Date: 2016-07-02
From: Mt. Washington Summit

To: Pinkham Notch at Wildcat Ridge Trail
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

My feet hurt. My knees are tired. I am physically beat. This never used to happen to me when I used to hike in the Whites. I dont want to admit to being physically older but I guess I am.  That being said,  I have completed 124 miles of NH in 8 days. The daily mileage has dropped as mentioned previously. Despite all that,  I choose to give myself credit. I am doing well through this section. I am a thru hiker. I am a professional. The top of the pecking order. I have confidence in my ability. I will succeed. But man, do I need a day off! That will come after one more day hike tomorrow. Yesterday I had a chance to hike with Ann and Aliza for awhile. It took a few days of thinking to come  up with a plan that would get Aliza to the summit of Mt Washington while allowing me to continue thru hiking. We spent the morning hiking together to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut where we snacked on some left over pancakes which were really good.  Lynn the bull cook gave us some real maple syrup to go with them which was a treat. We parted ways here with Ann and Aliza heading down through Tuckerman Ravine and me heading south to Crawford Notch on a flip flop slack pack. The views were great although the skies were not as clear blue as the day before. I made reasonable time across the range and finished my hike around 5pm. I ran into Mantis who is currently hiking with his Dad and staying in some of the huts. I also saw Sister, Pony, and Capt. America over the course of the afternoon. All in all a very pleasant day.Today was not so pleasant. Last night's thunder showers resulted in very wet conditions above treeline as well as some very significant wind. I took a shuttle back to the summit to begin the days hike. The temp was in the 40s, the wind was averaging over 60 miles an hour, and it was raining. I was glad to see that Mantis and his Dad had made it to the summit from Lakes despite the conditions. This gave me hope that I could successfully hike. I dressed in full wool base layers, put on my fleece pullover and gloves, and my rain jacket and pants. I had my puffy if I needed it as well as a wool hat. If wind chill was considered, I was heading out into winter conditions. The wind hit hard as I came around the corner of the tip top house. Enough so that it dropped me to the ground. It was going to be tough going. I gathered my wits and began the slow arduous process of walking in the wind. It was very challenging hiking that required constant attention to footing, pole placement, and shifting winds. There was no view at all as the cloud deck extended well below me elevation wise. The only way I could guage progress was with the trail signs I passed.  While progress was slow, I was able to reach the Madison hut, six miles away, in a little more than three hours. When I was in the lee of the peaks, the wind wasn't so bad. At points however, all I could do was get down on all fours and wait for a chance to move again. The worst was just north of Edmands Col. The bull cook at Madison told me I was the first hiker to come through from Mt. Washington that day. It was after one pm.  After a break for lunch inside, I headed back out and over Mt . Madison and down the Osgood ridge. While the wind wasn't as severe I was very relieved to finally drop below treeline where the hiking required far less concentration. I had come eight miles fully exposed in the heaviest winds I think I had ever hiked in. The rest of the afternoon involved traversing across the floor of the Great gulf and down into Pinkham Notch where Pete picked me up. We went back to Jackson in plenty of time to attend the fire department barbecue where I was well fed and also had a chance to see my old friend Mark Hitchcock, an AMC legend of sorts!Since I have been back in NH, I have experienced every type of weather condition possible except for snow (apparently that is a possibility for the highest elevations tonight). I guess that is just par for the course! It is great to be back in the Whites. While the hiking is hard, the mountains are spectacular. I look forward to finishing them tomorrow and heading into the Mahoosucs and ultimately, Maine!