Date: 2015-07-20
From: Gorham, NH

To: Osgood Campsite
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

The day started off great with an amazing breakfast: coffee, juice, burritos, sausages, hash-browns, muffins. I was sooo full, I am glad we had to wait a few minutes before leaving as I could barely lift myself out of my chair.The hostel drove us back to Pinkham Notch where the shuttle bound for Mt Washington's summit was waiting for us. Yesterday's drive down was quite exciting and slightly terrifying as the shuttle driver was zig-zagging down the narrow and dangerously-close-to-the-precipice road in an impenetrable fog, an etheric white curtain. Pedestrians materialized before us only seconds before we drove past them.This morning though, the sky was clear and we could see miles and miles away. As we drove up, our driver pointed out the different mountain ranges and summits as well as adding a few bits about Mt Washington's history. The view was akin to that seen from a plane coming in for landing. I realize that the Appalachian range is nowhere near the highest in elevation, but we continued climbing, and the mountains stood so tall, so imposing. It was amazing to see these huge expanses of land we have hiked through finally as a whole. I felt insignificant next to these ancient formations. Yesterday's storm showed me in the most concrete way that the mountains can be fierce and destructive and that I could scream and plea but they would not listen.I am so happy we got to ride up in the shuttle because it was one of the most beautiful scenes we have seen. Not many thru-hikers do it (nor do they go twice on Mt Washington) so I was very pleased. Also, not to make anyone jealous, but we got a small fridge magnet as a souvenir. YES!The summit was extremely windy and cold. As we were taking our second round of summit pictures, a massive grey cloud engulfed us and we were once again blinded by the fog. I stumbled along as the powerful wind pushed me around like a rag doll. Shrugs was slightly nervous about the weather (I think he has developped mild PTSD) so we headed back down as fast as we could. We eventually escaped the upper layer of menacing clouds and continued along the exposed ridgeline under the sun. The hike was slow as the terrain was not a clear pathway, but a jumble of medium-sized rocks and boulders. In some areas the rocks were flat, like stepping stones, though these occasions were rare. It was a disorganized mass of rocks. I used my hands to stabilize myself most of the time. From Mt Washington, we hiked through Mt Clay, Jefferson and Adams.We eventually made it to the Madison Spring Hut where we ate some split-pea soup. The final segment of the day was a short climb over Mt Madison and a long trek down the same peak. We hoisted ourselved up and over boulders of all kinds and arrived on top where we saw that we would be following a narrow ledge along the back of the mountainside to get back down. It was challenging to crawl through piles of rocks where you were flanked by sharp drops on both sides. The late afternoon sun was low in the sky and the whole rigde was quiet and serene so while the hike was long and exhausting, it was quite an experience. We crossed paths with a pair of SoBos who, upon spotting us, shouted "YEAH! FULL PACKS!" I was a bit confused until they explained that we were only the second couple of NoBos they have seen today who weren't slack-packing. We each received a high-five. While I am secure in my choices and decisions most of the time, I was grateful for the SoBos' approval and encouragements and very proud that Shrugs and I were redeeming the NoBo image. As those two SoBos said, the Trail is as it is - there is no point in avoiding it.We arrived at the Osgood campsite quite late. Our original intention was to push a bit further but we were extremely tired and drained. What a though day!I noticed that I had sunburns on the back of my calves. I never thought to put sunscreen on them.- Axon