Rutland and Mount Bromley

This story begins about 30 miles and a day and a half outside of Rutland…

I was walking down the trail near the end of the day when I ran into three Northbound thru hikers.  Now it should be noted that typically, a short conversation takes place when Northbounders and Southbounders meet on the trail concerning any information worth noting (typically these conversations include water sources, distances to land marks, shelter conditions, and food/lodging recommendations for upcoming towns). These three thru northbounders however, appeared to quite literally be on something, and were having a great deal of difficulty forming coherent and logically flowing speech.

While most of what they said made little sense, they did successfully convey three distinct things:

1.       Enter the town of Rutland, Vermont and check it out. Locate the Twelve Tribes hiker hostel and stay the night.

2.       Drink the tea.

3.       Rescue Megan.

While I assumed that all three of these things were somehow related, I wasn’t absolutely sure. I tried to ask them more questions to try to get a better idea of what exactly they meant (especially about ‘rescue Megan’), but the only response I got was “You’ll see.”

I walked on, quite puzzled, but still trying to make sense out of the information I did have. Go into Rutland and stay at the hostel was simple enough, but the tea and Megan? Strange…

Luckily, a few hours later, I ran into two more Northbounders named Booksmarts and Trauma. I mentioned the three others I (attempted) to talk to previously, and they started laughing. Apparently, my assumption that the others were on something was not far off.

I did take the chance to ask them about everything, though, and Booksmarts helped me connect the dots. The Twelve Tribes hostel is in downtown Rutland. Yet “Twelve Tribes” is not simply the name of the hostel; it is the name of a religious commune with chapters (or “clans”) located all over the US. The Rutland chapter of the Twelve Tribes are the guys who run the hostel.

Booksmarts also clarified who Megan was. Apparently, she was a Northbound hiker who stopped in at the the hostel for a night, but ultimately ended up staying for longer and was “drinking the Kool-aid, man…drinking the Kool-aid hard core.” He too voiced concern for her, and said that she was on the fence about quitting her hike and joining their community.

He did agree, however, that the tea at the hostel was delicious, and I should drink some at the first opportunity I got.

We then said our goodbyes, and I thanked him for clarifying the spotty information I obtained from his compatriots.

I had never heard of the Twelve Tribes before, but the way Booksmarts was talking it sounded a lot like some sort of religious cult. And it’s not like religious cults need more members; especially ones that use the draw of a hot shower, laundry, and a warm bed to prey on hikers. Therefore, “rescuing” Megan seemed like the most logical course of action. Plus, there was no question in my mind that I could get her back to the trail. After running fraternity parties for 2 years, I’d gotten really good at convincing drunk people to listen to me. I figured slow brainwashing was just a simple form of mental intoxication, and I could easily manage that. Megan was getting back on the trail. End of story.

But as I kept walking, I continued pondering the circumstances. And the more I pondered, the less sure I was about what I was going to do at that point. I knew I was going to go into Rutland to stay at the hostel (and drink the tea of course), but the idea of “rescuing” Megan continued to plauge me. If I was able to find her and convince her to hike on, I would have returned her to the life she was living before she found the Twelve Tribes and the Northbounders would no doubt be happy to hear she was back on the trail. But if she could somehow find happiness with the Twelve Tribes clan, but I talked her back on the trail anyway, would I really be acting her best interests?

I ultimately decided I would re-evaluate what I was going to do after making it to the hostel and seeing the Twelve Tribes for myself.

I hiked on and caught a ride into Rutland a day later (side-quest objective 1 complete). The hostel happened to be in a prime location, right in the main shopping district downtown. It was above this place called “The Yellow Deli” which the Twelve Tribes also own and operate.

I followed the directions on the hostel door and entered the Deli. I always get self conscious at moments like this…most restaurant patrons do not take kindly to hikers, but that is completely understandable; the scent of a dirty, sweat-soaked hiker is horridly unnapetizing. Yet the body of a hiker does not smell nearly as horrible as his gear. The body and clothes can be washed…the pack/sleeping/bag/tent/boots/whatever else is carried is typically washed. Therefore, the stench of dirty hiker paired with dirty gear can be unbearable to unnacustomed nostrils. And because I was not sure where I would be taken next after checking in at the café, and leaving my pack on the street would not be a good idea, I was carrying my pack with me when I entered the café.

