GLENCLIFF, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Hi all from the hamlet of Glencliff, mile 1,778. Less than 400 miles left! How small is Glencliff? There's four houses and one of them is the post office. I've received the last of my winter gear here and boy is my pack heavy. No more lightweight backpacking! In order to fit everything in, I've got to get rid of the accumulations of summer, so no more patchouli oil or town clothes. Zen and Thinker and I have had great weather since our 3-day stay in Hanover. We've been able to camp on top of mountains both nights out, with amazing skies overhead. Few things in this world beat watching the sunset on one side of your tent, seeing the Milky Way and an amazing amount of stars during the night and then viewing the sunrise from the other side of the tent. On one peak, we could see from Stratton Mtn back in Vermont to Mt. Lafayette ahead in New Hampshire - almost 185 miles of the trail! Tonight we are staying in Glencliff - one of the houses here lets hikers camp in the lawn and shower and gives rides to town. Tomorrow, we will climb Mt. Moosilauke, the first of the Whites and at 3,600ft, its the biggest climb of the trail so far. Immediately following the peak is one of the steepest downhills on the trail to Kinsman Notch, and then right up again. This is the pattern of the Whites - tall peaks and deep notches between ridglines. Within a few days I should pass by Lonesome Lake Hut, one of the first of AMC's huts and the one my cousin Amy worked at for a summer once upon a time. Health is good, though everyone has beat up bodies. My feet, particularly my right, is hurting. After 3 days off in Hanover, it was angrier than it was hiking day after day. It will last though and I'm not concerned about it. My spirits are doing fine too after the low point in Vermont. The weather is a big part of that and it looks good for the week ahead. Passing the 400 mi mark also helps get it in my head that the end is near. Thanks for all your well-wishes and all the other cheer and comfort that family and friends have provided. It means a lot to me to know everyone is watching, hoping for me to complete this thing. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there! P.S. Saw my first moose on the drive to the store tonight - a young male, huge, wandering around in the road. Hopefully I get to see one on foot...