White Mountain Guide Days 107-122
It has been a minute since I’ve written an update on my hiking project but I’m committed to getting this entire journey documented so here we are, back at it. Sometimes I think writing is just as hard as hiking. It’s hard to express how it feels to be doing this day in and day out for almost an entire year. It’s even harder to explain to people who ask what I do for work that I hike (at least for now). In the hiking community, the diehards would give just about anything to be able to say they hike for a living, but I do and it’s amazing how taking your hobby and making it a job takes away some of the magic. And let’s be honest, it’s hard on your body to hike day in and day out for months at a time. Ask any thru-hiker and they’ll tell you all about it (the hiker hobble is real).
Since my last update I’ve finally transitioned from the two hardest months of this whole experience so far into the gentle ease of being able to just hike and not have to spend hours (and I do mean hours) trying to find trail condition updates just to find something that can be hiked solo while the snow melts at a glacial pace up north. March and April are a nightmare. There is no easy way about it. You’re either hiking on rotting monorail and slush or not hiking. I had no choice but to move over a dozen hikes to the summer because of conditions in March and April and while it will make the next 4 ½ months insane, I just couldn’t keep fighting the internal battle anymore. I couldn’t keep spending hours trying to find some semblance of trail to hike or justify spending hours driving for less than six miles of hiking (especially when those six miles were an absolute nightmare). I stopped trying to control the weather and it was the best and hardest decision I’ve had to make in this project.
The last few hikes have been hard in a different way. Now that I’m no longer carrying an extra 5+ pounds of gear, my legs are too strong and my lungs and heart are being forced to play catchup. I can’t seem to find my pace anymore. I went from struggling to maintain 2mph elapsed time to ranging from 2.2 to 2.5mph elapsed (a difference of about 6 to 8 minutes per mile in pace). I’m welcoming the challenge, though, and am impressed that my body is able to contradict itself like this.
On day 115, I hit the 50% mark. It was on yet another day of slogging through mushy snow and slipping and sliding, postholing, and constantly having to switch out gear from snowshoes to spikes to bare booting. It happened in the most frustrating of trail conditions and that’s really just par for the course in terms of this hiking project. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
3/1/23 || White Mountains Trace Day One Hundred and Seven ||
March has come in like a lion. We got over 6” of fresh snow yesterday which means I got to spend the whole day in snowshoes. This is my new normal and I’m used to it with one exception - the massive blisters I have on the back of both my heels which feel fantastic when you’re wearing snowshoes (insert sarcasm). My goal for the day was three hikes. I got two done. Ascending Dickey Mountain, the trail was in rough shape. Two bare booters ahead of me (who were struggling significantly in the foot + of fresh snow) had churned up the trail pretty bad. After reaching the summit, my goal was a 2/10 of a mile unmarked view spur. This 2/10 of a mile was all I would be gaining in terms of new mileage even though I hiked almost 5 miles for the day. Snowshoes strapped onto my feet, and after spending several minutes scouting the open summit trying to find some semblance of a good path to reach the open ledge in the distance, and reaching out to my good friend Danielle for some intel from online, I decided to break my own route to the ledge from where it appeared to start based on Danielle’s intel. Somehow, I managed to blaze a route that very closely resembles the one another hiker took in summer. I was darn proud of myself. Drifts ranging from calf to hip deep and not knowing what I was walking on is something I never do because I’m pretty cautious as a solo hiker in winter. I felt confident. I felt safe. I felt proud. Then, I went over to Old Waterville Road Trail and had a heck of a time hiking this 2.49 miles because my heels were killing me. One more hike wasn’t happening as I got a late start and didn’t want to tear up my heels too much more so I have one more trail to complete still, Fletcher Cascade.
Daily Miles: 10
Daily Vert: 2,257’
Overall Miles: 1,109.62
Overall Vert: 323,086’
Trace: 47.8% -> 48%
Trails:
Dickey View Spur
Old Waterville Road Trail
3/6/23 || White Mountains Trace Day One Hundred and Eight ||
You failed. That’s what it felt like as I stood at the snow drifts that were almost taller than me where Burnbrae Trail reentered the woods off of Durand Rd. “I can’t climb up that, I’m going to sink up to my waist and then what?” Furious and defeated, I stomped towards the next trailhead off Durand, EZ Way, hoping that it would be broken enough that I could reenter there. Equally as high drifts of snow with no tracks to be seen. “I give up.” I took off my snowshoes, strapped them onto my pack, and started the long road walk back to my car feeling angry and really bad about myself.
