What a stormy night I had. The rain came back, surprise, surprise and with it, was gusty winds. The blessing was that after the rain stopped, the wind virtually dried the tent. It was a bit damp but nothing unreasonable. All of us gals were up and out by 6:30am.

We had one final climb, Mt. Moriah. It was up and down for the first mile or so, and then started the climb. There were great views along the way and many false summits. Luckily most of the rocks were dry after our storm last night. That is always my concern. You just don’t get very good traction on wet slippery rocks!

The rocky summit of Mount Moriah, is about 50 yards from the Appalachian Trail at its junction with the Kenduskeag Trail. This is the last of the major peaks of the White Mountains for northbound AT hikers. There are fine views all around, from the Mahoosuc Range as far as Old Speck, to the White Mountain peaks including Mount Washington. There are views of the Carter Range, and of the mountains on the east side of the Wild River Wilderness, like Royce and Baldface. There is also a view down into the town of Gorham and the Androscoggin River valley. We had seen all the views we needed and chose to continue the long descent downhill.

The route was truly down, close to 4000’. It mostly was covered by trees with very little views. We tried to find a place to stop and eat, but the area was fairly boggy and no real options. We finally settled on a mossy log that I draped my green mat on top of. That was as good as it gets today. We ate and continued onward.

We talked with a couple of Sobo’s who had different assessments of the trail ahead. One guy told us it was lovely, with fine river crossings and he only had 2-3 days of rain in all of Maine. Unless he was on a jet plane, or in a different part of Maine, that was a fantasy. Another told the story of trail much like what we have been doing. The Whites are still a nuisance, and climbing continues for the next 50 plus miles. Don’t expect to get high milage as you inch your way northbound. Swell. At least a realistic picture of what’s to come.

We stopped at Rattle River Shelter. It’s a very old dilapidated shelter in disrepair and grateful we would not be staying for any amount of time. There was a large group of 7-10 year olds that were in a Summer Camp, with plastic magnifying glasses and a sense of adventure. Many of them were quite inquisitive about why we were living out in the woods. Mary Poppins and I had quite the discussion about our state of homelessness. It feels like we are a bit displaced, wandering from shelter to tent site to hostel to hotel. Never really knowing where we will lay our heads down. Fortunately for us, we do have lovely homes to go back to. But for now, we wander northbound.

After our second lunch on the trail, we finished our last two miles. It was easy going. Actually a dirt trail with little obstructions in our way. The Rattle River crossed the trail a few times and we skipped over river rocks to get to the other side. There were quite a few locals that were using the trail, walking their dogs, and appearing to consider swimming in the frigid waters. All I could think of was getting to the road and meeting Rob, our Personal Taxi Driver. Blue had arranged for a pick up at 2pm but we were an hour early. Lucky for us, Rob was in town and arrived fairly quickly. Mary Poppins found a Blueberry Bush and we all indulged in a few berries before Rob arrived.

Back to Quality Inn for the evening. We arrived too early so the room wasn’t quite ready. No problem as we are hungry hippos and walked to Mr. Pizza and ate our third lunch for the day. Afterwards, Blue and I went to the Post Office and then headed back to our kroom.

Our next days will be a 50 mile stint with much of the same. Lots of climbing and heading over the Mahoosac Arm or Notch, as they call it in these parts. This will conclude The Whites. Hopefully our weather will cooperate and we will have clear skies and cool days ahead. That’s my most perfect plan, but we know how that goes. For now, we are packing our food bags, Blue is doing laundry and I’m mailing postcards. Such the life of a temporarily homeless person.

As I write this today, my sister Kari called me about the health of our Dad. He has heart problems and was retaining fluid. His Doc gave him a little extra medicine and that caused more issues. Dad, I am thinking and praying for you, and my friends on the trail are doing the same. Get strong and keep loving the Lord. You are my inspiration to keep moving forward, taking one step after another to finish this journey. I love you so much and pray you continue to get healthier and stronger. Much love from your wandering daughter.