My customer told me he was OK with me taking a delayed start to my work day and I jumped at the chance for another hike. Inclement weather was headed my way (and I needed to get home by the early afternoon anyway) so I didn’t have time for a long hike this morning. After struggling to identify a good place to go, I remembered I’d cut short a climb from the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center in 2014 - it would require some re-hiking but it was a two mile section. So I got up early and left Gorham, headed south on NH-16. I checked out the AT access trails that were located all along the highway (most were 3+ miles before I would react the ridge) and stopped at the Great Glen Trails office near the Mount Washington Auto Road. There, a maintenance guy told me about shuttles (closed for the year). After another short drive, with another stop at the Wildcat Ski Resort (lift also closed), I reached the AT Trailhead at Pinkham Notch. I’d read recently that the AMC was celebrating 100 years in operation at the site! I quickly got ready and headed north (AT SOBO) on the Old Jackson Road section (0745). Quickly passed my 2014 turnaround point and continued the climb up the foothills of the Presidentials. The trail was VERY rocky, muddy and somewhat steep in places. However, I was able to keep up a pretty good pace. It was cool and a bit overcast when I started but got sunnier as I hiked. Just after I reached the point in the climb where I could see the ridge line (above), I was startled by the sound of tree limbs breaking - it was a bear! He was little and quickly ran away as I approached. Moments later, I passed a Thru hiker and chatted with him. When I continued hiking again, I started to hear the (quite loud) sounds of the Auto Road (my turnaround point). And that’s when I came face to face with a mama bear and her baby - they were running on the trail (away from the road). We were all pretty startled and they scattered before I could process what had happened. Reluctantly, I continued walking for another 100 yards and hit the blacktop. There was another Thru hiker there, sitting in the road and smoking a joint. He was quite philosophical and spoke about his thoughts on 20 mile days, hiking through COVID-19 and trail magic. Two more Thru hikers appeared shortly afterwards and we all headed south (AT NOBO) together. It was so great to be out with other hikers - I liked hearing their stories and they liked hearing mine. They (along with the hiker I’d seen during my climb) started in March and had never left the trail. They remarked that the trick was to ignore people on Facebook who had demanded that everyone left the trail (I can’t disagree). The company made the walk go very quickly and I was at the bottom by 0930 (after four miles). The parking area was crowded and people were everywhere (all wearing masks). It made me want to leave the area but I was disappointed that I had to go home... It’s been a great weekend - not too many miles of hiking but some great experiences and information to use for my next trip! Started towards home by continuing south on NH-16 until I reached US-302. Hadn’t planned on stopping anywhere on the way home (I was trying to put in a few hours of telework in the afternoon) but Google Maps sent me by a really scenic route and I got to do even more Recce! Passed Attitash while I was on US-302 and saw that they were letting folks ride the lifts to the ridge - awesome! I then drove south (through Albany, NH) on Bear Notch Road (only open in the summer) and was treated to some great views. Switched to NH-112 and got an amazing tour - almost 40 miles - of the White Mountains. Would love to return for a weekend campout in the area. Crossed I-93 and ended up stumbling across the AT Trailhead at Kinsman Notch (on NH-112). Checked out the area and then backtracked so I could drive around the south side of Moosilauke (on NH-118) - it was well worth the detour! After that, I knew where I was and got home easily (1230). After this long weekend trip, I’ve got even more ideas about AT hikes, camping, scenic drives for visitors (hint, hint)... AT Today = 1.3 miles / G.T. AT = 1638.5 miles
