Dew Dew - from Sept 11

I slept right thru to 930. During the night the dew was so heavy I heard it dripping off the roof. Glad I didn't set up the hammock stealth or otherwise last night because by the time I woke up it was pouring rain. Because of the night hike I am ahead of schedule by a day so I could just sit tight . I heard thunder showers were coming In by noon and I'd really like to get up and over these Mooselauke peaks. They are the last 4000 footers connected to the Whites and the terrain should begin to change. So around 11 in the pouring rain I set off for the next shelter 6 miles away over the Mooselaukes. It was blowing hard at the top with rain but it was really exciting. I lost body heat really fast so I didn't hang around. And hard to see further than the next cairn. It was a little disconcerting that every hundred yards or so there was a low three sided stone shelter. But it was still raining hard even when I got back down in the trees. The trail was some slippery! By the time I got to this shelter the sun was trying to come out. I took a rinse off in the stream and put my long undies on. The sun is still trying to come out. If it does everything an dry out tomorrow . Hah!
44.0233° N, 71.8315° W

"It's a den mother thing." - late Sept 10

Up to Beaver Spring shelter7:08 pm
Ok so I stretched this into a get to the shelter come hell or high water. I almost stopped at the 6 mile mark in a shelter but 1230 is too early to stop so here I am with a mile and a half left straight up next to a full river making the trail slippery as heck. It's so steep there are stairs bolted to the rock face and rebar in the rock for hand holds. And I'm beat. I get into the shelter around 9:30. My first. Ought hike full moon was late in coming. When I get there a group of NOBOs have just rolled in from the south. It's the Cuddle Bubble. Three guys and a girl have been hiking together for a while. They once got 5 people into a one person tent and have been know as the cuddle bubble ever since. They are beginning to get a little concerned about reaching Katahdin in time. But they have a great attitude. One of the things they just did on their resupply into town was to play putt putt golf. And now that it's football season they try to make Monday night football in town. It's more of a meet the people and their culture so they say. They are trying hard to get their Maine accent perfected. Also they can't wait to try lobster in their Mac and chess recipe they have perfected over the last 2000 miles. Very fun group. It seems like whenever 3 or more guys are binding together there is a woman with them to keep her eye on them. Four or more guys and there's two girls. I think it's a den mother thing.
North Woodstock, NH, United States

from Sept 10 early

Up to mM Kinsman
It's going to be a long day I just walked past my planned overnight shelter. If I pull this off it will be a 15 mile day . The weather report is rain coming In tomorrow. Like to be up Beaver Brook, a steep portion before the rain makes it too slick . I have to get up and over the kinsman mtns and ridge first. This being my first night out after the bunk luxuries I've had lately it might be fun to make a stealth camp. Just hike until it's dark.
53° Clear
Lincoln, NH, United States

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from Sept. 9th - Canadians

Lafayette on the left liberty on the right taken from Lonesome Lake Hut ( full of Canadians)
Lincoln, NH, United States

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Here's what I heard from Judd yesterday

A picture on the iCloud

Some texting and an Instagram:

You can google image for Hexacube Shelter, NH for a pic- -I tried to steal it but it didn't work for me. It looks like a 6 sided lean to.

Nope - no news on 9/11 from Judd

I, devoted AT widow, Melanie, mailed Judd, a General Delivery box to  Hanover, NH. Yes, I smiled at the postal clerk who asked " anything liquid, perishable or flammable?" and  I said, "no." 

Hope there's no sniff dogs for the:
5 Mountain House freeze-dried meals
4 chia bars or Snickers minis
3 Gatorade electrolyte packets
2 maps of SOBO VT to MA guides
1 pic of our 3 kids on first day of school 15 years ago
.....
 and  any  mini-"nips" of every whiskey Damon's Liquor Store offers....... (I put them in plastic baggies--honest I DID--they're probably not flammable....)

Showers and Resupply - Sept. 8

jmthompson79@gmail.com	9:38 PM (8 hours ago)
to me

It didn't take much time to go up Wildcat D. It's a lot of hand over hand and thru hikers will shuttle around so that can take this part of the trail going up instead of trying to come down it. There were lots of day hikers. Some stuck, not willing to go ahead or backward. Lots of NOBOs and a couple SOBO's wandering around in a daze. Right about when the tough going eases up, you come to the wildcat ski tram operating, bringing people up and taking em down. Around wildcat B orC you start to cross the ridge and the view goes from looking at Washingtom and Tuckerman to looking at the ridge the boys and I walked in on a week ago mostly the Carters. Got into Carter Notch hut early and dried out, read and napped. The crew did the same song and dance about family style food and no napkins. Got the same speil at breakfast too. Same skits, same pancakes. I hooked up with two Georgia boys who have been spending a week or two for the last 15 years together section hiking the AT. They were south bound. But were going to hike out on 19 mile (escape) trail so they could come round and do wildcat D northbound. So we both were going to hike out and they offered me a ride into Gorham to do errands. We bummed a ride to Pinkham notch and checked into joe dodge lodge. I went down into storage to get my gear stashed there. I wanted to send some stuff home that I won't need from Here on out.we all took showers. In gorham, I had to pick up my 8 day resupply that was going to get me to Rangeley. I had stashed it at Libby's Barn hostel. Georgia Bob had loaned me a pair of pants and a tshirt so when we did a load of laundry I could wash everything. Great t-shirt said “ different day same shirt” . A luxury reserved for only the most luxurious hostels that provide a set of loaner cloths to thru hikers just so they can get their stank out of everything when they do a wash . At the same little mall as the laundry was the post office. I didn't even open my stashed box I just mailed it general delivery to me in Hanover, NH. Melanie is mailing a resupply box there for me too so when I get there I'll forward one to my next resupply point. My boots are falling apart so I called up REI. They are mailing a new pair to Hanover too and I'll have to return these broken ones so they can credit me. We had lunch at a pizza joint and came back to joe dodge. Tomorrow I take the shuttle over to Franconia notch and start my last southbound leg of these white mountains. Hope to be in Hanover in 8 days. Weather looks good for the next 3 or 4 days. That half way there. Oh and when I pass through the highland center and transfers to the other shuttle I can pick up my map bag that they found and are holding for me there. I almost feel naked hiking without my SOBO AWOL guide.
The picture is early morning at the pond next to carter notch hut heading towards 19 mile stream trail. The last time I was here there were a couple kids fishing with bobbers .
48° Clear
Amc Pinkham Notch Cp, Pinkham Grant, NH, United States

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Sept 7 addendum: jmthompson79@gmail.com	8:48 PM (9 hours ago)
to me

I seem to be hiking faster than Most of the other NOBOs on this flip flop of a day. I guess that's why they are fast approaching the tail end of their window to get up Katahdin ! When the sun goes behind the ridge and the wind is blowing it's getting a little **cold.
I read a post from my buddy Mav who I think is in MA. He says he's up to 20 mile days. It must be nice after all this up and down to be able to stretch your legs.
That's my Washington and Tuckermania.
39° Mostly Sunny
44.2461° N, 71.2456° W

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