August 16th, 2018, New Hampshire
I slept inside a shelter last night for the third time. It happened to rain overnight so I was glad to be inside, although I have stayed very dry in my hammock as well. However, one of the others in the shelter started snoring loudly around 2am and continued for several hours. It was at this time I remembered one of the reasons why I have preferred my hammock, unless the shelter is empty.
It was just a couple more miles up to the top of Mt. Moosilauke. As has been the case recently, the morning was overcast and windy.
Up top I ran into two college age ladies working on the trail. They said they had installed some stairs and were doing some other projects as well. They belong to the Dartmouth Outing Club and this was summer employment for them. Their club maintains the trails on this mountain.
On my way down the other side the weather cleared. I had only eaten a snack for breakfast so I decided to take the opportunity at a water stop to make a hot lunch.
As I was cleaning up a father-daughter hiking pair passed. Smiles and Crawdaddy were from Louisiana and happened to be slackpacking from the same hostel I was heading toward. I asked how the hostel was and they said, “well, it’s okay.” We hiked together to the hostel for a few miles.
On the way down I saw my first patch of blackberries on the trail. I expect heading south I will continue to find them, though they may be finished producing soon. I also saw a couple crabapple trees. The fruit wasn’t quite ripe but I ate one anyway.
The hostel is in an old house with an outdoor bathroom, shower, and laundry for hikers. They have also built a new bunk house which is nice. But the new building doesn’t have power so you have to use the outlets around the main building. It is a relaxed and informal place and well set up for AT hikers. The name “Hikers Welcome” pretty much says it all. I received my box, got checked in, did laundry, and got cleaned up. I also went through all my gear and made sure everything was clean and dry. I took advantage of the nice weather to sit outside and use a heavy duty sewing kit to do some repairs on my shoes. They have lasted 400 miles but weren’t going much further without some minor repairs to the fabric. The rocks and roots of New England have taken their toll.
And here are some other interesting things I saw on trail today.
