Date: 2014-08-30
From: Camping at Zeta pass

To: Mt Hayes campsite
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept well. Was a little cool and windy but I was warm in my bag and liner. Up at 5:40. Packed up but skipped breakfast and on the trail at 6:40. Trail to Carter Mountain was good but rocky climbs. Went 1 mile in about 1 hour. Did not see any good campsites until we got to North Carter Mountain. So we were lucky to find any kind of site.Once past North Carter Mountain, the trail turned ugly again with rock scrambles to got down. More hands and arms climbing. When the trail flattened we stopped at 9 for 45 minutes for breakfast. Passed the trail to Imp Campsite and headed to Mt. Moriah. Again 800' up in .4 miles on rocks. Very slow going and tiring. Only going 1 mile an hour. Got to the summit at 11:30. Again great vistas of the surrounding mountains. Weather was cool but warmed up. Another wonderful weather day.On the descent off Mt. Moriah passed many day hikers on the way up. Got to Rattle River at 1:00. I filled my water and had my tuna salad for lunch. We only had 4 miles to hostel but I was feeling tired and needed more food. Little did I know what was ahead. Once we crossed the river the trail was in our favor. It was a gradual downhill but flat and smooth dirt with only an occasional rock. We got to Rt. 2 in 75 minutes for 3.5 miles. And what did we see when we got to Rt. 2 - Why Not, a 2009 thru hiker, with trail magic. He had hamburgers, drinks, potato salad, chips, candy and resupply items. I had 2 hamburgers and some salad with chips and coke. We arrived here at 2:30 and left at 3:15. He had only seen 5 other hikers all day. We thanked him and headed to the hostel just up the road. Picked up our food boxes and refilled our water. The hostel was full again that night but we had planned to continue on. We left with 7 days food. Rowdy said he never had this much food. Headed on the trail across the street at 3:40. The trail was 1/2 mile road walk past the hydroelectric plant and up the hill. We then started our final climb of the day - 1700' in 3 miles. The trail was uphill but only a couple of rocky climbs, mostly smooth and steep. Hard climb with a full food pack. Also the temperature had increased since we were lower in elevation. Stopped periodically to rest and rehydrate.Near the top of Mt. Hayes there more rocks and smooth rocks but only a couple of scrambles. Got to the summit at 5:40. Summit was all rock so we continued on the trail about 1/4 mile. Found a great flat camp area so we set up camp. Difficulty finding good trees to bear bag. Rowdy got his bad stuck and it took both of us to get it down. Skipped dinner since we had the trail magic. Went back to the top of the mountain to see sunset but it wasn't good. Had my powerade and finished my day's snack. This was one of the few times I just sat and enjoyed the surroundings at the end of the day. Sunsets are getting earlier with it now at 7:30. When we started in April it was 8 to 8:30.A very good day. Did 15 1/2 miles including on very rocky descent and 1 major climb. Trail turned to our favor in the afternoon with less rocks. Great trail magic which was the first in a long time. Weather was perfect again. Packs are heavy with our food restock. Tomorrow ends my 5th month on the trail but it will be a great end to the month when we cross the last border into Maine. We just hope the trail stays in our favor with a smooth trail and no rock scambles. My knee has been sore mainly due to the long steps down. New Hampshire has everything we've hear about - Hard, rocky and spectacular views.