Date: 2003-08-21
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Rattle River Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: broken clouds

Near our bunkhouse at the Carter Notch hut are boulder caves. These house-sized caverns are called The Ramparts. Ice still lingers in here; before electricity was generated at the huts, croos used the cold spaces as refrigerators in which to store perishables. You know you are in for it when the very first listing of the day in your guidebook doesn't say "pleasant, comfy sitting rock beside a crystalline stream," but rather "Vista, 0.4 miles, 4,000 feet." When you're at 3200 feet, that's a steep workout first thing in the morning, straight out of the cereal box.We pause when we reach the vista, a shelf of rock. Again, the scope of this landscape takes my breath away. Far below, we see the sun crawling across the two rocky ponds that nestle around Carter Notch hut, and we stare across at the rocky cliffs we had descended, shaky-legged, yesterday afternoon.Even better, the day is as clear as spring water. The blue is so sharp and crisp it hurts the eyes.In the far distance, we can behold...the entire sweep of the majestic Presidential range! Fantastic. Just "across the street," as it were.We pick out the broad shoulder of Mt. Madison and its spiny descent, the sharp and stony peak of Mt. Adams, and over there, is that the toll road snaking down the side of Mt. Washington? Why, yes it is, and look! The peak is swept clean of clouds. The weather towers stand out in clear relief. "It's a beautiful day for hikers to be up there," marvels Chief. "I mean, there's just nothing coming across the top."Today is Thursday. "We were standing up there just Monday," said Chief. It looks so impossibly far away. We walked from there. "Crazy-ass walking," adds the Chief.We make Carter Dome in an hour and 20 minutes, a 1.2 mile climb to gain 1,500-plus feet. Slow climbing.Our next climb is along the ridge and up 100 feet to the bare rocks of Hight Mountain. The Trail is a little kinder here, and I suddenly remember "Oh yeah. This is how hiking USED to be." For what we have been doing this week is often not hiking but step-ups and hand-over-hand climbing. To be able to choose one's own footsteps rather than draw the knee up to the chin at an unnatural angle to boost and heave upwards is a joy. Once again, I find myself grateful that it is not raining. That would upgrade most of these climbs and descents from "difficult" to "mind-boggling."For all my awe at the toughness of this Trail here in the North, I must say I am digging it. It's interesting and beautiful, with huge cloud drama as well as land vistas. In fact, from the time it took us to walk from Carter Dome to Hight Mt, a whiteout had descended over the White Mts., utterly blotting them out. By the time our 10-minute break was up, clarity and blue skies had returned.We knocked off the Carters - South, Middle and North Mts. - before 12:30 and celebrated by lunching atop the latter. Downhill to the Imp shelter for water by 1:30 pm. Ostrich and Gazer were there. Ostrich was heading all the way to Gorham, and Gazer was staying put.Mount Moriah's approach had many rocky ledges, out in the open sun. It's mid-afternoon, and hot. We drink lots of water, and the ridges are dry. Before the top we took another break, gazing into the valleys below. I'm enjoying all the rock-sitting and, while I miss my old buddy ItchyFoot, especially on the wet rocks where we were such a great team, I know my Upper New England lollygagging would be pure torture for him. Ha!By gum, I've earned these views. I'm going to enjoy them.We have bypassed Imp campsite and are coming on down to the Rattle River shelter. We don't know what the miles ahead will be like, and if we go a mile an hour whether we'll get there before dark. We're hoping the Trail will straighten out and fly right and, shortly after the first Rattle River crossing, it did.At the second or third crossing, the Rattle River water is so clear and the swimming holes so clean and frequent that I finally succumb and go in for a wash. I am hiking alone at this point, as Chief is about 15 minutes ahead. It's cold, refreshing and the pools are deep. It cools me off, and the little waterfalls sing. It's the best part of an already fine day.Now, at this shelter, Cobra and Splash are here too. I look at my guidebook - 299.8 miles left. I've broken 300! Yeah! Less than a month left. Hard to believe. Maine is so close I can smell it, though Chief boasts that it's really his armpits.