Date: 2015-08-04
From: Mizpah Spring Hut

To: Pinkham Notch Visitor Center
Miles today: 19.7

WHAT A FREAKING DAY. I only almost died like ten times. I am not even kidding this time.Swahili had to give me a gentle nudge to rouse me from my sleeping bag this morning, I was so reluctant to get up. I scooted off of the wooden benches that had serve as my bed (surprisingly comfortable, with my nice fancy Thermarest on top) to wait for the hut guests to eat their breakfast.I think that in the next few weeks, as I approach Katahdin and enter the Maine wilderness, opportunities to charge my phone will be fewer and farther between. This means that I have to conserve battery.That means less time journaling and less time making phone calls home.And THAT makes me anxious. Not cool! Not awesome! I hate to think that I am addicted to tecnology. I don't want to be one of those people. I promise, I don't spend all of my time playing with my phone. Most of the day, it is OFF, and occastionally in airplane mode (so I can take pictures). Journaling has become a part of my routine. It calms me before sleep, helps me reflect. And I need the support of home now more than ever. The other day, as Dan left me, he told me that he was proud of me.For some reason, that word always hits home the most.There is a big difference between believing in someone and being proud. I believe that someone can walk across the street without getting hit by a car, but I wouldn't necessarily be PROUD of them for doing so. Being proud is a bigger thing than that.I know that they would be proud of me even if I didn't finish. Even if I decided I was tired and had to go home. But I want them to be proud of more than that. I don't want to give up. If I was dragging myself down the trail in tears, that would be something different. I am a bit worn out (probably because MOUNTAINS) but I am good.I almost wish that I didn't stay in the hut. The rain cleared up early, around 8, and I could have pitched my tent, gone to sleep earlier, and gotten up with the freedom to GO. Instead, I had to wait for all the guests to eat, then the hut croo (that's how they spell crew, I am not delirious, I promise) to eat before I could do my work. Sweeping the bunkhouse and the dining room floor.I think that working in a hut would be an awesome job. Living out in the woods, cooking and cleaning a little... Maybe my dream life of simplicity.Nah, I admit that I would want to watch TV sometimes. And have phone service. And be able to get pizza delivery.It was good not to worry about rain and wet gear, but I was really anxious about getting over Mt Washington.Last night I met Sir and Hummingbird last night, as well as Wayfarer. I have been seeing their entries in trail logs. Wayfarer has to be like 80 and writes about half a page (HALF A PAGE) each time, describing his long journey. He is piecing together multiple trails, partially hiking the Eastern Continental Trail. I think he spends more time writing than hiking. That's am exaggeration. I exaggerate a lot. Sorry.Anyway, I got leftover CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES for breakfast (bliss!) and did my sweeping before changing back into my nasty clothes and heading out. Swahili and I shared a few comments on our distaste for putting dirty underwear back on. Sometimes I realize how gross my life is now It really is very gross. Every morning I have to brace myself before pulling on those sweaty, damp articles back onto my nice, clean body (okay, definitely not CLEAN, but usually at least much cleaner than the night before, since I always partake in stream, spring, or sink baths). Yuck, yuck, yuck.But once those clothes are on, it's HIKING TIME. This morning, I powered past all of the hut guests who had left earlier than me, after eating their breakfast while I sat by sadly, staring at plates of pancakes like a starved, crazed animal. One lady told me, "Good speed!" as I cruised by.I was anxious about getting over Washington before it got late. I didn't expect if to be a terribly hard climb. The elevation profile didn't look too intimidating. But Apple Cider, who also stated at the hut last night, told me she heard it was difficult and had technical climbs. I assumed that it would be an easier bit of trail, since it would be more popular with day hikers.So she got me all worried.But it wasn't bad! It was actually pretty nice and easy. I mean, it was still hard. I was still disgusting and sweaty and panting the entire time. But it was a steady and gradual climb, not a vertical wall of ledge like many of the other mountains I have climbed lately...I stopped for water at Lake of the Clouds Hut (sounds awesome, right?). Sir and Hummingbird were at a table there, talking to 007. 