I first came across the Cohos Trail in 2020 while perusing the FKT site. I was instantly intrigued and drawn to the rugged wildness of it. I knew I wanted to explore it but wasn’t sure when or how it would unfold. I would say that I have always been drawn to being self-sufficient in the backcountry. These types of adventures feed me and are becoming harder to find in this world. So, as time passed a plan came together. I was seeking discovery and a true wilderness experience. I had only been on about 15 miles of this route previously and purposely did not scout it. In the last few years I started playing around with some single night fastpacking adventures to dial in my gear. I had a great season of exploring this year and then decided that this is the year for an unsupported attempt. I put it in my schedule for the first week of October but kept moving it up looking for a good forecast. On 9/18 it looked like a great weather window coming up so everything got shifted to a 9/21 start date. I decided I would go “dark” with no technology and a paper map. My phone was on airplane mode and used for pictures only. I did bring my inreach for an emergency but at the last minute decided to use it for tracking so my family could follow along. I was not sure how this was going to go so I planned enough nutrition for 4 full days. My pack weighed 35lbs at the start with 3 liters of water.
Day 1: Davis Path to Starr King summit. The morning started with some light drizzle and low cloud cover. First time on the Davis path and I absolutely loved this trail. The Montalban Ridge is beautiful with a great feel. There were a lot of moose prints and heard a few scurrying but did not see any. The drop down into the dry river is a wilderness trail which are always my favorite. I have explored in the dry river before but only overlapped about a half mile in here. Climbed up the other side on the Eisenhower trail which was awesome and was greeted by clearing skies and great views. Saw my first human at this point. Down the Edmands path and saw a few handfuls of people coming up and then into the Mt. Washington hotel XC ski trails. I was not looking forward to this as I thought it was going to be ugly. But I was pleasantly surprised as the trails are beautiful and travel right next to the Ammo. I did see some people in here, I believe they were all staying at the resort as they smelled very nice. I came out on the golf course and went around the hotel and just laughed at the ridiculousness of this all. From there it was some road sections which I do usually avoid at all costs. But, as I came along the road I saw a sign with my name on it. My wife had made a sign and hung it on the Twin Mountain sign. This was such a surprise and made my day! From here it was up and over Mt. Martha and Owls Head. I crossed paths with my last humans for the day on the climb up. Both peaks were very nice with good views. Then down into the Pondicherry wildlife refuge and the first sign for the Cohos since the start. The refuge was quiet and peaceful. From there it was another 3.5 miles of road to the start of the Starr King and Kilkenny. I was originally going to bivy at the trailhead but decided to climb to the summit instead to get a better start the next morning. The climb in the dark was very peaceful. I decided to fill all my water at the spring .5 below the summit to save weight. Got to the spring and it was very small and slow so it took a long time to fill 5 liters. But at least I didn’t have to go back down! I camped at a stealth spot near the summit and had a great night. The only issue at this point was some shin and ankle pain that wasn’t too concerning.
Day 2: Starr King to Baldhead Shelter. Morning started with some fog as I made my way through the Kilkenny traverse. Saw my first moose on Terrace mountain and was a big dude! Saw my first human at the Cabot hut and another handful on the rest of the traverse. I had been on the traverse before only to Cabot, so the rest was all new. Shin really started to hurt by the time I hit south pond. Had to play around with my pacing and movement to try to figure out a balance with it. Came out to Stark, crossed the road and came across my first Cohos SOBO. We chatted for a bit and each shared the stoke for what was in store for us. He would be the last human I would see until the next afternoon. I entered the woods with renewed vigor and really enjoyed the trails in this section. As I approached North Percy, I was on a 2 mile section of trail that my daughter and I hiked this winter to see the eclipse on North Percy. This was a special time as I was able to reflect on that experience while being in there again. Once I got past Percy, the rest of trail was all new for me to discover. I came down into the Nash Stream area and it was a nice mix of windy trails and snowmobile corridors. My shin was really bothering me at this point and I figured I would stop early at the first shelter I would come across and reevaluate everything. As I approached the shelter spur I heard a dog barking incessantly. I couldn’t believe that someone would have a barking dog in such a wilderness setting so I decided to not even go down the spur and go the 10 miles to the next shelter. The only issue was I was in some pretty good pain and was going to go through Gadwah Notch in the dark. That was one of the areas I was hoping to see in the light. But, I was able to physically rally and as I approached the notch, the winds kicked up and blew out the clouds and I had a magical nighttime experience traversing through such a beautiful remote area by headlamp. The stars were amazing. I was about 1 mile away from the shelter and dropped down into a long section of trail in chest-high overgrown hobblebush. I couldn’t see the path, got turned around, and ended up going back the same way for .5 mile before I realized it. I managed to keep it all together and kept going but still got dead-ended in that section 3 more times before I found my way through. At one point I figured I would bivy right there. The shelter was dry so I had to find water and carry it up. I finally made it up to the baldhead shelter and was falling asleep as I made dinner. The shelter is at 3000’ and it was windy and cold. I had a restless night as my shin pain would wake me up every 15mins. At this point I figured my adventure might be over and I was contemplating on how to get out of there.
Day 3: Baldhead shelter to Neil Tillotson hut. An hour before I woke my shin started to feel a bit better so I figured I would try to make it the 8 miles to the next road crossing. It was a cold morning, none of my stuff had dried, and I had to decide what level of sweaty clothes I was going to wear for the day. But, it was another beautiful quiet morning and I got to witness the sunrise over Dixville peak and the windmills. I saw another moose in this section. I was excited to experience Dixville notch and table rock. The trails were a mix of single track, windmill access road, and ski resort trails. I arrived at the notch and it completely socked in with morning fog so no picture from table rock for me! I made it down to the road and evaluated my leg. I was in pain but it was doing okay. I figured I made it this far and have invested so much and I need to see how long I can go. I started the climb out of the notch and the trail was gorgeous. As I traversed over near the summit I came face to face with a moose on the trail. They usually run away but this one seemed curious and started moving towards me. As I started to move towards a tree, it turned and went into the woods. Such a cool experience. From the summit the trail mellowed out significantly and was a nice mix of single track and woodsy road/atv corridor. The trail goes though Coleman State Park and then a good stretch of gravel road. This is where I met 2 more Cohos SOBO and the last humans I would see on the trail. As I went around Lake Francis I rode the struggle bus pretty hard. I was in lots of pain and tired. I took some time to fuel up and reset and give myself a pep talk to just keep moving. I finally came out of it and reached the road at Rt 3 with 9 miles to go to the last hut. I turned my phone on and called my wife to give her the heads up on a time for pickup the next day. It was a short conversation but felt good to get some encouragement. Finished the last 2 climbs in the dark, reached the hut, and had a decent sleep.
Day 4: Neil Tillotson hut to 4th Ct lake. Got going under beautiful clear skies and it was clear movement today was going to be limited. Trails were gorgeous and went along all the Ct lakes. Reached the border station and had a rough climb up to the 4th lake where my wife was waiting. Went around the lake and finished in 3 days 4 hours 20 minutes. An absolutely incredible experience. I sought out solitude and a wilderness experience and this really delivered. Feel incredibly grateful for the experience, the trail builders, the FKT holder's inspiration, and my wife’s support on this. I feel very content and my soul is full.