White Mountains Trace Days 147-180
I’ve fallen really behind on making these posts for my website but for continuity’s sake I am going to upload my daily journal entries, photos, and data up through my hikes to date. How my summer went and everything that has transpired since my last blog post can be found here and here.
6/27/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 147 ||
Today I traversed the Kinsman Ridge and now have only one more hike left to finish off the Cannon tab. The weather has been more than frustrating the last few weeks, and all of the rain is making it hard to plan some hikes for me. I have several hikes in the northern presidentials that are just plain dangerous to do in wet conditions. I can get in my own head about this. I can let this feeling of anxiety overwhelm me and it’s debilitating. What if I can’t finish? What if the rain never ends? But those thoughts aren’t productive. So I remind myself to just do today. And by doing that, I’m one step closing to the finish.
Daily Miles: 11.61
Daily Vert: 4055’
Overall Miles: 1560.41
Overall Vert: 434.402’
Trace: 72% -> 72.8%
Trails:
Reel Brook Trail
Kinsman Ridge Trail
Mount Kinsman Trail
Bald Mountain Spur
Flume Spur
6/29/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 148 ||
Three separate hikes today. Finished off Bald Land Trail, traversed Kearsarge North, and out-and-backed Province Brook. The fire tower on Kearsarge North was as stunning in real life as I imagined it would be. The shelter on Province Brook is more than worth a revisit for an overnight. And Weeks Brook was not my favorite trail despite being what I usually enjoy - rough, less traveled, and overgrown.
Daily Miles: 12.6
Daily Vert: 3558’
Overall Miles: 1573.01
Overall Vert: 437,960’
Trace: 72.8% -> 73.5%
Trails:
Kearsarge North Trail
Weeks Brook Trail
Province Brook Trail
Bald Land Trail
6/30/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 149 ||
What a slog. Have I mentioned how much I don’t do well in heat and humidity? If not then I’m mentioning it now. I don’t do well in heat and humidity. Drank well over 4 liters of water and two electrolyte packets today and still feel depleted. It’s hard to hike when you’re trying not to overexert yourself. But I did it, and I went at the pace that felt just hard enough to equal a workout today. These are all new trails for me except Mast Rd Trail, but I knew that Walden Trail can be draining because of all the ups and downs. As I finished off the day on Old Mast Road, though, the sun poured through the leaves and “Down in the Valley” played through my earbuds. I was transferred back in time to my second summer hiking. I smiled and felt 100% happy to be out there in the trees with all of the smells, sights, and sounds of summer permeating my senses.
Daily Miles: 9.58
Daily Vert: 3608’
Overall Miles: 1582.59
Overall Vert: 441,568’
Trace: 73.5% -> 74.2%
Trails:
Wonalancet Range Trail
Wonalancet Shortcut
Walden Trail
Old Mast Rd
7/3/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 150 ||
A traverse of the Appalachian Trail in the Wentworth area today meant that I only had to focus on going straight (with the exception of the two short spurs at the beginning of the day). It felt good to “check out” and not have to think for a few hours, but then halfway through the day the mud started. It takes more concentration to hike fast across muddy trails. It means a lot more slipping and sliding, carefully placed footing on wet, slippery bog bridges, and a 100% chance of being a mess by the end of the day. I couldn’t help but think about all of the people that are out there on the AT right now dealing with this mess. I feel bad for them. I know that money and time are huge factors that drive them forward despite the crappy conditions, but I can’t imagine it’s fun for them. There’s one thing to hike in mud all day and get to go home and dry off and get into comfy clothes, it’s a whole other thing to literally be living in it. I’ve crossed the line between type 2 and type zero fun before so I know where it is for me and I choose to make a conscious effort not to cross it if I can help it. I just hope this rain stops so that all of us out there in the woods can start having a lot more type 2 and a lot less type zero fun.