The hosts were very friendly, though. I had not been standing inside the café more than a minute before I was greeted by a man who introduced himself as Alaf (uh-lawf) the hostel caretaker. He then asked me if I wanted some cold tea, to which I replied “absolutely.”

I drank it down incredibly fast. It was as delicious as the Northbounders had claimed (side-quest objective 2 completed).

When I was done, Alaf directed me to the bunk room. Modest bunks, but a very clean and well kept place.

Two showers, a bathroom, and about 10 bunks total. And lucky for me, a bottom bunk was still open. I happily snatched it.

Once I had unpacked, done laundry, and gone shopping, I figured I would explore a little bit. The Twelve Tribes café and hostel was only a smaller part of a much larger complex, and the tribesmen (easy to spot because of their modestly simple clothes, long hair, and head bands) were such welcoming people that no place was exclusively off limits; hikers were free to walk around and interact with tribe members as they pleased. I decided I would take the opporunity to walk around and discreetly talk to the tribesmen and try to get any information Megan.

I was particularly intersted in a bus they had parked out front. The “Peacemaker” bus seen here is a historical artifact in and of itself. I spoke to some of them about it, and it was apparently a recruiting vehicle for the Twelve Tribes back in the 1960’s when they traveled around to Greatful Dead concerts trying to spread the word about their beliefs. They still use it for travel between their chapters, though. The interior has been remodeled several times, but a good deal of it is still composed of original parts.

They even have a freaking gas stove and full fridge. Incredible.

In the process of checking out the bus, I was able to speak to a good many tribesmen, and I took the opporunity to ask them what this whole Twelve Tribes thing was really about. After talking to them for a while, I learned a good deal about them:

1. Twelve Tribes' name comes from the 12 continents of the world, where they hope to have active chapters one day.

2. They are followers of Jesus Christ, but they resent the term "christian", as it was originally a derogatory term used by the Greeks.  Instead, they say they are followers of "Yashuah" and his teachings of "The Way"

3. To formally join the 12 tribes and become a tribesman, you must give up all your possessions, money, and job.

4. You obtain a Hebrew name when you join. Your old name disappears.

5. Their economic system is communal. Their money all goes into the same pot. They all work jobs at facilities they own and operate themselves.

6. They have no central governing executive, but they do have a committee of elders that handles "big" decisions.

7. All their children are home schooled, and the tribesmen do not believe in higher education. When their children turn 16, they choose a discipline and serve as an apprentice to someone in the tribe whom already does that job.

While i can't say they make much sense, they definitely kept me entertained for the afternoon. Yet i was still no closer to finding Megan. But, truth be told, I hadn't be looking that hard.

I checked the bunk room. No luck. All guys.

I checked the common room. Again, no luck. It was empty except for a couple tribesmen.

I then decided to go for a long shot and check the laundry room. didn't hear anything running, but maybe i might get lucky. but, no surprise, she wasn't there. but as i was turning to leave, something caught my eye.

in the laundry room, there was a rack marked "free clothes" of all types shapes sizes etc. while most hostels offer loaner clothes to hikers to wear while their laundry gets done, it is always made clear that these are LOANERS. but i carry clean clothes to wear in town, so i didn't notice it before. but what caught my eye specifically was underneath the rack...a pair of women's hiking boots. and above them, a set of hiking clothes on the rack.

At that point I figured that Megan had either moved on, or she was still there. just with a Hebrew name. either way, my side quest into Rutland had come to a close. I hit the trail the next day.

A few days later, I ended up on Bromley mountain. An active ski resort in the winter,  but still a trail destination in the summer. At the summit, a ski patrol hut, gondola, and observation deck.

And yes, that is my tent on top of the observation deck.

No way to stake it down...good thing i know a bit about knots.

Sunset.

