Date: 2005-08-20
From: Trail to Gordon Pond

To: Fanconia Notch
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

Up and gone by 6:45. A cold breakfast because of the stealth camping right along the trail. I was moving as soon as I was packed. It looked like another wet day, in fact it rained on and off all morning. I knew one thing, I did not want to head up into the Presidential Mountains in weather like this and they were coming up fast. Mount Washington was just ahead and I wanted to see it from a distance and also summit that mountain in clear weather if possible. I knew that the odds were against it. I heard along the way that there was only a slight chance (by percentage of days per year) that we would even get to see it at all, but I was hopeful.   I ran in to two NOBO hikers who were going south (section hiking) who gave me a little hope (Grandpa Bob and Trash man were their trail names). After a few minutes of talk they were on their way however what they said got my hopes up. They told me that the weather report showed a chance that it may clear up in a day or two.    I stopped in to the Eliza Brook Shelter to wait out a down pour. It did not look like it was going to last that long. There were two peaks ahead of me, South Kinsman (4385 feet) and North Kinsman (4293 feet). I wound up going up and over those two in the down pour I was trying to wait out. Then and there I decided to head in to town and get a room, dry out and check on the weather report. If it was supposed to clear up then I would wait a day and see if it did. After all I wanted to see the views, not just trudge along.   I walked down to the Franconia Notch and hiked in to Lincoln, NH along I-93 and US-3. Unfortunately for me, there in town, a Hog Rally going on. There were thousands of people and hundreds of Harley's everywhere. To me this meant that every room in town was full (each place I called and each hotel I walked to had no vacancies) I almost had a room at one place except as I was standing at the front desk, the woman working there gave the room away to someone on the phone. I guess a biker was better then a hiker in her mind, I thought it was kind of rude (she answered the phone after I asked for the room). Beware the hotel with the Red Doors.    It was getting dark and I was hungry so I stopped in to a local Pizza place. I cannot remember the name of the place however, while I was waiting I asked the owner (Barbara), if there was a place where a man could set up a tent for the night. I told her what had happened at the nearby hotel and she told me the people who owned that place were not well liked in town. She also said that if I wanted to, I could camp along the creek on her property there at her restaurant. She even gave me a written permission slip to do so (I kept it for my scrap book). I ate my pizza (some of the best pie) and answered a dozen or so questions from the patrons before I set up my tent (in the dark and rain) and settled in for the night.   After a wet day it was nice to get into something dry. Since it was Saturday and the rally was ending the next day, I figured I would find a room after check out time. I made up my mind then and there to pull a zero. The weather reports I saw and the town talk I heard again had said, it looked like everything may clear up in a day or so. It was worth the gamble. I have trained in the Franconia Notch area years ago and knew of its beauty. This was one place I wanted to see (again), especially along the Appalachian Trail.note: I just passed the 1800 mile mark