This has been the first hike that I’ve really felt like a failure at since starting this journey back in June. With only half the trails completed for the day I didn’t clear a day of hiking off the calendar, which means I am in the same place as I was when I started the day, even if I hiked some of the trails. It felt horrible. And after choosing to bail on the traverse that I just did with Danielle because I didn’t feel safe crossing the ridge to meet up with Osseo, the day ended on a very sour note. But, I wanted to turn the day around. I wanted to find a way to make it a positive instead of a negative. Since starting this attempt, I’ve wanted to hike Landing Camp as my final trail (I’ve previously hiked it 2 other times) but traditionally everyone hikes a different trail to finish and Steve Smith finished on Landing Camp. I’ve wondered what trail speaks to me, what trail means a lot, a place that I can finish that is unique and represents my personality as a hiker. Despite not finishing the trails today, I found that trail.
Daily Miles: 3.88
Daily Vert: 412’
Overall Miles: 1,113.60
Overall Vert: 323,498’
Trace: 47.8% -> 48.1%
Trails:
Diagonal
Pasture Trail
EZ Way
Burnbrae Trail
Bluffway
Glenside
Groveway
Short Circuit
3/8/23 || White Mountains Trace Day One Hundred and Nine ||
Today was redemption for two failed hikes in a row. Monday, I ended my day feeling more than defeated after only being able to successfully navigate half the planned trails. In 2020, on my first trace attempt, I only made it ⅔ of the way up Osseo Trail, having to bail out at the view right at the steep part. This time, though, I powered up the trail in snowshoes, feeling confident and prepared. This is the 4th time I’ve hiked this trail, and although it’s certainly not my favorite, the stretch along the ridge before the final ascent is beautiful.
Daily Miles: 11.45
Daily Vert: 3206’
Overall Miles: 1,125.05
Overall Vert: 326,704’
Trace: 48.1% -> 48.4%
Trails:
Osseo Trail
3/12/23 || New England 100 Highest || Abraham & Ellen ||
Today was quite the slog. Danielle and I set out to do a traverse along the Long Trail in Vermont, hitting two peaks on the New England 100 Highest list - Abraham and Ellen. The first three miles were a dream along Battell Trail but once we started on the Long Trail, heading north, conditions deteriorated significantly. The snowpack was so high, that we found ourselves fighting through the treetops as the monorail was pushed into the branches. Along with fighting the trees, we were contending with an unpacked monorail and sticky spring snow which made the added 2 pounds of snowshoes even heavier. To say it was trying would be an understatement. As we trucked along at about a mile an hour pace, I thought to myself how very few people have attempted a thru-hike of the Long Trail in winter. And how so many west coast hikers underestimate east coast hiking because the peaks are lower in elevation. The Long Trail may be only 272 miles long and sit at a maximum elevation of less than 4500’, but it will kick your butt. It kicked ours today.
NEHH: 42 & 43
Peaks: Abraham & Ellen
Miles: 10.91
Elevation: 3574’
Overall Miles: 1135.96
Overall Elevation: 330,278’
3/20/23 || White Mountains Trace Day One Hundred and Eleven ||
I took seven days off from hiking before hitting Cannon today. It was nice to have time off. It was nice not to be stressing about getting the hikes done. Or watching the weather and trail reports constantly praying that the snow would melt so I could hit the AT west of Moosilauke (as I had planned for the week). Moving all my hikes from March to the summer was a huge relief. Any hike I do this month is just one more I can take off the summer calendar and one more chance at doing the rest of the 100 highest peaks as I had planned for this project. Cannon was harder than I remember. I haven’t done Hi Cannon Trail in a few years and forgot how steep it was. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do most of the Pemi Trail because it was so windblown and completely unbroken after the first bridge on the lake that I bailed onto the bike path. I’ll finish the last mile and a half in the summer. Overall, it was a really pretty day.
Daily Miles: 8.69
Daily Vert: 2887’
Overall Miles: 1,144.65
Overall Vert: 333,165’
Trace: 48.4% -> 48.7%
Summits: Cannon
NEHH: 44/100
Trails:
Hi Cannon Trail
Dodge Cutoff
Rim Trail
Short Trail
Kinsman Ridge Trail
Pemi Trail
3/27/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 112 ||
Mashed potatoes. Two peaks. Feeling incredibly weak today. The conditions were quite springlike and yet there is still so much snow. I had planned on doing this hike later in April along with a series of other trails, but given the fact that all my plans for March and April have been thrown out the window, I figured that I may as well do these hikes today and I’m very glad I did. Had I done them along with the ones I originally intended to do them with, I would’ve been really mad at myself. It was quite a lot more elevation then I recalled it being, and given the conditions I found myself slogging along at barely 1.7 mph all day. Speaking of mph, I’m over it. I’m really over trying to be fast and trying to prove to myself that I’m worthy of this attempt. I don’t like going fast most of the time because when I go fast I miss so much. I miss taking photos and videos. I miss stopping and really taking in my surroundings. And most of all I miss the whole point of this journey.
