Date: 2004-08-08
From: Glencliff, NH 

To: Kinsman Notch 
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: scattered clouds

The Whites are hard! Well, the first day in the White Mountains was a slow one. It is our first big mountain in a long time. Mount Moosilauke is 4802 feet, straight up and even straighter down. Hiking took a lot longer than I thought it would. I was planning a nice 17 mile day to meet up with Grass & Uncle Ben at the Eliza Brook Shelter. But it took half the day just to get the 5.7 miles up to the top, and the other half to get the 3.8 miles down. It was a 3450 foot climb though. It was very pretty at the top. At about 4500 feet the trail exits the natural treeline for the first time for us northbounders. It was quite a site. Clear mountain views in all directions. It was nice to feel like you are up in the big mountains again after the long middle stretch with low elevations, road crossings, farms and other signs of civilization. None of that up here. Just a seeming endless stretch of wilderness. It had been cold the last few days and being above the protective forest leaves you exposed to any weather. It was quite windy and chilly at the top. I quickly got over the top and just crested the ridge to be away from the wind. There were a few day hikers there and a girl from the Dartmouth Outing Club who was there to provide information. She was bundled in jacket, hat, gloves and said she was just starting to get warm. She pointed out the AT route and Mount Washington in the distance. The top was obscured, stuck up in the clouds. not uncommon I hear, for a place with some of the worst weather in the country (home of the highest official surface windspeed ever recorded on Earth, 231 mph) Can't wait to get there! I was just in t-shirt and shorts. The sun was out and it was ok out of the wind. I was still warm from the climb. I put on my fleece shirt and had lunch up at the top with the rest of the hikers. I met a nice lady and her husband out for the day on the way up, and she gave me some plums. Nice to have fresh fruit and I didn't even have to carry them up! Thanks guys!As I was getting ready to leave, I could see rain storms off in the distance heading this way. It was cool seeing the rain from this vantage point, the same height as clouds. They were moving this way quickly so I hurried to get off the top. I hiked fast down the trail and back into the small" christmas tree" forest. The highest trees on the mountain are small, dense pines and firs. I stopped here to put on my rain gear. Pants, jacket and rain cover. Finally warm and safe from the rain I moved on down the mountain. I had just received my fleece and pants from home, to prepare for the whites and first day in I needed them. Any more time at the top and I would have been in hat and gloves too. What happened to summer? It rained off and on as I decended the mountain. The trail became very steep. Not good when it was wet. All rock and roots. Steps were nailed into the rock faces now and then to make it passable. It took forever to get down. It was more like rock climbing than hiking. I was following a nice waterfall. It would have been great on a hot summer day to jump in. Oh well. I saw a couple of southbounders on the way, and they both said "Are you Patrick?" Seems that Grass had left a Mt Dew at the bottom for me. Thanks!At the bottom I saw a sign that warned people of the dangers of the trail I had just come down. Dangerous trail ahead "Experienced Hikers Only" seek alternate rt in foul weather to avoid "Tragic Results". Yikes!I found my soda at the trailhead at Kinsman Notch and went out to the road. It was raining and the clouds were set in for the evening. It was about 6-7pm. I had taken over 3 hours to do the 3.8 miles down. I decided to call it a day and find a campsite before it got dark. I found a site out of view and set up camp. I hope the weather is better tommorow!