Daily Miles: 12
Daily Vert: 2978’
Overall Miles: 1594.59
Overall Vert: 444,546’
Trace: 74.2% -> 74.9%
Trails:
Atwell Hill Trail
Ore Hill Trail
Ore Hill Tentsite
Webster Slide Trail
Wachipauka Pond Trail
Wachipauka Pond Spur
7/5/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 151 ||
Today I took on one of the many hikes in the Presidentials that I have left. The entire east side of the northern presis is covered with trails that I have yet to explore and I’m not ashamed to say I’m intimidated by these trails. I hiked a loop today up Glen Boulder Trail (which I haven’t done since 2017) and down Boott Spur Trail. I was pleasantly surprised that while I was going slower, I wasn’t feeling overwhelmed or exhausted by the relentless elevation gain on Glen Boulder. This loop was gorgeous. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in an easy to follow loop that doesn’t necessarily involve a 4000’er but offers spectacular views. Going up either trail is doable, but Boott Spur has a ladder on one section that might feel safer ascending for some people.
Daily Miles: 7.78
Daily Vert: 3637’
Overall Miles: 1602.37
Overall Vert: 448,183’
Trace: 74.9% -> 75.4%
Trails:
Direttissma
Glen Boulder
Davis Path
Boott Spur
Glen Boulder Spring Spur
7/6/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 152 ||
Today I did another series of trails in the Presidential area, this time a loop on Madison. I’ve done all the trails in this area before with the exception of Great Gully and a small part of Spur Trail now. Howker Ridge Trail is one that I’ve done before, back in 2020, and Pine Link I’ve done at least 2 other times. But Watson Path was brand new to me above treeline. I felt a bit sad on this hike because in the book Not Without Peril, a story is told about a man and his son and son’s friend hiking Watson Path. The weather conditions were treacherous and the father ended up passing away on top of Mount Madison because he got hypothermia and couldn’t be reached in time by the hut croo members attempting to rescue him. On this day, the weather was pristine and with the exception of sweating a ton and a sunburn, I had a wonderful day.
Daily Miles: 8.79
Daily Vert: 4456’
Overall Miles: 1611.16
Overall Vert: 452,639’
Trace: 75.4% -> 75.8%
Trails:
Howker Ridge Trail
Pine Link
Watson Path
The Brookside
Kelton Trail
Sylvan Way
Randolph Path
7/7/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 153 ||
Today, after spending two days in the Presidential area, I decided to do an “easier” hike on the Appalachian Trail south of Moosilauke. I’m not sure if it was the temperatures and humidity or the fact that I didn’t eat a ton before bed the night before, but I was struggling all day. I felt like my pack weighed 100 pounds, and as though I was moving at a snail’s pace. Despite only having to do 12 miles and 3100’ of climbing, I ended the day exhausted, hangry, and frustrated. It has been a long time since I pushed myself to the brink of tears on trail and today I came close. I’m pretty sure I was overly hungry, because I went to McDonalds and got a burger and fries, then went home and ate two hotdogs and still felt hungry. I’m glad that I have the option to get food like this after a long three days of hiking. I think a lot about thru-hikers and feel bad that they can’t get this kind of food every day. Especially when they’re burning more calories than I am. I have one more hike in this area of the state and am very excited to finish.
Daily Miles: 12.18
Daily Vert: 3188’
Overall Miles: 1623.34
Overall Vert: 455,827’
Trace: 75.8% -> 76.5%
Trails:
Moose Mountain Trail
Moose Mountain Shelter Loop
Holt’s Ledge Trail
Trapper John Shelter Spur
Dorchester Road AT Section
7/11/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 154 ||
Today I did a very short hike on the Cross Rivendell Trail because I woke up late. Originally I had been holding onto this hike for a crappy weather day, but after waking up at 7, I decided I may as well just do this hike. One of the things that I have always found odd about hiking all the trails in the guidebook is that it’s not ALL the trails in the northern part of New Hampshire. There are these random pieces of trail that you have to do because they’re listed in the guidebook, but are only small sections of entire sections of trail. I don’t like this. I think it makes no sense. If they’re going to have the guidebook be a challenge, I think it should include every single trail not included in the southern New Hampshire guidebook. But that’s just me. Anyways, it was a good day.
Daily Miles: 6.20
Daily Vert: 1248’
Overall Miles: 1629.54
Overall Vert: 457,073’
Trace: 76.5% -> 76.8%
Trails:
Cross Rivendell Trail, Sunday Mountain Section
7/12/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 155 ||
Today was beautiful. I headed above treeline on one of the few nice days in this week’s forecast, and tackled Lions Head Trail as well as a few small pieces of other trails. I had expected it to be bright blue skies, but as the day progressed clouds began to roll in and winds picked up. I ended up cutting my hike short, but not because of the weather. I realized that I would be able to tack the Alpine Garden Trail to another really short day that I had set up, and happily bounded down the waterfall/Tuckerman's Ravine Trail. The alpine flowers are in full bloom and the ravine is bright green. What a beautiful day to be outside.
