I am writing from the middle of a tent. Well, to be honest, any place in this tent could probably be considered the middle. It’s cold out. I have thermals on plus my puffy jacket. I’m still chilly, cold enough to be able to see my breath. Last night I journaled on a comfy bed in the condo. The window was cracked to let in the right amount of cool night air. I’m not sure which environment I prefer. Each offers its’ own unique set of comforts and challenges. No matter where I sit, I want to exercise gratitude for the blessings that allowed me to get there. Earlier today as we hiked on a ridge line, mountains surrounded us. I felt honored to be where I was. I could have been born in any sort of family, in any country, with any kinds of traditions. However, I was given a particular life and set of advantages. There are millions upon millions of people who will never be able to experience what I did today. I am honored.
We woke up early(ish), around 6:30a. The plan was to leave at 8a and get breakfast. The diner is a better part of a mile down the street from the condo and it was the opposite way than what we needed to hitch. So we left the packs and decided to pick them up after breakfast. It also gave us a few minutes post stuffing our faces to let the food settle. At about 10:30a Snow Monkey finally convinced us all we needed to go. No one really wanted too. The condo had sucked us in. It was too comfortable.
We stood on the street for probably twenty minutes with our thumbs out. Finally a shuttle driver pulled over. Thinking he’d want cash, we cautiously approached his van. He didn’t want money. He is a previous thru-hiker (trail name “Drifter”). He said something like, “I make my living off of shuttles from the resorts, etc. When I see thru-hikers, I try to help them out. Plus is keeps me connected on what’s happening on the trail.” When he dropped us off, there was another thru-hiker trying to hitch into town. He yelled out that he’d be with him in a minute. This kindness never seems to stop surprising me. People are so generous. It’s an awesome standard they’ve set for us to live up to.
We had a .7 mile walk to get back to the AT. Once there, we only had 9.6 miles planned for the day. They would be a tough 9.6 though. With almost 4,800 feet of elevation gain in that stretch, we would spend a lot of the day headed up. This is our first day in the Whites with full packs. I was expecting a miserable day. I expected my feet would want to fall off and my body would be barely moving up the mountain. I was half right on all of that. It was a hard day. Our pace was very, very slow. My legs eventually felt tired. Surprisingly, though, we made it almost all of the way up without a serious break. It was 2:30p before I finally pulled us off to have lunch.
Just after lunch we broke the tree line. We were hiking Franconia Ridge – a famous ridge line known for it’s amazing 360 degree views. This stretch of the trail was almost indescribable. I will try regardless. It’s a series of mountain peaks, everything is exposed. The air was cold, I put on two of my three warm layers. Once we were up, we had several miles to hike until we would drop back down into the tree line. It’s probably one of the most fantastic views we’ve seen yet – on this trip or off. We hiked in awe that whole time. The pain and struggle to get there was almost (not really) forgotten. I don’t really want to forget the climb up because it’s what I overcame to earn this view.
We were apparently lucky. It sounds like today was an especially gorgeous day to be on top. The weather was perfect; blue skies and little wind. We really lucked out. Also, since we were up late on a Sunday, we almost had the entire ridge to ourselves. Yesterday, people said the place was packed. Literally, there was a line of hikers all the way across. From what someone said, you couldn’t move until the people in front of you did. There was no room for the fast people to pass even, it was that busy. Standing there this afternoon, I was amazed the difference a day made. People yesterday shared this experience with what probably seemed like half of a world. While we got to have it almost exclusively to ourselves. It was awesome.
The trail down wasn’t nearly as intense as the hike up. The sun set before we arrived at our campsite. We hiked with headlamps on for about a mile. It wouldn’t be a big deal if the path was flat. However, the many boulders and roots we’ve been facing made it a bit of a challenge. Our site is clear and level. That’s all I can ask for after a long day. It wasn’t overly long mileage wise, but my body is exhausted from the climbing. We are in the Whites. This feels real. Right now, the only thing I want to feel is my sleeping bag wrapped around me.
-ansel