Date: 2018-08-28
From: Ethan Pond Shelter 

To: Mizpah Hut 
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: few clouds

I knew that today was going to be difficult, but what¢s new? We have faced extremely rugged hiking for the last week that eclipses pretty much everything we have done up to this point. Honest to goodness, there is no way to adequately describe how tough this part of the trail is. And with 300 more difficult miles to go, we are really hanging on. Not discouraged by any means, but mentally spent because of the constant focus you keep as you hike. However, before all that began today, we were treated to an additional 2.5 more miles of ¢easy¢ hiking down to Crawford Notch. Then all heck broke loose.The butt kicking commenced with a 3.7 mile mountain climbing, hand over hand, terrifying hike up to Mt Webster. Only 3,910 feet of elevation, but took us almost 5 hours! Some parts were so vertical and you had to use both hands and legs to pull yourself up that it didn¢t seem believable that 2 middle aged people would be so foolish to do something like this. Hour after hour passed and the elevation slowly ticked upwards. As we rose in elevations, incredible views of the mountain range appeared. I wasn¢t sure if the views were worth the hair raising effort but we pressed on. At one point, Curly slipped and thought she was falling but caught herself. Once she got over the ledge, the tears came, and that bothered me greatly. Not that she was crying, I get that. I was mad that the trail made her cry. I expect this trail to be difficult, it is supposed to be. But the danger is crazy out of control. And people quit as a result. Just this week, a married couple we know quit and a guy that we have known since the 100 mile marker...both have quit. 350 miles from the finish line, and I totally get it and respect them for their choice. It¢s crazy out here.  I digress.Finally, we got over Mt Webster and things lightened up a touch as we headed to hike over the ridgeline and up Mt Jackson, which is the beginning of the Presidential range. I won¢t say that we moved much faster, but I let Curly nap in top of Jackson and that helped a lot! From there, it was a mostly downward descent towards our final destination for the night, Mizpah Hut.About 430pm, we drug our tired butts into Mizpah Hut and asked them if they could use 2 tired out old people for ¢Work For Stay¢. WFS is when a huts crew will allow thru hikers to stay overnight at the Hut, sleep on the dining room floor, eat leftovers from dinner, in return for doing whatever chores they would like to have done. Curly and I swept and organized the Hut library, and wiped down the shelving where dishes are kept. Probably took 30 minutes of effort between us, and we ate like kings! Beef stew, rice, broccoli, enchiladas and brownies...all we could eat! I was absolutely stuffed. It made up for a seriously crappy day risking our life to hike this trail.Tomorrow we have to hike completely over the Presidential Range and over Mt Washington, the highest summit in the Whites, and second highest mountain on the AT. We have no other option but to hike 12 miles to Madison Springs Hut, as that is the only place we can go because we will be above tree line for the entire hike. It is going to be a very difficult day but I¢m praying a beautiful, rewarding one.