Make it count: Day # 130

Monday, July 20th - Day #130 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 16.4
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1820/2,193 (82.99%)

Kinsman Notch (1803.6) to Liberty Springs Trailhead (1820) - Parker’s Motel in Lincoln, NH

Total ascent - 4,607’
Total descent - 5,065’

Total States Completed - 12/14

**No Rain - Hot day. Temperatures in the low 90’s. Muggy

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Well - today I got the full force of the Whites. 16.4 miles, 4,607’ vertical ascent, 2 - 4,000’ peaks, and 12-1/2 hours of hiking. It was a long, long day out there. I only got back to my hotel after 7:30pm - completely exhausted.

(To illustrate just how tired - it’s now 6:34am on Tuesday. I just woke up on my Zero. I basically passed out while trying to write the blog last night - waking up 8 hours later)

Sam, Pearl, Dexter, and I were driven to the trailhead by Jeanette at 6:30am. We climbed 2 more 4,000’ peaks today: South Kinsman (4,358’) and North Kinsman (4,293’). The main difficulty for the entire day was the terrain. The vertical distance covered was not actually all that bad. I’ve done 4,600’ feet many times on this journey. But —- the terrain was BRUTAL! For several miles on the ascent and descent - we had to climb over these steep rock walls. Many had hand holds with iron grips or wooden steps. Going down - I just slid on my butt to eliminate the possibility of falling head over heels. Going up - you always kept your body weight forward so you didn’t go over backwards. (The fact we did this with lesser weighted packs - and it still took us 12-1/2 hours to do 16.4 miles — and I’m in the best hiking shape I’ve ever been — it’s astonishing).

The 12-1/2 hours does include breaks at the peaks and then a nice break at Lonesome Lake Hut with 3 miles to go. The whites are known for their “Huts”. These Huts typically offer bunks to sleep in - but not this year. The good thing for us however - they have opened these just recently with a caretaker. They provide water and food. I was able to get a burrito, a brownie, and some lemonade. Water is fairly scarce in the Whites - so being able to rely on the Huts will be big for us the next several days.

Well - today (Tuesday) will be nothing but rest. My body is beaten and battered. I fell a couple times yesterday, cracked my knee on a boulder, and jammed the side of my foot into a sharp rock. The toenail on my large toe is gone. When I get up in the morning - I can barely make it to the bathroom (once I walk for 5-10 minutes - I’m OK again).

The fact I will be moving forward with a full pack scares me to death. Basically - it’s all about lesser miles from here on. If the terrain continues like yesterday - 1 mile per hour on average is not unrealistic. Head down - and just keep it going. Only 91 miles left in New Hampshire.

On the positive side - the weather and views have been spectacular so far. So - the effort has been rewarded with some great scenery. This makes the Whites doable - you always have something to look forward to at the peaks. Plus - the Whites are well known in the hiker community. It’s sort of a badge of honor to complete certain sections. Yesterday - upon conclusion of the hike - I felt like I should be getting some sort of trophy or something. Well —— I’m still kicking - so that’s good enough for me right now.

Here’s to rest and recovery. Let the body heal!!