Date: 2003-08-18
From: Lake in the Clouds AMC Hut

To: Osgood Tentsite
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

What an exciting day! I woke up at my usual 5:30 and dressed as quietly as possible to watch the dawn break over the Saco River Valley. At 6:15 most people were up and packing. With gear for 15 people scattered around the room there was low level confusion trying to sort through gear and pack up.Breakfast at 7:00 consisted of oatmeal with rainins and peaches, followed by pancakes with real maple syrup. I ate about twice as much as anyone at the table. Breakfast was followed with a silly parody skit about Cinderella. I followed Chief and Jan LiteShoe out the door. We were eager to reach the summit of Mt. Washington which was looming above as large white clouds blew by in the early morning light. Up the slope of Mt. Washington, I climbed and I thought about how much easier it is for me to climb in the Whites than it was in the Smokies. My weight (body and pack) is down and my legs are so much stronger.The summit of Washington was periodically engulfed in clouds but occasionally I had great views of the mountains I had traversed and views of Jefferson, Adams and Madison standing to the north. The last time I had been on Washington was about 25 years ago when I had hiked up from Hermits Lake with my daughters, Debbie and Amy, and nephew, Scott. While on Washington, I visited the small souvenier shop to try to find batteries for my camera. Sorry, no AA batteries! The sales lady, however, seeing my distress found some loose batteries in a drawer under her counter and gave them to me. I was finally able to get the camera to work and started taking pictures at every opportunity. Jan, Chief and I stood in front of the web camera mounted in the weather observatory window hoping that we would be visible to anyone in the world with a computer! After an hour on the summit, I was itching to get started because I thought the weather could change at any moment and I wanted to hike all the way to the Osgood Tentsite about 8 miles around the Great Gulf Wilderness.As I started down the north slope of Washington, I could hear the Cog Railway. Soon brown smoke was visible and in a few minutes the engine and passenger car came chugging into view. The wind blew the smoke in my direction and I, unwillingly, was forced to inhale the thick smoke from the coal fired engine. No, I did not "moon" the railway but was still offended and saddened by its noise, smoke and intrusion. After about 10 minutes, another engine chugged by. Was the whistle really necessary?The AT follows the rim of the Great Gulf. An awesome sight of stark beauty. Once again I had the feeling of walking through an ancient holy cathedral that only a priviledged few may visit after a long pilgrimage.During my hike towards Madison, I passed many hut-hopping hikers and day hikers. As I came down the side of Adams, a light rain began to fall and I tried to increase my pace, however, the trail was very rocky, becoming more trecherous as it became wetter. When I reached Madison Springs Hut, I found it crowded with hikers who were trying to wait out the rain. After about 20 minutes the rain slackened, so I decided to start the three mile hike to Osgood Tentsite. However, confused by the trail signs and misdirected by a fellow hiker, I started on the wrong trail and soon found myself above the treeline in a cold, heavy downpour. Descretion being the better part of valour, I decided to return to the shelter of Madison hut. This time I bided my time with a bowl of soup and talked with knowledgeable hikers about the nature and direction of the AT to Osgood shelter. I learned that the trail was exceedingly steep, rocky and above treeline. It would be foolish to attempt this in a cold hard rain. So I waited and studied my maps.While I waited, Cobra and Splash came into the hut. Cobra had fallen on her "good" knee and was concerned about her ability to continue on to Osgood even if the rain cleared. They decided to stay at Madison for "Work-for-stay".At around 3 p.m., the rain stopped so I started with a friendly "peak packer" up the south side of Madison. The trail was incredibly steep and slippery so the going was very slow. On the way to the summit, I passed Brian and his two sons who were also on their way to the Osgood tentsite. At the summit, I took my friend the peak packer's photo and bid him farewell.The trail across Madison and the Osgood Ridge is exposed and very difficult. I soon realized that reaching the tentsite was going to be a real push.I passed several family groups hiking to Madison Hut and advised them to take a side trail to avoid the climb over Mt. Madison.I arrived at Osgood Tentsite about 6:30, very tired but fortunately found an empty tent platform. While setting up for the night, I had a brief chat with StumpKicker who thru hiked north last year and was thru hiking south this year.This was a long, enjoyable day with some tough challenges. My feet are soaked and soft, my knees scream with every step and much of my gear is damp or just plain wet. This is a day I will always remember with great pleasure!