Date: 2017-08-21
From: Hanover, NH (Dartmouth College)

To: Moose Mountain Shelter Tent Site 
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: scattered clouds

8/21Hanover, NH (Dartmouth College) to Moose Mountain Shelter Tent Site 10.2 miles Total miles:  1758.6I slept in until 6:00 and then began to leisurely prepare for the day. Dustin was also up and getting ready.  I sat on a log and sorted out my resupply that I had purchased at the co-op. All I did when we got back to camp last night was dump everything loosely in my food bag so we could get it strung up in a tree. Granted, there was little chance of encountering a bear on the outskirts of Hanover, but there are always other critters, so Dustin and I decided to be safe and hang our food. Considering how quickly I was forced to make my purchases last night (we arrived at the co-op at 7:50 and they closed at 8:00), I did a pretty good job of getting what I needed. All hikers handle their food supply in different ways. Some buy ingredients and prepare meals almost like they would at home. Some go stoveless and use only ready to eat foods. I like to organize my food by type of meal and have started pre-packaging my lunches and snacks into individual quart-size Ziploc bags. It may be a bit compulsive, but it works for me. It didn't take long for Dustin and me to get packed. We then headed back to the co-op to fill our water bottles, use the restroom (a privy that flushes!), and get some breakfast. I bought a tasty egg, cheese, and sausage biscuit and a bottle of orange juice. With all this, we were still on the trail by 9:00.  We started with a short, steep climb followed by several miles of a more gradual upward direction. Although I enjoyed the challenge of getting to Hanover to meet Dustin, it was quite refreshing to hike with a more relaxed attitude. We have about forty-five miles to cover to get to Glencliff, where we will spend our last night together in a hostel before Dustin returns home. It was really fun to be hiking with him again after all these years. We hiked for two hours and took a short snack break. I was feeling a bit drowsy for some reason and leaned up against a trail sign for a short, ten-minute nap. We then hiked to the base of Moose Mountain and ate lunch. The eclipse was under way, so I made a crude pin-hole camera out of a piece of foil from a tuna packet. It was also interesting to note the changes in shadows, particularly of our trekking poles. The shadow edges were fuzzy and shifted when the pole was  moved back and forth. Unlike back home in Missouri, where there was totality, I never noticed the light dimming much. Becky sent me a photograph from home, taken at totality, and it was stunning. We met several day hikers on their way down from Moose Mountain who had climbed to the summit to get a clear view of the eclipse. Dustin and I worked our way up Moose, which was Dustin's first real climb on this trip. A friend from home asked me recently how many named mountains I have climbed so far, and I really have no idea. It is certainly in the dozens.  Perhaps when I'm home I may spend a few hours with my maps and try to figure that out. We arrived at the summit and were greeted by a very nice, although somewhat hazy, view. Another thru hiker was there who took a photo of Dustin and me with the mountains in the distance.  We discussed what mountains they might be, and if one of them was Mount Moosilauke, our first major mountain on the way to the Whites. Located about three miles south of the White Mountain National Forest,  Moosilauke lies just thirty-eight miles from where we were standing on Moose. Dustin and I continued on and were almost immediately forced to make a decision. We had considered looking for a stealth site near the northern peak of Moose Mountain but found out that camping was prohibited there. Our options were to camp at Moose Mountain Shelter or try to push on another six miles to Trapper John Shelter, named for the fictional character from MASH. The trail between involved a quite steep descent and an immediate ascent, so we decided to call it a day and camp at the shelter area. We talked about all kinds of things as we took our time setting up camp. I strung a clothes line to air out my sleeping bag. The water source was very marginal, and we carefully scooped out a liter apiece for cooking. We were both very glad that we had each toted an extra liter up Moose, since the guidebook warned about the condition of the stream by the shelter. We walked over to check out the shelter building and located the privy, an open air affair unlike any one I have seen before, and then cooked dinner. Gravity arrived just prior to dark, and got to meet Dustin. We called it an early evening and headed for bed at 8:15. Today was a great day of hiking and camping with a good friend, and we'll be ready for more tomorrow. The guidebook mentions a "precipitous drop-off" along Holts Ledge, where we will be headed in the morning. Since I strongly doubt there will be coping stones, it should prove interesting.