Among New England hikers, there is a tradition of "trail angels" -- meeting up with thru-hikers of the Appalachian Trail and offering them supplies and treats. My hiking buddies John and Lise arranges for us to be Trail Angels on a hike of Mt. Moosilauke - the first mountain in NH the Northbound thru hikers hit, and also the first mountain where the hikers experience an "alpine zone" -- an alpine tundra where no trees and precious few plants can grow.
Our first attempt was called off by predictions of catastrophic thunderstorms.... so bad the Mt. Washington weather observatory was urging hikers to stay off the mountain. That's a damn serious warning.....I haven't even seen such a warning from MWOBS when heavy winter snow was predicted. We rescheduled for late August -- the soonest time the lot of us were free.
Some folks pooh-poohed our Trail Angels plans, claiming that the bubble of AT thru hikers will have passed Moosilauke by then. We decided to do it anyway, and (thanks to social media) the idea took off like wildfire, with two other New England hiking groups wanting to join us.
We summited Moowilauke, with some folks carrying very heavy packs. Participants carried everything from fresh fruit, to socks, to first aid, to energy shots, to beer. Guess which was the most popular item?
It took about an hour for us to actually see some thru hikers. When they arrived, the came in small groups. We met 7 men and 1 woman in total.
I loved the experience. While I personally know some folks...including my brother in law...who have thru hiked the AT, this was my first time meeting people in mid hike actually doing it. It was very inspiring to talk with them, and their deep, sincere gratitude over small gifts (granted, they had to be hiked AMSL 4802 feet up) is not something I will soon forget.
Our trip started from a rustic lodge home to the Dartmouth Outing Club. The lodge is open seasonally to the public but was closed (to us) this weekend due to a new freshmen event. On the way back we could hear music blasting on the trail. The new students were clearly having good time, and I was happy for them. None of us were Dartmouth students so I hoped to go past the lodge quickly and get to my car without disturbing anyone. I never would have predicted what came next.
As I walked by, the student stopped and applauded. Then, they started cheering "You made it!"
For me? And my friends? Middle-aged, slowpoke hikers temporarily borrowing their space during their big night? Their enthusiasm was genuine. I was deeply humbled.
Oh, and this was my highest summit yet, my second official 4 000 footer peak bagged, and hike 36 of 52 hikes in 52 weeks. But this trek was not about me, not at all.
Trail on Catnap, Magic Sam, Busy Bean, Burgundy, Blondie, Arrow, and Thunder John! And to the Dartmouth Class of 2017...Thank You! You have already made us proud, may you have much success and happiness :.asian:
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Our first attempt was called off by predictions of catastrophic thunderstorms.... so bad the Mt. Washington weather observatory was urging hikers to stay off the mountain. That's a damn serious warning.....I haven't even seen such a warning from MWOBS when heavy winter snow was predicted. We rescheduled for late August -- the soonest time the lot of us were free.
Some folks pooh-poohed our Trail Angels plans, claiming that the bubble of AT thru hikers will have passed Moosilauke by then. We decided to do it anyway, and (thanks to social media) the idea took off like wildfire, with two other New England hiking groups wanting to join us.
We summited Moowilauke, with some folks carrying very heavy packs. Participants carried everything from fresh fruit, to socks, to first aid, to energy shots, to beer. Guess which was the most popular item?
It took about an hour for us to actually see some thru hikers. When they arrived, the came in small groups. We met 7 men and 1 woman in total.
I loved the experience. While I personally know some folks...including my brother in law...who have thru hiked the AT, this was my first time meeting people in mid hike actually doing it. It was very inspiring to talk with them, and their deep, sincere gratitude over small gifts (granted, they had to be hiked AMSL 4802 feet up) is not something I will soon forget.
Our trip started from a rustic lodge home to the Dartmouth Outing Club. The lodge is open seasonally to the public but was closed (to us) this weekend due to a new freshmen event. On the way back we could hear music blasting on the trail. The new students were clearly having good time, and I was happy for them. None of us were Dartmouth students so I hoped to go past the lodge quickly and get to my car without disturbing anyone. I never would have predicted what came next.
As I walked by, the student stopped and applauded. Then, they started cheering "You made it!"
For me? And my friends? Middle-aged, slowpoke hikers temporarily borrowing their space during their big night? Their enthusiasm was genuine. I was deeply humbled.
Oh, and this was my highest summit yet, my second official 4 000 footer peak bagged, and hike 36 of 52 hikes in 52 weeks. But this trek was not about me, not at all.
Trail on Catnap, Magic Sam, Busy Bean, Burgundy, Blondie, Arrow, and Thunder John! And to the Dartmouth Class of 2017...Thank You! You have already made us proud, may you have much success and happiness :.asian:
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
