White Mountain Wonders

Up above treeline in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

As I neared the end of Vermont, I had a temporary freak out about finally entering the White Mountains. According to my Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion guidebook "each year, carelessness ends in death for a a few visitors to the Whites." DEATH. Yeah, these mountains are intense. Everyone I've met recently has felt the need to share their horror stories about how tough the Whites are, and how it isn't possible to do 20 mile days in the Whites, and how there isn't any safe camping in the Whites. No matter who I talked to, everyone did their best to convince me that I was going to have a hard time in the Whites, especially with a dog in tow. I would have no where to stay, no where to get food, and no chance of maintaining my current hiking pace.

That pile of rocks is the trail. 

Map and elevation profile of Mt. Moosilauke

Wooden blocks cemented into a stone wall.

All the hype I kept hearing from everyone eventually started to get to me. I was planning on continuing my pattern of 20 mile days, but according to general consensus, that wasn't going to be possible. For me the problem with doing shorter days is that I have to resupply more often, and resupply points in the Whites are very limited. This stretch of the Appalachian Trail is definitely more remote, so finding places to get food for me and Roxy is a challenge.

But as with every challenge we've met along this adventure, Roxy and I decided to prove everyone else wrong. Day 1 hiking into the Whites we completed 23 miles and hiked over our first above treeline peak: Mt. Moosilauke. The summit was over 4,000 feet above sea level and the trail traversed many steep segments that were augmented with rebar, rock steps and wooden blocks for footing. Roxy of course navigated all these obstacles like a champ, and I carefully followed behind her. Although it was challenging, the trail was by no means as impossible as most people implied.

In retrospect, I'm not sure why I let the negativity of others influence my outlook on the Whites in any way. My very first real hiking experience was in the White Mountains during the winter. Several months later, I returned and hiked several of the peaks in summer. I didn't have any issues hiking the mountains during those two trips, so I should have been confident all along. However after constantly hearing about the difficulty of the Whites from so many hikers, I started to doubt my own memories. Maybe I didn't have an easy time during my last two trips to the Whites, or maybe hiking with a 35 pound pack would really make a huge difference.

The views from the summits are worth hiking all day for.

Turns out that just because everyone else thinks something is true, doesn't mean it has to become your reality. The Whites were my first love. They inspired me to find myself and focus on making my own reality. They showed me that I am strong and can overcome any obstacles. Last year when I was facing a very heart-wrenching and emotionally draining divorce, the Whites kept me moving forward toward a better future. The challenge of hiking over mountains kept my mind focused on what really matters rather then dwelling on all the heartbreak and manipulation I had put up with for 6 years. In the Whites is where I learned what really matters in life. This is where I first found purpose, strength, and peace. Although these mountains might seem tough to many hikers, for me this is a place of serenity and clarity, and no amount of physical challenge is too grand to stop me from doing what works best for Roxy and me. We will keep hiking 20 miles per day and loving every minute of it.

See those peaks in the distance? I'll be up there soon :)