Jul 15, 2022 : Eric and Hayley
Appalachian Trail
Gambling on the weather
Day 17
Enjoyed a peaceful night on the pond listening to the loons. As we drank our coffee this morning, we enjoyed watching a family of loons swim around in front, calling out periodically.
The aggressive goshawk we had been warned about called out when we passed their area but thankfully it did not swoop down on us.
The AT passed the Benedict Arnold trail and we pondered how infantry was able to move in this terrain several hundred years ago. Even though it is flat, it’s hard to imagine pushing cannons over the rocks and roots along with keeping 1000 men with supplies in line. Must have been slow going but we cruised the 10 miles to shelter in less than 4 hours just before the rain started. It is suppose to be a very stormy night so we are thankful for the dry spot. Have heard mixed reviews about weather from other hikers on upcoming days but hope for a good day on Bigelows on Thursday.
We are also starting to formulate a plan for the White Mountains. Never to early to plan but out here even the best laid out plans can go wrong quickly. We’ve found it helpful to exchange information with the NOBOs on some of the trickier logistics of camping in the whites. We made a fire and chatted with a camp group about the AT.
The rain we had been warned about arrived around 7PM. We enjoyed a surprisingly empty lean-to.
Day 18
We waved the camp group goodbye as they left. We were able to have a nice morning fire with our coffee. Some of the wood was stored under the lean-to so the fire started easily. We’ve been trying to figure out our plan all day and had mixed news on the upcoming weather. We had a gradual start and we arrived at Little Bigelow lean-to around noon which was going to be our original destination but we met the ridge runner there who confirmed would be very nice and tomorrow iffy but the weather was improving with each new report. We opted to push on to a campsite which would eliminate part of our climb up the Bigelows and ensure nice views from little Bigelow at the very least which did not disappoint. We could see the Bigelows a short distance away and are hopeful for good weather.
We stopped at the campsite that was slightly off the beaten path and we were able to get cell service to get a weather update which says rain coming in the afternoon tomorrow. We will get up very early tomorrow to have a better chance at safer hiking terrain and views from the Bigelows (one of Eric’s favorites to hike!). We will likely end our day early at the next lean-to to duck out the rain. It’ll be our first trail nero (nero= very few miles hiked). This was our original plan as the lean-to is near a nice pond we can relax at and it sets us up well to get into town the next day to meet some friends.
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