I planned to pass through Lincoln NH without stopping. I ended up living in Lincoln NH for four days by accident. Well, I guess more like three days and four nights to be fair
Our first night we got there after hiking all day. The next day we planned to head out after resupplying, which we hadn’t been able to do since hiking went later than expected the day before. As we went to resupply, we discussed as a group and decided to take a zero so we didn’t have to rush (and Chet’s place where we were staying is essentially free so it wasn’t a huge deal). We lounged around town and even saw a movie.
The next day we slackpacked. Slackpacking is where you hike but only carry snacks and water and what you might need just for the day, lightening your load by many pounds. Thus, with slackpacking you are usually able to do more miles than you would with a full pack. We slackpacked 17 miles over the Kinsman range. The northbounders at Chet’s had repeatedly warned us it would be a very long and difficult day, taking them over ten hours. I was really nervous especially when we didn’t get started until 9. My fears were unfounded though when we easily completed the day in about 8 and a half hours. Those silly northbounders. I think the whites helped condition us so we were able to complete the day faster than nobos who have been hiking for 1300 miles more than us. We got a ride with a trail angel, Rock Ocean, back to Chet’s in his awesome van from 1982 in which he made us tea before driving us back.
The next day we planned on getting hiking again but woke up to rain and a forecast of thunderstorms all day. We had Mt Moosilauke ahead of us and didn’t want to be above tree line during storms so we decided to wait a day. We saw another movie and again enjoyed the amenities of town.
Finally the next day was nice and sunny and we left what had become our second home at Chet’s place. The climb up moosilauke was much easier than expected. Northbounders warned us the trail was insanely steep and basically up a waterfall. There was even a sign saying tragic results would occur if you weren’t an experienced hiker. However it was not any steeper than other mountains in the whites and turned out to be a beautiful climb up to the top. It was an interesting experience simmering moosilauke because I’d climbed it solo on Memorial Day weekend as prep for the AT. It was snowy and there were freezing wind chills when I last came up. It’s crazy to think where I was in life then versus now. It was only a few months ago but I was in what feels like a very different place and mindset. Not to mention I had nervous thoughts and anticipation about the AT swirling around my head when I climbed moosilauke before but here I was doing what I was so worried about and it was going wonderfully. I took a photo at the sign at the top to compare to the one that is my blog ID photo. It may not look it but I’m already a changed person from the one back in may.
Other happenings in Lincoln were that I got to see several familiar faces. My brother, Ms Devon Bonney, and Mr Kyle Connolly all drove miles out of their way to come see me in the tiny town of Lincoln. With each of them i got a quick meal and we caught up, nothing too special, but their visits made me so incredibly happy. Each of them are starting exciting new journeys in their lives and it was great to be able to hear about it. I can’t thank them enough for taking time out of their busy schedules to come see me and brighten my journey, leaving me smiling a week later.