Date: 2003-09-15
From: Madison Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: scattered clouds

start Madison Hutdestintion Pinkham NotchWell, I will never, ever forget last night's stay at the shelter. It will remain etched in my memory forever, unfortunatly. We had had to wait until the hut manager got back to tell us where we could sleep, or even if we could cook inside. So Bog Bridge Tester,Indiana Ben and I waited until the guy got here. I shall call him Charles to protect him. Why I feel like I need to protect him is beyond me. Anyway, it was after dark when he got there, and he hiked in butt naked. Well, not quite naked, he did have a back pack on. His girl friend also had a back pack on over her birthday suit. I had cooked my supper outside and was eating it when they walked in. I almost spit a mouth full back into my pot in suprise. Now, I am fifty years old and I am hear to tell you the last time I saw a naked man other than my husband was when Burt Reynolds did a centerfold in a magazine! Charles told us we could sleep in the ladies bunk room for the night, and also let us fix some supper from our food bag. They offered us some of the soup on the stove, but I turned it down. I just wasn't too keen on eating something the hut manager had cooked, given the way he looked naked. I figured that clothes would only cover so much and would not have made much of an improvement. I had already been told that since the hut was closed to guests the hut crew was going to have a party, and probably be loud. I had been so tired, that I thought that I didn't care. Boy, was I wrong. There was so much beer and wine, I still do not know how they possibly hauled it up the trail. Then there was an abundance of pot being smoked. The hard stems left in cereal bowls looking like dried broccoli. There was a couple games of bowling played, using beer cans as pins and hard wooden balls. And some sort of broom hockey was played. I have no idea what they were using for a puck. It must have been a penny as much noise as was made. All this on the raised wooden dining room floor of the hut which was just outside of our bunkroom. No matter how hard we tried, we could not go to sleep. At least not until the party stopped at 3:30 this morning. It was sheer bliss when it did get quiet. It was like a deafening silence then. We were up pretty early and fixed ourselves some breakfast. I looked outside and saw several bodies laying on the rocks, sleeping bags pulled up over the heads of it's occupants. By 9:00 we were packed up and headed up Mt.Madison. It was a grueling hike, more bouldering, made more difficult by the act that the sun was in your eyes so that you could not look up to find the trail. And even if you could look up, you took a risk of toppling over backwards. I managed to do a whopping one mile an hour for the morning. There were some gorgeous views today though. Most of the views yesterday were hidden by thick clouds. Today it was so clear we could see the mountain range of Maine from the summit of Mt.Madison. I hike up to Lowe's Bald where I shared my lunch with the guys. They did not bring their food bags up but rather dropped their packs back down on the trail. I knew better than to hike to a view point without my food bag especially at lunch time. It was another stunning dining room. Finally we are over the mountains enough to drop back below tree line. It seemed strange to be surrounded by the forest once again. The trees have already started losing their leaves. They dot the trail like big blobs of confetti, all shades of yellows,and reds then thrown here and there. The trees above stand naked while the sunlight streams down their limbs to the forest floor below. The heat sends up a heavy scent of earthy smells. Smells of decaying pine needles and leaves heavy in the air. The colors and smells of the forest adding so much stimulation to my senses that have been dulled by the bland colors and lack of smells of the rocks that have been my trail the past few days. By late afternoon the trail once again became a winding dirt trail, with flat spaces to put your feet. I crossed several small streams that wound their way down the mountain, their bubbling tunes singing through the trees. I was once again free to concentrate on my surroundings. There was an extremely pleasent suprise waiting for me at day's end today. I had planned to stay at Pinkham Notch, but I did not realize that there was a lodge here AND a cafeteria. I thought it was a campground. The three of us decided to split a room to save money. I am not sure if I am in a room with strange men, or if they are in a room with a strange woman! We have two sets of bunk beds in there. There are real sheets, top and bottom ones and a pillow with a pillowcase. A clean pillowcase I might add. A country quilt covers the bed. To make things even better, there is a clean towel on the foot of each bed! We older folks chose the bottom bunks. There are some advantages to being older you know. I don't think a hot shower ever felt so good. As I used my bandana to wash, I am surprised at the soreness in my arms and legs. I washed out my hiking clothes and hung them to dry. Then before I knew it, it was supper time. The lodge serves meals family style in the cafeteria. We sit with some other guests who I am sure are very glad we showered first. There was minestroni soup, garden salad, beef tips, potatoes au gratin, creamed spinach, and fresh baked bread. I was sure I was in heaven's dining room. A couple of chocolate chip cookie bars and some hot tea completed the meal. The other guests got a kick out of watching us put the food away, while the staff kept bringing more and more food out. We all finally pushed away from the table, convinced it would be a week before we would be hungry. But true to thru hiker's style, we were already envisioning breakfast before we went to bed. We are also looking forward to a quiet night's sleep. Tomorrow's hike will take me over Wildcat Mountain, complete with several sharp peaks. I hope that the rain which has started will be through before the morning. It will be a tough enough hike without adding slippery rocks to the terrain.total miles 7.8