Daily Miles: 7.58
Daily Vert: 3307’
Overall Miles: 1637.12
Overall Vert: 460,380’
Trace: 76.8% -> 76.9%
Trails:
Tuckerman's Ravine Trail
Huntington Ravine Trail
Huntington Ravine Fire Trail
Raymond Path
Lion’s Head Trail
Alpine Garden Trail
7/13/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 156 ||
Today was harder than I thought it was going to be. I NEED to stop relying on Gaia to calculate elevation and mileage because it has been off without fail on 90% of my routes. I know that there are always going to be discrepancies but when it’s off by as much as 1,000’ I am over it. I have even taken the time to sit down and count topo lines to see what is off, my watch or gaia, and it is always gaia. Anyways, I got the hike done, I’ve done all of these trails over two times before today so none of this is new in terms of my overall hiking experience but I haven’t done them since 2021 or 2020. Cabot Spring Spur is now very well brushed out and has a sign.
Daily Miles: 13.85
Daily Vert: 4582’
Overall Miles: 1650.07
Overall Vert: 464,962’
Trace: 76.9% -> 77.9%
Trails:
York Pond Trail
Kilkenny Ridge
Terrace Spur
Cabot Spring Spur
Cabot Summit Spur
The Horn Spur
Unknown Pond Tentsite
Unknown Pond Trail
7/14/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 157 ||
Today was supposed to be an easy day. I love how now I categorize hikes that I would consider hard enough that I’d only do one per week a few years ago as easy now. They aren’t easy, they’re just easier compared to the hikes in the Northern Presidentials. I’ve done this loop a few times now but it has been a few years. I’m still in shock that I’ve hiked all of the trails in that area (almost) now. It will always feel surreal that this chubby nonathlete is the one who did these things.
Daily Miles: 12.29
Daily Vert: 4130’
Overall Miles: 1663.26
Overall Vert: 469,092’
Trace: 77.9% -> 78.7%
Trails:
Blueberry Ledge Trail
Blueberry Ledge Cutoff
Rollins Trail
Diceys Mill Trail
Walden Trail
Passaconaway View Spur
7/18/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 158 ||
Tripyramids today via the slides. This was the first time I’ve done the North slide and it was a bit slick at the beginning because of how much rain we’ve been getting. I was pleasantly surprised at how “easy” this trail was for me. I had expected it to be a sufferfest, but somehow I was strong enough to complete the 1200’ in .5 miles with no issues except when trying to avoid the mossy/slimy/wet rock slabs at the beginning. The ridge was as it always has been the many times I’ve hiked these peaks (which have been some of my favorites) and then the descent on south Slide was longer than I had expected. Finally, I emerged onto Livermore Trail and made the long walk back to the road, found Mad River Path, hiked that, and made it back to my car right before a massive thunderstorm hit.
Daily Miles: 14.50
Daily Vert: 3619’
Overall Miles: 1677.76
Overall Vert: 472,711’
Trace: 78.7% -> 79.1%
Trails:
Cascade Path
Norway Rapids Trail
Livermore Trail
Mount Tripyramid Trail
Mad River Path
7/19/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 159 ||
A bigger day in the northern presidential area today. I’ve been putting off this hike knowing it was going to be a bit of a slog but honestly it wasn’t half as bad as I thought it was going to be. Apparently 5000’ days are now not as horrible as they used to be? I had missed .2 miles of Israel Ridge Trail last summer which added .8 miles one way of hiking and 600’ of climbing to the day, a real testament to the importance of being meticulous in keeping track of whether or not a certain piece of trail is part of the day’s plans. Tracing is all about paying attention to details, it’s just as much a game of the mind as it is a game of the body. Falling on Gray Knob and cutting my knee sucked, but there was nowhere to go but forward so I slapped on a bandaid and climbed another 1400’ and threw down another 7 miles before closing out the day.
