Date: 2010-08-14
From: Kinsman Notch

To: NH 25C
Miles today: 14.4

I slept pretty well last night in our bunkroom at the Mt Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. There were six beds in our room, but Joann and I had the room to ourselves. I packed up and loaded the car, then went to the main lodge for some coffee. Breakfast was served at 7:30am, and consisted of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, sausage and wonderful homemade scones, washed down with several cups of coffee. Big day today: the climb up Mt. Moosilauke, and the weather was beautiful. Joann was slack packing me southbound, so I had a shorter, but steeper climb. The trail ran along a waterfall almost the whole way to the top. The stream was called Beaver Brook, but I'm not sure how a beaver could even get a foothold in that waterfall! The trail was so steep in some sections, that there were 4"X4" blocks of wood affixed to the rock as steps. With each step on the blocks, I imagined it giving way. It would have been quite a tumble! On the way up, I ran into north bounder¢s So Far, Eric the Red, and 2 Rings who were already on their way down from the summit. So Far was meeting his folks, who had flown in from Cleveland, at the trailhead parking lot. I stopped at the Beaver Brook Shelter on the way up where I read the shelter register and had a snack. Then, I continued the climb. Finally, the grade leveled out somewhat, and I was above tree line. I was guided by a rock path and rock cairns. When I got to the summit, there must have been 30 to 40 day hikers there. Several trails converge at the summit and it was a beautiful weekend day in mid-August. It was nice to see so many hikers. I spent about 15 minutes at the summit taking in the 360 degree views before heading down the back side of the mountain. The trail started out fairly level, but eventually became increasingly steep. I timed my descent, which took 2 hours! Just past the bottom, I ran into north bounders Dodger and Shagman. It was already 2pm, and we discussed their options: tent at the base there and climb tomorrow morning, or climb now and try to make it to Beaver Brook Shelter. There was no camping in between. I'm not sure what they eventually decided, but I suspect they stayed put for the day. From there, I had another 7 miles to my pickup point on NH 25C. First, though, I had to climb up and over Mt. Mist. En route, I ran into two section hikers. We stopped to talk and I thought I had already climbed Mt. Mist, and was coming down the other side. They informed me otherwise; Mt. Mist was still ahead of me. I put in my headphones and pushed my way to the top, dripping sweat. When I got to NH 25C, Joann was there doing trail magic: handing out cold soft drinks and snacks! She's done this many times when she's slack packed me this year. I took a couple for myself and had a long chat with 6 section hikers walking together. Friends from all over the country, they get together once a year to do a section of the AT. Neat! Then, it was back to civilization. I started planning my hike through the Presidential Range, a tough, remote section of the AT. Tomorrow I'll need to resupply with food for at least 5 days, and then I'll start hiking again with my winter gear. In other words, a heavy pack!