Date: 2009-08-06
From: Lincoln, N.H.

To: Hanover
Miles today: 250.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I am having a blast out here! The weather out here during my hike through the Whites and Presidentials have been amazing. There has only been one day of rain and the rest have been spectacular. A few days ago I had a scare with my left ankle. I twisted it funny, and I thought I might have to quit my thru hike because of injury. I slept on it and the next day I felt fine, so I pulled a 19.5 mile day. I have pulled away from some of the crew I had been hiking with so I could do work for stays at the huts. For those of you who don't know what work for stay is let me explain. In the whites there are huts for tourists to come stay in that provide a few meals and a bunk for a night, and this is the busy season for day, week, and weekend hikers, so there are tons of people walking throughout the maze of trails in the area. The workers that run the huts, called the "croo", are allowed to take a few thru hikers a night to work at the hut doing chores for an hour or two. If you work, then you can stay there on there floor, or tables in the dining area, plus you can eat leftovers that the tourists don't eat. I actually did 3 work for stays, at Carter Notch Hut, Lakes of the Clouds Hut, and Zealand Falls Hut, which were all very nice to me. All thru hikers would do this, but we are at the point where north bounders are meeting southbounders (called "the bubble"). It is very competetive to get work for stay, but I found that timing was everything. It was cool. In other news, Mt. Madison was a crazy climb, especially having 60 mph wind knocking me around like a drunk baby. It was somewhat scary, but incredible at the same time. I was on pure adrenaline on the way up. I tried to stay low, but it didn't matter because I was above treeline. When I got to Mt.Washington, it wasn't windy at all. It's crazy to think that Mt.Washington has the record for highest recorded wind speed on land, at a rediculous 231 miles per hour! It was a great climb though, and I was blessed to have such great weather. I ran into a great trail angel named Rock Dancer that was sitting by the trail with a ton of food in the trunk of his car. He had stuff to drink, sandwhich stuff, little debbies, chips, fresh fruit, and an entire chicken! So thanks for the great lunch Rock Dancer! Since I am in tourist country now, it is funny to here people talk. I just listen sometimes and laugh under my breath. At one of the huts, this guy was overly complaining about how much he ached and how hungry he was after doing 4 miles that day. I understand that 4 miles can be a lot for someone, but it really got me when he was talking about how smelly the thru hikers were. That was the day I had done over 19 miles, and it kinda hurt me to see how celf-centered some people can be. I don't think any thru hiker can explain what it takes or what it is like to be a thru hiker, but once you have experienced it, you know. It is a different lifestyle, but it is a life altering experience. Everyone is equal out here, regardless of what you smell like. One thing that helps me everyday, is realizing that it's not about how many miles I do a day, it's about the journey, and my journey so far has been indescribable. Happy Hiking!