Daily Miles: 12.37
Daily Vert: 5289’
Overall Miles: 1690.13
Overall Vert: 478,000’
Trace: 79.1% -> 79.6%
Trails:
Lowe’s Path
Gray Knob
Israel Ridge
Perch Path
Gulfside
Hincks Path
Chandler Falls
Randolph Path
Log Cabin Cutoff
7/21/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 160 ||
Today was my last hike in my 30s. I also finished the Moosilauke tab for my overall trace (not the 15 month attempt). The last trail that I did was Beaver Brook Trail and it was pretty incredible to see all of the work done on that trail to put in all of those wooden steps. I ascended from the north side of the mountain, on Tunnel Brook Trail to Benton Trail. This is a really nice trail. If I had to pick my favorite trail on Moosilauke, though, I would pick Hurricane Trail. My least favorite trail is Glencliff. I also really like Carriage Road and Gorge Brook. It rained almost the whole day and I saw a few thru-hikers, both north and southbounders.
Daily Miles: 7.64
Daily Vert: 3421’
Overall Miles: 1697.77
Overall Vert: 481,421’
Trace: 79.6% -> 80.2%
Trails:
Tunnel Brook Trail
Benton Trail
Beaver Brook Trail
Beaver Brook Tentsite
7/24/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 161 ||
For my 40th birthday I decided to tackle the trail that loomed in my memory from 2020 as a complete nightmare - The Ice Gulch. In 2020, I went up the gulch and part way through a thunderstorm struck. On top of that, I didn’t read the guidebook description thoroughly enough and thought that this would be an easy .9 miles. It ended up taking over an hour to complete and at one point I felt so overwhelmed by the lack of blazes and massive rock scrambles that I even turned around and was going to backtrack. Eventually I found the trail and kept going but it was horrible. Today, I went down the gulch (which is way easier), hiked it in perfect weather, and was pretty underwhelmed by it. I can’t believe how much I have grown as a hiker in the last three years. More specifically, in the last 13 months, I’ve become so comfortable on trail that I rarely get scared anymore. I have a healthy level of respect for the mountains and I know that it is them (not me) that calls the shots out there, but after everything I’ve done in the last few years, I feel like I can finally say I am a pretty strong hiker. One more thing, today I was supposed to do the Boothman Spring Cut Off but it is closed. I’ve done it before, back in 2020, but for this 15 month attempt I haven’t been able to do it. Not sure if it’ll be open by my end date, but if not, I’ll just go back and hike it later again to get the GPX for it.
Daily Miles: 7.62
Daily Vert: 1849’
Overall Miles: 1705.39
Overall Vert: 483,270’
Trace: 80.2% -> 80.6%
Trails:
Ice Gulch Path
Peboamuck Loop
Peek Path
Cook Path
7/25/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 162 ||
Today I did a hike I did back in 2020 w/ my friend Danielle - Castle Ravine. In 2020, I was TERRIFIED to do any of the ravine trails. I don’t like heights and for some reason I was really scared to do the different ravines alone back then because they are all hyped up to be terrifying. Well, I was once again underwhelmed today when doing what three years ago was terrifying. I have done all of the trails in the Appalachia section of the White Mtn. Guidebook now twice with the exception of 1 mile of Watson Path, Great Gully Trail (1 mile), Spur Trail (1.1 miles) and the Subway (.1 miles). The trails that are some of the most intimidating to plan out, the ones that I originally gave up planning in 2019 and threw in the towel because of their complexity, I’ve now done two times (or more for many of them). As I come closer to finishing my first round of tracing, I can’t help but see how much I’ve grown as a hiker. It’s really, really amazing. I might not be fast or have good hand-eye coordination, I definitely won’t ever be a trail runner because I fall enough as it is, but I am a strong hiker. I’m really good at navigating and I know these trails. And my goal is to know them so well that I have them etched onto the soles of my feet.