Daily Miles: 9.27
Daily Vert: 3023’
Overall Miles: 1,153.92
Overall Vert: 336,188’
Trace: 48.7% -> 49.1%
Trails:
UNH Trail
Allen’s Ledge
Mt. Potash Trail
3/29/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 113 ||
Another day in the snow. I’ve done all of the trails around and on Prospect Mountain three times now and twice in snow. I prefer it in summer. There are large patches of bare ground scattered all throughout the trees and it brings me hope. Hope that spring will come. That summer will as well. And that I am almost done hiking in winter conditions after spending almost five months in them. Prospect Mountain has amazing views of the Nash Stream Forest area and the Presidentials.
Daily Miles: 7.44
Daily Vert: 1642’
Overall Miles: 1,161.36
Overall Vert: 337,830’
Trace: 49.1% -> 49.5%
Trails:
Around The Mountain Trail
Old Carriage Road
Davidge Path
Mount Prospect Auto Road
Ken Jordan Nature Trail
4/3/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 114 ||
ALMOST 50%! Today was a very springy hike. I saw bare dirt, soft snow, and hard packed snow. The most recent trip report for the Moat Mountain Trail said bring snowshoes after South Moat, and I obliged. However the temperatures were cold enough that I ended up being able to walk on top of the snow sans snowshoes for the entire day, and only needed spikes a short distance on some icy ledges. The Moats, along with the Baldfaces, are in my opinion unsung heroes of the White Mountains. They offer incredible views and the alpine vegetation glows bright reds, oranges, and deep burgundy in fall. Every time I hike these peaks I’m awestruck. Today was a beautiful day.
Daily Miles: 8.70
Daily Vert: 3009’
Overall Miles: 1,170.06
Overall Vert: 340,839’
Trace: 49.5% -> 49.8%
Trails:
Moat Mountain Trail
4/5/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 115 || 50.1% TRACED ||
“This is the one where the girl stops shrinking herself to fit into the box that she created. This is the one where she lets herself grow.” There are no words. I never thought I would make it past day 34 without another cancer diagnosis and here I am celebrating over 50%. And although the last five weeks have been the most trying, frustrating, and demoralizing, I keep going. Because ultimately that’s all you have to do - Just Keep Going. (Even if you have to crawl)
Daily Miles: 6.93
Daily Vert: 1503’
Overall Miles: 1,176.99
Overall Vert: 342,342’
Trace: 49.8% -> 50.1%
Trails:
Forest Discovery Trail
Forest Discovery Loop
Lovequist Loop
Boulder Loop
Boulder Loop Spur
4/12/23 || White Mountain Trace Day 116 ||
Today I completed three individual hikes and was more than just a little excited that there was almost no snow! The trails that I hiked are all lower elevation and located in and around the Jefferson/Berlin area. I’ve done all three of these trails before, back in 2020, and after spending the better part of six months hiking in snow, I was so excited to be able to hike without the added weight on my feet or back. Subsequently, I flew through the hikes, completing all three by twelve-thirty, even with the added drives between trailheads and a half hour break before the final hike. I’m really excited to see how fast I can complete some of the hikes this summer. Apparently all that winter hiking has given me strength I never knew I had.
Daily Miles: 9.4
Daily Vert: 2652’
Overall Miles: 1186.39
Overall Vert: 344,994’
Trace: 50.1% -> 50.4%
Trails:
Boy Mountain Path
Crystal Mine Trail
Cates Hill Trail
Mount Jasper Trail
4/15/23 || White Mountain Trace Day 117 ||
Conditions today on a handful of trails in the Shelburne area were 90% snow free. I loved it. I loved the smell of the dirt underfoot. I loved the feeling of walking on the earth instead of on snow. And I loved the trails. They were less traveled, with thick moss and duff cushioning each step. It is exactly what I love about hiking. Being in the woods and wondering how many other people have seen what I’ve seen. I love being in the woods. It makes me feel like I’m home.
Daily Miles: 13.24
Daily Vert: 3506’
Overall Miles: 1199.63
Overall Vert: 348,500’
Trace: 50.4% -> 50.9%
Trails:
Scudder Trail
Yellow Trail
Middle Mountain Trail
Yellow Cable Car Bypass
Peabody Brook Trail
Gates Brook Trail
John’s Way
4/18/23 || White Mountain Trace Day 118 ||
Not the hike I wanted but it was the hike I got. Moat Mineral Trail and Thompson Falls are two trails I’ve done before and revisiting them today was nice. Thompson Falls is beautiful and highly underrated. After finishing these two trails as a loop it started to rain. Hiking in the rain isn’t something I love but I’ll do it if I have to. I headed over to Iron Mountain and almost got my car stuck on the road to the trailhead (Iykyk). Then after deciding not to keep going and to try a different hike, I headed to Winniweta Falls and checked out the stream crossing to see if it was doable. I probably would’ve been wading waist deep because of how high the water is right now so I called it a day. Every hike I do right now is a bonus. I moved all of April to the summer due to trail conditions so even though I only got one hike done, I’m content with that.
