Date: 2007-08-10
From: The Perch shelter

To: Lexington, MA
Miles today: 1.5

I woke up to the chittering of a red squirrel. Looked for my map and guidebook but didn't have them - think I may have left that ziplock at Lake of the Clouds. I got an awesome hiker tan from going over Mount Washington - not only did I have clear shorts, socks, and shirt lines but also lines from my knee braces and treking pole straps. I had hung my food bag and pack very carefully, but had thrown my shirt over my treking poles. I found little squirrel tooth marks in my shirt - so mad. And the darn squirrel kept on coming over to yell at me. So when I went to get water, I threw my food bag over a nail just so the squirrel wouldn't get to it in those 5 minutes, and discovered 1.5 miles down the trail that I had left it hanging from the nail. So I considered going back for it but I thought maybe the guys who had tented there migght have picked it up, the caretaker might have grabbed it, or the squirrel would have gotten into it. If I went back, and the bag wasn't there, I would have really been screwed. I decided to go to Madison and re-group.I looked up at Mount Washington and it was covered in clouds - I was so lucky with the weather. I passed a couple that had told me the trail going Mount Madison to Osgood tentsite was really steep and rough. I had found out at Mizpah hut that although I had taken that 6-mile steep trail up Webster cliffs there was an alternate trail that was easier and 2 miles long. So I was hoping to find an easier way off Mt Madison. I got to the hut and asked the croo member Tristan if there was a way to get in touch with Randolph Mountain Club since I had left my food bag at the Perch (mainly I was thinking the caretaker might be able to get to it before the animals) and he said "Not really". Then I asked if there was an easier way to get to Pinkham notch than the AT and he said "Not really". Wasn't even going to ask Mr. Helpful if someone had found my maps at Lake of the Clouds. He and his girl friend visiting him were way too busy baking cookies and fiddling with their Ipods to be bothered with me. Had to wait 5 minutes for them to get me a bowl of soup after I asked. So annoying - at Mizpah they said lights out might be early because they didn't have enough solar power for the lights are here these two are using hut power to charge their Ipods. Whatever.Then I asked a group of SOBOs to borrow their map to see if I could figure something out but they're in the same boat as me - if it doesn't have a white blaze and I actually have to navigate, I'm lost. This man hiking with his 2 kids overheard and came to help - he suggested a trail down to Dolly Copp road that I could hitch from. I asked if it was really easier and he said yeah because there's 1000 less feet to descend. So he really understood my situation in that it was really painful and slow for me to go downhill. He sort of took control and got Mr. Helpful to divulge some information - Tristan said I could take Valley Way down to Rte. 2 and get a 4 pm shuttle from there. It was a good solution but it was so hard to get any information from him - like how the trail is marked or how do I find the shuttle stop. Also I knew that the other croos had offered to make shuttle reservations for guests and he couldn't even be bothered to show me the schedule, and if you don't have a reservation, it up to the shuttle driver's discretion if you are allowed to board. Totally disgusted with the AMC.This SOBO woman asked me 'so you have no food at all?' and one of the SOBOs gave me his king size snicker bar, which is a big sacrifice (I'm not being sarcastic at all). The other guy also gave me some of their snacks. So I started down Valley Way. I couldn't really decide what to do - didn't know if I could make the shuttle, didn't know where it went, didn't have a map - so eventually I called my sister and she left work right then and drove up from Massachussetts to rescue me. Kind of in the middle of all the options going around in my mind, a cow moose walked across the trail right in front of me. I was watching where she went and then the baby moose popped out on the trail. I was taking pictures (which didn't turn out so great) and the baby moose was all curious about the beeps. I was worried the mother would get anxious so I was making noise ("I'm over here mommy moose") but she just kept on eating. She came over near me and stared right at me but she seemed completely indifferent. I got to Rte. 2 at 3:45 and the shuttle left at 4:15, so I would have made it. I was trying to figure out which way to go on Rte 2 to get to the meeting place for my sister. A woman came riding up on her bike and said it was a mile away. I went into the Grandview General store hoping for something to eat and drink. It was not what I expected - mainly all this hand-dyed yarn and a group a ladies doing a knitting bee. I asked if they had any cold drinks and the owner went to the kitchen to get one. My sister showed up shortly after. SHe asked me if I was hungry and I said I would hold out for pizza or McDonald's. When we went to the McDonald's, I ordered a quarter pounder with cheese, large fries, a large Coke, and two double-cheeseburgers. My sister gasped. Then it was on to Lexington.