Daily Miles: 11.33
Daily Vert: 4406’
Overall Miles: 1716.72
Overall Vert: 487,676’
Trace: 80.2% -> 81%
Trails:
Castle Trail
Israel Ridge Trail
Castle Ravine Trail
The Link
Jefferson Loop
Gulfside Trail
Six Husbands Trail
The Cornice
7/28/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 163 ||
Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do and sometimes you are going to be really uncomfortable but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do the thing. That’s what cancer taught me. And every single time I have a bad day, I remind myself while I’m out there in pain or misery that it’s temporary and I can do it. That it’s ok to cry. The Dry River Wilderness is certainly an area that will leave its impression on you. And I’ve done all of it now (some pieces multiple times, even). Two roughest trails are Dry River Trail and Dry River Cutoff. Mount Eisenhower Trail is a dream and Mt. Clinton Trail is pretty nice too. I hiked down mount washington today and then back up it. It was a really strange and humbling experience to do over 4700’ of climbing during the second half of the day, but even though I broke a trekking pole in half and fell multiple times, I got it done. BTW, there’s a reason I don’t trail run. I can’t even trail walk without falling.
Daily Miles: 13
Daily Vert: 4710’
Overall Miles: 1729.72
Overall Vert: 492,386’
Trace: 81% -> 81.6%
Trails:
Tuckerman Ravine Trail
Camel Trail
Lawn Cutoff
Davis Path
Crawford Path
Dry River Trail
Dry River Falls
Mt. Eisenhower Trail
Tuckerman Crossover
7/31/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 164 ||
I decided to take it easy today and headed over to the Franconia Notch to close out the “Cannon Tab.” This is the second tab I’ve closed for my 15 month FKT attempt and the third one I’ve closed for my lifetime tracing. It was a nice day and didn’t start sprinkling until the very end. I’ve never seen Basin Cascade Trail before and was impressed by all the water features. It was a heavily trafficked area and I was thankful for the less traveled Pemi Trail that took me back to my car at the Flume parking lot. It’s bittersweet to realize that I have seen all the trails now in this area, but doesn’t mean I’m done exploring them. I’ve done Fishing Jimmy Trail over a half dozen times (almost all in winter) and I can’t wait to re-hike Kinsman Pond Trail and Cascade Brook again.
Daily Miles: 11.44
Daily Vert: 2902’
Overall Miles: 1741.16
Overall Vert: 495,288’
Trace: 81.6% -> 82.1%
Trails:
Cascade Brook Trail
Pemi Trail
Kinsman Pond Trail
Fishing Jimmy Trail
Around Lonesome Lake Trail
Basin Cascades Trail
Franconia Rec Path
Whitehouse Trail
8/2/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 165 ||
I pulled this one out of the depths of my soul. The last few weeks, or over a month, I’ve lost track of time, I’ve been struggling hard. I don’t want to get out of bed, I don’t want to go hiking, and I’m so burnt out. But I am also determined to finish this by my goal date. So I got myself out the door and did a 14.5 mile hike in 6 hours up and over Moosilauke with Al Merrill Loop as an added bonus. Reflecting on how I’ve been feeling, I realize that my anxiety about not finishing is what is creating the difficulty about getting out the door. I have a solid 8 hikes that are scary to me and because I’m determined to do them before I let myself do the fun hikes, I keep not hiking when I should be. I give myself little treats, like Moosilauke, calling them easy days when they’re anything but easy, and yet I’m not sore, I’m just tired and ready for the next chapter to start. September can’t come soon enough. I wanted to do this to myself, I wanted to push myself this hard and I’m glad I am. But right now I’m scared and overwhelmed by the handful of days I have left in the Northern Presis and it’s tainting all the rest of the days.
Daily Miles: 14.53
Daily Vert: 3691’
Overall Miles: 1755.69
Overall Vert: 498,979’
Trace: 82.1% -> 82.8%
Trails:
Al Merrill Loop
Asquam Ridge Trail
Beaver Brook Trail
Gorge Brook Trail
8/5/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 166 ||
Today was a really nice day. It was one of the nicest days I’ve had in weeks. Heading into my favorite wilderness and spending time among the trees revived me. I’ve never hiked the Desolation Trail and it was beautiful. Then finishing the final section of Carrigain Notch Trail to Stillwater Junction reminded me why I do this. With less than 30 hikes left in this journey I have about 8 that have been dictating how I feel about the rest. The stress of the northern presidentials and getting those hikes done during one of the wettest summers I can recall is ruining all the other hikes for me. But I’m determined not to let them do that anymore. There are different kinds of hikers looking for different things out there in the woods. I will always be looking for the history, the old and forgotten, the less traveled, and while I can see beauty on every trail (even the ones that feel super frustrating or pointless) I am drawn to the places where history was made (both the good and the bad).
