Date: 2023-09-02
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Kinsman Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.5

Rabbit speaks:I started today off with such chipper optimism, boy that was stupid of me. Getting to the first shelter wasn't too bad, a decent climb but not too crazy. About 5 minutes after leaving said shelter I realized that my day was doomed to become terrible. Each time I got used to the incline it would get steeper and longer. By the time I saw flat ground, I was already a full grown man (this is a Bane reference idk if you've seen that movie),Anyway, once we finally got past the peaks and to the shelter we were staying at for the night, we were met with a surprise! The Dartmouth Outing Club has decided to take over the ENTIRE area. There are no tents left. There is no room by the cooking area. There is no silence. Alas, we were forced into the shelter to sleep with folks who are probably going to be loud all night. We have dubbed them the emerald horde. Hopefully tomorrow is better.Cheeks:Rabbit is correct as today involved scaling up a lot of rock faces which had absolutely no holds whatsover and just having to use the barest bit of surface tension where my sneaker met rock and having to keep moving as to not lose this grip. Halfway up through the final literal climb of the day I look up and am completely startled to see Green Mountain Girl making her way down. I hadn't seen her since Twisted Pines before the VA Triple Crown, and while hanging off the rock caught up with her and wished her luck before continuing to scale up the rock wall as I was racing sunset to the shelter.Alas as above only spaces in the shelter remained, and it became VERY APPARENT why everyone else elected for tent spots. The entire shelter platform was covered in pre-freshmen blocking the entry into the shelter, blithely cooking massive boxes of Annie's mac and cheese which made this tough soul yearn for its deliciously boxed carb glory, and just taking up every conceivable space everywhere like kudzu. Despite it almost being dark NO ONE HAD SET UP THEIR STUFF YET which, if you know what I am talking about, is almost an unforgiveable sin as if you set up after dark you will be a) LOUD b) in everyone's way and sure to step on someone and c) swinging your headlamp everywhere waking up very tired hikers. Rabbit and I fled to the lake to make dinner and I admired being swaddled by the soothing embrace of the bowl of forest around us while sadly eating dinner. I got back to the shelter and saw them THROWING OUT extra mac and cheese and I was SADDENED as they could have offered it to me and I would have HAPPILY eaten their leftovers versus them getting it strewn on the shelter platform and making a mess. I was getting ready for bed while 2 of the pre-frosh were talking to us - but dear reader it was like they were talking to their grandpas almost condescendingly saying 'tell us about the old days' and that was a terrible reminder of age stopping for no one despite the fact I am currently a spring (summer?) chicken. I lay in my sleeping cocoon and still they did not get ready for bed and were screaming loudly despite it being long past hiker midnight and I to fall asleep I mentally wrote a stern email to the DOC about teaching them hiker etiquette before unleashing them on other hikers. (Funnily enough I relayed this story to a very very dear friend of mine who is a Dartmouth alum and she said that she did this pre-orientation trip as well when she started college, and I just have to believe in my soul that she was better than these kids because she is an angel on earth).