I’ve been feeling rather low for the last few weekends - it’s been mostly psychological and connects to my recent inability to complete the Mahoosuc Traverse. Usually, I wake up on a weekend morning, raring to go for a drive and hike. But, since the end of June, I’ve overthought the complicated logistics, driving time, uncertain needs for supplies, backpack weight and (most of all) my physical limitations. I’ve tried to remind myself that it’s alright to take breaks during a 2000+ mile adventure like this but I really wanted to end the drought. Fortunately, something felt different when I went to bed last night and - happily - I was ready to get out of Hanover for some AT miles by the time the sun rose. After getting a gas fill-up at Irving in Hanover (0755) and used my typical route (I-91, VT/NH-25, River Road, NH-10, US-302, NH-116, US-2 to reach Gorham. I got breakfast at McDonalds there (1000) and then started my search for parking at an AT trailhead. I struck out at two places in Shelburne so decided to take NH-16 down to the Mount Washington Auto Road to see if I could get a ride to the summit. Since they weren’t running shuttles yet, I drove a bit farther to Wildcat Mountain to see if the chairlift was active. For the first time since I’ve lived in New Hampshire, it was! I immediately (1040) got a ticket and rode the lift up to the top of Wildcat D - the views were tremendous on the way. This was my second time on this NH 4000 Footer but I was happy to skip a second climb… After getting organized (1100), I headed NOBO on the Wildcat Ridge Trail (AKA AT). A little bit after I started my climb, I found a nice observation platform with great views. After that it was back into the woods and into another climb (up Wildcat C). The sun was shining and the temps were very pleasant (50s) but there was also nice shade on the trail. I met a lot of people who were walking south and several of them told me they had stayed overnight at the Carter Notch Hut. Since this was only about three miles away I decided to go there and make the call, depending on how I felt, whether to climb up Carter Dome (north of the Notch). The trail ended up being much nicer than most of the ones I’ve hiked in the Whites - there was dirt to walk on, very few slippery slabs and little mud. After finally summitting Wildcat A (4,422 feet), a new NH 4000 Footer for me, I talked to some hikers who told me the descent into the Notch was “Really Steep”. From the view, I couldn’t disagree - the trail looked like it went down into a huge canyon. Carter Dome, along with some rocky outcroppings on the way up it, looked even more foreboding… I overcame an urge to turn around, rather than descend, and continued downhill. I knew I had a bailout down there: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. At this point, it became clear that my recent experience in the Mahoosuc Range had made me cynical about the quality of trails in the Whites - when I encountered actual stairs (!) and switchbacks (!!), I felt like I was walking on a highway. About halfway down, though, I passed a huge rock that had clearly dislodged above the trail and barreled downhill, destroying everything in its path. And it looked recent - yikes. So I carefully continued making my way into the Notch… Right around this time, I figured out that the two guys who told me how difficult the descent would be were following me and they were having an obnoxiously loud argument. I wasn’t even trying to listen but I could tell they were trying to figure out who had the best personal time in a half marathon. Fortunately, they turned off the AT when I reached the junction for the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. By this point, I’d already decided to descend off the AT myself but I wanted to check out the AMC Hut. I had to walk about 0.3 miles to reach it but the detour was worth the time and effort - I got to see some beautiful lakes nearby (people were swimming) and learned about the logistics for a future stay. Funny aside: while passing through this area, I sneezed rather loudly - several sunbathing folks that I couldn’t see (hidden behind huge rocks) said “bless you” and we all had a good chuckle about how I’d ruined their peace and quiet without even knowing they were there. After a short break (talking with the Croo and a young lady SOBO Thru), I backtracked to the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail and headed towards NH-16. This was definitely not the shortest route to my car but I wanted to figure out how difficult the 4ish miles were so I could decide whether to use it again (to finish more miles in the area). I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t need to do any crab walks or butt slides during the descent. Actually, I really hadn’t all day… One penalty for walking on this trail, though, was that I had to then trek almost three miles south from the trailhead to reach Wildcat again. This would normally be OK but there had been a lot of road work in the area and NHDOT hadn’t yet painted lines to warn people to stay away from a pedestrian in the breakdown lane… I made it to my car safely (1630) and noticed that the chairlift had secured for the day (glad I didn’t need it again). All told I hiked close to 11 miles and felt great - not a bad “back in the saddle” day. Need to remind myself of these kinds of days when I get to feeling low again… Beautiful hike in the White Mountains - hope I’ve got many more like it in 2022! AT Today = 3.0 miles / Grand Total AT = 1970.2 miles / NH 4000 Footer #15 of 48
