Screwing up!

I’m almost out of New Hampshire now. Going into Maine in the morning! The last of 14 states. About 290 some miles till the end!

It’s raining and I’m in my tent. I’m pretty wet and so is a lot of my stuff! Oops. It went wrong quick. Coming down from Cascades Mountain it started raining a lil bit. Just enough to threaten wet feet. Found a spring then decided to camp off trail. Seen as a caretaker says I can camp wherever I like in this park so long as I’m 200 ft off trail I decided to do so. That was mistake 1, cue heavy downpour at this point. Bushwacking near a spring: very wet feet! Mistake 2 was putting my tent up at the velocity of an unenthused scout. The third, allowing my other stuff to get wet while doing so….the list goes on. Anyway, today has a list of mistakes the length of the Franconia Ridge that started at about 8am. The fact I’ve been on trail for 5 months and I messed up like I’d have exected in April makes me chuckle.

My sleeping bag’s dry and I have tons of food and a good book. Not that bad, ey?! Though a cold beer, chinese food and friends in Gorham does sound better! (been off the sauce for a while though now, feeling good for it and it will continue)

The White Mountains were pretty spectacular! Franconia Ridge was by far my favourite (minus daywalkers as I summited late and got sunrise(ish) as I did work for stay at Greenleaf hut. But all the other mountains were equally as awesome. Steep, steep, steep, but nothing like the SOBOs were banging on about “oh, NOBOs, you just don’t know…..” PAH! Amazing views all round, exciting climbs and a decent workout at last! Photos to come once I get to Rangely. The Presidentials on the other hand. I hated them. Webster Cliffs, I hadn’t expected such a challenging and dangerous climb (raining and alone!) but they were so much fun and really exciting. So that was great. Then I got sick. Mispah Spring…was it the food? wasn’t it? who knows. But I chundered like a beast! Then no views and I fell over on the rocks about 6 times. Horrendous. No wonder you guys name those wet, slimy, dangerous, repetitive rockpiles after politicians!

Now, don’t get offended, my good American friends. The weather was awful, I could see 2 cairns ahead of me and I was sick. I cursed every ex-president mountain as I climbed over and vomited on it.

Right, on to Maine. I aim to summit between 26th and 28th September. Probably the 27th. Naysay if you dare and I’ll call you a section hiker!