VT and took us to the lake on July 24th. We swam, had a great dinner, and were able to see Kyle and Lani as well as the rest of the Hunts and Nana. Then we got to slackpack over Killington, which is always good.

We reached Hanover, NH, on July 28th - our 13th state. This is a college town (Dartmouth), but also hiker friendly - we get a free slice of pizza, and ice cream, if we can find it.

 The Green Mountain Hostel in Manchester, VT. This was a great place that gave each thru-hiker a pint of Ben&Jerry's ice cream!

The AT crosses a ski trail on Bromley Mt



 Portrait and Balance on the fire tower on Bromley. We hadn't seen Portrait since Georgia. His beard has grown considerably since then.

 The ski lift on Bromley Mt

An overview of the airport in Rutland, VT

 An excellent dinner at Lake George

The whole Hunt clan (almost), Mom and Nana

Early morning at the Lake, then we go back to the trail.

 Waiting for a train to pass on rte 103. Note - no backpacks - we are slacking today!

The Cooper Lodge shelter on Killington. No views - it was rainy and cloudy, but we prefer that for climbing to the hot days we'd been having.

 Getting back on trail with our backpacks on rte 4, VT

 Gifford Woods State Park

Kent Pond, Gifford Woods SP

 After an afternoon of rain, the sky clears and we see a rainbow from the Lookout

 Sunset from the tower at the Lookout. We seldom get to see sunsets on the trail; we're usually deep in the woods and are in our tent by sunset.

Mountain range to the West - the Adirondacks

 The cabin at the Lookout. The porch floorboards were falling in and it leaked, but it was a great place to spend the night. We set up our tent inside the cabin.

Sunrise from the Cabin tower at the Lookout - not as impressive as sunset, but with cool valley fog.

 This bakery was .2 miles off the trail - anything that close, we stop at! They had fantastic pies.

"When in doubt, the AT always goes up." This is true!

 Goldenrods in bloom

Trail Magic! On the way into Hanover, somone left watermelon for hikers.

 The border of Vermont and New Hampshire, across the Connecticut River

 The Connecticut River

Drying our tent tarp on the common in front of Dartmouth College. Hey, we're hikers!