Date: 2018-08-05
From: My Liberty cabins

To: My Washington summit 
Miles today: 12.5

So nice to wake up next to a warm and nicely curvy body that belongs to my wife  this morning with the sounds of the river out back.Was really hard...to get out of bed.Bethie dropped us back to the trail.Was really hard for me because I know I won¢t see her again until I finish now.I just want to make her happy forever if I can when I get back   Very steep climbing right away today.Webster cliffs is a hard climb ,but seriously stunning when you get up.Views down into Crawford notch and rte 302 just go forever and it¢s such a beautiful day today.Next was up to Mt Webster up some really steep areas .Feels like you are pretty much hanging thousands of feet above the road.Really love this kind of thing.One of my favorite climbs of the trail so far. My Jackson was the next mtn of the day.Beautiful hike to get there.Tons of dayhikers out today.Swiss,Miss and their dog Baldy were up there.Havent seen them in months.Super nice couple from Switzerland.Baldy has been sick so they had to take some time off to get him back in shape.He looked strong and happy today.They are so nice to talk with.Really pretty views from Jackson in every direction.Felt a little crowded though so moved on.Crossed through a really cool alpine bog shortly after.If you fell off the planks you would be up to your waist in thick,warm mud. Went to Mizpah hut for a quick lunch break.Had a great conversation with Songbird and her husband about how I got my trail name .We have some things in common and it was great to talk with others who have been through it.They got married and this trail is their honeymoon.Such nice people.Feel bad I forgot his trailname.Really hope to see them again.   The next 5 miles were simply spectacular!!Walking on open ridges through the presidential range.Hard to explain what it¢s like.Beautiful day,freshest clean air,cool breezes,walking between huge mountains  and boulders.It was a sensory overload.Hard to take it all in.I found myself having a huge smile and just living in the moment.Its a great feeling to strip all the garbage of life away and be able to do this.I think today was one of my best days out here.  Went into Lakes of the clouds hut for a while.I was thinking I wanted to stay in the dungeon tonight.Thats a little spot under the hut where they let thru hikers stay.Thimper ,the other Comfortably Numb and some others were already there.I had it in the back of my head all day that I would really like to sleep on top of Mt Washington.Numb wasn¢t so sure it was a good idea.I told him to stay in the dungeon and I would meet him in the morning on top of the mtn..He decided to come along with me.Was a really nice hike up with very little wind,which is rare up here.Made it to the summit and was searching for a good stealth spot.Camping isn¢t allowed on top.Some people camp under the tracks for the cog railway.It is such a crystal clear night that I am going to sleep without my tent in a parking lot above Tuckermans ravine.Some really cool weather is blowing through below me.Massive clouds right under me flying by.Love watching this.   Got our pics at the summit sign.This is my fourth time climbing up here.Cant believe how nice it is up here today.There are four more hikers who have the same idea and are sleeping close by. Sunset was beautiful!Laying in my sleeping bag now stargazing and thinking about everything and nothing.I have never seen stars light up the sky like this.So clear.Wind has definitely picked  up dramatically ,but it feels great and my bag is nice and toasty.Clouds are blowing through right above my head.I can¢t believe how fast they go by.A nice crescent moon is rising up above.Wish you all could see this with me.Its a night I will never forget! ¢No time left now for shame.Rise up behind me no more pain.Windswept stars blink and smile.Another song another mile¢