Date: 2005-08-19
From: Glencliff, NH (Hikers Welcome Hostel)

To: Trail to Gordon Pond
Miles today: 12.8

Up, coffee (then more coffee) packed and gone by 9:00. The much talked about accent up Mount Moosilauke was underway. I hiked on and off with Leviathan all the way up to the top. A 3600 foot climb in about six miles. It was difficult to say the least. Once on top we took a break at the foundation of the former Mountain Lodge. The weather was clear and a ridge runner from one of the local colleges gave us a good history lesson about the place. I bet in its day the place was a site to see. As far as the difficulty in climbing goes, it was nothing compared to the down that was ahead of us. The trail literally ran along side of the brook, at times it went right in to it. There were re-bar hand rails, 6 x 6 wooden steps hammered in to the rock face, a number of footbridges, huge boulders as well as many other hazards. I was sure glad it wasn't wet from rain. There were water falls all along the way down to the base of the mountain. This must has been one heck of an "Up" for SOBO's.   On the way down I stopped in to the Beaver Brook Shelter. There was a nice vista right there out in front of the shelter. The water was fresh as well. I remember some hiker left behind a pair of sneakers, about a size 15, that weighed about five pounds (no joking). I carried them all the way to the bottom of the mountain to the parking lot and asked a local if they would throw them out for me.   Once I got to the Kinsman Notch I decided to hitch a ride down VT-112 to town to check it out, get a quick meal and return the same day. I had to pick up some more disposable cameras as well, I was about out of film and did not get any in Glencliff. I walked around town in Lincoln and North Woodstock for a little while then got a quick ride back to the trail. A local carpenter (I knew this because I sat on his tools in the back of his truck), gave me a ride to the trail head. Once I was back on the trail I started to climb out of the Notch (about a 900 foot assent). It looked like rain so I decided to take off my pack and contemplate on staying where I was at (a good camp site).   I was looking down my back trail at the sky through the trees and backing up at the same time when I heard a noise. I turned around and was staring directly at the south end of a north bound moose. I was so close I could count the fly's on it's butt (at about five feet). I slowly backed up a bit and went to my back pack for my camera. A huge critter that cow moose was, huge..HUGE...biggest animal I ever seen in the wild. She crossed the trail directly in front of me and I shot three quick photos. I decided not to stay and pushed on. That encounter happened at 5:40 PM about a 1/2 mile from the road.   I moved on thinking about what just happened when about an hour later (7 PM exactly) I heard a rather large healthy snap. Another moose (my third), smaller then the one before but a moose is a moose, it was standing about ten feet in front of me. It took off within a few seconds so I did not get a photo. It may have been an immature Bull, hard to tell but, I thought I saw a couple of buttons (small antlers) on it's head. There was definitely a noticeable different color on its forehead, that is for sure. It was gone quickly. Two in one day, unbelievable.   I only did 12.8 miles that day. Not bad considering that the assent and decent of Mount Moosilauke was 9.4 miles long and the views, wow. The "up" was an increase in elevation of 3662 feet and the "down" went down 1815 feet. I ended up for the night just before the trail to the Gordon Pond. There was a small level area where the debris from the trail settled after eroding away. It wasn't raining so I took a chance and set up there just as it was getting dark. What a heck of a good day.