Crossing into Mass in less than a week. but no more zero days (days off) until New York.

Onward!

The Whites and Hanover.

In chronological order:

The White Mountains. Technically they span 120-ish miles, but the famous presidential range (what most people think of when they hear about the whites) began for me at Pinkham Notch with a roughly 3,000 foot climb over a three mile stretch up to Mount Madison and ended 65-odd miles later after Mount Lafayette in the town of Lincoln, NH.

The views from up there are probably the most beautiful outdoor landscapes I have ever seen:

And I DEFINITELY lucked out with the weather. The majority of the presidential range is above treeline, which means that if bad weather sets in, you are completely exposed to the elements. The worst I got was on top of Mount Washington, which was foggy and a bit windy, but nothing too bad:

Interestingly enough, Mount Washington also has a railroad that runs from a hotel at the base to the visitor's center at the summit. They use an old steam engine though (from 1909 that still burns coal for power), and the visitor's center kind of ruins whatever inherent natural beauty the summit has to offer. But to be fair, the summit of Mount Washington has been a touristy place ever since they figured out that it COULD be on in the first place.

Oh and the trail crosses this railroad at one point. Which is not dangerous at all and a great idea in a place that can fog over in a moment's notice...

And following the same logic...here's a monument to one of the first people on record who happened to die up there:

...as well as a complete list of Mt.Washington fatalities posted in the visitor's center.

They DO have a novelty post office at the top of Mount Washington, though. It does have its own zip code, but "Post Closet" would be a better description than "Post Office."

I will say that navigation in the Whites proved to be challenging at some points. For instance, here's a sign post with two different trails, going completely opposite directions, yet both claiming to be the AT. Seeing as how the AT is supposed to only be one single pathway, this should be physically impossible.

But I did get through it, even though the trail did do some serious inclines and declines. Harsh terrain, but awesome views.

Side note: Work for stay and the AMC mountain huts.

Because the White Mountains are heavily used by day hikers, tourists, and avid outdoorsmen of all ages, managing traffic (and people) in the range becomes a daunting task. In order to make the job easier and cut down on environmental impact, however, the Appalachian Mountain Club maintains a license with the US Forest Service to operate shelters or "huts" in the mountains.

These huts are essentially bunk houses maintained by a full service crew (yet they insist that "croo" is the proper written spelling to refer to them, but they cannot specifically identify why) where people make reservations to stay for a night or two (like a hotel).

Reservations include a bunk, dinner and breakfast, bathroom facilities, and water. No hot water or showers, however, and anyone wishing to stay at them must hike in. Definitely pricey, however. It is $130 per person for non-Appalachian Mountain Club members, and $90 for standard AMC members to stay ONE night.

Lucky for thru-hikers though, we do not have to pay to stay at these huts. We would go flat broke just hiking through the Whites. Yet the "croos" understand that there are no other places to take shelter, so they permit us to stay at the huts if we perform an hour or two of work. In exchange for our service, we are given whatever leftovers there are from dinner and breakfast, and we are permitted to sleep in the main dining room area for the night. You don't want to hit a hut too early, though. If you show up at a hut any time before 4:00 pm, you run the risk of the hut croo telling you to move on. The assumption is that you have enough time to make it to the next one before dark, but that isn't always the case...

While the whole work for stay might seem like a bit of drag, it's honestly not that bad. Bunk rooms house maybe 30 people, so all it takes is one person who snores loudly to ruin sleep for an entire hiking party. Being on the floor in the main room, however, means that there is a large wall in between you and whoever snores. Not a small matter. It is not an uncommon site to see hikers who look well rested in the morning and paying guests who do not.

I stayed at 3 huts, and the hardest work I had to do was run/empty a wet-dry vac to help the croo during their weekly scrub-down/cleaning of their hut.

This is by far the most famous of the huts. The legendary "Lakes of the Clouds."

