Date: 2008-09-05
From: Carter Hut

To: Gorham
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

Awakened by the croo cooking breakfast, again, again moved outside to continue sleeping. Breakfast was well worth the wait...chocolate pumpkin bread galore, as well as eggs and other goodies, coffee. One of the guests, a woman named Sharon, told us that we could come stay with her if we made it to the road crossing 15 miles away. It seemed a bit ambitious, but we decided to try it anyhow. Said goodbye to the croo, grateful for their hospitality.Barely made it 100 feet up the mountain before having to run off trail and dig an emergency cathole. Running out of T.P. becomes an issue. The climb was quite steep, but it seemed to go by quickly. The summit of Carter Dome was beautiful, rocky, giving a last glimpse towards the Presidentials. Got down into the gap before South Carter Mtn., unable to locate the nice spring supposed to be there. Found a trickle of water that wasn't too stagnant and tanked up. Dehydrating quickly. The Carters weren't really a difficult range, but the climbs were a bit taxing. found some shriveled blueberries to eat. Met some nice SOBO's on North Carter and took a long break talking to them. Slayer and I climbed off of the range together. It was a bit terrifying, sheer rock faces, some of them slick and wet, me without a stick to brace myself. At one point, I took my pack off and threw it over the edge of a cliff so that I could climb down unhindered. Reached the bottom with weak knees, and still a ways to go before reaching water. Filled up, yellowish creek water, walking on exposed slanted sheet of bedrock. Oats was taking a break, drawing...contemplated stopping right there, after only seven miles, but decided to tough it out, even though I was already sore. The climb up Mt. Moriah was hot, sun beating on the exposed rock, sweat dripping, summiting what seemed to be the mountain only to see the actual summit a ways away...I had only reached the arm leading up to it. The light already tended towards late afternoon...seemed so far left to go. Finally reached the summit cut off, bog bridges galore, as the whole area seemed to be one giant swamp. Met up with Hare, who was taking pictures of the strange mountain fungi. Kept pace with him, talking, which made the miles-which had been moving by sluggishly-seem to pass a bit quicker.   The descent from Moriah was steep, about 3000 feet of loss, and long, and my legs were crying out in pain. I finally couldn't keep up with Hare any longer, and stopped at a clear pebble bottomed creek for water. The terrain leveled out beautifully, following what seemed to be a flat road bed that ran along the Rattle River, a deep clear stream dotted with smooth boulders and oddly-carved bedrock. I thought about swimming, but saw an old man skinny dipping and changed my mind, barging on down the trail. Stopped at the shelter to leave a note for the girls...the place was overrun by a group of weekending college kids. I felt very alien. At the road crossing, I met Longwe and Willow, as well as Hare, and we sat waiting for a ride and the others. We called Sharon, and she arrived just after dark to pick us up. Took us to Bethel, where we got pizza and beer before heading back to her lake house where we showered and did our laundry, slept in comfortable beds.