Date: 2014-07-28
From: Madison Hut

To: Mt Washington
Miles today: 6.1

Madison Hut to Mt. Washington¢6.1 milesAfter a sound night¢s sleep, I awoke feeling great and forgetting momentarily about my injury¢¦until I tried to get up out of my sleeping bag. Stiffness had set in and standing up was a painful process. I proceeded to pack and get ready for the day¢s hike, hoping the pain would subside with the help of a handful of Ibuprofen. I poured myself some coffee out of the urn that held coffee made last night. It was lukewarm and tasted like two cups in one, so I stopped sipping and dumped it. Using ¢hot¢ water from the second urn, I stirred in two packets of oatmeal. The water was not warm enough to do anything to the instant oatmeal, so the oats and raisins just floated in the milky water. I tried eating it since I did not want to carry it, and it took a great effort not to gag on it. I stopped carrying oatmeal long ago but hoped that it had been long enough that I could tolerate it again. Not today.Feeling out of sorts, I told Rammy that I wanted to get an early start and so I left in the morning mist. The wind was blowing hard, but the outside was not as cold as I expected. The trail immediately climbed, which also kept me warm. But my legs had other plans. I could barely climb over the boulders, instead, lifting myself with my arms. I knew that today would be a long day.When I reached the summit of the first climb, I was discouraged and knew the day would be long. Rammy caught up to me and tried to cheer me up by noticing that the day was clear and promised good conditions. Then the wind picked up with hurricane force gusts. I looked at Rammy, and he just shrugged his shoulders. We moved slowly against the wind, trying to put our weight into the wind so we would not be knocked over. As I struggled, I remembered that first hike with RJ. We had had excellent conditions and went a very short distance to the Perch shelter. We took lots of pictures and enjoyed the easier terrain. Although the entire walk was over rocks and boulders, it was easier than the climb we had had the day before. But today was different. The conditions were difficult, and walking was such an effort for me that I worried about whether I could actually do the six miles.We had walked a mile in two hours which meant that if we continued at that pace, we would not finish until 6 in the evening. My only consoling thought was that we would finish before darkness. I continued at a steady pace¢¦slow and steady. We reached a sign that announced that we had only four more miles to go. We had completed the last mile in under an hour. I was speeding up. That encouraged me, and I trekked onward.The clouds and mist moved in and out, giving us views occasionally. We could see the Mt. Washington hotel on one side and the Great Gulf Wilderness on the other. We met lots of people out hiking, which is typical for the White Mountains on clear days. Everyone was having a great time, and I smiled as they greeted me. Rammy and I stopped for lunch, and two British gentlemen wearing v-necked sweaters and slacks approached us. ¢I hear that you two are the super hikers,¢ they announced. They were joking, but it was nice to speak with them. They had a small day pack between them and one water bottle. Because we were still miles from Mt. Washington, I really wondered how they would fare. But they walked across the rocks as though they were out on a stroll along the moors.Mt. Clay was our final climb before reaching Mt. Washington. I struggled through it, pushing myself with the thought that I was getting closer and could probably finish. And then it was there¢Mt. Washington! It stood tall and majestic, with the summit buildings calling to me. Warmth. Hot food. A chair to sit upon. I was there. I could do it.Of course, the summit always looks closer than it is. I slowly climbed up the mountain until I finally reached the sign that said I had a half mile to go. A half mile, and it wasn¢t evening. It was early afternoon! We would get there in plenty of time to catch the shuttle down to Pinkham Notch. Life was getting good again. The cog train chugged by with smiling tourists, and they all waved happily. I waved back, smiling but not feeling the joy. (It¢s tradition for thru-hikers to moon the train, but I didn¢t for several reasons. One, I live in the area. Two, by the time I got my pants down, the train would be long gone and I would be standing out in the cold with a naked bruised butt, looking pretty silly.)We crossed the tracks and resumed trudging up the mountain. That half mile was a long half mile, and the wind whipped around us as we climbed higher. The clouds moved in, and the temperatures dropped, but we finally reached the summit. Rammy asked if I wanted to stand in line for a summit picture, and I had to laugh. A long line of people with sandals and sweaters waited by the summit sign. We agreed that our victory photo of a few days ago when we reached Mt. Washington from the other side would suffice. And so, we shivered our way into the summit building.The smell of hot food hit me, and I considered ordering a bowl of chili but opted for the hot tea that Rammy had bought for me. We sat at a table, and it was all I could do to not just put my head on the table and collapse. We were safe and dry and warming up. But, man, did I hurt all over!After a few sips of hot tea, I began to feel better. A couple of guys with their two boys were encouraging their sons to finish lunch, but the young boys were distracted by all the activity in the building. I tried not to laugh at their antics as I could see the men were frustrated. Soon, we struck up a conversation. They were from Ohio and had brought the boys to North Conway for a vacation and had had a wonderful time. I explained that I had two boys who were now men and told them to love each moment, even the frustrating ones. I would give anything to relive a day when mine were children. When one of the men went to get more food for the boys, he asked them what they wanted. I jokingly said, ¢I¢ll take a bowl of chili,¢ then laughed. Soon, he appeared with hot dogs for the boys and a large bowl of steaming chili for me. ¢We share a table, we share our food,¢ he proclaimed. The warm and spicy chili soothed me to my core. The kindness of the two men at our table warmed my heart. After saying our goodbyes to the family, Rammy and I went to the little shop to buy our tickets for the ride down the mountain for the second time in a week. As we rode down in the van, I watched the mountains that we had just struggled through. Mt. Madison stood tall and strong. But I had climbed it again, and I had overcome my fear. Even through my pain, I knew that I would never fear Madison again. We had done all of the Presidentials, reputedly the toughest hiking on the AT before Maine. All we had left was a three day trek over the Wildcats and into Gorham. That would be for another day. It was time to go home.Life is good.