Date: 2004-09-08
From: North Woodstock NH

To: Mount Washington
Miles today: 0.0

09/05/2004GatherNight-Ryder, Kip and myself left North Woodstock Monday Sept, 5th around noon. Knee is some better, still hurts. Weather is ok, kind of nippy.Start climbing, very rugged through here, yet so beautiful and wild. Go by Lafayette Place campground, we stop and take a break here.Push on through Franconia Notch, come to US 53. Go by Liberty Springs Tent Site (3,800 ft) . We keep going, rough is the word.Go by Little Haystack Mountain and by Mt. Lincoln. Start climbing Mt. Lafayette (5,249 ft). Finally make it to Mt. Lafayette Greenleaf Hut. Call it a day here.Wind is howling up here and it's awful cold. We eat and turn in.North Woodstock NH ¢ to ¢ Mt. Greenleaf Hut ¢ 6.4 miles09/06/2004GatherWe leave Mt. Lafayette, our target today is Zealand Fall¢s hut 14 miles up the trail. That¢s a big bite to chew, not sure we can make it. It¢s awful slow going through the White¢s. Wind is blowing hard, cold and it¢s starting to rain. Rain is not heavy yet, but it stings when it hit¢s your face, wind is blowing very strong. We walk bent forward with our heads down. I think this might be part of Frances coming in, the next few days Frances is supposed to hit with full force rains, just have to grin and bear it, we know it¢s coming.We go across Mt. Garfield (4,488 ft) rain has stopped for now, still cold and windy. We push on sometimes hand over hand climbing, very slick and wet. Go by Garfield Ridge Campsite (3,500 ft), we take a break here.Get to Galehead Hut, we stop here and get something to eat, I see where Slimer had stayed here a few days ago. We push on against better judgment, we really should stay here tonight.Go across North Twin Spur (4,902 ft) pass South Twin mountain. Go by Mt. Guyot Campsite (4,560 ft ). Pass Zeacliff. We are wishing now we had stayed at Galehead Hut, it¢s getting down right miserable out here, but we push forward. Make it to Zealand Falls Hut, don¢t think I¢ll try another day like today anytime soon. We are completely worn out. My knee not only hurts, everything hurts!We get something to eat and turn in for the night.Mt. Lafayette Greenleaf Hut ¢ to ¢ Zealand Falls Hut ¢ 13.6 miles09/07/2004GatherWe leave Zealand Falls Hut, it¢s raining. Cold and windy out here. I have on my fleece pull-over plus my rain gear. Shoes are about gone, wish I had asked dad to drop me a pair in Glencliff, but there¢s a pair waiting on me up the trail in Gorham NH. Just hope these shoes will make it that far.Bet I¢m the only person around Denton that can tell you exactly how many miles I have on my shoes! I started out with a pair of Montrail boots, I put 770.4 miles on them from Springer Mountain GA to the James river foot bridge VA. The Solomon low tops I am wearing now have 1,051 miles on them, but they are about shot. The Montrail boots still have about 200 miles left on them. Wonder if there¢s any warranty on them, I¢ll have to ask Kurt at Blue Ridge about that. Seems to me a pair of shoe¢s should last several years instead of just a few months!We keep pushing north, getting closer to Katahdin with each step we take. Go by Ethan Pond Campsite (2,950 ft). Pass by Dry River Campground. Go by Crawford Notch, we don¢t need anything here, besides it¢s 1.8 miles to the store from the trailhead. In this weather that¢s a long way.We keep pushing, streams are starting to rise, flooding all over the place. Everything is wet by now, even under the rain pants and jacket. In driving rain it somehow finds it¢s way through. Downright miserable we are!Go by the Saco river, climb Mt. Webster (3,910 ft) water coming down the trail like a water fall in places. Wet muddy and miserable, we keep pushing north crawling, digging and scratching our way along. Haven¢t seen many hikers ? Wonder why?Finally make it to Nauman Tent Site, call it a day here. Wet, cold, hungry and miserable bunch we are.Zealand Falls Hut - to ¢ Nauman Tentsite ¢ 14.1 miles09/08/2004GatherLeave Nauman Tentsite, our goal today is Lakes of the Clouds Hut about 5 miles up the trail. Still raining, pouring is the word. If we can make it to the hut, that¢s it for today! We have to hole up somewhere, just too rough out here.Make it to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, nice dry and warm here. They give us some leftovers, wonderful food. We inquire about work for stay, we¢re accepted tonight. We wash walls, sweep floors and what not, that¢s ok at least we¢re warm and dry.Mount Washington is not but a couple of miles from here, but everything is socked in, can¢t see it. In fact you can¢t see anything. This mess is supposed to go on through tomorrow. I can tell you right now I¢m not going back out there in this mess.We dry out our gear, goof off, eat good food and go to bed.Nauman Tentsite ¢ to ¢ lakes of the Clouds Hut ¢ 4.8 miles (Nero day)09/07/2004Slimer Continued -Wake up, eat and pack. It¢s 9am, I go out to catch the shuttle as I don¢t want to miss it. I don¢t see the shuttle bus? I ask at the front desk, lady says it¢s already gone!! Said the schedule was twice a day, 8:30 and 12:30.I cannot believe I got the time mixed up! Not to worry, lots of cars