007 is a mystery to me. I first met her in Harriman State Park, at a road crossing where Paddy O was doing trail magic (I ate bagels with mustard and listened to John Denver). It was fairly late. I was only hiking on to stealth camp at the next water source, but she was headed for the next shelter, which was at least 6 miles north. Crazy.Dan, pointing her out to me the other day, said that he and mom had passed her on the bike on their way to pick me up at Franconia Notch the other day. She had apparently been in tears. I don't really blame her, that was kind of a terrible hiking day (though of course I was once again amazingly lucky to have mom and Dan, so although the morning mountains were tough, the evening was excellent).And she arrived at Mizpah, soaking wet, around 8 pm the other night, after the storm. I can't imagine being caught out in that! I have no idea how she made it there so late! I had passed her around noon and arrived at the hut HOURS before her. Swahili told me that she had arrived at Zealand similarly late the night before. There is no chance of being allowed to stay at a but if you arrive that late, so back out into the night she had to go. I feel bad for her, but she is certainly hiking her own hike. She puts herself in those situations.It was gorgeous up there above the treeline today. I was SO LUCKY that the morning weather was clear and warm. The climb up Washington was wonderful. One thing I love about being up so high is that I can see exactly where I'm going. I don't have to look up and just see TREES, I can look up and say, "Oh! That's how much father I have to climb! I am almost there!"I also love the lichens. The rocks above treeline are spattered with green and gray, like spray paint. Lichens everywhere! I silently apologize to them like the crazy person I am as I trample over them. I love the lichens.Anyway, Washington was awesome. A bit windy and chilly, but all things considered, I was willing to take that without complaint. It was a gorgeous morning. I passed Baby Girl heading south. I was glad to see that she looked much better than the other night at Galehead. She had arrived with a cut on her leg, and had lost her contacts, and seemed a mess. I felt bad. Today she looked clean and happy, though.She had mentioned that she was considering a new trail name the other day. She is growing out of "Baby Girl". Chat Cat said the same thing when I ran into him at Zealand Falls Hut the other day, as well. He was considering the name "Star Bright". This, combined with the new mustache he is sporting and his very short shorts, kind of gave me the image of him as a gay cowboy. I have NO IDEA why, and of course I did not tell him this.I waited in a ridiculous line to have my picture taken at the summit sign before continuing my mountainous hike. The couple in front of me took my picture after I took theirs. They were very nice and didn't say anything about my stinky grubbiness, but wished me luck.Then I had like six miles to go until Madison Spring Hut. I stopped for a few snacks during this stretch. I ate a lot of snacks today...The AT is confusing in the Whites. It always overlaps with other trails. The names are always changing and I am ALWAYS confused. There are also a million trails, constantly intersecting and crossing each other. At one point today, I realized that I was following yellow arrows (at first I thought these marks were just extra-colorful lichens) instead of white blazes. I got paranoid and backtracked to the last trail intersection. Of course, I had been going the right way. Ten minutes wasted!As I headed into the last mile towards Madison Hut, the clouds came.I looked behind me and saw gray, lots of gray. The storm clouds were being pushed over the mountain behind me by the wind. The effect was very cool. Gray plumes billowing forth, streaming across the sky above me.Then the wind picked up. And thunder started to rumble. And the wind tugged insistently, pushing and pulling me in the wrong direction. The sky grew more and more ominous.I picked up speed, darting over rocks, grateful that the section of trail wasn't too rough, but like a child's messy cobblestone road (yet awesome for trail).And it started hailing. Fantastic. Nothing like walking across an exposed ridge line, totally exposed, as a storm rolls in. I admit, I was a little scared. I didn't really want to get fried to death by lightning, and I was an excellent target for rampant electricity. Just imagine, Fried Red Panda tumbling her way down the Appalachian Trail, smoke rising out of her braided head and charred black replacing chafed skin.But I made it to the hut, dashing through the last 0.2 miles in the rain. I sat down with Pig Pen and pals, who waved me over to their table as I glanced around, snack #39 in hand.They were planning to continue to Pinkham Notch, which I was considering, because that's where my mail drop was located. Also, there was an AMC visitor center there, with coin-op showers. Mostly I was motivated by my mail drop, though. I knew there were at least a few M&Ms in the trail mix inside. Nothing