Date: 2010-08-29
From: Lincoln, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 74.7
Weather: few clouds

Sorry for the delay. Happy birthday Marcie. Onto the Whites. I began my journey through the Whites at Jeffers Brook Shelter with s'mores. It was a terrific way to prepare for Moosilauke. I got up bright and early to  conquer my first 5000 foot climb since Tennessee. I was a bit fearful but the climb wasn't too bad. Once I got above the treeline I realized I should've put on some warm gear. Unfortunately hindsight is 20/20 and I decided to plow through it instead of taking off my pack and putting on my jacket. Rorshach was waiting for me at the top and had been there for half an hour. He looked frozen. It is funny what hikers will do for a photo. The climb down proved to be far worse than the climb up with steep, slick rocks that followed a cascading waterfall. I knew at this point that is what I came out here too enjoy. I had heard about the whites but never had really experienced them. If gorgeous waterfalls were what I had to look forward to I knew I was in for a treat.My second day in the Whites I did my favorite climb of the entire trail. Going up South Kinsman was hand over hand climbing using your entire body. Since I do not use poles this was my kind of climb. It became a game for me and I was cruising up that face when I thought I had come to the top. Then I realized that Ellie was right and the Whites are full of false summits. Oh well. There was more climbing to be done. I continued swinging my legs and pack up the mountain when lo and behold I was at another false summit! At this point it was comical and I just let out a laugh. When I did finally reach the top I was able to enjoy a gorgeous view of Moosilauke and Franconia Ridge. Seeing what I had done was reassuring but the doom of Franconia and Mount Lafayette looming in the distance was a bit daunting. After an hour or so I went over North Kinsman and began my descent into Lincoln for my first zero in 22 days. The joy of the zero was quickly gone when I arrived at Chester's and saw 30 hikers sharing one bathroom. Maybe it is my age, but I cannot travel the way I used to. I had heard this place was "awesome" since Connecticut. It was far from awesome. It was dirty and free and allowed hikers to drink and that makes for a big old mess.After 3 nights at Chester's I got back on the trail and entered the hiker's dream that is Franconia Ridge. I had sunshine and views and was on a ridge for a good few miles. Every turn was "ooh" and "ahhh" and I was lucky to walk the ridge with my former cake eating competitor On The Loose. I enjoyed the ridge and walked over Garfield and sat looking at the Whites for an hour waiting for Rorschach to catch up. When he didn't arrive I decided to head to the campsite which was only a mile away. There I was accosted by an orientation group from Yale. They were as socially awkward as you would expect them to be but they provided me with a good amount of laughter. I later found out that Rorschach was five miles behind me. I assumed he would catch me in a day or two (I have not seen him since!). The next day started out nice and ended in rain. Thankfully I ran into HDMama who told me her husband would be at Crawford Notch and could give me a ride to a warm place to stay. I hauled 17.4 miles through the Whites - which is no easy feat - to have a dry place to stay and do laundry. The campground I ended up at turned into a hiker hostel with Skink, Cricket, Daytripper, Thunder and On The Loose. The start of the 11 mile climb up Washington was blustery to say the least. I had a ball climbing up it and was enjoying the freedom of going at my own pace and not having to worry about what the group wanted to do. I got to Mizpah and enjoyed a hot chocolate before going above the treeline. I had a nice hike with HDMama to Lake of the Clouds hut where I did my first work for stay. I was also reunited with Tripper and Wizard and was so happy to see them. After a few mean jokes about thru-hikers I got to eat dinner and do the dishes. It was well worth it to have a delicious Moroccan beef stew. The next morning I ate breakfast and headed up to the top of Mount Washington to meet my mom. I had a spring in my step as I was so excited to see her. I miscalculated how long it would take me to get up top and ended up in the gift shop waiting. After some confusion on both my side and my mom's we reconnected and ran out to summit New Hampshire's highest peak together. I don't think it was an easy climb for either of us and doing it together was wonderful. Then my mom fed me a delicious lunch and other hikers got to enjoy her trail magic and the company of Aunt Margaret. I bid them adieu and headed onwards above the treeline. I made it to Madison hut where I tangled with the idea of doing a work for stay but then decided to move onto a campsite. I'm happy I did because Madison kicked my butt and the climb down to the campsite was brutal. I had been warned but I didn't take it too seriously. I should have. I got to camp just in time for dinner and to rest up for the all you can eat buffet at the visitor's center.When I hiked out the five miles to Pinkham Notch I had eggs on the brain. I missed the eggs by an hour. So sad. I did eat six tasty cakes that my mom had sent me in preparation for the Wildcat climb. This climb was straight up. I don't know how else to describe it besides saying it was a rock wall. I had fun climbing it but it was frustrating seeing how little elevation I had gained. But I successfully climbed that mountain and had a great time enjoying the view. I then sprinted down to Carter Notch for my final work for stay. The croo was great and the hutmaster let me play with her light-saber laser so I could touch the stars. If you have never played with a green laser in a night sky I suggest you try it.My final day in the Whites was a brilliant day of falling. I first slipped on a wooden plank and took two knees. Then I skidded on a muddy bench and went waist deep into the brown goo. On The Loose got a good laugh and a great photo of it. My final (and most graceful) fall involved skimming a rock face, pirouetting around a tree and shuffling back to my feet. I can't decide if I didn't injure myself because of my poleless ab workout or that I have learned how to fall. I did however realize this was the kick in the butt I needed to get out of New Hampshire and on to Maine.