Date: 2007-07-29
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel, Glencliff, NH

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

Diesel tops Moosilauke and moves into the Whites.I woke up early again this morning at 5:15 AM and knew I wouldn't be falling back to sleep. I laid in the bunk for about 15 minutes, then quietly got up and moved my gear down stairs. I packed things away and ate my breakfast of four poptarts and a mountain dew. Rockman and Magellan came downstairs while I was eating. They were planning to slack pack and hike south on the section I would be hiking north. I decided to weigh my pack before I left. I had shipped 5 lbs. of stuff forward to Gorham, but the pack still felt heavy. I had three days of food plus some extra food and 1.5 liters of water. The pack weighed 39.2 lbs! Ouch it must have weighed over 45 lbs. when I left Hanover a few days ago. No wonder I was so miserable in the heat and a heavy pack. Most thru-hikers are probably in the 25 to 35 lbs. range. Oh well, I will just have to carry it up the mountain.I started hiking at 6:30. I left Glencliff at an elevation of 1140 feet and was planning to hike up Mt Moosilauke at 4802 feet. This would be my biggest climb in a long time. I had studied the elevation profile and worried about it for days. Would I be able to handle it at this point? I hiked up to the first shelter just a mile from Glencliff. Rodeo Cowboy, Trashbag, Ben, and Amanda were there getting ready to eat breakfast. I talked to them for a few minutes, then signed the register and hiked out. I stopped about a mile further at a stream crossing and got another liter of water and put it in my pack for later. This was the last water source listed in the book before the summit, which was still 3.9 miles away and 2800 feet up. I thought I would stop about halfway up to take a break, but as I hiked I was eager to reach the summit and hiked the 3.9 miles in 2 hours. I only stopped long enough to take a couple pictures along the way.It had been a foggy morning and the temperatures were in the sixties. As I approached the summit, the trees became shorter, the winds grew stronger, and the air got colder. Eventually there were no more trees. I reached the summit at 10:00 and was the only one there. I had climbed up above most of the clouds. The wind was blowing at about 30 mph and clouds were moving across the mountain. When the clouds would clear there were awesome views of the White Mountains. It was an incredible feeling to have climbed this monster hill that had me so worried and to see the great views and feel the cold wind blowing. It felt like it was 50 degrees up there.There used to be a resort at the summit. It was struck by lightning in 1940 and burned down. Some of the foundation is still there and people have used the rocks from the foundation to build a couple walls to shield you from the wind. I climbed behind one of the walls. It was nice and warm without the wind. The sun was shining brightly. I ate some food. A guy who works for the Dartmouth Outing Club hiked up next. His job is to hike up there everyday (4 miles) and answer questions and make sure people stay on the trails. I talked to him for a while and then about 11:00 lots of people started arriving at the summit. Rodeo Cowboy, Trashbag, Ben, Amanda arrived from the south and then Rockman, Squirrel, and Magellan arrived from the north. Wow, 8 north bound thru hikers in one spot. I haven't seen that many at once in a long time. There were also about a dozen day and section hikers up there.Rockman, Squirrel, Magellan, and I sat in one of the stacked rock wind barriers. We were all excited about having climbed Mt Moosilauke with less trouble than expected. We all felt today's hike and the views from the summit were inspiring and had washed away our feelings of doubt about wanting to finish the hike. It has been difficult with the heat, humidity, and bugs walking through the green tunnel, but today there was no doubt about why we were hiking the AT. If anyone has any doubts about their hike they need to hike up Mt Moosilauke on a good day and those doubts will be washed away.After 2 hours at the summit I started hiking north again. The shelter I had planned to stay at was only 2.2 miles away. I got there quickly and talked with 3 section hikers just getting started on a week long hike. They were going to the next shelter about 9 miles up the trail and I had decided to do the same. I had planned to take 2 days to get there, but it was such a beautiful day and I was full of energy. Rodeo Clown, Trashbag, Ben, and Amanda arrived while I was still eating some peanut butter on English muffins. Ben and I got to talking about Biodiesel. He is building a Biodiesel reactor, had read Lyle Estill's book "Biodiesel Power", and checked out the Piedmont Biofuels website (www.biofuels.coop). Well there went another hour.I finally left about 2:30 and headed for the Eliza Brook Shelter. The trail descended another 1800 feet to Kinsman Notch. The trail was steep and followed a beautiful cascading stream most of the way down. After the road crossing the trail went straight back up 1700 feet. This afternoon hike wasn't as much fun or rewarding as the morning. There were no great views, the temperatures were hotter, and the wind was gone. My feet and legs were feeling the affects of the long day. I finally reached the shelter about 8 PM, set up my tent and cooked dinner. It was a long day and I should probably stopped at the previous shelter. Now I have an extra days food to carry. Tomorrow I should only be hiking 10 miles unless the state park campground is full. I am in the White Mountains now an there are more steep tall climbs to make, but I off to a great start and my fears are behind me.