motivates me like pizza and M&Ms.By the time I finished my snack, the weather had cleared up a bit. The temperature had dropped, though, so I put on my rain jacket before hoisting Gertrude back up on my back.I started climbing Madison in front of the guys, but they quickly scrabbled up around me, like ridiculous mountain goats. My stubby legs couldn't quite keep up. Also, I didn't want to die. I took it slow. The rocks on the mountains today were nice and rough, which made for good traction, but they were still wet and dangerous in the afternoon, and the hike up Madison was the hands-and-knees kind of climb. I could not find a good way. It was hard, and I kept overbalancing and falling.But that was only the freaking beginning. As I climbed up higher, it got even MORE terrifying. Hooray!It was steep. And rocky. There was no clearly defined trail. I just tried to make my way from cairn to cairn as best I could. The guys were disappearing into the distance in front of me. "Don't leave me here to die!" I thought as they kept getting farther away and my trekking poles skittered into gaps between rocks.The wind was intense. It buffeted at me, constantly blowing me off course, smashing me sideways into rough rocks, tripping me up and pushing me over. I tried to keep rocks beneath me to block the gusts, but this wasn't the best strategy.Rain pelted down on and off, too. Wet and scratched and tired and frustrated, I was exhilarated and thrilled but also kind of pissed off at that freaking wind. It was just so strong, I couldn't control my own body, my own hike. It was a good thing that the guys were nearby. Their whoops and hollers of exhilaration, frustration, and amazement cheered me and lifted my spirits.The climb along the ridge seemed to last forever. I kept wanting for the trail to descend back below the tree line, but after every peak, I looked down just to find another rocky stretch in front of me.Then, at one point, one of the guys turned around back towards me and screamed into the vast between us, so I could hear over the wind, "LOOK AT THE RAINBOW!"And there it was. To our left, the biggest, most vibrant, amazing thing I have ever seen, looming over the valley, a masterpiece of light and water. It was worth the deathly winds. It was worth the bloody knee I got at the top of the mountain. It was worth a lot of things. It was inspiring. It was WORTH IT.How many people can say that they climbed to the top of a 5300' mountain and saw a rainbow? Maybe a fair few, but not a lot.Eventually we did head back down among the trees, and the guys ahead of me flung out every curse and swear I was inwardly thinking as we slipped and skidded our way down that stupid descent. The roots were insanely slippery. The rocks were slick from the rain, and I tripped and slipped and cursed more than a few times.They stopped for water and I passed them, heading on to Pinkham Notch. "I'm dying!" I said dramatically but cheerily as I passed them. "It's not that much farther!" they said, and I said, "Yeah, only like 4 and a half, not bad!" It really wasn't bad. The last stretch of trail wasn't too rough. It was the kind of trail that I have been missing, the kind that doesn't make me want to scream, "WHO CHOSE THIS STUPID ROUTE? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET OVER THERE? WHY MUST MY BULKY LEGS BE SO SHORT?!"It was still a long day, and I ended later than usual. However, I was totally okay with this, since I started later. Also because I got to eat about 60 extra snacks from my mail drop, including some M&Ms, and a mom note that nearly made me cry. Also because I got to take a shower. And the girl at the visitor center told me of a stealth campsite nearby (I totally did not find it... But I am camped in the woods so close enough). I even got to charge my phone! The battery is already low again, though...Look at all those things I just listed! So many awesome things!So, I love the Whites. They are exhilarating and beautiful.I also hate them because climbing is hard. And falling is easy. Definitely worth it, though.Now it is way past hiker midnight and Red Panda bedtime. Life continues to be awesome. My feet hurt and my butt is a little sore but all is well in Pandaland. I took a picture of a rainbow today, and I somehiw managed NOT to die on Mt Madison.I also realized that I need to buy fuel so I may even sleep late tomorrow, since the visitor center doesn't open until 6:30 (I think).Hooray for a successful day!I am thankful for good weather and actually also for bad weather and ADDED CHALLENGE. I am thankful for my warm sleeping bag and the fact that I still have knees (this seems like a miracle). I am thankful that my mom wrote me a note saying that she is proud of me, right after I wrote about how much it means to hear it (or read it, I guess). I am thankful for love and rainbows (that one is corny enough to puke).I hope there aren't bears out here.