Date: 2014-07-20
From: madison spring hut

To: carter dome
Miles today: 14.9

I ate and dragged myself back up to the hut to fill up my water. I was really bummed about the location of the tenting. Who in their right mind would want to go down there to tent just to have to come back up? Where was the real tent sight anyway? So i started up over mt madison on a nice cool morning. Its all rock. Piles of rock that you pick your way up and over, slow going. I met a couple trying to get down to pinkham notch because the wife was having shin splints. The bad thing about something like that happening is that most places in this area are not easy to get out of. I wished them luck, that was all i could do. I made my way to the top for a view of the valley with fog settled down in and mountains sticking up thru. This is my favorite, looks like a white ocean with islands scattered about. I spent a bit of time on top just looking, thinking, feeling lucky. From the peak of madison, it was down a long ridge, about 3000' down. The descent was terribly slow above tree line. It was steep and still total rock to step down on. Once i got down into the trees and out of the wind, i took a snack break. I felt tired, like i needed some fuel. Could it be the last two days of 20+ miles? No, i doubt it. I had to cross the valley and get over to the pinkham notch to climb up the wildcat range. As i was making my way across the low land it started to sprinkle, perfect. I did not look forward to climbing the wildcat range with wet rocks. I fiddled around the whole way to pinkham notch, going slow. At the notch it was about noon so i bought some food for way too much money but hey, i didnt have to make it and they had coffee. I needed coffee. I ate and looked out the window for an hour as the rain stopped and the sun came out. I got going about one o clock for the big climb. Well it lived up to what people had told me, it was shteep and climby. Sometimes it a bit hairy with a thirty plus poind pack going up these places. Care is to be taken. The wildcats have peaks named E, D, C, and A. I would go over them in that order. I dont know what happened to B, and who came up with the names? That was the best they could do? After making my way up to peak D i went up the observation tower to talk with two nice new hampshirites. I still felt like not moving many more miles so i hung out in the sun and talked for about a half hour. Then when i had to go, i had to go. Over the rest of the peaks over to A, the highest. After A it was a big drop down into a notch where cartee notch hit was. I scrambled down and stopped into the hut. I grabbed some water and a couple of snacks. I asked one of the workers about the trail and got nothing. Wouldnt you think someone that works at one of these huts would know about the trail? Whatever buddy. I just wanted to get to the top of carter dome and find myself a spot to tent. The worst was there wouldnt be water for a while so i added six pounds of water to my pack for dinner and breakfast. I knew that from the top of carter dome it would be a fairly easy day tomorrow to get to gorham for a resupply. I had figured to go further to make tomorrow shorter until i saw a great campsite right on top of the dome. I stayed there. I set up and started to cook dinner with my pants and raincoat on, it was a little cool and breezy up here at 4800'. I was only a bit concerned when the wind picked up and the clouds blew in, weather can turn real bad but i had a tent surrounded by sturdy trees and a sleeping bag. I was not at all worried about being warm enough. I sat on a nice rock, ate dinner, hung up clothes, and turned in. I slept pretty well till about three in the morning when i had to use the bathroom. Thats always an inconvenience. I got out of the tent to find the sky had cleared, wind had stopped, and the universe was above me. Holy godd gracious! Even without my contacts in i could see millions of stars and the milky way. I stood out there in my crocs and britches for about fifteen minutes just looking. Wow, thats all i could think. When i got cold i clumb back in my mobile home, best mobile home ever. I lay awake for a short bit thinking about the sky and where i was, and how i was just a dot up here. I wouldnt want to be anything else. Glad to be just a dot up on this mountain.