Up early this morning to get a jump on Mount Moosilauke. Mary Poppins, Blue and I were out the door just after 6am. As soon as we reached the trailhead, there was a river crossing. We decided ahead of time that we would take off our shoes and try, if at all possible, to keep our feet dry today. We walked barefoot in shin high water and redressed our feet. Then we were off to climb Mount Moosilauke.

The trail was well maintained as it’s one of the biggest highlights on the Appalachian. This iconic mountain is the southern entrance to the infamous Whites, aka The Presidential’s. I knew it was going to be a climb so I went about it slow and steady. If I paced myself going up, then my legs would serve me well on the way down. We had three hikers pass us, which I wasn’t surprised by. The young boys have much more energy than I do and I wasn’t racing anyone. The weather was cool and crisp. No humidity and no rain. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Blue was my tail and she followed me all the way to the Ridgeline. Once we arrived to the South Peak of Moosilauke, we were walking in the clouds. We both put on our rain jackets and hiked to the summit. The Ridgeline was surprisingly flat with short conifer’s and beautiful tiny white flowers that lined the pathway. Once we started climbing to the North Summit, the trail was marked with huge rock cairns, that were placed to keep hikers orientated to the trail. The wind was blowing and it was chilly. But still no rain. Praise the Lord!

We reach the wide, open summit of Mount Moosilauke, one of the highest peaks in New Hampshire, and the first 4000-foot peak that northbound AT hikers climb since Virginia (not counting Killington in Vermont, accessed by side trail). I’m sure the views were spectacular from atop this beast but that wasn’t accessible to any hikers today. Blue and I took the customary photo at the peak, found a rock wall to hide behind and ate lunch.

The route down was stunning. It followed more conifer forests with many ferns, leaved plants with teeny tiny white flowers that hugged the rock garden and overhanging foliage. It was like walking through an enchanted forests, just no fairies or dwarfs, that I saw. We had a few vista’s that started to open up to the forested mountains beyond.

Once we dropped elevation, the fun began. Blue led the way down the rock boulders that followed a cascading waterfall for a couple of miles. My knees were doing good and my ankles were holding up, but my feet slipped on some of the mossy rocks. I took one slip that landed me on my butt, jammed my already not-so-perfect right shoulder. Nothing broke, and within a minute of checking myself, I was back at it to finish the final mile or so. Not too bad for a steep ascent and descent, if I say so myself.

Notch Hostel had a predetermined pick-up time at 4:30pm. Blue and I arrived just after 2pm so we had sometime to waste. We ate the rest of our goody bags and by 3pm, we were ready for a ride. No one at the Hostel answered so we were left to our own recourse, hitchhiking. This is something new for Blue and honestly, not my favorite thing to do. But there was a good pullout for passing cars to stop and Blue stuck out her thumb. Within a few minutes, a pickup truck pulled over. It was a couple of local guys who were getting off work. After telling them where we were headed, they were happy to give us a ride. Blue and I did another first, and hopped in the bed of the truck, with beers that the nice men provided. The wind was blowing in our face and for the first time today, I was going faster than a mile an hour!

They pulled into our luxury accommodations at The Notch Hostel. Blue and I scored the best room on the property, a private suite with our own bathroom and coffee maker with refrigerator. This is living. I caught up on my emails, texts and called my favorite daughter Cherisa. She is my one and only daughter, but definitely my favorite. We talked on the phone for close to an hour. My daughter is an amazing mother of my grandson Quin, and has taught him the ways of the Lord. I always marvel how God our Father has blessed me with such goodness. This was all I truly needed after a day of climbing Moosilauke.