July 2 AT Mile 247.1 And e-ve-ry-thi-ng's com-ing up...

roses...???

No....just mildew...

Andrew arrived in Andover early. The hikers woke up with pouring rain so he and another thru hiker, Brunch, hitched into town from a road near the campground at Black Brook North, to wash and dry everything at a local lodge, go to the post office, and restock their supplies. He said his bandanna was so smelly from the mildew he couldn't stand it any longer. There are two 8 mile roads into Andover, so he took the first one rather than hiking over the mountain to take the next one. Our call was a quick one, and I forgot to ask about the other 3 hiking with them... He and Brunch met their goal, which was to be back at the trail in time to hike up to Hall Mt. Lean-to before dark. 'The Spot' check-in was 7:30 p.m. so I was glad they met their objective.


Andrew is still glad to be out there hiking, and amazingly, has a great attitude despite the rain. He's aware to allow caution and time for the rivers and streams that have to be crossed because they are all running high from all the rain every day. They are 30 miles to the first state line, so that is exciting! I suspect they'll cross the ME to NH state lines mid-day on the 5th... we'll stay tuned and find out.

Gorham, NH [mile 298] is his next town trip.
North Woodstock, NH [mile 373] then Hanover, NH [mile 442], are next. Andrew thought 70 miles or so between mail stops and grocery runs would be a good spacing for now. He said "once we get thru the Whites [mountains] we'll be able to pick up our pace a bit and stretch it out."

Happy Independence Day!
Mom, Harriet