Day 30: Trident Col Campsite to Gorham

Today's Miles: 6.9

Total Miles: 298.3

I woke up this morning eager to head into town. I didn't sleep well last night, and when I woke up at 4:00 I realized it wasn't nearly as light as it had been a few weeks ago. I went back to sleep until about 5:15 and slowly started gathering my things. The rain had stopped during the night, but the trees were still making it seem as if it was persisting, dropping water with every gust of wind. There are few things that I hate more than packing up wet gear. It is all just a muddy mess and adds even more weight to my already too heavy pack. We finally got moving and were back on the trail by 6:40. Icepack caught up to Dr. Evil and I shortly after we left. I was in front, and the day started off with a climb up to Cascade Mountain. It was short and steep to the first viewpoint, which of course was nonexistent today due to the rain clouds surrounding us. It leveled out over the top of the mountain for some nice easy hiking. There was a lot of underbrush hanging over the trail, and my shoes and pants were drenched within the first mile. At that point, I just kept charging forward. There was a point on Cascade Mountain where the trail went up one way and seemed to turn around to run almost parallel to that section again. I wouldn't have realized it if I didn't hear Dr. Evil and Icepack coming up the section I had just been on. I was a little confused and didn't really understand why it was necessary since the point where it turned was nothing substantial. I headed down this mountain and was faced with a nice ascent up Hayes Mountain. It had started raining again just before I began the climb, but at that point I don't think I could have cared less. As I reached the summit, the rain had stopped and I could see blue skies trying to make an appearance - a beautiful sight. There were so many sections of incredible trail today, and I couldn't remember the last time I had seen trail that wide and smooth. I stopped for a snack by a brook and waited to see if Dr. Evil and Icepack would catch up, but I just kept pushing in to town when I heard nothing. I had to walk along a few roads today, which is always a little weird to me after coming out of the woods. I had reservations at The White Mountains Lodge and Hostel, and I don't regret staying here one bit. This is the cleanest and most kept-up hostel I've stayed in so far. The owners just changed last week, but the new ones are doing an outstanding job keeping the place running smoothly. I didn't even have to do my laundry. They did it for me! I showered and headed into town in search of some replacement shoes. I got lucky at the Hardware and Sports store (I'm still baffled by this store concept). Hopefully these Merrells will serve better than the last 2 pairs have. In less than 300 miles I've been through 3 pairs of shoes, 3 rain jackets, and 3 spoons. Unbelievable. We were shuttled to the Wal-Mart in town for resupply later in the evening, and I just finished packing my food for the next stretch. Tomorrow I will be heading back out after sending my old shoes back home, weather dependent. I have a huge climb up Mount Moriah tomorrow, which will not be a wise undertaking in a thunderstorm. 

I'll take rock steps over steep rock faces in the rain any day. 

It's hard to believe this was part of the trail today. Beautiful!

This reminded me of the road I grew up on, minus the houses. 

Apples on the roadside

Dark clouds moving in

I can shamefully admit I ate this entire pint of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting. 

My old buddy, the Hoff!

Here's to hoping these last a bit longer than the last two pairs did.