Day 32 - Trail Wizardry (2/8/2016)

After a rest day in Gorham, it's time to hit the White Mountains. I don't know what to expect at all. NOBOs almost look shell-shocked when they talk about it, but all agree the views are spectacular. So far, though, I've found everything to be exaggerated: Nothing is as hard as people say, or as easy.

The toughest thing is the sleeping arrangements. There are many, many rules about camping in New Hampshire, and all official sites involve paying (and are often very crowded). There are huts, where one can do "work-for-stay." I guess I'll just have to figure it all out as I go along. Tonight I'm bedded down in the Wildcat range between two peaks.

The thing that worries me most is hitting the NOBO "Bubble" (a very large group - hundreds - of NOBOs all travelling within a few days of each other). It seems likely I'll hit them in the Whites, so I may take some time off in Lincoln, NH to see if I can let some of the crowd pass me by. The bubble also has a bit of a party reputation, which is not really what I'm after on this trek.

On the plus side, the day started with so much trail magic I'm beginning to think I'm a wizard: free breakfast from a guy who picked me up hitchhiking, pop/soda at the trail head, followed by beer and soda about a half-mile in.

Trail Magic

I also ran into Timber, Legs, Trout, Littlefoot, Eskimo and Papa Eskimo (E's parents are in town to celebrate his 18th birthday). All of them were slack packing the Wildcat range in reverse so I got lots of advice about what was to come. None of it consistent. As usual, I have no idea what's coming.