To Bee a Flip Flop
tales of
the Sparkle Chasing Mountain Mermaid
called Neck Knife
Live Free or Die
August 4, 2020
Written on day 75, at mile 868.3
Well, I made it to New Hampshire!! How weird to be here, knowing I walked here from Maryland…
I crossed the border on July 17th and have both slowed down and taken a lot of zeros….. so I’m still in the 603. It’s been a while since my last post and there’s been so many wonderful things going on.
crossed into NH!
View from the Smarts firetower
So many lil mushrooms
The water slide that made my day
It’s been quite a trip for me walking through these mountains. I’ve been thinking about my childhood a lot more than I ever have, in some challenging ways, like remembering why I left New Hampshire, but also remember a ton of old funny memories, like that time I broke my arm in the parking lot of the Flume because my dad put me on a bike with handle breaks when I was 4 and I wasn’t strong enough to squeeze the breaks…. or spotting Loon while climbing Kinsman and telling my tramily all about my glory days of mogul skiing. My brain has been flooded with thoughts of the past while also being in awe of the summer beauty New Hampshire holds, beauty that I feel I am experiencing for the first time. As some of you know, I spent my summers as a kid living with my mom’s parents on the Jersey shore. I skied these mountains, I didn’t hike them.. but damn, are they fun to hike! The climbs have been really challenging, but motivating and rewarding with the breathtaking views. My heart has been beating so fast and my face sore from smiling so hard. I have seen a huge improvement in my physical shape and feel pretty bad ass, not gunna lie haha.
Moosilauke!
Lurking in the gnome forest
Swimming at least once a day. This was my second time this day.
Being so close to friends and family has brought a ton of trail magic my way. When I got down from Moosilauke, Chris and Jeanne Bishop came to camp with a couple cases of beer for my friends and cider and tequila for me!! They also brought a trash bag and ice for us to makeshift a cooler, a luxury we have not had in quite some time. It was so fun to see them, a true reminder that I was home and that I have my people so close. We talked about trail life and the mountains we were going to climb. It was really special. To top it all off, they came back in the morning to pick up our trash!
A few days later my parents picked up the Wanderlurkers at 93, in the parking lot that I broke my arm, and took us to Lake Winnipesaukee! Serious trail life upgrade. We ate big Bee family dinners, drank all the booze, including Dad’s jalapeño and pineapple infused tequila, floated around on the boat, sang karaoke, and entertained my family with weird conversations and inside jokes. The fam all earned trail names, Dad became Captain, Mom became Queen, Mimi became You-you, Aunty Janny was given Hot Sauce by Hot Sauce who now prefers you go by Dr. X, and Joe became Corkscrew. It was so much fun and really special to have my worlds colliding.
The Bishops!!
Still green
Lurkers on a boat
Lurkers on a boat
Back on trail, everyday continued to be amazing. Franconia Ridge was one of my favorite climbs so far. It was one of the first above tree line, with spectacular views for a long time and lots of magical gnome forests. The Whites have been exhilarating, it’s really hard to describe, but I am having so much fun getting challenged like this.
The trail magic continued, I was met by a friend of a friend of my sister’s friend that I had met through Instagram haha. He wanted to meet in the Whites and asked for some of my favorite things. I honestly wasn’t sure if this person was real or if I was being trolled… but sure enough, I reached the summit of Jackson and was greeted with a bottle of Cazadores, Gatorade and snacks!! It was rad. He was a super nice guy and answered lots of our New Hampshire questions.
The next day, I climbed Mt. Washington, the second highest mountain on the trail. It was a big day and I was SO excited. I climbed it a couple times as a kid, once with the Drakes and once to ski Tuckerman’s Ravine. I woke up in a pretty great mood and moved really fast. I had a great playlist going, which is unlike me to listen to music, but I was so giddy, I needed to dance. So I grooved and skipped all the way up. I had a feeling I may have some visitors at the top, as my parents were strangely inquisitive about my summit arrival time. So, to my (kind of) surprise, my parents were at the top with a cooler of beer, a sandwich bar, and (another) bottle of Cazadores!! I am working on getting a tequila sponsorship. It was so cool to have them at the top. My parents have been insanely supportive and helpful throughout this adventure. I can’t express my gratitude enough…. They are just the coolest. And I think they think I’m pretty cool, too! 🥰
So much water
Franconia Ridge
Trail magic at the top of Jackson!
Looking towards Washington(aka oz)
These bigger climbs have left me pretty sore. The steep downhills have been hard on my knees, I’m writing this post laying down with my legs up in the air, a frequent position for me as of late. But all in all, I feel really good. I feel pretty invincible. I’ve been at the Rattle River Hostel the last few nights. They picked me up 21.5 miles down trail, I camped in their yard, took a zero day, then the next day they dropped me back where they picked me up, without my pack(called slack packing), and I hiked the 21.5 miles back to the hostel. I felt so light/naked/guilty without my pack, that I started running… and ran the whole way! It was a blast! I am now considering a career as an ultramarathoner when I’m done trail haha.
Still at the Rattle River Hostel, just outside of Gorham, it’s going to be my 4th night here. I have taken 2 zeros, with the 21.5 mile slack-pack in between. There’s been a ton of trail magic here, from past hikers and the hostel owner, and a foam roller. There are also a lot of hikers, so it’s been fun to share stories and laughs.
I’ll be in Maine soon. New Hampshire has been really special. All the feels, worlds colliding, magic, taking my time, pushing my limits, feeling invincible.
Life free or die 🤘🏽
Quick mermaid dip on my Washington climb
Mom and Dad surprising the lurk squad!