Daily Miles: 6.27
Daily Vert: 824’
Overall Miles: 1205.90
Overall Vert: 349,324’
Trace: 50.9% -> 51.1%
Trails:
Thompson Falls
Moat Mineral Trail
4/19/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 119 ||
This was my first time hiking Cathedral Ledge, ever. I’ve never been one to want to visit the popular areas of The Whites, which is why the majority of the trails I haven’t seen are ones that most have. It was a really nice day for a hike, and although chilly and spitting snow, I very much enjoyed the day. There really is nothing like walking on dirt, mud, rocks, and roots. I genuinely feel like all winter I was doing something else because to me hiking will always require touching the earth with my feet, smelling the soil with my nose, and feeling the sun warming my skin.
Walking on dirt, though, is causing me to have to relearn how to hike, to relearn how to pace myself, and how to be lighter on my feet. To fly over the tops of rocks, and to let my lungs keep up with my legs. It’s the usual spring transition that happens every year, but I don’t remember it being this hard before. Perhaps that’s because I’ve never spent so many days walking on snow in the past. Either way, I’m relishing this season.
Daily Miles: 6.83
Daily Vert: 1934’
Overall Miles: 1212.73
Overall Vert: 351,258’
Trace: 51.1% -> 51.4%
Trails:
Echo Lake
Bryce Path
Bryce Link
White Horse Ledge Trail
Red Ridge Link
4/25/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 120 ||
Today was less than ideal in terms of weather and trail conditions. There was still snow on Black Mountain, and I ended up having to posthole through knee deep rotting snow on the loop after the cabin. Normally this would be only moderately frustrating but with a sprained ankle I definitely didn’t want to exacerbate my injury too much. After that, I headed over to Bald Land Trail, one I’ve also done in 2020, and didn’t expect to see any snow given the fact that it’s a lower elevation trail in the woods. Once again, though, I found myself walking along a rotting monorail for short bits and then at the junction after the height of land, where the trail descends to East Branch Road, the snow became unavoidable. I didn’t want to risk further injury so chose to turn around and save that half mile out and back for when I do another hike in the area in a few weeks. There was a mist and light breeze all day, temperatures hovered around 40, and I was glad to get back to my car after almost nine miles and 2700’ of elevation.
Daily Miles: 8.97
Daily Vert: 2733’
Overall Miles: 1221.70
Overall Vert: 353,991’
Trace: 51.4% -> 51.7%
Trails:
Bald Land Trail
Scenic View Spur
Black Mountain Ski Trail
Black Mountain Cutoff
Eagle Mountain Path
4/26/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 121 ||
Today ended up being really nice. I’ve done all of the trails that I completed today in the past, so I knew what to expect, but they are some of my absolute favorite trails, so I was more than happy about redoing them. Brook Path is one of my favorite trails. It runs along the banks of Wonalancet River and it is just stunning. The whole Ferncroft area is breathtaking and almost like stepping back in time to a tiny village where everyone is part of a community and they’re all nature lovers. Red Path and Tilton Spring Path, and McGrillis Path are also stunning. The whole area is worth a visit. And the best part is how many of the trails are not steep and very doable for all skill levels.
Daily Miles: 14.64
Daily Vert: 2103’
Overall Miles: 1236.34
Overall Vert: 356,094’
Trace: 51.7% -> 52.3%
Trails:
Gordon Path
Red Path
Tilton Spring Trail
McGrillis Path
Pasture Path
Brook Path
4/28/23 || White Mountain Trace Day 122 ||
Today I did two separate hikes in the Chocorua area. I’ve done White Ledge before - in fact I saw a mama bear and her two babies when I did it last time - and then completed Hammond Trail just to the junction with Weetamoo Trail. Both trails are beautiful, but White Ledge just has a special feel to it. I’m trying to relearn how to pace myself on these hikes. My legs want to go faster than my lungs and heart, and I find myself averaging over 2.1 mph even with breaks and trying to slow down. Before, my average mph was 1.8 to 1.9 elapsed and I’d usually take about 35 minutes per mile uphill whereas now I’m averaging 28 minutes per mile uphill. It’s hard to adjust to this new pace for my heart and lungs, but I’m excited to feel the power in my legs after six+ months hiking in snow.
Daily Miles: 9.06
Daily Vert:
Overall Miles: 1236.34
Overall Vert: 356,094’
Trace: 52.3% -> 52.7%
Trails:
White Ledge Trail
Hammond Trail
