“So you’re one of those ‘Trail Runners’ that we’ve been hearing about!”

…boomed the voice behind me as the trails merged, going up the backside of Mt Lafayette. Yes, today I am one of those pesky trail runners. But I am also a thru-hiker who has dabbled in the art of volunteer trail maintenance a bit and always seem to find myself picking up those brightly colored candy bar wrappers that other folks carelessly dropped in the mud. I’ve also helped many folks find their way through the mountains, I like what I do!

So despite this fellow not knowing a single thing about me other than the fact that was wearing an obnoxiously bright running hydration vest, a t-shirt and shorts with Altra’s on the feet – I will take this as a compliment as today I am a trail runner.

The desire to take on the infamous Pemi-Loop goes back to the first days of being a New Hampshire resident, when I simply knew the route as something hikers backpacked, a multi-day trek. Heck, even that seemed like a blast - one day in the wilderness could be heaven but the thought of spending one or two night in the woods? Now that’s my kind of vacation!

Fast forward several months, to a time prior to my first 50K running event; I felt fit, but still not ready to tackle 30+ miles of rugged terrain in the White Mountains over some of the most extreme (and beautiful!) peaks in the Pemigewasset forest preserve.

Trail running the Pemi-Loop was something that became interesting to me; interesting in the way hot sauce can burn your lips and sear your nostrils as you make every attempt to exhale the heat. During the event it seems like the worst idea ever, once the pain subsides and you can later recount the highs of the day, it makes a person say “yeah, I’d do that again!”

Knowing that this would be a long day for someone like me, I laid out my gear to get a visual on what I had; how much pack space it took up, weight, and if I had space for any “comfort items”. After all, that’s what running 30+ miles is all about, being in the least amount of discomfort, especially when you tack more than 10,000′ of elevation gain onto the legs!

Food was simple, I packing what I knew worked for me in the past: Muir energy packets, 1 pound of dates (they give me crazy amounts of energy and relieve leg muscle fatigue in the finest way). No coconut water packed this time, but I made sure to drink some on the drive up to the trail head, along with several carrots (I’ve got my quirks…) and three bananas.

While not needed during this Pemi-Loop, my Sawyer water filter always comes along for the ride and has saved my butt on so many other adventures, it’s a must have for my bag.

I brought a waterproof Gore-Tex outer shell which I also did not use, probably could have gone for something a bit lighter, but had it rained I would have been thrilled to have the extra warmth on hand.

I’m still fairly new to owning Injini toe socks, admittedly I was a little indifferent to them initially, my toes always felt smashed all to hell in regular wool socks and at the end of the long day I can say they (toe socks) worked great! My toes felt more dry during the entire trip, but upon returning to the Subaru I was extremely happy to get the muddy toe-huggers off.

–Lincoln Woods–

I am not too sure that I have ever hiked this old railroad bed with no snow, what an engulfing canopy of lush green leaves and warm dirt tones, it made my visual senses feel extra-alive; seeing color as if I were stepping out of a black and white world for the first time!

The “typical” route which goes clockwise would have trekkers cutting off at 1.3mi, turning left onto the Osseo Trail, up to Flume first and continuing along Franconia Ridge. I decided that I wanted to go counter-clockwise, using the 5+ mile slog in as a warm up instead of a death march at the end of a long day.

Passing and saying ‘good morning’ to several folks, I jogged at a conservative pace and eventually cut left for the Bonds. Then came the constant alternation between power-hike, slow jog, back to fast hiking once the going got steep and had the Black Brook behind me.

Having recent up-close encounters with both moose and black bear while running trails in New Hampshire, I half expected to trot into some big wildlife while out in this remote forest, nearly getting spooked half-to-death from a loud noise in a small package… just a ruffed grouse!

Ten miles in and I now found myself standing on the open summit of Mount Bond where a tower once stood. All this terrain in just under 2 1/2 hours for the day, so far it felt good, almost as if I was cruising out here.

I met a couple of sweethearts all bundled up, scoping out the sunrise along the Hancocks while gulping down some breakfast. As I gave a big wave and a good morning, they inquired of my itinerary. With just a pointing finger to the other side of the ravine (Franconia) they exclaimed together “Whoa.. You’re crushing it!!”