Daily Miles: 15.21
Daily Vert: 4107’
Overall Miles: 1770.90
Overall Vert: 503,086’
Trace: 82.8% -> 83.3%
Trails:
Desolation Trail
Carrigain Notch Trail
Signal Ridge Trail
8/7/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 167 ||
Today was a nice day. I had a bunch of trails over in the Randolph Town Forest to do and I was able to get all of them done! It felt really good to do them all and be able to avoid the rain. YUP! We’re back to rain again. This is the summer of rain. I have 8 hikes that I need to do in the northern presidentials and not one of them is safe to do in wet conditions. I’m really hoping that we have 8 dry days so I can get them done. It’s coming down to the wire and I’m becoming a bit anxious to finish this dang thing.
Daily Miles: 11.57
Daily Vert: 2756’
Overall Miles: 1782.47
Overall Vert: 505,842’
Trace: 83.3% -> 83.9%
Trails:
Town Line Brook Trail
Church Path
Pasture Path
Wood Path
EZ Way
Will’s Way
The Diagonal
Grassy Lane
Beeline
Ledge Trail
Four Soldiers Path
Mt. Crescent Trail
8/10 & 8/11/23 || White Mountains Trace Days 168 - 169 ||
The last two days I did an overnight in the Grafton Notch area. I’ve done the Grafton Loop Trail (west side) before and was really blown away by how much trail work has been done to clean it up since 2019. There is now only one small stretch of overgrown trail on this 13 mile stretch. A huge shoutout goes to the individual(s) maintaining this trail for how much they’ve done to clear the footpath. On day one, I set out to do a short stretch of trail from Grafton Notch to Speck Pond Shelter. It was nice to get to the shelter earlier in the day (2pm) and beat the droves of thru-hikers that showed up a few hours after me. I’ve never stayed in a shelter with thru-hikers before and am REALLY glad I had earplugs. Then day two I retraced my steps for the first 1.1 miles (and 900’ of climbing) and started the Grafton Loop. It was nice to spend the second day without seeing a soul. Spending the night at the shelter with so many people just continued to solidify my desire for solo hiking (and backpacking).
Daily Miles: 21.19
Daily Vert: 7200’
Overall Miles: 1803.66
Overall Vert: 513,042’
Trace: 83.9% -> 85.3%
Trails:
Grafton Loop Trail
Eyebrow Trail
Old Speck Trail
Mahoosuc Trail
Bull Run Campsite
Slide Campsite
Sargent Brook Campsite
Bald Mtn. Campsite
8/14/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 170 ||
Today I did a route I’ve done before (basically) back in 2020. I remember Rattle River Trail (which is part of the AT) being much steeper back then, and after just two days carrying my overnight kit switching to just day hiking gear felt like nothing. But for some reason my stomach was off all day so I barely ate. Shelburne-Moriah did not disappoint and whoever maintains Shelburne Trail has done some phenomenal trail maintenance on it which made for a really pleasant end to the day.
Daily Miles: 12.85
Daily Vert: 4250’
Overall Miles: 1816.51
Overall Vert: 517,292’
Trace: 85.3% -> 85.9%
Trails:
Shelburne Trail
Rattle River Trail
Kenduskeag Trail
8/16/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 171 ||
A shorter day today because I am doing the Mahoosuc Notch tomorrow and along with driving over 5 hours back to back days, I didn’t want to hike into the evening the day before a long day in Maine. Today’s hike was really nice. I remembered Mill Brook Trail as being quite a mess back in 2020, but it has had a substantial amount of trailwork done to it and now it looks really nice! The crew was out there this morning working on some of the other trails in the area and I was pleasantly surprised by how great the Kilkenny Ridge looked as well. They’ve widened the footbed, added some more boards and rocks in the wet areas, and I have to say I’m pretty impressed!
Daily Miles: 7.93
Daily Vert: 1846’
Overall Miles: 1824.44
Overall Vert: 519,138’
Trace: 85.9% -> 86.4%
Trails:
Unknown Pond Trail
Kilkenny Ridge Trail
Mill Brook Trail
8/21/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 172 ||
Today was the first day that I have hiked in 4 days. Last week, I got super overwhelmed and all of the driving I’ve been doing finally caught up with me. So I booked a tent site up north for the week, loaded up my car with all my car camping stuff, and am going to try really hard to stay focused on one hike at a time so that I don’t get overwhelmed with the task ahead. What amazes me is that it’s not my muscles that are failing, it’s my joints. After all these miles and all this climbing, I just have to get through the next month. One day at a time.
