Day #24, Trains, buses, and Vermont yet again--miles hiked: 0.0

We thought we were done with the state of Vermont several weeks ago, but tonight we rest there once again. 

This morning, I delivered my suitcase with all of its luxurious items to our Quebec hotel lobby at a crisp 6:15 am...and off went the Maniwaki bunch on their return trip. After I joined the Berrys to grab a few more hours of sleep, it was time for some traveling of our own.

But first, why not explore the old city one more time?

After one last Quebec City hoorah, it was off to the train station to begin our journey back to the AT. 

We trained to Montreal where we made a miraculous connection to a Greyhound bus station and sprinted aboard a coach to Burlington, VT. 

We spent over an hour at customs waiting for a poor man that didn't make it--sure does stink to be detained...

Tomorrow we rent a car and drive to Littleton, NH and hope Emily and I remeber how to hitch hike...almost happy trails!

Intermission

The three amigos just reconvened...here's an update from our AT "intermission."

Emily--Double Dip:

Emily enjoyed a few days in Knoxville and orientation at the College of Charleston. Although we are going to school 10 hours apart, I believe it has been decided whose school is the spring break location.

Mr. Berry--Shabbat:

Shabbat enjoyed Tennessee for the entire intermission. He held a staff meeting, fixed a fence, hung out with family, and might have forgotten to take pictures...

Minta--Blueberry:

I had an incredibly sweet and busy time in Maniwaki and Quebec City. I arrived 3 days before the rest of the team in Mani and got to have the incredibly special experience of becoming an honorary member of the Grebe family (the pastoral family in Maniwaki). I had endless kitchen table conversations with them and several other precious church members--accompanied by endless cups of tea.

Esther, one of my dearest friends, and I rode bikes quite a ways out to Blue Sea Lake.

And of course, no visit to the Grebe household is complete without baking at least once a day. Crepes, anyone?

After a few days, the "Tennessee Group" arrived (the mission team from school) and the pace picked up considerably. We spent the week playing with kids, trying hard and often failing hard with our French, serving, and loving non-stop. 

This is the tenth year that Madame has brought kids to Mani, and such a beautiful legacy simply must be accompanied by some face paint...

Five days of camp flew by and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye once again to my Canadian friends.

It's not easy to say goodbye, but I find great comfort in going straight back to my prayer patterns for the city. It was no doubt another intense but oh-so-worthwhile week in Maniwaki.

But wait, there's more! After we pulled out of Mani, it was straight to Quebec City for some debriefing and exploration.

The Berry Bunch flew up to meet me as it's time to hit the trail once again. Wish us luck as we re-adjust to this more physically demanding and rustic way of life.

Day #23, A traveling we will go--miles hiked: 0.0

We spent today making our way from the middle of the White Mountains all the way to a place that captivated my heart 3 years ago that I have loved ever since--Maniwaki, Quebec.

The timing of so many things today couldn't have been more perfect--it's amazing how He works. In order to pick up our rental car, we had to find a ride to a town 25 miles north on I-93. Emily and I started hitching and the very first car that drove by happened to be Legion, one of the hostel people from a day or two ago. He scooped us up and off we went!

Because we arrived so early, we got to enjoy a nice break in the local Walmart (with donuts!).

From there, we rented our car and headed for Maniwaki. I think Shabbat set off some triggers with his beard at the customs place because the officer was not too pleased with our entire plan...nevertheless, he let us into Canada.

After getting a little turned around in Ottawa and several food stops, we arrived at the Grebe household and received a wonderful welcome and taste treat sensation that Esther had ready. This was another example of perfect timing as they only beat us by 5 minutes coming back from an Ottawa run themselves. 

This marks the beginning of the intermission for the Appalachian Trail adventure. I will spend the coming days in Maniwaki with my dear Esther and the group from school. Emily has college orientation and other commitments. Mr. Berry has a little bit of working to do, but

we will reconvene in Quebec City in a week or so to continue the hike. For now, this is me signing off. Happy trails!

Day #22, Mountain climbing, anyone?--miles hiked: 9.7

Today we climbed up and over Kinsman Peak. I'm very serious when I say climb. We were crawling up (me on my hands and knees at times) boulders and swinging around trees like Tarzan all morning long. 

The end result:

Check out some of the pictures from the journey up:

After the peak, it was straight back down the other side all the way to Lonesome Lake Hut where we enjoyed snacks and fresh water.

That's Franconia Ridge in the background--the next stop on the adventure. For now, we're staying in a hostel with an absolutely amazing soul of a man.

Day #20, Zero is a good number--miles hiked: 0.0

Today's agenda was as follows:

Rest

Eat

Watch movies

Repeat 

...and it was wonderful!

