We left The Notch Hostel as they had no more rooms at the Inn. It was a lovely private room with our own balcony. I know, this doesn’t sound much like backpacking. And you’re right! This is what some call Platinum Backpacking on the Appalachian. With Blue here, she comes up with some grand ideas for stays off the trail. We packed up and move to the White Mountain Cottages. Also Platinum Stay.

Blue and I took advantage of our new found time. We dropped off our backpacks and walked to town. It was a mile or so but we were fueled up from breakfast, and what’s a mile to hikers?! We found a spa along the way. I’ve been in dire need of a pedicure and Blue was looking for a manicure. As luck would have it, we were booked and Blue also indulged in her first ever Facial. She was glowing and my feet were super happy. And Blue even had her nails trimmed and filed. We headed to the grocery and bought fruit for the trail and salad mix for dinner. On our way back, we stopped for a bathroom and found Margarita’s. It happens. Our unexpected Zero was relaxing with just enough movement, little bit of indulgence and plenty to eat.

Back to reality. Kinsman’s Notch. Blue and I got a ride to the trailhead at 8am. The skies were overcast, cloudy with the possibility of scattered showers. Pretty much the same forecast we’ve had for the past couple of weeks. The trail was wet and muddy from our recent rains but we seriously gave it our best shot to stay out of the muck. That happened for an hour or so.

Our climb today was pretty intense. For some reason I had thought Moosilauke was the big deal but I was all sorts of wrong. Today was much harder than anything I have done to date. I think the hype of The Whites is spot on. It’s crazy hard. The trail is in desperate need of maintenance and from what I’m hearing, it’s getting harder and harder to find volunteers. Most the volunteers are aging out and the youngsters aren’t committed to volunteering as they are working and raising families. So needless to say the trail is lacking much tender loving care. And this pounding rain is exasperating the situation!

We climbed to Mt. Wolf which was our first view. It is mostly tree-covered peak with a few open ledges and views. The ledges provide views north into Franconia Notch, as well as east to the town of Lincoln and Loon Mountain. We sat for a quick snack break and the headed down because what goes up, always goes down.

The plan was to stop at Eliza Brook Shelter for lunch. The trail was meandering all over rocks, roots and lots of mud. I had the pleasure of skipping across a rock or two and landed smack down into the mud. You’ve got to be kidding? Nope. I looked like a pig in a pen! For reals. Blue just shook her head in complete disgust, which was what any mother would do if her kid decided to land in a pile of muck. I somehow got myself uprighted and thank goodness Norman was fine. He was still smiling and gave me a wink. All is good in my world. I love Norman! He’s such a cheerleader.

We made it to the shelter, and I proceeded to eat a tuna roll-up with Mayo, Zucchini and Baby Bell Pepper. It was delicious. Along with a pear, some chocolate toffee and pistachio nuts, it was a well balanced diet, for a hiker. Blue and I filled up on water at the creek, and took off for Kinsman Notch. Our biggest climb yet.

Mimi is a gal we met a few days ago at Hikers Welcome Hostel. We were hiking together for the day. She’s from New York and is Thru-hiking the AT this year. She’s a hoot and hiked a very similar pace to us. We all headed up the trail and it was uphill. And not a much of a trail! It was climbing over rocks and boulders that were way beyond anything we’ve done this far. Most the time we had our poles in one hand and pulling ourselves up by grabbing hold of roots, or tree trunks or some sort of rock crevice. It wasn’t hiking but rather bouldering with a full-body workout included. There is no gym that can replicate what we did today. It took us the entire afternoon to make it 2.5 miles!

There are two summits on Kinsman, the South and the North. Once we reached the mostly open summit of South Kinsman Mountain, there were several viewpoints from this peak, We had 360 degree views of the western edge of the White Mountains, including Mount Moosilauke which was encased in clouds, Franconia Ridge, and North Kinsman. It was spectacular.

We still had the North Kinsman to climb and it was over the top. Mimi said she was going to complain to the White Mountain Club about the dangers of hiking this route. Where are the handholds, and wooden steps? All I could do was totally focus within my three foot bubble. I couldn’t think about anything else but my next step or lack of handhold. It took another hour to reach the North Summit.

The Kinsman Ridge Trail and Appalachian Trail crosses over North Kinsman Peak, a mostly tree-covered peak with a short spur trail to a viewing ledge. Blue and I dropped our packs and headed to the ledge. The ledge looks eastward across Franconia Notch, providing tremendous views to Franconia Ridge. Nearby, Lonesome Lake and Cannon Mountain are easily visible as well. We ran into a few other hikers, took some pics and finished our last miles, climbing off this mountain.

Climbing down is just as nerve racking as climbing up. There were slick boulders with moss and slime adhered to them, which was very precarious to negotiate. Blue and I took our sweet time getting down and finally arrived at Kinsman Pond Shelter close to 6pm. It was ten hours of hard and difficult climbing today. We were both wiped out!

The Caretaker Bean gave us the lowdown on where we could tent. Blue tented on the ground as all the platforms were taken. Mimi and I stayed in the shelter and secured a spot on the lower deck near the wall. That’ll do for the night. Just glad to be done hiking for the day.

I went down to the pond to clean up as I was a filthy mess. Then made my way to the Common Area for cooking and dinner. There were several hikers there, some I knew from previous days. We all talked about the trail or lack of it, ate our meals and were blessed by a couple of guys who were staying for one night. They packed in skillets and fresh vegetables that they shared with the rest of us famished hikers. Grilled onions and peppers were added to my Beef Stroganoff. it was superb.

Today was a killer day for so many reasons. Definitely the hardest climb yet. The lack of trail, along with constant route finding was a bit stressful. But we made it to our destination safely and are grateful for a place to relax, rest our heads and prepare for the next big storm coming. Everyone who lives here has mentioned this rain as out of character and unwanted. I must agree. The moment my shoes have a chance of drying, I’m back in the rain and the muck. The best we can do is work with it, embrace the moment and know that this too will pass. God is working something beautiful through all this. Perseverance, character and hope is something I can always use more of!