Date: 2013-08-29
From: Nauman Campsite

To: Valley Way Tentsite
Miles today: 11.8

Day One Hundred and Seventy Four - (11.8) Nauman Campsite to Valley Way TentsiteToday was a hard day! We woke up early all excited to hike up Mt. Washington. We packed up and made a quick pit stop at the hut for a cup of coffee. Soon we were hiking up the presidentials first Clinton, then Eisenhower, then Franklin and then Monroe. Guess who we saw! Karma who flip flopped was hiking south on the trail! We have been watching out for her for days. We all dropped our packs on the side of the trail and had a little reunion retelling trail stories. It was good to see her, when I get home and miss the trail her journal is the first I am going to read. We stopped again for a short break at Lake of the Clouds hut but it was sunny and Mt. Washington was right in front of us! We climbed to the top stopping to talk to section hikers on the way. We met a guy named Barry who gave me four little plastic bottles of whiskey to celebrate with at the top. Thanks! We made it to the top and took pictures at the summit! Then we found the snack bar and bought as much as we could. I had tied Melkie up outside by the door where I could see him from inside but someone who worked there came over and said he had to stay with me so I brought him in. Soon I was being told he wasn't allowed in. It was kind of offensive, we had actually climbed up to the top of the mountain but the snack bar was clearly meant for the tourists who had ridden up on the cog train. There were restrooms near the snack bar but then hiker restrooms in the basement. At first I naively thought maybe the hiker restrooms have showers but no, I think they just didn't want our stench offending the tourists. We left the tourist trap (I seriously think I am going to have a hard time adapting to the real world) and headed to the next hut. As we were gingerly climbing down the moving rocks it started to rain. It forced us to go even slower down the mountain, we were all just wishing a real footpath would appear and the now wet and slippery rocks would go away. We hiked Mt.Clay and Mr. Jefferson and still no real footpath. We were tired and grouchy at this point and still had three long arduous miles to go. We talked about remaking the National Geographic documentary on the Appalachian Trail showing what the trail is really like and using the choice words that thru hikers really use to describe the trail, gotta make it fun somehow! By the time the Maddison Hut was in sight we just wanted the day to end but at the hut we had to turn onto a side trail and go down a very steep rocky ravine to tent sites. The weather was still bad so we asked if we could just set up camp near the hut but we couldn't and that set the tone for the horrible climb down. The whole way down I kept thinking about having to climb back up in the morning. We finally made it and got the very last Tentsite just as it was getting dark. I was the lucky one because there were perfect trees for hammocks but everyone else had to squish together on the Tentsite. I am exhausted but happy. I had the chance to fulfill a thru hiker tradition today! Good night world!Trouble