Date: 2005-08-17
From: US Rt. 2 - Gorham

To: Trident Col Campsite
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: broken clouds

So I¢m driving on Rt. 16 less than 10 miles from Pinkham Notch after having driven 640 miles in two days to start this hike when I veer into the shoulder and strike an enormous pothole. Out goes the front right tire. It¢s 5:30 PM and after changing the tire, I don¢t know where to find a replacement. North Conway? Gorham? So I check into the AMC lodge and decide to deal withthe situation tomorrow. Meaning, a late start for the hike.With a new tire secured and the car stashed at Pinkham for the duration of the hike, I stuck out the thumb and after a surpsingly long wait, a school administrator from Connecticut named Mike picked me up and drove me all the way (out of his way) to the trailhead. I¢m on the Trail at 10:20, not bad for the circumstances but about 2 1/2 hours later than hoped. After crossing the Androscoggin River and turning up the trail where I did a brief day-hike last summer, I began the ascent up Mt. Hayes. At this low elevation, I wasn¢t getting the benefit of the breeze which rang in my ears so the sweat came rapidly as expected on a humid day.After about a mile covering much of the initial ascent, Setback No. 2 imposed on me: one of my pole tips was missing. All that remained was the aluminum end looking like a tent pole. Damn! I just bought these poles from REI; this was their maiden hike. Maybe I can call REI from Andover and they can ship them to Statton. I continued up and found the going tough. Not being one to usually stop for rests on ascents, I found myself pausing more frequently. Hadn¢t done climbing like this in a while. It was during one of these pauses when my first encounter with a fellow hiker this trip occurred: Draggin whose name I recognized from TrailJournals. ¢Is this your¢s - it was stuck in the moss a ways back?¢ My pole tip! ¢Thank you so much¢ ¢Well,it looks like I made your day.¢   A good sign - I guess this hike will be OK. He continued on. Later I was passed by Retro. I¢m struggling up this mountain and man, it¢s nothing compared to what I haev ahead. Yes, it¢s been 2 months since I backpacked but when was the last time an ascent wore so much on me? Pond Flat? But that ascent didn¢t feature the high steps up and over rocks and roots.It took longer than I would have liked to summit Mt. Hayes but the view was worth it. At the top, Draggin, Retro, and I were joined by Dead Animal and Morel. Up on the summit the sun is comfortable and the breezes pleasant. Lingered a while but had to move on if I want to make it to Gentian Pond Shelter tonight. I left first but eventually all the other guys passed me including Porter whose name I also remembered from TrailJournals. Typical of New England, there¢s a steep (and thus slow) descent followed by another steep ascent, this one up Cascade Mountain, about 100¢ higher than Hayes. And I¢m still struggling on the ups. This isn¢t like me! Draggin and Morel were on Cascade when I arrived so I lingered and we talked a while. Again, I¢m enjoying the setting on the summit but lamenting my slow progess. Part of the problem is my lack of quality and quantity sleep last night. So as I neared Trident Col campsite after another brutal descent, I decided to call it a night. Took the first campsite - a sunny grassy spot surrounded by blueberry bushes and flat rocks. However, the scent from the Berlin paper mill wafts its way up here. Still, a nice setting for camping. I was joined by two middle aged guys, Patagonius and 9 Lives. Morel stopped by for water but moved on. All the other guys are making it to Gentian Pond although Morel talked about hiking in the dark if necessary to reach the Maine border.The day cooled off rapidly - by 5 I had my windbreaker on while cooking rice and seafood sauce for dinner. Despite the struggles, I felt good and anticipated the next day although I probably won¢t make it to Full Goose - maybe Carlo Col instead. So far, this had been typical Northern New England hiking - hardwoods (birches and maples) at the lower elevations giving way tospruce and balsalm firs with ferns, mosses, blueberries. In some places the Trail is quite narrow and blazes are scarce but there¢s usually no doubt where the Trail proceeds. Anyway, I¢m looking forward to tomorrow.