I was only able to stay at 3 huts, however, because I did  run into a bit of a snag the first day in the Whites. I did the 8 miles from the road up into the presidential range and up to Madison hut, but it was too early to stop at a hut and I was still feeling fresh and wanted to continue hiking. I asked one of the hut croo about an AMC camp site that was several miles away, but supposedly very nice and worth walking to, even though it was a bit off trail. She said that the site was indeed very nice, and that all I had to do was continue walking down the AT and I would see a side trail with a marked sign pointing me in the direction of the camp site. So I set off.

Several hours and miles later, I had still not seen the sign, and I only had about an hour or two of daylight. Yet I was still above tree line, and very much exposed to the elements. I really didn't want to set up my tent above tree line, but I was running out of options and time. I began to look for a suitable place to camp.

Miraculously, the trail happened to run right by a Col, or flat section between two mountains. Even luckier still, this Col had both a spring AND vegetation. I couldn't believe my luck. I figured I would surely find a place to set up my tent in there, so I headed off trail into the Col, following the path of a stream.

It was then that I came upon a completely flat patch of ground that had obviously been purposefully cleared out, and surrounded by large rocks on three sides that served as wind breaks. I couldn't believe my luck. Here, in the middle of the White Mountains, high above tree line, was an unmarked tent site WITH a water source and a natural wind break less than a stone's throw away from the trail. It was simply incredible.

I also came across the flattest section of trail I had ever seen in the Whites as well. Strange to think that a truly FLAT section of the trail would even exist in the first place, let alone in the mountains. Yet there was a section of trail that ran over an old rail road bed, and I was able to cover lots of ground in no time. The views from the mountains might be beautiful, but believe me, so is this trail.

And then finally I came upon the last official White Mountain, Mount Moosilauke. Strange that I could actually enjoy climbing mountains at this point, but it was fairly fun to climb.

 
A very steep but short uphill climb followed by a gradual above tree line walk and then a gradual down hill descent. Just the way I'd want to climb a mountain.

And after the Whites, it was just a few more days and a couple more mountain-top attractions later (such as this cool fire tower) into Hanover, New Hampshire, where I am right now.

There is no hostel in Hanover, but the town is VERY hiker friendly. And seeing as how the trail runs directly through it, it is only logical. Many places offer free food to thru hikers (the outfitter offers free snickers, and the pizza place offers a free slice), but there is sadly no real hiker hostel to stay at.

Lucky for me, I had previous connections. A couple that had started Katahdin the same day I did had friends that came out with them to give them a send off and hike with them for about a week. Therefore, we all ended up at the same camps together for the first week out, and they even played a role in giving me my nickname. They were from near Hanover, so they gave me their information and told me to call them once I got into town. Which is exactly what I did. And boy did they ever put me up right!

I got my own bed, ice cream, breakfast, dinner, shuttled to major outfitters AND they even said they would mail a package home for me since today is Sunday and the post offices are closed. Talk about trail magic. Big thank yous all around.

No plans to take a solid day off, though. Currently plan to stick around for a little while longer, grab lunch, and then head out for 6 miles down the trail (and into Vermont!) to the next shelter. Shouldn't be a long walk, but it will be good to stay moving. Now that I'm out of the hardest part, I just gotta stay focused and keep heading south...

And no, I still have not seen any bears or moose. But I did hear about an interesting "three strikes" law New Hampshire has for bears.Apparently, when a bear strays into close human contact, it is tranquilized, captured, given an ear tag, and taken a small distance into Maine and dropped off. If it makes its way back to its original territory, the same thing happens, but it is taken MUCH farther away into northern Maine and dropped off. If it STILL makes its way back after that, there is no third tag...the bear then becomes a public enemy and is shot on sight.

So if you're ever in New Hampshire and come across a bear with a tag in both ears...back away slowly and hope you don't smell delicious.

That's "GHORAM", not "Gotham."

I should begin this post with the following annoucement:

I am South of the Border!

Maine, one of the longest and toughest states on the AT (and home to the hardest single mile of the entire trail called the Mahoosuc Notch) is out of the way. I'm not completely out of the hard stuff though...ahead of me are the White Mountains; much larger than the mountains in Maine and subject to more sporadic weather conditions that could leave me exposed to high winds for miles above tree line. But whatever...the trail goes over them, so that's where I'm going.

