Hiking the AT

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I just got back a few days ago from White Mountains of New Hampshire where I joined my sister for a few days on her 2200 mile hike up the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. I joined her at roughly the 1800 mile mark for a jaunt across the White Mountains from Franconia Notch to Crawford Notch. The stretch of the AT across the Whites is among the more rugged stretches of the AT. My sister's account of her hike can be followed on her trail journal here. Being that I'm lacking time, I won't write much, but I will say that this journey of my sister's is an astounding challenge both physically and logistically. She has lost roughly 50 pounds hiking 10-20 miles each day. The details that she must attend to to make the hike feasible are overwhelming (e.g. figuring out mail drops for the entire 2200 mile hike). I've hiked mountain trails around the world, and I'll say that the section of the AT that I hiked was among the most challenging trails I've ever hiked. They were generally straight up and straight down over rough, boulder-strewn routes. We didn't risk our lives inching around narrow ledges 1000 feet over the valley below, but we did overcome uncountable obstacles where a stumble on the rough trail would lead to a fall of three feet, five feet, 10 feet, or more to serious injury. It was rugged. Our hiking team was made up of myself, my sister (AT trailname "Cody"), Stick Walker, and Belle the Wonder Dog. Belle is a weimeraner, and she has hiked the entire trail with her owner, Stick Walker. Here a bunch of photos from the hike. It is hard to capture in a photo just how rugged the route is, but here are my best examples:


Descending Franconia Ridge. Cody and Stick Walker are ahead of me and below.


Cody, Stick Walker, and Belle descend from Franconia Ridge.


Belle descending Franconia Ridge.


Claire the Sheltie. She was another thru-hiker dog heading up the AT to Maine with a different group. Most dogs drop out long before reaching New Hampshire. She and Belle are unusual for having lasted so long. Of course, you could also say that most human hikers drop out long before New Hampshire as well.


Cody and Stick Walker descend Mt. Garfield.


Some other thru-hikers descend Mt. Garfield.


Cody and Stick Walker descend Mt. Garfield.


Stick Walker.


Belle the Wonder Dog.


Potato Dill Soup at Galehead Hut. Scattered about the Whites are a series of backcountry huts where you can "rough it in style." For a healthy price, you can get a bunk and hot meals. We didn't get to stay at any of the huts because of timing issues, but we did get some soup at this hut.


The Hikers enjoy some soup at Galehead Hut.


Fresh cookies at Galehead Hut.


We ran into one of Floyder's cousins at Galehead Hut! Another Floyderdog!


Belle at Galehead Hut.


Belle the Wonder Dog atop South Twin.


Me atop South Twin. In the distance looms Mt. Washington. I didn't get to climb Mt. Washington, but I did get to ride a cog train to the top.


Here's our team atop South Twin with Mt. Washington in the distance.


My "stealth camp" campsite on our second night.


My sister's stealth campsite on my second night.


Belle the Wonder Dog.


Our team relaxes for a moment at Leland Falls Hut.


Cody's toes.


At the end of Day 3, we were met at the end of the trail by a "trail angel" and famous AT hiker known as Rock Dancer. Trail angels are those who become so enamoured of the AT culture and lifestyle that they routinely hang out at trailheads to provide free, unexpected support to thru-hikers.


Belle the Wonder Dog at the laundromat. Visiting laundromats is a recurring part of the AT experience for thru-hikers.


Because of logistics, I only hiked three days with Cody, Stick Walker, and Belle. The original plan was to hike for four days, but it turned out that my fourth day coincided with a "zero day" for the others. This meant R&R for everyone. Aside from doing laundry, we also rode the Mt. Washington Cog Railroad to the top of the peak.


My sister was quite sure that she was going to die on the cog train, and her apprehension is clear in this photo in which she has firm grip on both me and Stick Walker.


A little while later, it was clear that she wasn't going to die on this "three mile an hour" rollercoaster, and she looks like she's having fun.


Here is another train coming down off of Mt. Washington while we were going up.


The view from atop Mt. Washington.


In the wind atop Mt. Washington.


Descending Mt. Washington.


The thru-hikers bid farewell and prepare to go off on their next section of the AT--1000 feet straight up over a half mile.