Therese Marie

At first, I had a difficult time understanding why everyone loved the Whites so much.

Crazy, right? Everyone is talking about how amazingly beautiful this place is and I’d been hiking it for a day or two in the rain and fog, not understanding why it was such a big deal.

Don’t get me wrong, everything was still beautiful and I had a great time up Moosilauke, but I was also emotionally downtrodden (if you couldn’t tell from my last post). I felt alone and was really tired of slipping on STUPID WET ROCKS.

But then two key things happened:

1. Chet gave me the gift of a full night’s sleep
2. The clouds lifted.

“WOW” I said outloud. “So THIS is what everyone has been talking about!” The glorious mountinous world stood before me, unfettered and unending.

Now, cue the epic awesomeness.

We stood in a parking lot and stared up at this monster:

Aussie and I laughed. We knew we would make it up, but shit is that a big climb! Three very, very sweaty miles later we made it to a ledge and guess what! We could see the parking lot we came from way, way down below.

So once got up on Webster Cliffs it was all ridge line from there!

What does that mean? That means we’re above the trees and we can always see where we’re going. That means Mt. Washington loomed in the distance all day. It was a beautiful combination of empowerment, excitement, and nerves. I KNEW I would hike it, but it boggled my mind that I’d do it all in one day.

And the sun set on us as we tried to find the Lakes Of the Clouds Hut and I felt so isolated in the mountains. It was just me and Aussie and huge mountains, tucked away into our own spacious spot on the planet. 

I’m seriously struggling about how to put this whole part of the adventure into words.

Even the photos don’t seem to do the landscape justice.

The Whites have been an emotional roller coaster. At this moment, it’s much easier to share my experience with you in bullet points:

• I cried in the morning looking at the mountains outside Galehead Hut
• I had good luck with work-for-stays at huts as long as I was alone and got there before 7
• There were so many rocks.
• I fucking hate rocks.
• It was worth it to climb up Mt Eisenhower, even though it’s not technically on the AT
• Mt Madison is just rocks and that sucked. But me and Aussie ate spoonfuls of instant coffee and literally ran up the mountain.
• I really do not like rocks at all.
• Mt Washington is cooler before the tourists get up there.
• Turns out I AM getting sick. I had feverish dreams of having to night hike Mount Washington again. Thankfully that wasn’t reality.
• Lakes Of the Clouds Hut actually turned people away. Three dudes. Just sent them out into the dark wilderness.
• I saw so so so many stars, more than I’ve ever seen in my life
• Aussie and I stealth camped next to a river in the thick brush. We were too beat to make it to town. Luckily we didn’t end up sleeping in any puddles!

And so I continue on, less than 30 miles from Maine, completely immersed and losing words every day as I become further in the wilderness.

Fly on, 

Lil Wayne