Date: 2003-07-27
From: Firewardens Cabin (3240') 

To: Ore Hill Shelter (1800') 
Miles today: 12.6

Aloha! I'm telling you, surprises never cease out here. One minute you're ambling along trying to keep your mind on one subject longer than 30 seconds (or is that just me?) and the next you're standing in the middle of the trail with your mouth ajar.   I'm telling you, there really are surprises around every corner out here. Some you have to look for and others slap you in the face.   Ahhh... but before I get to the surprise we need to take this entry back to the beginning. And to be totally honest, we're doing so for no other reason than... I can. Surprise!   Sleeping in Granddaddy Long Leg Capital turned out to be okay. They may have continued prowling all night long but I didn't feel any walking across my face so I slept pretty well. As well as I can sleep on a wooden floor with a pad barely wider than I am.   (Hey! Don't say it!) I was up and on the trail by 7am. We're getting better. Even the brief morning shower didn't stop me from going. It may have actually gotten me out faster. (Hate starting to hike when it's already raining but don't mind so much if it begins after I'm already going.   Who knows why.)   Let's see, what's there to tell you about the trail? Well, it went UP and it went down. Actually it began with a nice 3.5 mile down. Not a bad way to begin the day. That of course changed because we all know what goes down, must go UP.   Or something like that. The trail then proceeded to go UP 3 miles to Mt Cube (2911'). There would have been outstanding views if the weather hadn't been so sucky. Nothing to see but the clouds, fog and rain on the other mountains.   When leaving the summit, or prior to hitting it depending on which way you're going, there is a bear proof canister holding a hiker register. No requirements to sign it of course but most people do. As I was glancing through the previous entries I was surprised to see The Walking Stomach and Sherfoot's signatures from the day before!   According to the entry they had been there looking to meet me along the way! What a bummer! I had missed them by a day! It would have been great to see them again. Particularly on the trail under less stressful times. I was disappointed to say the least but felt warm and fuzzy they took the time to try and hike with me.   (Oh yeah, they're in the area attending the big ATC conference somewhere down the road. As is Pizazz.)   My next stop was the babbling Bracket Brook. It looked so good, and since I wasn't in a hurry, I took at least an hour to sit brook-side and have lunch all the while soaking my feet. It felt wonderful! I probably could have sat there the rest of the day but the rain gods kept giving little hints that I should move on.   From that point on I passed numerous hikers. Even came face-to-face with ten trail runners on the south side of Mt Cube. Lots of folks out for a day hike. I'm kind of wondering if any of the projected 900 people that were to attend the ATC conference actually bothered to attend!   I think everyone was out for "a walk in the woods".   As I crossed NH25A the license plates on the cars parked along the side of the road showed that people from everywhere were attending the conference, sort of. There were plates from as far south as Florida and north as Maine. Representing the middle states were NH, VT, MA, CT, NJ, and VA.   I don't know for sure but I'm thinking the conference might be a neat thing to attend next year. At least I'll get to hike.   Continuing toward my potential stopping point for the evening, Ore Hill Shelter, I had the opportunity to chat with numerous folks along the way. Two gentlemen from Delaware were most informative regarding the terrain I'll be covering once leaving tomorrow's stop of Glencliff.   The SOBOs and these gentlemen have certainly not helped in eliminating my nervousness about the Whites but nor have they scared me away either. Slow and steady - that's my latest mantra. {gulp} As I rounded a corner with something like .5 a mile to go to the shelter and plenty of time to continue on if I wished, I was greeted with ALOHA! Standing before me was The Walking Stomach, Sherfoot and their friend Dave! Surprise! What a wonderful surprise at that!   They had been sitting up at the shelter for the past 40 minutes thinking that I may pass by today. They, like the other conference attendees, were attending by taking a hike. I believe they phrased it as "assessing trail conditions" vice attending the workshop on the same subject.   I didn't care what they called it. I was just happy to find that I hadn't missed them after all. We had to have stood and chatted in the middle of the trail for at least an hour. Poor Dave, he stood quietly by and listened to all our catching up and whatnots.   Once again, another nice guy. (Are you getting the idea that all hikers are "nice"?)   It was finally time for them to head on south and me north but I got to take Walking with me to the shelter while the others shuffled cars around. Yeah me! We made it to the shelter in no time and spent what little additional time we had doing what we do best - chatting.   And I do believe one of the main things I picked up during our chat is the possibility of a thru-hike for Walking next year. Awesome! I do hope it works for her. (Maybe I'll be able to repay the many acts of kindness she has shown me in the short time we've known each other.)   Much to my chagrin, the time did arrive when she needed to get going. They still had a conference dinner to attend. It really was awesome to see them. What a pleasant surprise!   With their arrival I pretty much knew I would not be continuing on to Glencliff, which suits me just fine. No hurry. Since I'm the only one present at this time I'm trying something new - I've sort of set my tent up inside the shelter. The mosquitoes are bad here and it¢s supposed to rain.   Bad combination. I have a choice of setting up the tent and getting everything wet/damp or sleeping in the shelter and fighting the bugs. Unless someone else shows I'm trying for the best of both worlds. With a tent that needs stakes this is interesting but I think it may work.   Guess we'll see. Fingers crossed.   Oh, it looks like my beef stew is ready; time to eat. Nice way to top off what has turned into a surprisingly great day. A big mahalo lui noa to Walking and Sherfoot for having taken the time to come make my day. I love surprises. Mahalo.   Time for food. You go eat. See ya tomorrow. Now doesn't that surprise you?BSandTs: not reallyAandPs: I don't want to dwell on the arch and toe thing anymore. That may be what's making them hurt. Suffice it to say that I'm thinking of cutting off my right little toe.MandGs: New Hampshire's contribution of mosquitoes to the world... waah!Critter count: 2x teeny tiny toads, 2x tiny garden-variety snakes