Date: 2017-08-09
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke about 6 am. I walked to the building with the bathrooms and did my usual routine. I returned to my room, that I had all to myself and started packing. At 6:30 am, one of the croo stood on the porch and with a loud voice recited a poem. ¢Good Morning Hikers. It is 6:30 at the Carter Notch Hut. Breakfast is at 7.¢ She moved on to the other bunk house and repeated the morning greeting.     Breakfast was oatmeal with canned peaches, followed by eggs and pancakes.  They brought me gluten free pancakes. I sat with the some of the same people I had dinner, plus some AT section hikers. The work for stay people looked disheveled and a little grumpy, waiting for the guests to finish breakfast.    Last year at Pinkham Notch, I met Dori and Free Bird. They were south bounders who summited Katahdin July 22 2016. They did work for stay here. They did some minimal work; ate dinner after all the guests ate (about 7 pm); waited for the guests to leave the dining area at lights out (9:30 pm); slept on the floor of the dining area; were awoken at 5:30 am by the croo fixing breakfast; had breakfast after the guests and started hiking about 8:30 am. After my experience coming out of the 100 Mile Wilderness, where I was too tired to stand and cut zucchini, I decided ¢Work for Stay¢ at the huts in the Whites, was not for me. In November of 2016, I made reservations for 6 huts in August of 2017 at $90 a night with the AMC member and 5 night extended stay discounts.  I felt like a Prima Dona hiker, as north bounders told me things like, the ¢secret¢ of work for stay at the huts or an AT hiker telling me, the hut is full and my response was ¢I have reservations.¢ . At Zealand Falls Hut, I met two, over 40, north bounders. One made the reservation a week prior and another made the reservation 2 days in advance.      I used the bathrooms again and started hiking about 8 am. I leap frogged with a father/son pair that I joined for dinner and breakfast at Carter Notch Hut. The climb to Carter Dome was similar to yesterday¢s 5 mile rock climb/scramble. I took my time. Step by step I advanced to the summit. At Carter Notch Hut, I learned that in the 1880¢s there was a massive mud slide after days of rain. The mud slide revealed Carter Dome. Shortly thereafter, trails were made to reach Carter Dome.      The father/son team reached to summit first. They sat down to enjoy the view and have a snack. The father said it was a magical place and I agreed. I chose not to join them, to let them have a bonding moment. I hiked on. Eventually I came to another view, where I sat and had a snack.      I continued to hike on. It was rolling dips between Carter Dome and Mt Moriah.      My descending colon was hurting intermittently more and more. In Gorham, I had eaten my last Beef Pho dehydrated meal. Each time I have eaten this particular meal, my colon has acted up, with increasing pain. Yet I ate it. I rested on a rock bald for an hour, hoping for the pain to pass.     I got to the trail for the Imp Campsite. I had been thinking about hiking all the way to Route 2/ Gorham and spend the night at The Barn Hostel. After my rest due to my painful colon, I changed to maybe I would stay at Rattle River Shelter, 2 miles from Route 2. Several people told me the trail between Rattle River Shelter and Route 2 was flat, wide and easy. There I stood at the trail to Imp Campsite, trying to decide if I should take it. An AT hiker was there. ¢Oh, the perpetual question. To stop or go on.¢ My blood sugar started crashing and I headed toward Imp Campsite.     The 0.2 mile to the Imp Campsite was more difficult than it really was because of my low blood sugar, dehydration and colon pain. Mind you it was not easy, even if I did not have all of that going on. I found the caretaker¢s tent. I sat on the porch of the caretaker¢s tent platform and said I wanted to spend the night. She asked my name and I could not speak because of a flood of emotion. Irene the caretaker was kind. She asked if I needed to talk or drink water. I said I needed water and I had some. I drank a quart of water and three food bars before I was restored and could answer her questions. She was so kind. I explained I was so close to finishing the trail, I could taste it. Perhaps it was the ordeal of my backpack being destroyed in flight a few days earlier. Perhaps it was that I had done the Wildcats, the most difficult part of this section and according to Warren Doyle, the most difficult 6 miles of the entire AT. Or that I was physically tired, hungry and thirsty. Or all of the above, were the causes of my meltdown. I told her I was done for the day, but not done with the trail. I would finish it.      Irene gave me directions to the shelter, water, cook site, privy and bear box. I set up in the shelter. The water nearby was great. The cook site had a bench, which faced west and overlooked the valley. It also overlooked a cell tower, so there was great cell and internet coverage here. Irene said it was a great place to watch the sunset.    I was in the shadows inside the shelter when Grey Eagle arrived. He looked thin, old but still strong. I asked him if he was the guy who will set the record for oldest person to complete the trail. He said no. That guy is 82. He was only 75. That guy was slack packing the whole trail. He obviously was not.I asked Irene the caretaker for an AMC Thru Hiker Pass.  This is a great deal.  After paying full price ($10) for an AMC Campsite, the rest are only $5.  In addition to this, at a hut you can receive a free bowl of soup or baked good.    I fixed dinner and ate it. For a short time, I joined Irene sitting on the bench watching the sunset. There was a group of kids that had sat on the bench but now were noisily eating dinner. There was a peace and solitude despite the noise of the kids. Irene and I said nothing.    I climbed into my sleeping bag. Minutes later there was a commotion and a man came into the shelter. Mind if 10 people join you? I did not respond. I still do not know why I said it but I told him Grey Eagle was at the cook site. ¢Grey Eagle, wow! Where is he?¢ I gave him directions. Grey Eagle and he were fast friends, though the man was young enough to be Grey Eagle¢s grandson. Grey Eagle was hit by lightening the last time they saw each other. The rest of the group straggled in.  I put in my ear plugs and fell asleep.