Daily Miles: 11.48
Daily Vert: 3773’
Overall Miles: 1835.92
Overall Vert: 522,911’
Trace: 86.4% -> 86.7%
Trails:
Glen Boulder Trail
Davis Path
Isolation East
Rocky Branch North
8/22/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 173 ||
Today was a two-fer. First, I headed up to Diamond Peaks for my redemption. In 2020, I set out on day 1 of my whole journey to finish off my day on this trail. I was carried away by mosquitoes, and ran (literally) back to my car. In 2022, I attempted this trail again and the same thing happened. Today, I went prepared with a bug net, spray, and a late summer start on a windy day and finally got the 1.1 miles of trail that I needed! Then, I drove south to complete another piece of the Mahoosuc Trail up to Mount Hayes. What a beautiful day to be outside. The sun was shining and although it started off in the 40s it ended in the high 70s with the sun shining overhead. Mascot Pond is gorgeous.
Daily Miles:14.31
Daily Vert: 2982’
Overall Miles: 1850.23
Overall Vert: 525,893’
Trace: 86.7% -> 87%
Trails:
Diamond Peaks
Mahoosuc Trail
Popsy Spring
Mascot Pond
8/23/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 174 ||
Today Danielle gave me a carspot so that I could do a traverse across the Mahoosuc Ridge. Yesterday, I closed out the Northern NH tab for my lifetime tracing and today I closed out the Mahoosuc one for lifetime. I still have one more hike in the Mahoosuc area to complete it for my current attempt. I was worried that today was going to be slow because the Mahoosuc Trail is rough in some areas, but it ended up being really nice and I didn’t need as much as I thought I did at the end of my day for extra trails in the lower Mahoosuc area so I got to go home after finishing my hike! I have been sleeping up north in my car the last two nights and there is nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed. Success summit is gorgeous and I attempted to find the plane crash but went down what was apparently a random herdpath not the actual herdpath to the site and decided to just call it and keep going on my regular quest.
Daily Miles: 10.75
Daily Vert: 2845’
Overall Miles: 1860.98
Overall Vert: 528,738’
Trace: 87% -> 87.5%
Trails:
Success Trail
Mahoosuc Trail
Austin Brook Trail
Gates Brook Trail
8/24/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 175 ||
This is the fourth day in a row with sunshine and I genuinely don’t remember when that last happened. I decided to finally rip off the bandaid and head to the only wilderness I’ve yet to visit - The Great Gulf Wilderness. This rugged area is situated on the eastern slopes of the northern presidentials. The goal of the day was to hike down into the wilderness from the summit of Mount Washington and then hike back up the Great Gulf Trail which gains 1600’ of elevation in .8 miles. It was beautiful. The majority of the Great Gulf Trail is in and out of a waterfall, and there are very few trail markers. I descended down Sphinx Trail and this trail was overgrown, mossy, wet, and beautiful. I’ve avoided this area of The Whites because it is unknown to me and intimidating. But after today, I’m excited to see what else is in store as I work through the remaining trails that are situated in this region.
Daily Miles: 6.93
Daily Vert: 3105’
Overall Miles: 1867.91
Overall Vert: 531,843’
Trace: 87.5% -> 87.8%
Trails:
Tuckerman Ravine
Southside Trail
Westside Trail
Mount Clay Loop
Gulfside Trail
Sphinx Trail
Great Gulf Trail
8/28/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 176 ||
Today I did a long traverse that I haven’t done since 2019. The Twin/Bond traverse is one of my favorite hikes in The Whites because it brings you into one of my favorite wildernesses and over the tops of some of the most stunning peaks I’ve ever seen. I was really lucky to have such stellar weather and although it was a bit chilly to start it warmed right up. There were only a few people on the summit of each peak I crossed (5 total) and I forgot how long of a descent it is to Guyot Tentsite, but all in all it was a perfect day to be outside.
