Date: 2022-07-26
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Zeta Pass
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Guest columnist: Jasper SkogmanIf Mirkwood was a Christmas tree farm, the northern whites match that description exactly. At least Mirkwood was flat for Bilbo and company. We seem to be in the Mountains of Mirkwood. Not nearly as flat. The smell of fir and spruce is no longer alluring, sadly. Maybe on the flip my soft spot for pine scent will return from the mountains in which I lost it.Everyone ran around chaotically as usual as we prepared to leave the campsite and hit the trail once more. A foreboding, unspoken feeling of resignation permeated Swiss Family Robinson. The topography was to blame. Grandpa dropped us off at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, a narrow gap in between the southern presidentals and Wildcat ridge.     Wildcat Mountain has a ski lift and ¢spaceship¢ ski control room at the top. A few outbuildings stand on the summit, and the beginnings of ski runs disappear off the sides of the mountain. Wildcat¢s ancillary peaks, conveniently label B through E, lay between us and the summit proper. We classified the peaks as we traversed them.     Wildcat B: Beginner    Wildcat C: Copacetic     Wildcat D: Difficult     Wildcat E: Easy    The original ascent to Wildcat E rises 2000+ feet in two miles, meeting our steep equation.    If:    Miles x 1000 = Elevation gain    Then:    Steep    This occurs often in the whites, though the steep formula being met for two straight miles is unusual. Not to mention extremely difficult. We set out, the first half mile flat across a forest to the base of the Wildcats.           WARNINGA deceased and decaying moose lays near the first overlook to Lost Pond. The .2 side trail is still open and safe to traverse.Unfortunately, no moosey corpse was anywhere to be seen. A large grey heron was spotted (it lazily flew away to the opposite shore as I stealthily approached) and rumors of otters on the far shore abounded. I did not see any otters. I otter look closer next time.    The ascent up Wildcat E was not as tough as previously thought; the trail had stone or even wooden stairs in some places, and despite the steepness it was not all that difficult. It did take at least two hours to ascend the Wildcats, because it was noon by the time we reached the ski area. A sign said that you could see the Atlantic Ocean from the top, ninety miles away. The horizon in that direction was unusually flat, but no ocean was to be seen.     The clouds parted, and we were rewarded with magnificent views of Mount Washington and the northern Presidentals, as well as the Great Gulf Wilderness. As it turns out, the base of Washington forms the southern portion of Pinkham Notch, and we had no idea it was that close.     After lunch we descended into Carter Notch, in which the Carter Notch Hut lies, the northernmost AMC hut. It¢s also the smallest hut, but it was also my favorite. Their chess set was decent (wooden!) and the bathrooms were nice. We were also able to redeem the last of our thru hiker passports for bread and cake. Noice.     The slog up Carter Dome took awhile, but it wasn¢t unduly challenging. We walked along the ridge to Mount Hight, looking for stealth spots. One presented itself, but the rocks and roots compelled us to seek a better spot.     We camped at Zeta Gap, a reforestation area with no camping allowed. I did, however, find a nice spot with a fire ring and two even pads for tents. (It was well outside the ¢no camping¢ area. I didn¢t even see a sign, although there was a board nailed to a tree in front of the site we were in. It might have once held a sign that might have read ¢no camping.¢ Had the sign been up, we might not have camped here. But that¢s a lot of mights.)    Random fax    Miles: almost 8    Favorite part: Wildcat summit    Candy: hot tamales     Audiobook: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson    Most exciting thing: going to sleep    Least exciting thing: waking up    Random thought: why do people consider Delaware aspart of New England although Pennsylvania is not considered (generally) as part of New England! Pennsylvania is entirely north of Delaware.