Date: 2014-08-08
From: Ore Hill Brook, Mile 1782.0

To: Eliza Brook Shelter, Mile1803.4
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: light rain

Being five and a half miles behind schedule for meeting Swede, I got up early and was hiking at 5:40. When I got to Glencliff, there really isn't any town at all where the AT goes, just a few road crossings in the woods. And no cell phone coverage! So I proceeded to start climbing up Mt Mooselauke. It's about a 3500 foot climb over about five miles, not as steep as the descent down the north side will be. I met Spoonfoot when I stopped at a stream for water, and he and I leapfrogged with each other the rest of the day. Still no reception. I knew Swede would be looking for me at the top by now. I had originally told him I'd be at the top by 9 or 10, but after that I told him I planned to camp at the bottom of the mountain, thinking I might be earlier. He said if he didn't see me at the top, he'd continue on to the South Peak and wait for me there. It was looking like I might get to South Peak a little after 10.As I continued to climb, I met young Sobos Holly and Straight Up who had spent the night with Swede on the other side of the mountain. He had told them about me, and they wanted to ask me about flying in space so I spent some time chatting with them. As I continued on I met three more Sobos who had talked to Swede and knew he was looking for me. They said he had taken the side trail to South Peak, but it was too cold and windy, so he was waiting for me at the side trail junction with the AT.I got to the junction about 10:30. Swede wasn't there, so I hiked up the side trail to South Peak. On the way I finally got reception and a couple of texts from Swede asking where I was. I texted back that I was on the trail to South Peak. When I got there, Swede wasn't there either. It was cold, windy and covered in clouds. As I hiked back to the AT I got another text from Swede that he had gone back to the main peak, so I headed that way. We finally met each other half way there as he was walking back towards me. Turns out he left the junction at about 10:15, so I told him that if he hadn't told all the Sobos about me, I would have been there by then! Mt Mooselauke with SwedeWe hiked back up to the main peak, took a quick picture in the clouds, and headed down the other side to get out of the cold wind before taking a lunch break. The trail down the mountain was beautiful as it followed Beaver Brook which was a continuous series of cascades and waterfalls. However, it was also steep, rocky and wet which made for slow, cautious going. There were numerous places where the trail maintainers had bolted blocks of wood and metal handholds into the rocks just to make it possible to get up and down the rocks. Thanks Trail Maintainers! :-)Getting over Mt Wolf, the next mountain was tougher than Mt Mooselauke although it isn't nearly as high. The trail was wet and rocky, and in many cases I had to carry my poles in one hand and use the other to help climb up the rocks. A couple of times on the way down I just threw my poles down below the rocks so I could use both hands climbing down. Nicer View from Mt Wolf with SwedeWe finally got to Eliza Brook Shelter about 6:45 and it was full of mostly Nobo hikers, both the shelter and the tent sites. I was beat after the tough twenty one mile day following a series of tough days. Swede got the last spot in the shelter and I got the last tent site. After setting up my tent, I returned to the shelter to have dinner with Swede. He cooked a double serving Mountain House meal and shared it with me. I was chilly and tired and it hit the spot! I'll have to think some more about carrying a stove with me when I come back to finish the trail in September!My original plan was to get nearer Franconia Notch today so Swede and I would hike up onto Franconia Ridge tomorrow. Swede would break off at some point to return to his truck while I continued on for a couple of days before getting off the trail for our family reunion. The weather is forecast to be perfect for the next couple of days, so I'd like to do as much of the Whites while I know the weather will be good. We could still do that, but I'm fatigued. I decided to see how I felt in the morning and adjust plans accordingly.Note that I led all day today with Swede. I started at a pretty good pace but started lagging as the trail got rougher and I got more tired. Swede stayed with me the whole way. Although he said he was tired, too, he looked a lot less tired than I felt!