Overall the trip to the hiking mecca was not my cup of tea. Too crowded. Too busy. Too much hype. And no place for real solitude. My mind was still on the roll from all emotions so the next morning (already at home) I woke up at 04:53am just like on the trail.
The completion of this 26 mi stretch of AT is a big deal. Now I did all CT, part on MA, all VT, all ME and almost all NH. The exceptions in NH are 2 small pieces one 21 mi between route 16 and route 2 (Carter Moriah Range) and the other is 5 mi on the southern slope of Mount Moosilauke starting from route 25.
The trip like this one for me is not relaxing but winding up instead. It is hard to pinpoint what is so different between AT in ME and AT in NH. Most likely the remoteness. AT in Maine feels remote and secluded even near roads and hostels. Over there you mostly encounter seasoned through or section hikers. In NH you mostly deal with day-hikers who have full eggs and ham breakfast and will have a burger dinner later tonight. It is a completely different vibe.
But no argument, if you are luck with weather for visibility, if you have time and strength to enjoy and mind to keep all this out of your system, almost every step on Presidential Range is a discovery, inspiration and feast for the eyes and for your camera.
I think that the next hiking trip will be divinely a dive into Maine wilderness or even a simple bike trip to Vermont (93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail).
Because of unusual trip format there are plenty of things that I was carrying with me but never used:
– umbrella and poncho
– hiking food, stove and a bottle for cooking fuel;
– water filtering and bladder to collect water;
– string to hang food and laundry clamps;
Overall after 4 trips, 8 nights and 12 days in the wild, I am still full of energy to keep going if my car continues to cooperate. Next trip could be a bike trip on 93-mile LVTR (Lamoille Valley Rail Trail) in Vermont.
Navigate through the List
- 01 2026-06 Preparation for a third trip (2026/06/02)
- 02 2026-06-03 WE - Private Mile Notch Rd. to Grafton Loop Trail (2026/06/03)
- 03 2026-06-04 TH - from Old Speck MTN over AT to Mahoosuc mile (2026/06/04)
- 04 2026-06-05 FR - local shortcut to Bull Branch and alternative roots (2026/06/05)
- 05 2026 06 Lessons for all three May-June trips (2026/06/06)
- 01 2026-06 Preparations for the fourth trip (2026/06/26)
- 02 2026-06-27 SA bike fast without rucksack, hike slow without gusto (2026/06/27)
- 03 2026-06-28 SU Fourteen miles in fourteen hours over Mount Washington (2026/06/28)
- 04 2026-06-29 MO - up to Mount Madison and down to the car (2026/06/29)
- 05 2026-06 Epilog - Bite the bullet and do it (2026/06/30)
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