Had an unexpected day of nice weather while I was still near the Whites! I’d been thinking it would be raining on this, the last day of my hiking trip, for the whole week and I was a little unprepared. Almost all the sections I have left in the area can only be accessed with a side trail and I really didn’t want to spend hours trying to get up to the AT and then have to immediately come back down. Fortunately, I’d researched the Wildcat Ski area map previously and it seemed like a good day to explore the hiking opportunities there. After checking out of the Rodeway Inn in Gorham (0745), I took a short drive (on NH-16) down to Wildcat. I wasn't sure about the parking situation (would I get a ticket or towed?) but I got started up the slopes (Polecat Trails) at 0830. It was chilly (low 40s) so I layered up (2) - but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. My climb gave me plenty of amazing views of The Presidentials (across Pinkham Notch). Took my time climbing and got passed by an athletic trio - they seemed to be getting exercise. For most of the climb, I kept having deja vu moments - I’d last skied here with my friend (Dave) way back in 1987 but the names of the ski trails and some landmarks had stuck in my brain for some reason... It got warm enough that I was able to layer down on the way. However, when I reached the Summit of the ski resort peak (“Wildcat D”) I had to layer up again - it was soooo windy! Found the AT right at the top (there was even an information sign that looked vaguely familiar) and decided to rest there, considering my options. I’d hiked about 2.6 miles by this point and I didn’t want to get too tired or hurt on a “bonus day.” Actually, I felt like I really only needed a few miles of AT to make the day seem worthwhile. Fortunately, there was another day hiker up there who had come up from Pinkham Notch - he told me how hard his climb had been and that he planned to go down the way I had climbed. This made me wonder - if that AT section sucks, would it be worse going up or going down? I decided to hike SOBO on the AT to learn the answer... Unlike many of my other posts about my AT hiking days, I’m not going to try to describe the rest of the day. Let’s just say that the three miles back to NH-16 were the worst terrain I’ve seen on the AT. I really hated the hike - and feared for my safety all the way down. It took lots of concentration to not kill myself. I did stop to enjoy a few views and to talk to a few people who were coming up the other way - that helped a little. I met a few Thru hikers (SOBO and NOBO) with more amazing stories of beating the COVID closures; boisterous locals who sounded like they were fighting with a smile on their faces, a young couple with a big dog and a baby in a backpack (yikes); and an older guy who told me he was climbing Wildcat to finish the last of his “NH 48s”. I probably encountered 50 people! All the conversation was a welcome break from the slippery, steep, rocky and sharp (pointy ends ready to jab). But when I reached the blacktop I was so glad to be done that I never even thought about a backtrack... Yuck! Used NH-16 to get back to my car (it was only about a mile from Pinkham Notch) and finished my day (7.5 miles) at 1300. Actually passed the day hiker I’d met on Wildcat D right before I was done and I thanked him for the good intel. Glad I got those miles behind me - every little bit gets me closer to finishing! Bittersweet ending to the week - I felt great and could have hiked many more days but had to head back to reality... My drive home took me through some of the same route as my Recce trip in August: NH-16, US-302, Bear Notch Road, NH-112 (Kancamagus), NH-118, NH-25A, NH-10. Most of this drive was uneventful - I arrived home by 1600. What a great trip - nine days on the AT, almost 100 miles of hiking and lots of good memories! AT Today = 2.0 miles / G.T. AT = 1688.3 miles / AT Left = 497.0 miles / NH 4000 Footer #5 of 48