in the parking lot, I¢ll catch a ride with one of them.No one driving up to the top! I learn they charge each vehicle $25.00 to go up, then they charge to park! So everyone either takes the shuttle or hikes up there. Very brutal vicious climb they tell me, takes 4 hours or more.I call dad at work and tell him I have screwed up again. Only thing to do is hope I can get a ride to the top or wait on the shuttle bus.Continued¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦.I talk to the lady at the front desk, she said she could call the shuttle bus driver and they will come down and pick me up! So much for the schedules!Shuttle bus takes me back to the top of Mount Washington. Starting to rain a little, not bad though.Get off the shuttle and start to get on the trail. But these two very pretty lady thru-hikers stopped me and asked if I would take their picture as the Cog Railway Train passed by. They tell me they are going to moon the train, I start laughing and agree to go along. Now one of these gal¢s has a journal, but we¢re not telling who they are as I have almost three hundred more miles to Katahdin, and I do want to make it there alive.So the train comes huffing and puffing up the mountain (coal burner) all loaded to the gill¢s with tourists. About the time the train gets even with the lady¢s, they yank down their drawers and start mooning the train. All the tourists are going wild, laughing and cheering! I¢m snapping pictures like crazy and laughing my butt off. The train crew didn¢t seem to see the amusement, and they commence to lob chunks of coal at the ladies. The ladies just starting patting their butts and laughing harder. I surely thought that train was going to turn over as all the passengers were crowded to one side laughing, cheering and yelling.I will say this much, this is the first time in my life I saw a full MOON in the middle of the day with the sun shining.Ladies if you¢re reading this, I would like to have one of those pictures for my journal. If I don¢t get it, I might just let it slip out who you are! (just kidding. I¢ll never tell, honest I won¢t, well?I am here to say that has to be the funniest thing I have seen on the trail or elsewhere in a long time. Think maybe I¢ll put some distance between me and those two, no telling what they will try next! Now, that¢s three Appalachian trail traditions I have heard of,One ¢ Walk naked on the trail on summer solstice day ¢ (I didn¢t do it)Two ¢ Carry a pebble from Springer Mountain, and toss over the mountain at Katahdin.Three ¢ Moon the Cog Railway trainIf anyone out there knows of any more leave them in my guest book, it seems you have to walk this trail twice to fully understand it.I am so glad I didn¢t try to hike back up here, If I had, I would have been one ticked off dude!! This trail is rough all the way down. Late in the afternoon I¢m completely worn out. All of a sudden I come out, and there¢s this uilding, it looks familiar? It¢s the Joe Dodge Lodge I had just left 4 hours earlier!!! The trail takes me right through the same parking lot again! I start laughing. I was seriously thinking about hiking back to the top this morning!I go in and get me something to eat, lady look¢s at me and said ¢oh, it¢s you again, didn¢t the shuttle pick you up¢! I explain to her I¢m walking the trail, not just part of it, but all of it. I Heard her mumble, ¢some people have more money than sense¢.It was kinda funny, but I¢d do the same thing again, I will walk every foot of this trail all the way to Katahdin, I will not skip one foot of it! And I wouldn¢t have missed the ladies mooning the train for nothing in the world.I push on, still about three hours of daylight left. I know I¢m gonna be in trouble tonight, light rain on and off, and I¢m not going to be able to make shelter tonight.Later on I found a rock out-cropping with a ledge sticking out. I crawl under it and eat some snacks I bought at the lodge. I¢m still laughing about that deal. As luck would have it the wind was coming from behind me. I curled up in my sleeping bag, propped the tarp up with my trekking poles, and was snug as a bug in a rug. It did rain during the night, but I stayed dry.09/08/2004SlimerWake, pouring rain, windy and cold. Today is not going to be a good day! Now what to do?! I think maybe I will pick up some rain gear up the road now.Very rough day, rough indeed. The wind is blowing so hard the rain is coming sideways, stings like hell it does. Keep pushing, have no choice but to go forward. If you try to stand up, you will surely get blown away. I did get knocked down a couple of times.This is the most miserable day I have spent so far. Keep pushing north. Finally in the afternoon I make it to Pinkham Notch Camp.I inquire about a work for stay, I¢m accepted. I clean up and dry off. They give me some leftovers to eat. Nice warm and cozy here. Sweep floors, wash walls and what not.Wonderful dinner tonight, I pig out. I¢m thinking about Gather, I hope he has the good sense to hole up somewhere. This rain is supposed to be the same tomorrow, maybe not as bad. Dry out gear and go to bed, I¢ll get a good nights sleep tonight.Campsite to Pinkham Notch Camp ¢ 9.3 miles