My White Mountain Emotional Rollercoaster: Part Two, Kinsman

The morning after my ascent and descent of Moosilauke, I awoke at my campsite and began my morning chores. As I was packing up after breakfast, I heard a hiker on the trail outside of my tent. I peeked outside and was surprised to see my friend Lotus. I hollered “Cacao!” (it’s what we do to summon one another) and she looked my way, confused and surprised to see me there. I had told her I would be doing a low mileage day and she probably didn’t expect that I would be camping ahead of her. She came to my tent and sat outside as I packed up and we caught up on the events that had passed in the 24 hours we had been separated. It was in this conversation that I learned another hiker told her I “went the wrong way” as I headed down the blue blaze to the south peak of Moosilauke the day before. I laughed, clarifying that it was intentional, which she had figured.

Once I was almost finished packing up, I told Lotus I would catch up with her up the trail. A short while later, I found her taking a break at some powerlines. I sat with her and had a snack and we chatted. At that time, I learned about some drama that had transpired within our little trail community. It is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but we both felt like we needed some time to process what had happened. We decided it would need to be a short mileage day, and the climb up Kinsman could wait. We felt some raindrops, so got up and walked a half mile to the next shelter. After only four miles, we were done for the day. We chatted at length and were glad we had decided to take it easy today. We both knew everything would be okay, but that it was better to save a big climb for tomorrow.

We headed up Kinsman the next morning. Lotus went ahead at her pace as I lagged behind, catching up with her at the summit during her break. I enjoyed a full-circle moment at that point, reminiscing about my day hike of Mt. Kinsman last summer. It felt significantly harder last time due to hot, humid weather and my lack of trail legs. Even with my heavy pack, this time around, the climb felt good. I was so grateful for the cool weather, even if it meant that summit breaks were a bit shorter since we would get cold and want to descend to warmer areas.

Lotus walked ahead on the descent, which was one of the slowest and most difficult I have experienced on trail. There were wooden steps on the stone slabs like there were on Moosilauke. One of them was missing, leaving a large gap to the ground below. I had to figure out a safe way down. Just beside the trail, there was a medium-sized tree trunk curving up from the steeply sloped and rocky ground. I gripped it tightly with both hands and jumped down, swinging from the tree to the ground below where I could safely hop down a mere six inches. Parkour! I had never needed to do a maneuver like that before. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but I had more miles to get done, so I didn’t think about it too much and hiked on.

I later arrived at Lonesome Lake hut. The high mountain huts are a unique amenity in the White Mountains. These huts have propane tanks helicoptered in for food preparation in a full kitchen, with bunks available for hikers to spend the night. There are composting toilets and running water in sinks, but no showers. All guests are expected to pack out their own trash, and food and provisions for sale are hiked in twice weekly. A trail crew (called “croo” around here) prepares baked goods and soup available for sale during the day, with dinner and breakfast available for overnight guests.

I had heard a lot about the huts and was excited to experience my first one. Lotus and I had planned to go into town today, so this stop would just be a short break before the final few miles to town. The hut had a beautiful view of Franconia Ridge, the first stretch of the AT in which I would spend extended time above tree line. I expected to get there the next day.

I entered to an inviting wooden dining area filled with the aroma of baked goods. I couldn’t believe I was in the backcountry. There were Clif bars and Nalgenes available for sale. I purchased a treat and helped myself to some lemonade and looked around. I used the bathroom, which felt much nicer than a privy despite the lack of flush toilets, and I luxuriated in the access to running water for hand washing. I could get used to this!

I looked around for Lotus and didn’t see her. I began to worry a bit that she had already come and gone. Maybe I was way too slow on the descent and she decided to get to town. I checked my phone for messages but didn’t have service.

I didn’t want to rush my time at the hut, so I stuck around a bit and figured I could get going soon enough. As I went outside to gather my pack, I saw Lotus coming up. I told her I thought I had missed her, but she explained that she had stopped at the last shelter, which I had walked past. Mystery solved.

