The Pemi.

You know when you start talking about something that means a lot to you, or writing about it or just thinking about it and you literally feel a weight of emotion over your heart? Pulsing in your ribcage and tightening your throat, filling you with a warmth of sorrow, or joy, or both…

All I had to do was write the title of this post and I felt that.

Last week I went on one of the most incredible adventures of my life in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I got a couple scrapes, some bug-bites, and a sun-burn that will fade away, but I made memories that will last forever.

As I’ve looked at pictures and re-counted the stories to my friends and family since then, I’ve been filled with so much gratitude. I know this post won’t mean as much to you as it does to me, but I can’t help writing about an experience that challenged me and inspired me in so many ways.

I had been planning a trip to visit my brother and his wife since mid-march. The idea of doing a big hike and experiencing the wilderness of New Hampshire had been tossed around in the weeks and months following. Fast forward to my birthday when I received a back-pack from my boyfriend and the big hike idea quickly transformed into to a big-overnight-hike idea. My brother would send me texts letting me in on his thoughts, but it wasn’t until days before I was getting on the plane that he actually nailed down his decision.

The Pemi Loop.

All I really knew was that it was around 25 miles and we’d be spending the night somewhere in the woods and I should probably bring my hiking boots instead of my tennis shoes. (Boy am I glad I did)

What I didn’t know was that I was about to embark on 31 miles of the most difficult terrain I’ve ever hiked, which makes sense since the loop is noted as the hardest hike on the eastern seaboard. No big deal.

Fast forward to Saturday morning, August 3. After only about 6 hours of sleep, fueled by Evans Brothers coffee all the way from Idaho and some stretching in the parking lot, we began our ascent up the first summit; Mount Flume.

About four miles in while climbing a series of literal ladders fastened onto the side of the mountain, I started thinking to myself that maybe this hike was going to be a little harder than I first imagined. After climbing 3,100 feet and summiting our first peak, however, I knew it would all be worth it. The view took my breath away.

After a granola bar, some water, and a moderate trek through the rocky tree line of the mountains, we made it to our next stop- Mt. Liberty.

Here is where I also began to freak out just a little. See that rocky, sort of bare ridge to the left of me in the distance? Yeah, we were supposed to hike that the following day.

From there it was only 1.8 miles to the next summit, Little Haystack.

Next up was the Franconia Ridge trail which led the way in two big pushes to Mt. Lincoln and then Mt. Lafayette. The trail is entirely above the tree line so we had 360 degree views in all directions.

I loved this iconic ridge-line. It was breezy and beautiful, and my tummy was full of a delicious tuna sandwich made on Daves killer bread. Each step made me feel like I was on top of New Hampshire and the glimmering afternoon sunshine gave us perfect visibility in all directions.

From here on out is where the trail began to get really fun (or in other words, really hard). After Franconia Ridge, hiking turns into rock-scrambling and the trail dips down below the trees as the elevation sharply drops.

At this point we had already hiked about 12-ish miles and my body was definitely craving an afternoon cup of coffee. As the sun began to slowly set, we continued on the trail which was basically compromised of a bunch of boulders, and made our way to the final summit of the day-Mt Garfield.

Although my legs were definitely feeling the hard inclines and declines of elevation, this summit was one of my favorites. Surrounded by the golden light of the evening, we looked out upon the great traverse of Franconia Ridge and the mountains that we had hiked and looked forward to the peaks we’d summit the next day. With the base remains of an old fire tower, it was in my opinion, the most peaceful summit of the entire Pemi Loop.

After summiting Mt. Garfield, we dipped back down into the trees and continued on the trail, passing by Garfield pond and then stopping at a spring to fill up on water. The Pemi Loop intersects with the Appalachian trail, and here we met a guy who had been on the AT since April. From the spring, we literally hiked down a waterfall and then began looking for a place to stay the night.

Finally we found a spot to set up camp, start a fire, and eat the backpacking mac-n-cheese that had been our motivation to complete the last couple miles.

It was probably the best mac-n-cheese I’ve ever had.

Day 2. Sunday, August 4.

