Date: 2014-07-16
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Gorham, New Hampshire
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

UNCLE! What a friggin day! It poured overnight. Awesome sleeping weather for sure but doesn't make for a very friendly trail. Woke early as ever and laid there a bit before the hut crew came and sang outside the bunkhouse to wake us up. Something about rock candy. It's one of those mornings you sort of dread the day but know you have to do it so might as well pack. So I did. Overriding everything though is I get off trail. I am a donor father and my daughter and her moms have flown all the way up to see what I'm doing. We'll hike a little and have a few days off then some friends will be arriving too so a very nice break before the long push through Maine.Back to the morning. Went over to the common room and got served an awesome breakfast! They sure must get up early. We had coffee and tea, oatmeal with all the toppings, three types of pancakes, and bacon. I drank about ten cups of coffee so I should be super caffeinated today and leaping over those rocks. The rain never quite ends, just keeps dripping. I needn't wear a rain coat anymore. I'll get wet anyway so I put on my pack cover and off I went up to Carter Dome. I think this and the few peaks after will be the highest I'll be until Katahdin. Crazy! The hike up isn't so bad but once up you're in a cloud of mist...all day. Miserable wet mist. And the trail is a wreck. There are big chunks completely underwater. Even an area where they put down planks to walk on are completely underwater. You can do nothing but slosh through then live with wet socks all day. It was really unpleasant. Also the trail was so narrow and the spruces so thick you had to push through a lot and just got soaked from all the rain still on the trees. Up top it's a long series of ups and downs with the downs often the rocky steep sections that kill your knees. This is where all the accidents happen. Which there were many. I must have slid and fallen ten times today. Once was on a big exposed rock face way up high. I started slipping and realized if I don't stop this I'm going off the edge so I just fell to the rock on my hip. Nice bruise now. My lowest point though was when almost to the bottom of a long stretch of rocks my pole got caught when I slipped and fell and I bent the pole. I stood up and tried to bend it back but it just broke - right off - and the other pole, I lost the tip to a few days ago so this should be fun. Rest of the day downhill with two defective poles. Great. Fortunately I wasn't too too far from the end. And awesomely - the AWOL guide actually calls out a "gradual gentle slope to the road" which they'd never do otherwise but it's the first we've had in weeks. So nice to just walk for once. Earlier I had texted the girls my ETA on top of a mountain, which was about as good as the cable repair guys when they say - be there between 2 and 6. Who can take off work that long?! (I can without a job suckas!). I told them 3 to 6 and would text back later when I knew better. But no service all day. I'd just have to do it from the road and wait. This is really really cute... I'm hiking down the path and you can tell when you're getting closer to the roads, not necessarily by hearing cars but by more activity, sounds of people, and so on. I'm walking down along a rushing river and I hear a family playing. Like kids playing and yelling. Then realize it's a voice and they're yelling out "POPPY!!" (which is me!) and it takes me a minute to get that it's them calling for me! Adorable! Ryn is four so I'm sure it was a surreal experience for her too to not see her dad in four months then go out to the woods and call for him and he appears! What a smile I had. She talked and talked and talked. Wouldn't let anyone get any words in. I had had an extremely tough day and my brain was swimming but what a great feeling to hike a good two miles back with them all together. I'm sure I stank! Got back to the car where they had sandwiches, bagels, cherries, and BEER. Then to the hotel where my shower never felt so good. Funny, every time after taking what I think is a very thorough shower, the towel always ends up dirty. Then dinner and a comfortable bed. Thanks ladies!