Alright, less than 400 miles to go. And now we are finally getting some serious climbs with some gloomier weather. It’s like the Smokies all over again!

We got an early start today and made good time for the first half of the day, but we has to ford a river, so we took a break to dry our feet out. It worked fairly well, but the air has been consistently wet for a while.

The climb up the mountain was slow and tough, but it was also exciting. It’s good to feel the power of the mountains again, and I am excited about entering the White Mountains. We shall see what tomorrow brings!

The town of Hanover and nearby Norwich are super friendly toward hikers, so much that there is a list of people who will take hikers into their homes. In many of them, there is access to most of the house, shower, kitchen. The one where we stayed even had a sauna!

We didn’t end up having time to use it, but we definitely enjoyed the stay. I talked with our host, who was very kind, and baked brownies in the kitchen. They were quickly consumed.

The rest of the area was nearly as friendly, with free pizza and donuts for hikers. We got the free food, went to the library for a bit, and caught up with some hikers that we have not seen in some time. Our hope is to keep moving fairly quickly and catch most of the hikers we know before we finish.

We have officially reached New Hampshire, which means more wilderness.

It also means two states remain, so the countdown begins.

Well, I am a serious hiker now, doing big mile days. Hiking in Vermont brought taller mountains, muddier trails, but nonetheless I have been putting in work. The plan is to continue with 20-mile days, even when the terrain becomes more difficult. Some think that too ambitious, but we shall see.

With so much hiking, there is little time for anything else, so I’m off to eat and sleep to prepare for tomorrow’s adventures.

For those of you wondering, I am alive! I am in Vermont, getting further north where it is getting cold and where reception is a lot harder to come by.

We have finally encountered some real mountains again. Today, I went above 4,000 feet of elevation for the first time since Virginia. It is nice to have great views once again, but this morning was so foggy that there were none to be had.

As some of you know, I hiked my largest day yet: 50 miles in under twenty-four hours. Afterward, though I couldn’t tell right away, my feet were beat up and tired, and a series of unfortunate events led to my only having one pair of socks – not to mention my shoes that are so worn that I can see my socks through them. All this resulted in a few days of gentle hiking and recovering from such a vigorous hike. Recently, we hiked twenty miles in six hours, which was one of our fastest hikes to date, so I think I am doing better.

We are still generally on target for our finish date of mid-September, and even with the recent cloudy ad rainy weather, we are pushing miles. I am looking forward to the next few states, to finishing the hike strong, and returning to the mitten! (The cooler weather is preparing me for my return).

Well, I hiked my longest day yet – 50 miles in 24 hours. My friend Teabag had done it, and it was the longest consecutive stretch that anyone I know on the trail has done. So of course I had to do it.

We started hiking together, and after the first ten, it was approaching dark. We had gotten a late start, in the afternoon, and Teabag decided to set up camp. I told him I was going to keep going to complete a 50-piece, and he proceeded to give me some caffeinated tea (of course) and a pep talk.

I hiked all through the night and only started getting sleepy once the sun came back out. It was foggy and dreary, which did not help. I made some tea and had breakfast and kept pushing. In case anyone is not yet convinced, fifty miles is a long way. Even after forty, when I was “almost there,” it seemed to drag on forever as my feet began to hurt. As Teabag prophesied, I had visions, paranoia, and delirium from the hike. As it turn out, that porcupine was never actually chasing me.

I made it into the town of Cheshire to complete fifty miles. Instead of collapsing, I saw some fellow hikers in a garage. As it turns out, a hiker friend’s uncle lives directly on the trail, so I hung out with them, weary but happy. They let me stay the night and shower. What an excellent end to my fifty!

Afterward, I decide to take yesterday off to rest. I spent a lot of time talking to hikers and to people back home on the phone. Most of my time was spent at the Shell station, the most happening place in town. I’m among my people! They took a picture of my hat. It was great.

Today is another beautiful day, and I am excited to get back on the trail. Hopefully, my feet will be too.

Though it seems I only reached Connecticut, the state of Connecticut is a short one, and already we hike through Massachusetts. MA is also short, and soon there will be only three states to go. It is hard to believe that the trail draws to an end, and emotion are already running high.

MA is beautiful though, and we have heard from the ever-more-frequent southbound hikers that the land only becomes more beautiful further north.

I also have been making modifications to my gear and setup, which I will try to update. For the most part, I am aiming for a lightweight pack and a minimalist approach. We are looking forward to the coming trails.

Going for a total of twenty-five
With ten more miles to go
And bugs’ attempts to eat me alive
And dusk, it’s creeping in slow
But when I stop to think it through
I think it will be thirty
I’ll catch some hours of sleep (a few)
For I’ll be tired and dirty
And once I get to Salisbury
And certainly by Maine
I shall be rewarded, very
(Or else I’ll be insane)

I’m almost through New York and into Connecticut. How crazy to think that I have come so far with still a few states left to go.

My quest is no less exciting than when I began. The mountains are filled with strange mysteries and even stranger people.

We spent the greater portion of yesterday hanging out by and swimming across a beautiful lake. It reminded me of summer in Michigan, swimming and not doing much else all day.

Sustenance!

There have been delis right along the trail with good food and mostly friendly people. Currently, we are at a garden center! It’s a very pleasant place, and we are waiting out some storm clouds and enjoying the early afternoon.

You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself.

I took a zero yesterday, the first in a while. We were hanging out at a campground right off of the trail, with an interesting man whose hobby is to camp here and make egg sandwiches for thruhikers.

It was a pretty enjoyable day, but getting to sleep was actually quite challenging. My body had way too much energy after lounging all day. Now, we are planning to crank it up and get to Connecticut in two days and probably push through it in another two. Time to pack up and move.

Well, I might have to take what I said back. New York has been very rocky and the terrain very strenuous. For three days, it became very hot and humid – so much that it slowed our hiking plan and delayed our arrival to town.

It could be that I am just from Michigan, but the heat seems to really get to me while I hike. I have been dripping with sweat, and the water sources have been scarce. Fortunately, trail angels are kind in this area and often leave caches of water at road crossings.

But the terrain was also pretty ridiculous.

It didn’t help that my phone died, lowering morale, and that we had only brought food for three days. When we camped that night, we were tired from the day’s climbs, and had only a few handfuls of food remaining. In the morning, we hiked quickly to Bear Mountain, and bought Pringles out of a vending machine.

There was no real risk of starving, but our morale was pretty low, and it did remind us to have a bit of extra food for comfort.

That morning was pretty strange, as the trail goes directly through a zoo! We did get to talk to some people at the zoo and encourage them to hike the trail. Then, we headed into town. We were planning on heading to a bagel shop, when a local invited us over for chili! He was very kind and really enjoyed talking about the trail.

After that, we hiked on to a market right on the trail and stocked up on food, with some help from food packages from some friends! That was wonderful!

The weather has cooled down a bit, and the trail itself has too, making for a much more enjoyable hike. I’m glad things have settled down again, and I hope the weather stays cool.

I have been missing my friends and family back home. Not much longer until I go back home. Well, it’s still a little while, but for me, it seems soon.