Date: 2007-09-08
From: The Hikers Welcome Hostel, Glencliff, NH

To: Eliza Brook Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today is cooler than yesterday but humid with a chance of rain. I decide to get going early to take advantage of the cooler temps this morning. The first half mile is a warmup stretch on the road to get to the trail. Once I get to the trail head there is a group of DOC students waiting to go. The first part of the trail is pretty easy and nice to be in the trees again. It doesn't take me long to get to the Jeffers Brook shelter trail. I can see the shelter but I keep going anyway. I reach the first road crossing shortly after the shelter and meet some more DOC students. They are dressed up in costumes and are getting ready to go surprise a group of fellow DOC student/hikers at the shelter. That would be fun to see but I push on toward Mt Moosilauke. the skies are cloudy and a few sprinkles occur before I get to the trail that begins it's way up the mountain. It's a steady climb but I keep a slow pace and stop a few times at water crossing to cool off. I hate the humidity! The higher I go the foggier it gets. I know I am getting closer to the top because the trees get smaller. I can't see more than a couple hundred yards so the views are not there today. The only thing to do is hike on. Once I get to treeline, visibility is down to about 100 yards. I follow the cairns and eventually reach teh summit aobut 1100. There are lots of people up here today. It is foggy, windy, and cool but not cold unless you stand in one place to long. There are some wind break areas where people are taking shelter from the wind. I go to one and find out they are waiting for the flag detail to arrive at 1200. Today is the day an American flag with be flown on each mountain above 4000 ft in NH in remembrance of 9/11. That is so cool. I'd like to wait and see but it is getting colder and I want to keep going. I continue on and on the way down I meet up with people carrying the flags to the top. One of the ladies, who works in the Hanover Post Office, remembered me from my stop there. Awesome! I get down to Beaver Brook Shelter and take my lunch break there. I can hear jets flying over but cn't see them with the cloud cover. Maybe they are also part of the flag ceremony. I move on down the steep backside of Mt Moosilauke because if it rains I prefer not to be going down this area. It is steep in spots! So steep, there are wood steps to walk on to go down the rock faces. I eventually make it down to Kinsman Notch and the sun starts coming out a little. It feels good during a short break. It looks like the hike up Mt Wolf won't be as cloudy at least. It is a drier hike but not bad. The only bad thing is where is the next water source. I am drinking more now since it is warmer and also know I have to conserve some since I still about 4 miles to go. I meet a SOBO who says there is a small trickle of water about .25 past the summit. It was a bit more but it was enough to get some and continue on. It's always slow going on the way down the rocky sides of mountains. I notice the sky ahead getting darker and I'm still about 2 miles from the shelter. I reach a trail intersection and it says 1 mile to the shelter. About a minute or say later I hear thunder and know I better pick up the pace before it starts to rain. On the level parts of the trail I almost break into a run but it's awkward with a pack on. I get to the shelter aobut a minute befroe the sky opens up. The last mile took me about 15 min to do - Whew! The shelter is partially full and there are DOC students at the campsite behind. I need water but wait until the rain lets up. In the mean time I use the rain water coming off the roof to take a bandana bath while I wait. I was ready for a good nights sleep after today's hike over two big mountains. I hope the rain lets up for tomorrow.