Date: 2003-09-17
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Zeta Pass
Miles today: 8.2

start Pinkham Notchdestination Zeta PassToo early there was another light knocking on the door. I am going to strangle someone! This time Bog Bridge Tester could not get the door open. He had gotten up early to take a shower and just like Indiana Ben yesterday morning had a fight with the door. We packed our packs and headed for breakfast. Jerry and Ann were waiting at the table for us. She has her pair of biking gloves that she wants to give me. She says they will help keep blisters down in the palms of my hands from my hiking poles. I am touched once again by her generosity. The blister I have is almost healed up so hopefully these gloves will help. There is no fingers in the gloves, so I will be able to use them when it gets cold also. I have trouble cooking with gloves that have fingertips in them. We have another enjoyable meal with them. There is never a dull moment with this two! We all pig out one more time at the breakfast bar. Then enjoy a last cup of tea and coffee together. We are sitting there talking when in walks Snotrocket and Sage, it is great to see them again. Then just after they leave, in comes Little Bear! He is a real jewel of a guy and again, I was glad to see him. I can't beleive that I have seen these guys. The beauty of the sky and the cool crisp eather is calling to us. It is time for us to get back on the trail. We are standing out in the parking lot waiting for Jerry to take our picture, when a car pulls up and I hear someone yelling "Bumpkin." I turn around and there is Footslogger coming towards me, grinning from ear to ear! We hug several times, both talking at once. I meet Susan from the Women Hikers list. She had missed the road she was suppose to take and pulled into the parking lot to turn around. Talk about perfect timing! That is just what I needed to get me up the tough climb of Wildcat Mountain, with it's peaks of A,B,C,D,E and who knows how many others. It was a hard morning. I am so grateful that I chose not to try this in yesterday's rain. There are several rock faces going almost straight up the mountain. Here are blocks of wood stuck into the rock to use as steps. The funny thing is I have no idea of how they are held into place. It is hard to put my trust into these wooden blocks, but I have no other choice. So up I go, lock after after block, until I reach the top. I get to one of the peaks and low and behold, there is the AirTram. It is a enclosed ski lift and comes up the mountain and goes back down. I could have rode up in fifteen minutes! Instead, it took me two hours to hike the trail up.!! On the spur of the moment, I decide to buy a round trip ticket for ten dollars and ride down to the bottom to the lodge and get a big fountain drink! I cannot talk my fellow hikers into coming with me, they say they really cannot take the extra thirty minutes for the ride so I bid them goodbye and hop into the little gondola. It is a stunning sight all the way down. I throughly enjoy looking at the mountains, dressed in their fall finest. Colors of greens and yellows with leaves shimmering in the breeze. I can sit back and relax, not worrying about where I have to put my feet, or if the driver is going to run off of the road! I look anxiously for a moose, peering this way and that. I am certain I will see one from this vantage point. At the bottom, I jump out and go into the lodge. I buy the biggest fountain drink I can. I do not even mind that it is Pepsi instead of Coke. I also buy three chocolate rice krispy treats, just in case I am able to catch up with my friends. I get back into the gondola and start back up the mountain. I wish Mudbutt was here to enjoy this with me. About halfway up the mountain, the tram stops. I sit swinging gently, suspended in mid air. Then off up the mountain I go, still looking for a moose. I am disappointed not to have seen a moose, but the sheer enjoyment of riding down and getting a cold drink with lots of ice when I was so thirsty more than makes up for it. I put my pack back on and up the next peak of Wildcat Mountain I go. I hike for almost an hour and come to a beautiful overlook. It is time for lunch. I take the little side trail and who should be sitting there eating lunch but Bog Bridge Tester and Indiana Ben! They scoot over to make room for me and we eat lunch together. I pull out the snacks I had bought for them. They seem pleased that I thought of them. We sit there surrounded by the most awesome views. The companionship between us is a warmth that few people ever share. As we sit up here eating lunch we talk about our lives and how they will change when we are through with the hikes. I am going to try and hike with them and hopefully get into Gorham late Thursday. Mudbutt will be meeting me there. I have my first bad fall in a long time. I get up and over all the tough places and am cruising along when my feet get tangled up and down I go. My hiking poles are tangled in the short stubby pine trees. I get loose from my poles and graciously accept Indiana Ben's extended hand. That keeps me from having to take my pack off to get up. My ankle is a wee bit sore, but it is later that my knee starts hurting. It is past time for me to see a chiropractor anyway. I just hope I haven't thrown my hips out like I am so prone to do when I fall. We meet a couple hiking with their two sons who are two and four. I am impressed as I watch these little guys hike up the rock faces, occasionally getting a hand rom Mom or Dad. They are sure footed and light on their feet. By 6:00 we are at Zeta Pass, our destination for the night. We find several tent sites and set up our tents. We all fix supper and eat together, talking about the days hike and tomorrows trek. There is a definate soreness in my back and my knee. It will be double Advil for me tonight! It starts to get chilly, so we clean our pots and head for our tents. The silence is wonderful as I lay in my tent. There is no artificial lights blinking here and there. It is DARK!!It is QUIET !!It is CHILLY! I love it! total miles 8.2