My first omission of this excursion was West Bond, some throw this peak in to tack on an extra mile and extra “bragging rights” peak, maybe next time but not today. While passing the spur path I reminisced of standing alone atop the windless summit the prior winter.

- Next stop: Guyot -

Mount Guyot is one of those elusive mountains that you can find on the 4000-foot Peaks of New Hampshire but is technically not included on the 48 AMC 4000-footers that so many strive to accomplish. However one looks at it, it’s an absolutely stellar peak in the middle of the Pemigewasset! There are two bumps which could be considered the “summit”. Depending on which map you consult, the first lies directly on the trail amidst a 6-foot rock cairn the other option is further down the trail and about a quarter mile east on the AT.

Several sections of boardwalk and some delicate rock hopping to and fro found myself ascending once again. Up and up as the Northbound thru-hikers passed by (I know a thru-hiker when I smell one). I knew the trail would be steep when I looked at my map but couldn’t believe I was to the base of South Twin already, that is, until the trees grew shorter and the summit signage was in my face gaving options of North Twin to the right or Galehead Hut to the left. Finding the time to hop all over the bare summit in search for another USGS survey marker disc, my search came up empty.

Descending the shoulder of South Twin had me thinking that this quite possibly could be one of the steepest hiking sections that I have ever been on in the White Mountains. As I grew completely entranced in footsteps, hiking became more of a light-footed ballet dance, doing all I could to keep what little traction I had on these moss covered wet rocks.

A quick side-trip into the Galehead Hut found me chatting it up with Lucy (made that up.. but she seemed like a Lucy to me), who was firing up some cinnamon rolls for the incoming hikers while I topped off all of my water flasks. She was bummed that the lousy weather was taking a toll on her typically good mood, day after day during the month of June was spent in a foggy, rainy climate.

I had read somewhere that the Galehead Hut basically marks mid-point of a Pemi-Loop, I was logging just under 4hr and my COROS GPS watch telling me that I was about 14.5 miles in – somehow in this amount of time I had only gone through about half of the 80 ounces of water carried on my back. I was topped off, fueled with a Sunflower Butter packet of Muir and good to go!

The trail was typical wet rock and ankle deep mud through the next section of Garfield Ridge Trail, nothing too memorable that is.. until I ran into Jarvis (again.. another made up name). In my typical polite fashion, I gave a “hey man, how’s it going!” as our paths crossed. His response: “Uh man, you know.. would have been better if I brought more cigarettes”. I apologetically broke the news that I had not brought any on my run and wished him all the best - we truly can run into all types seeking enlightenment out here on the Appalachian Trail!

What I remembered to be a flowing waterfall was a mere trickle as I made quick work up the backside of Mount Garfield. This is where I began running, literally running into bus loads of White Mountain tourists, and yet I am but one of these tourists. Or at least I tell myself.

Continuing onward nearly immediately upon tagging the high spot of Mt Garfield, I met my next group of friendly travelers. This time the leader inquired about water availability at the Galehead Hut. I told him there was in fact water and that I had even used it to fill up. However, once I told him it was nearly an hour away (I had been running on and off for 1hr 20minutes since the hut according to my watch). The rage swelled in his eyes and at that moment I pondered the idea of being punched in the nose during my first Pemi-Loop. His buddy quickly reminded him the hut was over 3mi away. He grunted in dissatisfaction and pushed down the trail, off to live his own ‘Loop experience. And that right there is why I bring a water filter, always.

The crowds did not end there, they only grew in numbers as I neared the open slab rock of Lafayette, the fifth highest in the Whites and a major destination for many day hikers. Luckily, I ran into some incredible friends coming down clockwise from the summit (what a small world up here!), as well as a fellow who stated the opening sentence of this post: just another self-entitled hiker who thought I was simply there to shroud his mountains with pee, poop and all of my candy bar wrappers. Again, I wished him a great day and I was back on my way.

*South along the Franconia Ridge, ~5000ft*

Topping out at 5,240′ I stood on the summit and soaking up the gusting winds. While trying to shut out the ruckus of 60 other people roaming the rocks, I swear I thought I could hear music coming from one of the groups.

- I had to leave, so leave is what I did -

I stopped to look back occasionally, how could a person not? The views are simply marvelous from such great heights!

