With all the warm weather recently, almost all the snow in the Whites has melted! Unfortunately, the temps were forecast to reach almost 90 F today (yikes!)... I waffled a bit about departing from Hanover and, as a result, didn't leave my home until around 0730 (late packing). Used I-91, VT/NH-25, River Road, NH-10, US-302, NH-116 and US-2 to reach Gorham and then got a late breakfast at McDonalds (0930). All the delays meant that I wasn’t in the hiking zone until after 1000. And, because rain was supposed to hit Gorham in the early afternoon, I decided to hike from an AT trailhead northeast of Grafton Notch (in Maine). I finally departed my car (SOBO) just after 1100... At first, this hike seemed like good idea because there was tree cover in the area near Dunn Falls (the AT skirted the local attraction). However, I soon learned that the trees above 2000 feet had not gotten their leaves yet. This, along with an accurate forecast (88 F), created an unpleasant combination of heat, climbing and sun glare. No doubt at all: I was feeling completely unprepared for the conditions. Despite this fact, I kept going, trying to avoid isolating/marooning a section that would be hard to complete. Ultimately, I made it about 2.1 miles from the trailhead before I gave up and started my backtrack. Instead of retracing my steps completely, I followed the blue blazed waterfall trail and was treated to several great views of cascading water. During this time, I encountered the only people (with no gear) that I saw all day. Made it to my car again just after 1500 - I'd hiked nearly six miles because of the longer return route. After I was back in my car, I spent some time exploring East B Hill Road, all the way to Andover. Then used ME-5 to reach US-2 again. Talked to Mollie and ate a late lunch (leftovers) on the way. It was rainy in a few places and definitely nasty on the high peaks - yikes! I checked into the Rodeway Inn in Gorham at 1535. Was planning to go to Mass at St. Anne's in Berlin but, after getting cleaned up, didn't feel well. Instead, stayed in my room and read for the entire evening. Went to bed at around 2200. While today’s hiking attempt seems like a failure, I’m going to keep it in the positive category because I avoided a dehydration or heat stroke scenario. Hoping that I’ll get some cooler days to hike before it’s really Summer! AT Today = 2.1 miles / Grand Total AT = 1925.7 miles
