It is so hard to believe that I am in New Hampshire! When planning this trip, I really wanted to be able to finish, but I never really knew if I could. I didn't really think I would last longer than a month. Here I am now with just over 400 miles to go. I will start hiking the white mountains in a couple days and am both excited and nervous about it. They are difficult and at times technical climbs, and we have heard warnings about them from the start of the hike. At this point, we have all switched into our cold weather gear to prepare for the unpredictable weather to come with high elevations. We are all complaining about our added pack weight. Weather is considered the most dangerous part of the whites, so at least our heavy packs can give us the peace of mind of being prepared. 
I mentioned in one of my blog posts that New York wast favorite state thus far. Vermont now holds the gold medal! It has been beautiful hiking! It has become more mountainous, but it seemed that each tough climb had a prize at the end. Sometimes we were gifted with a great view, sometimes a field of ripe blackberries, and sometimes just the awesome scents at the top of the forest were enough to make the climb worth every step. 
I was able to meet a special trail angel this past week. Anyone who has anything to do with long distance hiking on the AT knows Miss Janet. She is one of the AT's biggest angels. She travels along the trail by car, offering help and rides to hikers. She helped us by shuttling us one day as we did a day of slack packing. It was rainy weather, so it was nice to hike with a lighter pack, and then go stay a second night in the hotel we stayed at. Putting away a wet tent in the morning from rain isn't fun, and adds more weight to your pack. In fact, I will be doing that tomorrow morning, as it is pouring outside this very minute. Luckily, we stayed dry all day while hiking. 

The first town we came to as we crossed the New Hampshire border was Hanover. It's a cute little town, and the home of Dartmouth University. It's a very hiker friendly place, in fact several businesses give free stuff to hikers. There is a list of host families who take hikers in for the night. I had arranged to stay with one of the families, but at the last minute, decided to go with Sparky to his friend, Dave's house. I grabbed a free slice of pizza from a nearby pizzeria, and jumped in Dave's car. We spent two nights with Dave, making it a very relaxing zero day. Dave was a great cook, and he spoiled us the whole time! It wasn't easy to leave there today, that's for sure!

Thanks Dave! Also thanks to Sparky for sharing your buddy with me! It's good to have people who have people. :)
Of course, thanks Miss Janet too!