We stayed all day at Hiker's Welcome hostel. All there is within a 10 mile radius is a gas station food mart and a whole lot of mountains-so we ate more junk food than I've ever seen and gazed at the mountains all day. Our feet and legs could not have been happier and healed immensely in just one day. 

My favorite part of staying at the hostel was experiencing true hiker community for the first time. People just kept pouring in and everyone had such a common bond...even though we are from all walks of life. Also, two of our favorite thru hikers (Sisu and Swayed) showed up even though we haven't seen them in weeks--the trail has a way of doing that. To finish the day, we all sat down to swat flies (I hope Madame notices our weapons of choice) and watch School of Rock. Goodnight from the base of the Whites.

Day #21, Welcome to the Whites, miles hiked: 14-15ish

This morning we set off for what many consider the most difficult section of the entire Appalachian Trail--the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The first mountain is called Moosilauke and includes an incredibly steep 4,000 vertical feet of climbing. Did I mention that Moosilauke was also my first time ever above tree line? So exciting!

It was a very calm day and the wind was still whipping quite quickly--imagine doing it in a storm!

Above tree line, cairns like this one take the place of blazes on trees:

We thought the challenge of the day was complete until we headed down the other side which included a 2000 ft vertical drop in just 1.3 miles.

To put that in perspective, a difficult trail in the Smokies changes elevation around 500 ft per mile...this trail followed a cascading waterfall down the mountian. Watch your step!

We finished hiking for the night at Eliza Brook Shelter and are preparing for another day on the glacierally carved peaks.

Day #19, C'est la Vie--miles hiked: 15.7

Well...there was no big glowing orb in the sky this morning, just more rain. C'est la vie. For the 3rd time, we put on wet clothes and set off. This is the part of the show when we build character. Check out the would-be view from atop Mt. Cube:

Notice the open, rocky summit. We are in new territory.

Lunch time is always the best time:

Three days of rain and wet socks have taken their tole on Emily and my feet and have basically shredded them. C'est la vie.

Dad Berry's feet have faired considerably better, so he naps while the girls bandage. 

Nevertheless, we eventually hobbled into Glencliff, NH and found a hostel right at the base of Mt. Mooselauke--the first of the Whites.

We chose to set up the tarp rather than sleep in weeks of hiker dirt, and have been feasting since arrival.

Based on the condition of our feet, a zero hiking day has been declared for tomorrow.

Day #18, Splish Splash and Smarts Mountain--miles hiked: 12

Today was another wet one--rain from sunrise to sunset...but the hike must go on. Before the worst of the rain started, we came across more trail magic! This man sees over 1000 thruhikers a year show up on his porch for ice cream (the sign and arrow are on the trail itself). He got quite aggravated when Shabbat signed the register incorrectly, but they worked it out.

The rest of the morning was spent climbing our most serious mountian yet (Smarts Mountain)...with lots of wet, exposed rock and whipping New Hampshire wind. It became obvious today that we are quickly approaching the White Mountains.

There aren't more pictures because the conditions were too bad to pull my phone out, but we decided to cut the mileage short to avoid staying under the tarp tonight. We holed up at a hexagonally shaped shelter right before Mt. Cube with high hopes for better weather. 

Day #17, Don't try this at home--miles hiked: 16.7

We woke up this morning to a cold, dreary rain...but we decided to walk anyway. By the time we resupplied and reorganized all of our food in front on the grocery store, it was noon.

Ivy League, anyone?

A leisurely morning was nice, except for the fact that we still had 16.7 miles to hammer out before bed. That's the "don't try this at home" part. After our first two New Hampshire mountains, the sun went down and we got absolutely drenched with rain before rolling into Trapper John Shelter.

It's nights like this one that help you decide whether or not you're really cut out for this lifestyle--and the three amigos carry on.

Ps--I fell right into a big mud puddle in the last half mile of the day-what fun!

Day #16, Hello New Hampshire!--miles hiked: 14.7

Some of us are more happy than others (aka Shabbat was not a fan) to be leaving Vermont, but after a 14 mile trek out of the woods, we reached the border!

First time crossing an interstate--we must really be getting somewhere.

Oh, and we experienced our first real trail magic on the way into town! A lady had fresh watermelon waiting for us outside her house.

Once we arrived in Hanover, NH, the allure of staying in town was far too great to resist...so here we sit at the luxurious Sunset Motel.

Shabbat had a pack strap malfunction a few days ago, so we marched right into EMS (the northern version of REI) and packed all of his stuff into a brand new pack. Thanks to our new friend, Jerry, for giving us a ride!

With tummies full of Pizza Hut and Lindor Tuffles, we bid thee goodnight.