Date: 2003-09-20
From: Crawford Notch

To: Mizpah Hut
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: few clouds

So, I had a good night's sleep at the motel...didn't wake up till 7ish. I didn't want to get up, though. It was nice to be warm and dry and in a comfy bed. Am I getting too soft and wimpy? Between opting for the motel rather than pushing for the hut and not hiking more than 10 miles per day for the past week and a half, I feel like I'm not the hiker I used to be. I know that this is not the way it is...the Trail is decidedly tougher in the Whites, and it wasn't just rain last night, it was the remnants of a hurricane going through (wind speeds on the ridgeline/summits were between 60 and 80 mph). I know that I still have what it takes to make it on this trek...sometimes I just have to work through some stuff. Big Bird woke up after I did, and went to the convenience store to get breakfast. He brought back several breakfast sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, orange juice and chocolate milk...yum! I couldn't eat everything...the cinnamon roll would have to wait. We watched !The Blues Brothers on TV while we ate breakfast. I jokingly said I was just going to stay and watch movies all day...I think it was hard for both of us to leave, but we had a whole 5.7 miles to do today. I know we could have done more than that, but we have to get to Mt. Washington on Monday morning, and we don't have many miles to get there. Besides, it meant another hut where we could get work-for-stay...dinner and breakfast, yay! We packed up and got out of our room by 10:15, but stayed out front chatting with the chambermaid and desk clerk for awhile. Chafe Master J came down from his room to join us, then headed to the convenience store. We finally decided to hit the road, and started hitching/walking in the direction of the store. We were having no luck, and it was after 11, so we chose to go get some lunch at the store. We were all sitting outside when a van pulled up and the driver asked if we needed a ride somewhere. He told us his name was Alaska Nomad, h!e'd hiked NOBO for awhile, then flip-flopped, then was sectioning. Wetook him up on his offer and got back to the trailhead. It was about 12, and we didn't, technically, have that far to go. The climb was pretty strenuous, though...very steep, with areas of slippery rocks at first, then LOTS of rock scrambling. I realized that the decision to leave Trail for motel yesterday was the absolute right one...that section would have been treacherous yesterday. Partway up, we met Crash Test Dummy, a SOBO, who had stayed at Mizpah hut last night. He said there had been 13 thru-hikers there last night, and he was the only one going south. I started listing people...Laffy Taffy, JJ, Bebop, Don't Stop, Circus, Bucky, Chief, Librarian, Kneepad, Fall Back Dan...I was right on all counts. Not sure who the other two were...I'll have to check with the hut people. Normally, they only allow 4 thru-hikers to do work-for-stay, but because of the storm and the high winds, they made an exception. Anyway...after chatting with him for a bit, we moved on. I! feel like every day lately I say that the hike felt like it took forever, but, here I go again. We thought we had reached the peak of Mt. Jackson, the second peak we were climbing today, when we discovered that we were only on Mt. Webster, the first peak. We had some great views off of Webster, looking down onto the road that traverses Crawford Notch, as well as other surrounding mountains. The views didn't last long, as fog and clouds rolled in...we were glad we weren't summitting Mt. Washington today, as we wouldn't be able to see anything. We continued on, over many slimy, slippery rocks...I had to do a good bit of five-point crawling today (two hands, two feet, one butt), but I didn't fall at all. We made it to the hut, and are the only 3 thru-hikers here. We'll do our chores in the morning, but have to wait till all the guests (there's lots of them!) are done eating to eat dinner. I sat down at a table to write in my journal and started talking with the guests !who were seated there. They offered me a glass of wine, and I discovered that they were from Beverly and Wenham MA! We spent a good bit of time discussing my hike...they were all very nice! We got to eat around 8:30...turkey, potatoes, veggies and soup...yum! Chafe Master J and I stayed up talking for a little while after lights out, finishing the wine that our neighbors gave us. We have to be up at 6:30 to set up for breakfast, so I'd better hit the hay!