A quick post-Maine gear assessment (keeping in mind that all of this stuff was brand spanking new when I started a little less than a month ago):

Pack: aside from minor internal damage during the first week, there is a small tear in the bottom acquired during passage through Mahoosuc notch and various holes in the mesh webbing on the outside. Will monitor this to see if it gets worse, but the material is very strong and should not be an issue.

Tent: Excellent condition despite heavy use.

Sleeping bag/Sleeping pad: Excellent condition. Sleeping bag has yet to get severely soaked.

Shoes: Switched out boots for hiking shoes in Monson. Shoes are definitely showing some wear. Will probably need replacements once I'm through the Whites.

Hat: showing significant wear, but still holding up overall.

Trekking poles: One is bent and has become non-adjustable. Somewhat inconvenient, but not a major issue as of yet. Will get replacements eventually.

GPS: Still working beautifully, despite exposure to elements. Living up to its advertised "rugged design."

Stove: Showing significant wear, but no decrease in performance.

Cookwear: Fork part of plastic spork has broken off. No intention to replace it, though. It works fine without it.

Camp shoes/water wear: Large holes from sharp rocks and punctures from trees as they hang off the side of my pack. Will most likely need to replace them later on.

Now, about where I am:

I stopped off at a famous hiker hostel in Gorham, New Hampshire last night after half a day of rain. The town itself is in a valley surrounded by the White Mountains, and you can't really go anywhere that doesn't have a view of the mountains themselves. But it is within driving distance of a Walmart, and the hostel offers free rides to/and from, so I definitely used the opportunity to buy affordable food (most small towns charge you an arm and a leg to resupply at their local general stores). And I had planned on going back out on the trail today, until I checked the weather on my phone and saw this:

I would have left around 11:30 AM, which would have meant that I would have had to go 8 miles to the next camp site, gain over 4,000 feet of elevation, be on top of a mountain in the middle of thunderstorm carrying two metal poles, and then have to make a sharp descent over wet slick rock. And do all of this in 9 hours (to make it in before dark because the majority of the trail in NH is unmarked and hiking an unmarked trail in the dark is bad news).

No thank you. I'll opt to take the day off and then do a longer day tomorrow to make up for it. Plus, it is July 4th. Nothing wrong with taking a holiday on a holiday. Plus until it starts raining, it'll be a really nice day. Definitely using the good weather to dry/air out everything that needs it. A good day to relax and a nice place to do it.

A side note:

In case any of you were wondering about life out here as far as what the "camping" part of it entails, here's a quick rundown about lean-tos/shelters.

About every 10-15 miles along the trail, there are shelters that are maintained by various groups (largely nonprofit). These shelters can vary in size between a 6-18 person capacity, and can have different types of construction/design. The one pictured here, however, is a fairly common type of shelter:

(The guy in the picture is Lexus...been hiking with him since early Maine, but it's more that we both keep ending up in the same places at the end of the day than actually hiking "together")

They are typically not positioned directly on the trail, however, so signs such as this one indicate when one is nearby:

Typically, the path to the lean-to from the trail is marked with blue blazes (or stripes) such as this one. The AT itself is marked with white blazes.

In an effort to centralize human waste and minimize environmental impact, outhouses (or privys) can be found at many shelters. They're not very clean (or comfortable), but they do provide at least SOME accomodation.

If a lean-to is big enough and it's not full of people, you can sometimes get away with pitching your tent inside it. I usually do that when I can because the tent provides at least some protection from mosquitoes.

It is recommended, however, that you hang your food up. Field mice typically live in the shelters, and will happily eat their way through your food stash. The bottle hanging from the string prevents mice from being able to climb down the string directly. Should a mouse put its full weight on the bottle, the bottle tilts and the mouse falls off.

Most lean-tos also have fire pits:

Oh, and I cut these plants I found near the lean-to with this sword I found in the woods and found a green rupee under them (video game reference).

So I hope that gives a better sense of where exactly I am when my day ends and I'm "in camp."

And with that, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day off.

--Adrian