The Cohos Trail is a rugged and tough hike through New Hampshire's wild northern backcountry. If you are from out-of-state and only have experience hiking western trails, or if you have never hiked mountainous territory in New England, then please understand that these trails are not graded for horses/mules, that New Hampshire doesn't believe in switchbacks, and that weather here can and often does turn on the drop of a dime. This is one of the most difficult areas to hike in the USA. Our trails are full of boulders and roots, and the path is sometimes only as wide as your foot. We have ticks, thorns, snakes, mosquitoes, spiders, and blackflies everywhere on the trail. If you're really lucky, you'll find ground wasps too. (Yes, we also have moose and bear, but moose and bear really aren't a concern unless you decide to use your food sack as a pillow. Leave them alone and give them space, and they'll return the favor). Given the above, you will need to c
Sophie's Lane and Fourth Connecticut Lake Trail 7.5 miles with about 900 feet of elevation gain. It rained overnight, but we didn't care; it's usually a pain to pack up a wet tent, but this was our last day and we didn't have far to go. We even slept in -- instead of getting up at 5am and heading out by 6, we slept until 7:30 and headed out around 9. Sloths! It took about five minutes to get back to Sophie's Lane and start heading toward Canada. We stopped to say hello to this little guy/gal along the way. Sophie's Lane is easy walking. It's a very pleasant way to spend your last few miles -- you're on a nice country road that feels flat the entire way. We tried to slow our pace since our ride wasn't supposed to arrive at the border until 5pm; with the way we were walking, we were bound to get there hours earlier. We couldn't seem to not hike quickly, though...quickly was our natural pace now and it felt strange slow