Date: 2014-08-29
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Stealthnsite near Nineteen Mil Brook Trail
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

Talked with Jane before breakfast. She used to rock climb and has done a lot of hiking, kayaking and skiing. She and her husband now live in Park City. I had a big breakfast with Bismarck and Hopper -- love the buffet at Joe Dodge. They gave me advice about Maine and said I should stay at The Cabin in East Andover. They will be there four days, and they will go back for the month of October.The day was beautiful, and I left at 8 to begin the steep climb up the Wildcat Ridge Trail. Some bits were four wheel drive, Lee's expression for using both hands and feet, but the trail genies had put in a lot of rock steps. I found it easier, though not much quicker, than Webster Cliffs. I felt like I was not in a hurry, so I chatted with lots of people, mostly day hikers, took pictures, and enjoyed the views of the Presidentials. Met Race Walker and Rowdy, older NOBOs headed for Imp Campsite. Had a nice lunch conversation with a man and two women from Nova Scotia at one of the picnic tables by the top of the Wildcat gondola. They had passed me earlier on the trail. Also talked with a woman and her family visiting from England who heard me telling someone else about my hike and wanted to congratulate and encourage me.On the observation platform a little beyond the gondola, I talked with a man and woman who had gone to Burke Mountain Academy in VT and now live outside Boston. She is having problems with a hip and is worried about not being able to ski. They pointed out some Irene damage on the left side of Tuckerman's, and he had some helpful words about the trail ahead.On the way up Wildcat Peak A, I met Sawbones, a SOBO, who told me about some places in Maine he thought were especially pretty. He also praised Oreo cookies as being high calories for the weight. Sounds good to me. I'll get some. Youns (sp?), a young woman who had hiked most of the trail in 2011, caught up to me. She is filling in some gaps where Irene had forced people off the trail. She is from Pittsburgh, and her trail name is the Pittsburgh equivalent of y'all. We discussed the availability of water and stealth sites near Carter Notch Hut.I had received mixed messages about the steep .9 mile drop into Carter Notch and was a bit apprehensive. It turned out to be a very long series of rock steps with only a few difficult pitches. I made it down in a little over an hour, including a 20 minute stop at a spring for water. As I was getting ready to leave the spring, Princess Northstar came along. I had not seen him since the Kinsmans and figured he had gotten well ahead, but he had spent a couple of days in Gorham. He, Youns, and I are in sites near the trail junction. Mine is one the park folks are evidently trying to discourage people from using by piling brush at the entrances. But they had left the site itself clear, other than removing fire rings. I found another way in and decided to set up. Double Shot and Pizazz, who had passed me on the Osgood Trail, arrived but headed down to the Hut hoping for work for stay. They had gone all the way to the Osgood Tentsite Wednesday night and had to do quite a bit in the dark. We agreed it had been a very hard hike over Mt. Madison and down. Lee's mother is in the hospital. There was some thought she might have congestive heart disease after she had been taken in on Thursday. Lee had seen her Wednesday and was worried that she was not looking well. The good news is that she does not have CHD, but she does have pneumonia and will be in the hospital a few days, then go to rehab, and then be moved into an assisted living unit in the continuing care place she is in. So she had her nice apartment for just about a year. Our parents all seem to be having problems at the same time. Probably no surprise given their ages.I will need to get up and going early tomorrow so I can be out of here before the Hut guests start hiking out.