Date: 2009-08-08
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Kinsman Pond Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

I leaned over and poked my head out at 5:30 to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. Kog was already awake and raised both of his arms into the air from his sleeping bag and yelled out, ¢Yes!¢ The things that make us happy out here are so simple... Drive looked over and smiled. I got up to take a few pictures and then got back in my sleeping bag. Kog said that he had looked out at 4 am and saw a green color of light over the mountains.    All at once, Drive, Pog, and Zed (the English family) sat up in unison, packed briskly, and headed out by 7 am! It was an impressive sight! I left at 8 o¢clock- right behind Carpenter and Double Zip. The descent to the road was very steep and slow going. Towards the end, Kog, Ahab, Skeeter and Chance passed me, and I finished in last place to Ahab¢s applause. It was a tough mile and a half! Most of the group planned on heading into Lincoln for a nero. They planned on renting a cabin, cooking dinner, and playing wizard staff. Carpenter had been feeling ill and was contemplating going into town to see a doctor, but ended up deciding against it. While he and Double Zip rested along the side of the road, I started the next climb. When I came to a large rock, I discovered I had cell phone reception for the first time in awhile and made some calls while I rested in the sun. I felt like taking a nap on the rock, but knew I needed to press on.       I made it to the summit of Wolf peak, which offered great views of Franconia ridge. It was a small area, however, and another couple had arrived, hoping to eat lunch there. I let them have their own space and continued on to Eliza shelter, arriving just before 4pm. Two south bounders were in for the night. I didn¢t feel I should stop there as it was so early, and there wasn¢t anything special about this shelter. It was in the woods, and I knew the bugs would be bad. I didn¢t think I could make it as far as the next shelter, but hoped I would find a spot where I could stealth camp. Carpenter and DoubleZip came in and were disappointed that I was moving on.    I had a nearly 2000 foot climb ahead of me, and it wasn¢t easy with all of the large boulders to climb! The huge steps I had to take sapped a lot of my energy, but the views behind me were incredible. When I made it to the summit of South Kinsman, I decided to stop for my dinner break. I boiled some water for pasta and enjoyed the landscape around me. It was just me and the mountains! I knew that if I got going, I had a chance to make it to Kinsman Pond Shelter, so I didn¢t linger. As the hour approached 8, a fiery sun began to set behind the evergreens. I stopped to take some pictures and tried to move along, as I knew it would soon be dark. The descent was difficult and slow, however, and I soon had to dig out my headlamp. I had hoped never to have to night hike again, but here I was, doing it again, in the White Mountains of all places! It wasn¢t a comfortable feeling. I hoped the shelter was around the next bend, but it was much farther than I expected.   At last, I found the path to it, and as I made my way down it, I saw a white tent over a platform, and a voice in the dark called out ¢hello¢ to me. It felt like it was the grim reaper, sitting in the dark, awaiting my arrival. Actually, she just wanted my money, as it cost $8 to stay in this shelter. I had to dig out my money from the bottom of my pack and fill out the paperwork. She told me that all of the tent spaces were taken, but that there was room in the shelter. I asked her if the English family was there, and said told me they were. She also said there were two older men, as well as a couple. The mention of the older men made me a bit reluctant, as from my experience, they are usually the loud snorers in the shelters.       I dropped my food bag off into the bear box and made my way to the shelter over the bog boards. Someone asked, ¢Who is that?¢ when I arrived. ¢It¢s the girl!¢ replied Drive, the English father. He asked me if I always hiked in the dark, to which I could only smile. I didn¢t like doing it, but seemed to be doing it more often than I wanted. I brushed my teeth, took out my contacts, joined the English family in the loft space of the shelter, and read the register. I was right about the snoring! It was difficult to get any sleep, and I was colder than I had been in a very long time! Even with my hat on, I had to cover my head with my fleece liner, and still I was cold!