We hung out a while longer and I got another baked good. The cream cheese-based pumpkin custard was divine. It was everything I didn’t know I needed. Refreshed, we headed out for an easy 2.9 miles to the Flume Gorge Visitors Center, where we could get a ride to the North Woodstock/Lincoln area.

After a half mile or so, I passed Lotus as she was stopped for a break with her pack by the side of the trail. I figured she would catch up with me in no time. But by the time I reached the final mile, there was no sign of her. I checked my phone and saw a message: “I’m hurt. Going as fast as I can” — and I knew something was very wrong, but I was relieved to hear she could still walk. I responded saying I could come back and help if needed, and that she should take her time. I got to the Visitors Center and did what all hikers do when having access to food: I ate.

Shortly after I arrived, but when I was nearly finished with my food, Lotus hobbled into the food court. She was distraught, and for good reason. She badly sprained her ankle when a rock rolled out from under her foot. She had been experiencing some ankle swelling, which she showed me at the Kinsman summit. It must have left her especially vulnerable to a sprain. I felt terrible for her and wasn’t sure how to console her. It was a tough injury to experience because it would require significant down time to heal. And we would be separated as a result.

I had a reservation at a hostel that was full for the night, and Lotus was making arrangements elsewhere. I couldn’t leave her in her current state, so I abandoned my reservation and arranged to stay with her at the Old Colony Ski Club. Conveniently, this hostel offers shuttles on demand, and as soon as Lotus told them we were at the trailhead, our ride departed to pick us up.

Lotus explained that she got amazing trail magic after her injury. She passed two nurses who were carrying supplies to stabilize a sprain. They wrapped up her ankle super well and gave her an Ace bandage. A worker at the visitors center cafe gave Lotus a bag of ice to put on her foot while she ate.

During our ride to the hostel, the hostel operator Jeff informed us that today was our lucky day. There would be a full moon tonight, and the hostel celebrates the occasion with a full moon dinner provided to all guests free of charge. He explained that the full moon dinner is a Pagan tradition, and Lotus perked up, informing him she identifies as Pagan. I was hopeful that this was the perfect place for her to heal.

We enjoyed a fantastic dinner at the hostel. Someone had offered me a bong hit, which in my ignorance I ripped way too hard, and I was unable to do any chores that evening. I went to sleep early and figured I would do a half day of hiking the next day. With Lotus still processing how to manage her injury, that was probably for the best. I wanted to support her how I could while also continuing to make my own progress up the trail.

The next morning, I went to breakfast with Lotus. Our short jaunt down the road to a cafe was challenging with her injury. It was clear she would need some time to heal. We talked about her options for the hike. I assured her that her hike wasn’t over. She could get through this and get back on trail.

Later, I did our laundry and resupplied. Everything I needed was conveniently walking distance from the hostel. After my chores, I gathered my things and said goodbye to Lotus. I assured her we would reconnect somewhere on trail. We are both flip flop hikers, so there are many miles ahead in which we can reconnect. In the meantime, I left knowing she was in good hands at the hostel, where Jen, one of the workers, told us of how she had previously helped another hiker work through an injury and get back on trail.

Back at the trail around 3:30, I figured I would just head three miles up to the nearest campsite. This would help cut down on some of the elevation gain for my hike along the Franconia Ridge the next day, which I was grateful for. The weather was spectacular, and I cowboy camped on a tent platform at Liberty Springs campsite. I had mixed feelings about the turn of events. Before she got injured, I had told Lotus I was in need of some alone time, so we had been planning to take some time apart anyway. Still, I was sad about her injury. I knew everything would work out in the end, but I felt bad for what she was going through. I felt that maybe some space from trail friends would be good for me, and taking time to be intentional about finding solitude would be restorative. I felt drained by the interpersonal drama that had unfolded recently and felt like maybe getting away from other humans for a little bit might bring my spirits up. With that, I felt hopeful about the days ahead.

As I settled in for the night, I took off my shoes. I felt my socks and realized: they’re dry. Dry! I can’t believe they’re dry!!! For once!!! If it hadn’t been actively raining, the trail had been super wet for so long. I was beyond happy to enjoy the little luxury of dry socks that evening.