Date: 2009-08-20
From: Jeffers Brook Shelter

To: Kinsman Pond Shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Ladies and gentlemaen, good evening and "surfs up" from the White Mountains. I am not actually sure if I can describe today to you. The sizes are the biggest, the challenges are the hardest, and the rewards are the grandest.      This is easily the most challenging day on the trail for me so far. The elevation change today alone I bet was more than all of Pennsylvania(don't quote me on that!). Fifteen times, at least, today I came upon a situation with the terrain that, if isolated, could have been the subject of an entire journal entry.      Sunday, John, and I were all gung-ho this morning as we left camp for our first ascent above the tree line. The climb was relentless. After all my goings on yesterday about how well I'm climbing lately, let me tell you, this was sooo hard! It just kept going up and up and up. I didn't know how to pace myself as I thought it would never end. Finaly, after 2 straight hours of climbing, the trees became shrubs and the shrubs gave way to the heavens. I felt like I was walking in some kind of sacred place like the Tibetian Highlands. There were rock pyramids that people may have built decades ago every hundred feet or so. The feeling I experienced was amazing, so full of purpose and confidence and appreciation. Tiny and powerless in contrast to the giant formataion I stood atop. 40 knot winds stung my face and I felt completely in control of the ability to move the ground beneath my feet ever so slowly in the direction I want to go. Today, that direction is Maine and , although I move towards it ever so slowly, I know it gets closer everyday. There will be a time in the not so distant future when that direction will change from Maine to something different. And I will begin moving the ground beneath my feet ever so slowly that way. I think ther's a life lesson here somewhere...      Anyway, a big lesson in climbing mountains(not that I'm an authority, but I've learned it even on the 6000ft peakes we have on the A.T) is that the summit is not the conclusion of the mountain, getting down is often harder than getting up. There may also be a life lesson in there somewhere too. Getting off of Moosilauke was treacherous for two hours. Sailor J could be seen tip toeing, hanging from trees, and sliding on his hiney like a 4 year old. There is no shame in getting off in one piece!      After Moosilouke, there was no rest for the weary as it went right back up(straight up) 1500ft. and went up and down until the beginning of Kinsman Mountain, another 4500 footer. By this time, being out from under tree cover is cool but it's too late in the day to be emotional about it. I was trying to get farther, to be closer to the road for resupply tomorrow but I ran out of day light. It was a tough call because I really wanted to hang out with Sunday and John but this definitely was a safety first situation. I could harly get down that crazziness in the day light!      So in summary, this is it, folks! This is the hardest part so far and it takes everything you've learned every minute to keep it together out here. Please pray for sunshine, I would be dead a dozen times if it would have been wet today! Sweet dreams...