Concentrating on my fancy dancing footwork to get down these bare alpine rocks swiftly and safely, I hustled in a few steps, then tried to be courteous and let other folks by. Most said, “hey, have a great hike..err..run or whatever!”, while others snickered as if to say “oh, just another trail runner… he’s not even enjoying these mountains!”

I met, and talked with a very nice volunteer as I let folks pass by on the narrow trail, she was up for the weekend to teach us visitors about how fragile the alpine mosses and plant life is at such high altitude, and to promote the way of “the rock-walk”. She assured me that once I re-entered the forest after Little Haystack I would get some reprieve from the swells of crowds along the more popular peaks prior to my final ascents of Mounts Liberty and Flume.

On the Appalachian Trail for now, I passed another young guy also trail running who yelled back to me “whoa.. you’re doing the whole loop?!” That made me laugh and temporarily pulled me out of the green tunnel which had become my day.

The Liberty junction came and went. The switch for auto-pilot-mode got flipped once again; one step followed the last. Concentrating on the rocks underfoot was all I could do as I greeted the oncoming hikers (mostly French-speaking on Liberty and Flume, interesting observation).

No time was wasted on this summit either, I had planned on stopping for a photo-op in the direction I had come but the never-ending crowds everywhere made me want to just keep pushing on.

I had read somewhere that the trail between Liberty and Flume was super run-able, maybe the person who stated this could have been referencing the trail during winter? Perhaps true if I were fresh on my feet for the day but being somewhere around 9,000ft of climbing in for the day, I certainly could not run this mud-laden, rocky, ankle-breaker of a trail.

I passed Flume. With my head down and focusing on rocks and roots, I briefly remember seeing yet another summit dotted with brightly colored jackets focusing lunch and selfies.

I wanted to take another photo, this time from where the trail grows super-narrow and drops off to the west, just prior to the Flume Slide Trail Junction. Well, I missed that too. With my head down I ran right past it! Still, a day later writing this, I don’t remember passing that spot I know so well, I saw the white and green sign for the Osseo Trail and thought “4.4 miles? oh well.. let’s get it done!“

This was my first time ever stepping foot on the Osseo Trail. Knowing that I crushed the final ascent and it was all downhill between me and my Subaru, I moved with a fresh air in the Altra’s!

Something interesting happens in my mind during (what most would consider) an ultra-marathon/long-hike such as this, I had forgotten all that I previously read about this trail. I found fancy (and very long) ladder section gracing the shoulder of Flume and turned this into a sort of game to keep myself alert – playing with my footwork (trying to not trip over my tired footsteps) and cadence, sinking into my mind and thinking intently about how each step felt from toe to heel, often times taking steps entirely on my toes and absorbing the impact as gently as my tired leg muscles would allow.

One final push through the miles as they gently sloped downward. Following the sound of rushing water that I hoped would turn out to be the Pemigewasset River to sweep me on back to my car. The forest was absolutely stunning in this section - finally some runnable trail along one of the tributaries leading to the main river. I had thoughts of getting off trail to dunk my salt soaked head and arms just to cool off but my sights were set on the watermelon half and refreshments in my car.

The run out seemed so sluggish compared to the airy steps I was able to easily muster up on the way in, having to slow myself down during the morning miles in, in hopes that would stash some energy aside for this last push out.

Passing group after group, the women reeked of old department store perfume dressed in their sunny afternoons finest, men in button up shirts passed by. All I could really focus on was the entrance to the suspension bridge to take me back to a familiar car.

Stopped my watch just as I hit the bridge: *I had done it.*

What an incredible day up there in the Pemigewasset wilderness of the White Mountains, a place my heart truly feels at rest - even when its beating up hill at 176bpm!

Overall Stats for the day:
30.92 miles
9hr 23minutes
10,308′ elevation gain

Bond Cliffs, 4265′ – mile 9
Mount Bond, 4698′ – mile 10.2
Mount Guyot, 4560′ – mile 11.6
South Twin, 4902′ – mile 13.5
Mount Garfield, 4480′ – mile 18.6
Mount Lafayette, 5240′ – mile 21.9
Mount Lincoln, 5089′ – mile 22.8
Little Haystack Mountain, 4760′ – mile 23.5
Mount Liberty, 4459′ – mile 25.4
Mount Flume, 4328′ – mile 26.4

Pemi-Looped

Mount Colden: The Trap Dike

Starting the NH48