Date: 2018-08-08
From: Stealth Camp near Zeacliff Pond

To: AMC Highland Center Lodge/Crawford Notch
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We set the alarm for 6am. We had many miles to travel and, depending on the trail conditions, it could take us many hours. No rain last night, so our rush to set up the tent before the deluge was just Mother Nature messing with us. Oh Well! We hit the trail at 7:10am.The trail continued to follow the ridge for 0.5 miles before starting downhill. The ridge trail was reasonably flat so we made good time but the trail down was rocky and slow. Wild blueberries slowed us as well. We made it to Zealand Falls Hut by 8:20am. We wondered what would happen if we showed up before breakfast was officially over at 8:30am to get our free pastries. But all the guests were already done, so they gave us some of the left over oatmeal and pancakes. What a deal!All fueled up, we headed back to the trail. It continued to descend on a fairly rocky trail for about 0.2 miles, then it turned into the most magnificent trail we have hiked on this trip. You see it in today's picture. We have complained about the trail so much, we thought it would be good to show that there are some good parts too! And the best part is the good trail went on and on. We have shifted from taking a break every hour to taking a break every 1.5 hours. So you can imagine our surprise when we took our first break after Zealand Falls Hut, that we had traveled 3 miles from it and already 4.7 miles for the day...and it was only 10:30am. Unfortunately the trail soon started to cross boggy areas and it became a rock-hopping, plank-walking experience. Even so we only had 1.9 miles to go after our last break, all downhill.One of the things we talked about on our last break was the lack of trail magic in New Hampshire. Trail magic can take many forms, but the kind we were talking about is someone leaving food or drinks for hikers where the trail crosses a road. Its amazing what a cold soda, crisp apple or a cookie will do to the spirit of a hiker. In every other state we had found trail magic at many road crossings. But so far in New Hampshire absolutely nothing! Ironically when we reached the bottom of our descent, there sat a cooler with cold beer. Oops, spoke to soon!Since our plan was to get to town to have real food, we passed up the trail magic and continued to US 302 at Crawford Notch. Now we faced a situation that had been building for the last couple of days. Spider had arranged, before leaving home, for a shuttle service to pick us up at Crawford Notch and take us to the town of Gorham, N.H, per our schedule on Thursday Aug 9. But since we didn't take our planned 2nd Zero Day a week ago at the Hikers Welcome Hostel, we were day ahead of schedule. Unfortunately when Spider contacted the shuttle service from a mountaintop a couple of days ago, they could not accommodate the new date.So Plan B was to make our way 3 miles down US 302 to AMC's Highland Lodge and catch their shuttle to Gorham. Hitchhiking would be an option, although ET is reluctant to do so. Walking the 3 miles is very doable, but on top of the already 9.5 miles hiked, we were not looking forward to it either.We reached US 302 at 2:20pm, one of our fastest days so far. A lady was sitting in a van with a bunch of hikers sitting around the van. As we walked up the lady asked if we wanted a cold soda. After a hot hike downhill and a prospect of a 3 mile hike ahead of us, you bet we each had one! The van was covered with stickers and doodads about hiking and the AT. It was obvious that the lady was a Trail Angel...a person who helps hikers out of the goodness of their heart. On our hikes we have seen Trail Angels transport hikers to town, open up their homes, feed hikers, etc.As Spider stood next to the van drinking his cold Dr. Pepper, he heard another hiker ask if the lady would transport him to a nearby town. She said "Sure, hop in". So Spider asked if she was going anywhere near the Highlands Lodge..."Sure, Hop in"....Wahoo!At 2:40pm we were dropped in front of the Highlands Lodge...Thanks Janet, we take back all the bad things we said about trail magic in New Hampshire! We found that we were too late for the shuttle. So we asked if the Lodge had a room available. They had one left. It was meant to be! Our first order of business was a SHOWER! ET and I carry 1 top and 1 pair of pants that are clean. That is what we will wear day and night until we can do laundry. Next we found the bar and ordered some adult beverages. Happy Hour was on, so we started munching away. We met a very interesting guy who is also section-hiking the AT, trail name "Bumpy", who was almost 70 years old..a kindred spirit! Dinner and breakfast were included with our room, so our next stop was the dining room to munch some more.After dinner Spider phoned the Inn where we planned to stay for 3 nights. "Sorry, all full"..so was the next place he called...Uh Oh! He finally pieced together a stay in Gorham at a motel for tomorrow and Friday, then moving to a hiker hostel on Saturday. Not optimum but workable.So why 3 zero days? Several months ago Spider made reservations in the Huts on the approach and exit of Mt. Washington. To hike over Mt. Washington requires 3+ days and most of it is above treeline and exposed to the weather extremes. Staying in a hut guarentees a protected, dry place at the end of each day. However to get the 3 huts on consecutive days, Spider had to extend our plan by a couple of days. So instead of 1 day of rest we get 3. We'll suffer through it!!Once the Gorham arrangements were made, it was back our room. To bed at 9pm.Milestone: We passed the mark today that leaves us only 350 miles left of the AT to hike.