After packing up camp and drinking some much needed coffee, we started on the trail once more towards GaleHead Hut, one of the eight backcountry huts managed by the Appalachian Mountain Club within the White Mountain National Forest. This stretch of the loop was a great way to start the day as the trail slowly ascended through mossy woods covered in a cool morning mist.

We stopped to re-fill on water and check out the hut.

What we would tackle next, would be the toughest stretch of the entire Pemi Loop; the twin-way.

We chowed down some nuts, strapped on our packs and began the agonizingly steep incline of 1,122 feet of elevation in just 0.8 miles. During this ascent, we scrambled over what was a seemingly never-ending succession of rocks.

Boulder after boulder, knees buckling, packs weighing us down… It was grueling to say the least and I wouldn’t be surprised if we burned 5,000 calories just doing that section alone haha…

At last, we made it to the top of South Twin Mountain.
I could have cried.

From South Twin the trail descends back down into a quaint forested section of woods for a few miles before emerging on an open traverse along the side of Mt. Bond. Definitely appreciated getting to stretch out my knees and walk on what seemed like an easy trail for a while compared to the grueling ascension to South Twin.

Here we devoured our creamy peanut butter sandwiches and sweet juicy plums while preparing for our final summit; Bondcliff. The trail connecting the two Bonds was absolutely breathtaking, with sharp ledges on either side, and wilderness as far as the eye can see.

On the way to Bond cliff, we also stumbled upon some wild mountain blueberries which were a fun tasty treat to stop and pick while enjoying the spectacular views.

At last we reached Bond Cliff, a sentimental summit for my brother and sister-in law since this was the mountain where they got engaged. It was fun to hear their memories of that day re-told, as well look back and see how far we’d come, since the entirety of our trip was visible from this point.

Bond Cliff is aptly named as it features sheer cliffs, made seemingly more magnanimous because of the wind atop the summit.

At last, we said goodbye to the incredible vistas of New Hampshire’s wilderness, and began our descent back into the trees to finish our 9 remaining miles.

It was easy to think that with the last summit completed, the rest of the hike would be easy, but unfortunately that was not the case. From Bondcliff, we had a lengthy 6 mile-ish trek straight downhill. All of us were understandably pretty tired, and since there wasn’t much to see, we just tried plowing through these miles as quickly as possible (we may or may have not also been motivated by the fact we were going out to burgers after this as well).

About 3 miles out from where we were parked, we stopped by the Pemigewasset river to soak our feet and clean ourselves up a little. At this point it was safe to say we were all exhausted and ready for showers, some hot food and good sleep.

The remainder of the loop takes place on the rail-trail, which is 3 miles of flat walking along an abandoned rail-road. Although terrain-wise this was the easiest section of the loop, it was funny how the seemingly endless stretch of rail-road ties through the forest played mind games with you… At times it felt like we were walking through a tunnel that would never end.

But alas, it did end and we finally made it back to the place where we’d begun this crazy journey. I was sticky, hungry and incredibly tired, but beaming from the inside out. I’d just finished one of the most difficult hikes in North America.

31 miles, 9 summits, and 2 days later, we made it.
We’d hiked the Pemi Loop.

Again, this post won’t mean half as much to you as it did to me, but it was an adventure I’ll never forget, and a memory I wanted to share.

I’m so thankful to live in a world as beautiful as ours. 10 years ago I didn’t even know that New Hampshire had mountains, and I definitely didn’t expect that I would ever hike in them. I am so thankful for the means to travel and take time off work. I’m thankful for the health and ability to complete a hike as difficult as the Pemi Loop.

I’m thankful for the memories made, from discussing heaven, eating mac-n-cheese under head-lamps, laughing as the wind billowed through my shirt on Bond Cliff, dreaming about French toast on the rail trail, and hobbling up the final-final summit of the day (Reece and Megan’s stairs to their apartment).

But more than anything, I am so thankful for my brother and his wife, who are some of my best friends, despite living so far away. I’m thankful that they took the time off work to spend time with me, gritting their teeth through the difficult and at times even painful ascensions and descensions of the White Mountains, when they could have spent it doing something far more relaxing.

Without you guys, I would have never done the Pemi Loop, and even if I had, there’s no way it would have been as fun.

I love you so much, Reece and Megan.
Hoping our next adventure isn’t too far away.