Date: 2015-07-28
From: 1,799.6 campsite, NH

To: Franconia Notch, NH
Miles today: 16.5

A wicked thunderstorm rolled over the mountains in the early morning hours, beginning sometime before 3:00am. The canopy of trees spared us from the heavy rains experienced by Moosehead and Burnsides a mile up the mountain, but it was still enough to soak my tent. The main show came in the form of constant lightning and thunder, lighting up the tent fly above me and rocking the ground around me. Thunderstorms in the mountain are more intense for you're either stuck up high near the action or you're down in a valley which funnels the loud booms of the thunder. Although it woke us all from our much-needed sleep, we commented later that it was a cool experience.Moosehead and Burnsides strolled by our camp as we were packing up and we'd all eventually follow suit. Immediately after beginning we passed another unmarked milestone, the 1,800-mile mark. Our day begin with an ~800ft climb out of the gap we camped in and would be followed by ~7 miles of constant ups and downs through stretches of muddy trail filled with boobietraps in the forms of slick rocks, slicker boardwalks, and the slickest of roots. Everyone would take a spill over the span of the morning including Rabbit who ate it twice in as many minutes as I hiked along behind him enjoying the show. It's always kinda scary watching your friend eat it for their health is of greatest of concern, but the moment you know they're fine then it's funny.We finally reached the first summit of the day atop Mt. Wolf, providing a solid view of a few towering mountains in the near distance including Mt. Lafayette which we'll be scaling tomorrow. We spent ~15 minutes shoving calories into our mouths before continuing on. Another couple of miles later, we reached Eliza Brook Shelter where we'd break for lunch. Nearing the end of my food supply, I downed everything I had except for a pack of pop tarts and crackers that I saved for later. The cool thing about this shelter is that it was constructed by Burnside's mother's husband. It's a beauty built with local, handpicked trees. As much as we wanted to relax, we knew the toughest day waited just ahead in the form of a ~2,000ft climb to the top of Kinsman Mountain.I pulled away from the Pack and would spend the next hour and a half climbing up the steep, rocky slopes of South Kinsman Mountain, my trekking poles hanging by my sides as I climbed hand-over-hand in some stretches. I even crossed through a flat bog, the boardwalks covered under a couple inches of water, about a half mile below the summit. I finally crested the rock-strewn summit where I was treated to a 360-degree view of the surrounding ridges. Today was one of the finest of the journey so far - perfect weather, spectacular views, and the feeling that comes with busting your ass to earn said views. I took advantage of being ahead of the group by spreading out my tent on the ground and drying it out which only took ~20 minutes. Moosehead and Burnsides soon arrived, we snapped a few pictures, and would continue together for the rest of the afternoon.We covered the next easy mile to North Kinsman Mountain where we got what felt like the first close-up of the Franconia Ridge, towering above Franconia Notch only a few horizontal miles away. We could see the blue water of Lonesome Lake surrounded by forest below. Yoohoo joined us as we relaxed and would finish the remainder of the day's hike with us. After 2 SoBo's told us it'd take us 30 minutes to reach the lake, we finally strolled in close to an hour and a half later. Although the stretch was downhill, the going is usually even slower than climbs in the White's. Sitting just up and off the lake was Lonesome Lake Hut, filled with civilians enjoying the great outdoors, yet still with the comforts of modern, though perhaps a bit more rustic, living accomodations. Wanting simply to enjoy a bowl of soup that is offered throughout the day to hikers while supplies last, we were bummed when the last bowls were sold as we entered. Instead I sat in a stooper, not really thinking or doing anything. We eventually made our way down to the lake, snapped a few pictures of the Franconia Ridge rising above the opposite side of the lake, and then hit the trail for the final ~3 miles to I-93 running through Franconia Notch.We reached the interstate just over an hour later where we ran into Burnside's mom's husband, John, who was meeting us to take us to their family cabin within 20 minutes of the trail. As we waited for Huey and Rabbit to catch up, I sat in the center median of the interstate, called my mom, and generally relaxed. They arrived half an hour later, we crammed 7 people into a vehicle, and traveled to the cabin. John, along with 2 cabins on the AT, also built the family cabin and his craftsmanship is impressive. As we arrived we were met by Burnside's mother, Caroline, and Moosehead's parents Louise and John. After a series of pictures and hugs all around, we got down to business, taking care of laundry, showers, and eating dinner. Prepared for us was a platter of burgers, potato salad, pasta salad, chips and salsa, watermelon, brownies, ice cream, and cold beer. The next few hours would be spent being spoiled by the parents, preparing our meal, retrieving our beer, and boiling water for us to soak our feet. We exchanged many trail stories as we slowly drifted into a combination of a food coma and sleepiness.Near 11:30pm we all drifted off to our individual sleeping places. Moosehead and his parents crashed in the basement, Burnside's parents crashed in the master bedroom, Yoohoo, Huey, and Rabbit shared bunk beds, and Burnsides and I passed out on a sofa and small bed in an upstairs loft. With the couch cushions currently enveloping me like quicksand and a cool breeze from a small fan, a gold night of sleep seems to be in the cards. Hopefully that'll be the case as tomorrow brings a ~3,900ft climb to the top of the Franconia Ridge, topping out at 5,089ft at the summit of Mt. Lafayette. And so go the White's.Here's to maybe the best day of weather so far, the first views of Franconia Ridge, and the spoilage received by the parents of my friends.