Date: 2007-09-16
From: Jeffers Brook Shelter area, NH

To: 3 miles north of Kinsman Notch, NH
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up with daylight for once and talked with "No Pain" for 30 minutes or so. I also talked with the trip leader from Dartmouth. She warned me that there would be another crew at The Eliza Brook Shelter that would be trying to scare the freshman with fireworks around dark thirty. I told her thank you. I then thought to myself: "OK the Dartmouth Outing Club(DOC) is the trail maintainers around here and preservers of the wilderness; why are they staying at shelters(#1) and then running around shooting fireworks?" Someone in the ivory tower of Robinson Hall, might want to ponder this whole wilderness ethic thing. I think that they could get away with this; but, not in the White Mountains Wilderness. Anyway, I got going and I will tell you that I was excited. Here it is, the climb into the Whites. The climb up to the top of Mt Moosilauke is about 5 miles. I walked about 4 miles of it. I passed a group of DOC kids as they stepped to the side as I zipped by with big steps from rock to rock as the kids looked at me in amazement. The 18 to 22 year olds were not in as good as shape as me. I know it sounds shallow; but, I loved it. When I first started climbing; I could not believe how steep this trail was and how much water was pouring out of the ground. There was a spring every 20 yards. I looked up and all I could see was rock, then more rock. As I climbed, I could not believe that it just kept going. It also got colder and colder. At the shelter, it was probably about 40 degrees. As I climbed it got colder and I had to break down and stop and put a winter camp cap on, gloves, and raingear top. I continued on and started getting into "The Krumholz Zone". It is where all the trees are stunted from the harsh conditions. There was ice on the trees. I was in visual ectasy. The trees eventually vanished to a tundra type of moss, lichen, and rock. The trail was actually marked by cairns(big stacks of rocks) with white blazes on them. There was fog blowing all around and I was thinking two things: "I am going to die and are all of the White Mountains like this?" As I was walking, I passed a female sobo who had flip flopped(she started north at Springer Mtn and then went up to Kathadin and came back south). I felt sorry for her as her teeth were chattering; she got caught in the rain up here; and spent 2 nights in The Beaver Brook Shelter to avoid more rain. I kept the talk short as I could see she needed to walk. I kept going up to the summit and saw nearly 50 people all running around in the fog. It was Sunday and evidently the locals love coming up here via an easier side trail. I walked thru and was in another world. I kept going until I passed a couple of guys and we talked awhile and felt good when I told a dude my story and he said, "you look great!" I thought like, yeah; "I'm a damn good looking man"(a joke and a line by Dabney Coleman's character from the movie MODERN PROBLEMS). Anyway, I got to The Beaver Brook Shelter and ate some hot food and drank some coffee. I actually nodded off and took a little 15 minute nap. Something that I rarely do. No Pain showed up and we talked awhile and I said that I would meet him down at Kinsman Notch. I told him that was some serious stuff across that mountain. He said that this was actually a good day. I then partook of the most serious technical descent that I have ever done. It is called Beaver Brook Cascade Trail. It has Re-Bar drilled into the rock and wooden 8X8's chiseled into the rock for footing. I had to concentrate with every step and hand placement. It was so beautiful with a constant waterfall right next to my left. One wrong step and I was a "goner". I wondered how many people had been injured here. I finally made it to the bottom and had a complete body workout. I went down and read a sign that said turn back if you are not an experienced hiker. I waited for No Pain at the bottom; but, he did not show after an hour, so I moved on. This was my first "Notch". A notch is a very deep cut between 2 mountains that I learned to dislike greatly. This was Kinsman Notch. I really felt great as this was turning out to be one of the best hikes of my life. I got going up to Kinsman Ridge and thought I was going to run across the ridge, nope! It was pure hell. It was up and down; through boggy, soggy ground; there was also rocks that I had to climb ten feet and then back down with roots. At dark, I was completly wore out and set up my tent by a stream. I ate a big meal and fell asleep with the satisfaction of: this is why I started in January.