‘Trail folks are the nicest people I think you can meet…’
By Nancy Dorrans
Recently a friend from New Hampshire shared a post from Representative Timothy Lang from Belknap, New Hampshire, about factual versus fake information regarding Covid hospitalization numbers in all the New England states. This was a few weeks ago and I don’t know where he got his numbers, so I won’t share them. But he ended his rant on a few positive facts that I can share:
“Go outside, actually talk to your neighbors, if you really want to meet nice people go for a hike, trail folks are the nicest people I think you can meet. The world is not ending, the sky is not falling, and your neighbors are not monsters who don’t care about you….”
Rep. Timothy Lang (R), NH
I concur. I’ve met some of the nicest people while hiking. This past month I’ve run across several of these nice “Trail Folks.”
Sugar Beet Harvest Pays Great
A few weeks ago, my friend Kate and I headed over to hike “The Moats” just outside of North Conway, New Hampshire. The Moat Mountain Traverse is usually hiked from south to north. Follow the Moat Mountain Trail for 9.7 miles, beginning at the South Moat Mountain Trailhead and ending at the Diana’s Baths Trailhead on West Side Road, near Cathedral Ledge.
We didn’t have two vehicles, so we opted for an out/back from South to Middle. The total hike was about 6.5 miles with 2800 feet of elevation gain. It was a bluebird day, and the views were spectacular in every direction.
While resting and having lunch on top of Middle Moat I met a lovely couple from Pennsylvania. Two years ago, they quit their day jobs, traded their house in the suburbs for a dually pickup and a fifth wheel camper, and are now migrant workers – of sort.
We hiked back down together and listened to their adventurous tales…
Since April they have been campground hosts at Saco River Camping Area in North Conway. They find their jobs online through Workamper News. In October they’re heading to the town of Ruth, Michigan, a rural area in the thumb. For the second year in a row they’ll help with the sugar beet harvest. She works in the scale house, and he drives a loader. They shared so many sweet facts about sugar:
“Sugar beets grow from a softball size to a small football size. Sixty percent of America’s sugar comes from a sugar beet not from sugar cane. Five to seven pounds of beets equals one pound of sugar. Michigan Sugar founded in 1906 produced 4.4 million tons of sugar last year. The Red River Valley of Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota are the big business sugar states where American Sugar and Crystal Sugar harvest ten times that.”
What? That’s a lot of sugar!!
They meet a lot of folks from all of walks of life during the harvest. Not all in campers. Some are living in vans, converted ambulances, and schoolies (converted school buses).
“It is an interesting melting pot and the sugar beet harvest pays great!”
Their plans are to head south to the Florida panhandle after the holidays and Colorado next spring through the summer. Such a sweet tale from these active and interesting trail folks!
Wandering Dames Full of Moxie
The following weekend I returned to Old Speck Mountain in Grafton Notch with a group of hiker friends from the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club. Depending on the device, we either hiked 7.6 or 8.7 miles!
The way up Old Speck is quite challenging and is also part the Appalachian Trail. At the summit there is an old fire tower with a round (straight up) wrung ladder. Unless you’re afraid of heights, I recommend the climb for the best 360° views and photo opts!
Fire tower on top of Old Speck Mtn. 
Climbing the tower 
View from the top
We followed the white blazes and passed several thru hikers on their way to Baxter Peak. Two of them, calling themselves the “Wandering Dames” were more than happy to stop and share a few tales with us.
They started in Georgia in February…
The White Mountains were humbling and the trail in Pennsylvania is “just rocks, no dirt!!” Due to slight injuries on said rocks, they had to take some time “off trail” and admitted they were running a bit behind. Their plan is to get off the trail before the 100-mile wilderness, shuttle to Baxter State Park, summit Katahdin first, and then head south to finish where they left off.
I have no doubt these wandering trail dames will make it! These two are adventurous trail folks full of courage, grit, and Moxie!
So, Rep. Lang is right. If you want to meet some nice people, take a hike! If you don’t know which way to go, I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction, share the trail with you and the other Trail Folk!
Nancy Dorrans is currently working as a Dedicated (in school) Substitute Teacher at Deering High School. She figured she could do something meaningful while we wait for travel to be safe again.