Daily Miles: 19.42
Daily Vert: 4960’
Overall Miles: 1887.33
Overall Vert: 536,803’
Trace: 87.8% -> 89.1%
Trails:
Twinway
North Twin Spur
North Twin Trail
Bondcliff Trail
Guyot Tentsite Spur
West Bond Spur
8/29/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 177 ||
Today was REALLY hard. After doing almost 20 miles yesterday and almost 5000’ of elevation, the idea of adding another 4k of vert and 11 miles to my feet made me want to cringe a bit as I rolled into the parking lot. My friend Danielle carspotted for me and I was able to close out another tab for my lifetime tracing and reach the 94% mark for my lifetime. However, my feet were chafed to shreds because they were wet all day. I’ve had several people recommend sock liners and chafe products. I suppose I should stop walking through the streams with my shoes on but this has been the only time this year I’ve chafed this bad so I’m hoping that this is a one and done for the 2023 summer season at least. McCrillis was quite a steep hike (not surprisingly) and Tom Wiggin wasn’t half as bad as I thought it would be given all the warning signs at both junctions.
Daily Miles: 11.31
Daily Vert: 4033’
Overall Miles: 1898.64
Overall Vert: 540,836’
Trace: 89.1% -> 89.4%
Trails:
McCrillis Trail
Blueberry Ledge Trail
Tom Wiggin Trail
Blueberry Ledge Cutoff
Dicey’s Mill Trail
9/1/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 178 ||
Today was a beautiful day. The weather couldn’t have been nicer. I am so lucky to have such a reliable and down for anything driver for carspots! Today she and I drove part way up the auto road on Mount Washington so that I didn’t have to walk 1,000’ up the auto road back to my car at the end of one of the three separate hikes I had planned for the day. Wamsutta Trail wasn’t my favorite, nor was Chandler Brook. But Alpine Garden and Nelson Crag were stunning. I haven’t done any of these trails yet so it was really nice to see some new things but at the same time the unknown intimidates me (even now after all these miles). Once I do a trail, though, even if it’s scary to me the first time, I’m usually not scared of it anymore. Even the ones that have major reputations for being scary, the second time around are never as bad as you think they’re going to be.
Daily Miles: 7.2
Daily Vert: 2925’
Overall Miles: 1905.84
Overall Vert: 543,761’
Trace: 89.4% -> 89.8%
Trails:
Wamsutta Trail
Chandler Brook
Great Gulf Trail
Alpine Garden Trail
Nelson Crag
Huntington Ravine
Lions Head
Tuckerman Ravine
9/5/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 179 ||
Today was stiflingly hot. I’m so used to worrying about whether or not it’s going to rain, I forgot to care about if it was not going to rain, how hot it might be. I set out to tackle Brunel Trail and Mount Tremont, two new pieces of trail to me, and despite the heat the weather was really nice. The summit of Mount Tremont had some really pretty views and Mount Tremont Trail had some really incredible water features towards the bottom that I really wanted to wade in. It would be worth going back to see these waterfalls even if I wasn’t going to summit the mountain. But by the end of the hike I was spent and just wanted to get home so instead of hanging out I opted to leave.
Daily Miles: 9.04
Daily Vert: 2651’
Overall Miles: 1914.88
Overall Vert: 546,412’
Trace: 89.8% -> 90.3%
Trails:
Brunel Trail
Owl’s Cliff Spur
Mount Tremont Trail
9/11/23 || White Mountains Trace Day 180 ||
Today I did a traverse over Attitash Trail and then two smaller hikes (which I’ve done before). This was my first time doing Attitash Trail and although I really liked the 3(ish) miles from Bear Notch Road until just after Table Mountain, the trail was at times frustrating and at others just plain annoying descending towards Moat Mountain Trail junction. The trail was definitely the definition of PUDS (only instead of pointless I call them perpetual because they never end). Additionally this was the first time in all my years hiking in the White Mountains that a trail was a mile less in length than the guidebook and trail signs. I’m not sure if they did some trailwork to cut out a mile of trail but that would be the only explanation for the mile difference since my watch was accurate for every other piece of trail today. Anyways, it was a nice day and didn’t start raining until the very end.
Daily Miles: 11.80
Daily Vert: 2956’
Overall Miles: 1926.68
Overall Vert: 549,368’
Trace: 90.3% -> 90.9%
Trails:
Attitash Trail
Moat Mountain Trail
River and Rail Trail
Church Pond Trail
