Mt. Washington

Day 126

I woke to mostly blue skies and sunshine. It looked like a great day to summit Mt. Washington! Within one mile we ascended Mt. Pierce and were above tree line. Wisps of cloud drifted across hills covered in low-lying plants and bushes. Serendipity spotted a tiny rainbow within the mist; she and I stopped to watch it fade and brighten. Since he is faster than the rest of us, Dinglebeary blue-blazed Mt. Eisenhower and Mt. Monroe.

We reached the Lakes of the Clouds hut. I got a free bowl of lentil soup with my AMC card. One of the staff offered our group breakfast leftovers in exchange for cleaning. Serendipity and I felt we had enough snacks and opted out. However, once the others finished their chores the staff brought enough plates for all of us. There were piles of food so I had eggs and some oatmeal. Hobble-It was excited that both the chocolate cake and pancakes were vegan.

It was 1.5 miles to Mt. Washington’s summit, a steady and easy uphill. I had pictured more of a peak, not the flat top filled with multiple structures. Yet I enjoyed standing on the highest peak in New Hampshire, in all of New England actually. We commandeered a six seat table in the dining hall and had a short food break.

As we began our descent, we crossed the cog railway and saw three colorful passenger cars go past, each pushed by a locomotive. We met a talkative south bounder named Obi Wan and enjoyed a view that stretched to the horizon. However, with each wooden sign that passed, I realized how little progress we were making. The terrain was unrelenting rocks that required careful foot placement and constant pole use. It took Hobble-It and I nearly five hours, at full effort, to cover six miles.

At Madison Spring Hut, my knees were ready to be done for the day, but we had planned to push on and there was no camping. We ate a hearty snack inside and filled up on water. Then came a 500 ft., half mile climb up Mt. Madison. The descent stretched 1.2 miles over a boulder field of varying sized rocks with large cairns to mark the route. It seemed to go on and on. When we reached the tree line the trail veered steeply down over rocks and roots. Tree branches slapped us and my knees renewed their clamor of abuse. Despite this, I knew there was no way but forward and that I could get there.

As dusk fell, Tracks, Serendipity, Hobble-It, and I made it to Osgood Campsite. Dinglebeary directed us to an empty platform and we fit four tents while Hobble-It hung her hammock. All The Way texted that he had stopped 0.6 miles back and pitched in a stealth spot. I visited the privy then gratefully climbed into my tent. For me, it was my hardest day on trail to date.

Day 127

My body was still weary in the morning and I was hungry for breakfast. It was only five miles into Pinkham Notch so I kept an easy pace. I finished “Return of the King” and followed it with upbeat music. The trail passed over many streams and an awesome suspension bridge. I loved that the terrain was so different from yesterday.

The notch had a large Visitor Center. I joined the others in the cafeteria area. My bear pattern Darn Tough socks each had a hole in the left side. In the gift shop, I exchanged them for a new pair. Woohoo! All The Way was worn out and decided to stop for the day, then zero tomorrow in Gorham. It was sad to see him go, but good that he listened to his body.

When we headed out I almost wished that I had nero’d; my legs were tired. Serendipity and I were the last to leave the center. We walked by a couple ponds and hoped for a moose sighting, but no luck. When I began the scrambling climb up Wildcat Peak D, I got a surge of energy. Serendipity and I caught up to Hobble-It and then to Tracks. When we gained 1,000 feet there was a great view down into Pinkham Notch.

Wildcat Peak D had a gondola and viewing platform at the top. Small climbs and ridge walking led to Peaks A-C. The descent into Carter Notch was gentler than I imagined. We found stealth camping down the trail from the hut’s bunkhouses. Tracks, Serendipity, and I squeezed our tents into a flat spot amongst the trees. Luckily we each have two entries. We joined Dinglebeary and Hobble-It in their site for dinner, chatting and laughing.

Day 128

Though I stayed up late journaling, I woke refreshed. Dinglebeary was still in his tent when the rest of us departed camp. The trail passed between two ponds then ascended Carter Dome. It was a no hands required climb. The day was sunny with blue skies and a light breeze, a perfect day for hiking.

After the Dome came Mt. Hight and a descent to Zeta Pass. Then the trail stuck to the ridge with only minor ups and downs. I enjoyed the hiking, the occasional views, and the green forest all around. Carter Mountain had three peaks and at the first Dinglebeary caught up. We took a snack break and encountered a group of locals doing New Hampshire’s 48 4,000 footers. It reminded me of Colorado and our 58 14ers.

The descent to Imp Shelter involved steep scrambles. I was above Serendipity and below Tracks when he took a fall. Luckily he caught himself on a bush before he could plunge further and ended up with only scraped knees. When the trail flattened out I found puddles from which I filtered clear water.

We had one more ascent up Mt. Moriah then a long descent that became a gentle almost flat. On the descent we ran into Lee, the son of Tracks. He hiked from Route 2 to meet us. Lee brought his dad a sandwich and carried his dad’s pack the rest of the way to the car. I started “Cloud Cuckoo Land” for the last couple hours of the hike.

At the car there were cold beverages and snacks. Then we all squeezed inside for the ride into Gorham and the Barn Hostel. At the hostel, Serendipity and Dinglebeary claimed beds while the rest of us set up our outdoor structures. We got dinner at Exile Burrito. It turns out Lee lives in Denver. It was an early evening as most of us were quite tired.

Day 129

We decided to zero in Gorham, NH. Mainly we needed a rest day, but rain was also due in the afternoon and overnight. The first step was packing up and leaving The Barn Hostel, which was a so so experience. The tenting was noisy and the facilities lacked ambiance. We walked to the White Mountain Cafe. All The Way joined us and we caught him up on the last 22 miles as we drank coffee and ate breakfast.

Next came a resupply run to Walmart. Then we drove to the Top Notch Inn where we had booked the Mt. Moriah Cottage. It was so luxurious! It had five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large kitchen, and a cozy living room. Each of us got our own bed, only Hobble-It and I shared a room. There were a washer and dryer so we could do as much laundry as we wanted.

The afternoon and evening were awesome! We soaked in the hotel’s hot tub, swam in the pool, and ate snacks. I taught our group a trick taking card game named Oh Hell. Everyone enjoyed it so we played two rounds. Hobble-It and I made salad and pizza while the others went to a BBQ restaurant.