Date: 2005-09-05
From: Glencliff NH

To: North Woodstock NH
Miles today: 8.5

The Carriage Motel, Room 6.   The ancient Irish had a strong belief in the existence of parallel worlds. They believed that, beyond the real physical world that we live in, there are other mystical, spiritual worlds of wondrous mysteries, everlasting youth, joy and happiness, populated by other types of beings, such as fairies, the shide, the other people, or the little people. They also believed that there are portals into these alternate worlds. These portals are generally sacred places, such as oak groves, rivers, mountain springs, and other natural special places, where their priests ¢ the druids ¢ could communicate with, and even enter into, these mystical worlds.   They had an additional belief however, that ordinary people, often going about their regular work or on a familiar journey, can also stray into these wonderful lands. When the ordinary traveler entered into the otherworld in that haphazard fashion, they were said to have ¢stepped on a stray sod¢ meaning that one step they took on an ordinary sod of grass on their journey, turned out to be a portal into the otherworld. Today I stepped on a ¢stray sod¢   I will start at the beginning. Last evening I had dinner with Kleifspringer in Warren, admiring the Redstone rocket that a local man had installed there in the town, after they were decommissioned, and looking at the new ¢Old Man of the Mountain¢ ¢ a natural stone formation by the side of the road that Fat Guy, our driver, pointed out to us as he drove us in to dinner. It did bear a remarkable resemblance to the original. I also got to meet Nimblefoot, whose journal I had been following, and the now familiar crowd from Hexacuba Shelter. A lot of hikers were staying in this clearly popular hostel, many arranging complex slack packing odysseys, for example Toto and Dorothy who had been there for three or four days already. Hermit also showed up and stayed for the night.   I got up early in anticipation of a long and difficult hike up and over Mount Moosilauke [4802 feet], whose daunting profile had been occupying much of my thoughts during the past several days. I was on the AT by 6:30 AM, on a cool and misty morning. There was a little water dripping from the misty trees as I started out, but I was soon above the mists and hiking through beautiful meadows and along rushing streams ¢ you know that I love both ¢ as I crossed Sanitarium Road in what was now a perfect day ¢ warm, sunny with a light wind and near zero humidity.   I expected the ascent to be difficult and it was, but I was able to get into a nice rhythm on a generally well-maintained trail and the miles and the elevations passed with minimal effort. As I climbed, the vegetation gradually changed from hardwood forest to mixed soft and hardwoods. As I climbed higher, the softwoods began to predominate until finally the last of the hardwoods, the resistant White Birch and Mountain Oak, reluctantly gave way to the Spruce.   The Spruce in turn began to get smaller and thinner as I toiled up a now rocky trail ¢ with very few blazes ¢ until I finally reached the old Carriage Road. As I sat at that trail junction having my second breakfast, I suddenly realized that I had stepped on a stray sod! All at once my surroundings sprang into sharp focus ¢ the buzzing of the flies, the smell of the spruce, the whistle of the wind, the soft muted conversations of the trees themselves, they all became especially sharp and all blended into a perfect moment.      I continued to be enthralled. The trail became flat and the few remaining black spruce grew smaller and more twisted until, on a smooth and sandy trail, there were no more trees. I had entered into the Alpine Zone!      Above me I could see the summit of Mount Moosilauke with the trail outlined by sentinel stone cairns. All around me were the mountains, row upon seriated row, marching off into the distance. I arrived at the summit in a mystified daze, greeting the other hikers already there as if we had all just landed on a new planet.      Got my photo taken and spoke with Sure Shot, who pointed out Mount Washington in the far distance, but on a day so clear that you could see the smoke from the cog railway train coming off the mountain.   I don¢t know how long I stayed at the summit, but the feeling persisted as I walked along the summit trail, past stone cairns, and began the descent. As anticipated, the descent was very difficult- very steep to begin with and it grew even steeper as the descent went on. The sheer rock faces have small wooden steps attached and rebar handrails to help the unsteady. I took full advantage of both. As I descended down off of the mountain the trail brought me past Beaver Brook Shelter, and then it runs beside the brook itself. The incline is so steep that the brook becomes a series of spectacular waterfalls alongside the trail.   The going was surprisingly slippery, even on a perfect day like today and I can easily understand the dire reputation that this North Face enjoys in bad weather conditions.   There were slews of hikers on the trail ¢ mostly day hikers ¢ but many were families out on a perfect hiking day. I spoke with many of them, until finally one rather obnoxious man brought me out of my dream and back into the real world, by lecturing me about the hazards of hiking in the White Mountains at this time of the year. He went on and on, as if I knew nothing and he knew all. I was back in the real world again.   I slipped and fell twice after that on the way down. There are several places where there are steps missing on the sheer rock, and it was difficult for me to bridge the gap, even with my long legs. But nothing could now dispel the delicious afterglow that I still to this moment enjoy from my day in the otherworld.   To make a perfect day complete, car # 14 picked me up and dropped me off right here at the door of the motel. There are no phones in the rooms, but the cell has a good signal and I have checked in with KT, showered, and eaten. Nice place.   I will remember this day forever.Thought for today ¢    Step on all of the stray sods that you can find!