Date: 2017-07-05
From: Osgood Campsite

To: Imp Campsite 
Miles today: 17.9

Day 123:When we had arrived at Osgood Tent site last night we discovered a very poor looking location, but it was very late and there were no real options. New Hampshire has very strict rules regarding where you can camp with heavy fines applied if the rules are broken. The Campsite is very small with limited tent spaces that are actually on raised platforms. My only choice was to set up on an already occupied platform that had room for my tent. Well the folks were already in their tent (8:30 at night) and not real happy with me. I tried my best to be a quiet as possible, but I still interrupted them. It happens... not much can be done. This morning I was able to greet them at 4:30 when they got up for their early start... it happens... not much can be done.  Since I was up, I fixed myself an early cup of coffee and my first breakfast. "Scooby" and I hit the trail at 6:30 with plans to hike the five miles to Pinkman Notch Visitors Center for our second breakfast. As we were hiking we came across several SOBO hikers (South bound hikers) and stopped a few minutes to chat. You see, they started southbound the first week of June in Maine and are just now passing us as we head north. They have information we "need" regarding what's ahead for us and we have information that they "need". So, we swapped info... We arrived at the Visitors Information Center three minutes after 9:00. It turns out that they stop serving breakfast at 9:00. NO EXCEPTIONS!!! Even though they had piles of food that they were pulling out of the service case. To top it off lunch, doesn't start until 9:30. No problem for us really as we had chores to attend to while we waited. When they re-opened, we ordered our sandwiches from a great guy and pointed to all the breakfast items on the table behind him and joked how we could have helped him with the leftovers. Don't you know that he did just that. Our plates were piled up. Sometimes just one person can make all the difference in a person's day.  Our hike out of Pinkham started with a slow creeping climb up Wildcat mountain which was appropriately named. With several peaks all above 4,000 this mountain was a "Wildcat". We decided we needed a break and made our way to the last "Hut" of the eight in the AMC's inventory of huts for a snack and break at Carter Notch Hut which was just a short distance more for two crazy tired hikers. Along the way we met a trail volunteer/trail angel by the trail name "Camo". This enthusiastic fella was hiking the trail hanging his new handmade way finding signs when he stopped to talk to us. He pulled out some trail magic (Snickers candy bars) and was so positive, so friendly and so kind at a time "Scooby" and I truly needed it. Here we were feeling exhausted and tired but with still so far to go and along comes "Camo". His positive attitude gave us that hidden energy ( the Snickers bars helped too...) we needed to finish out our day. Sometimes just one person can make all the difference in a persons day.  We arrived at Imp Campsite at exactly 8:00 which made for another very long day. We stopped by to check in with the caretaker and met "Manny" who was so kind and welcoming. We felt like we were part of her family. We paid for our sites and walked away and I thought to myself that "sometimes just one person can make all the difference in a persons day"... I had three of them. Whistler