Date: 2005-09-03
From: New Hampshire 25

To: Kinsman's Notch
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What ever was I thinking when I decided to slack pack today? It was not the 17 miles,some of the most difficult terrain on the trail,or the fact that it would take 10 to 12 hours, but rather the act that I had to get up a 4:30am. I have not seen that time of day in years! Papermaker has intelligently decided to take a zero day today at the hostel. He is going to do some work on my website, and catch up my trail journal site. Bless his heart,he did get up and ride to the trail head with us. I think the fact that we were stopping at a restaurant to eat before we got on the trail had something to do with it, rather than seeing me off. It was cold and windy when we got on the trail, and I was thankful for my long sleeved shirt. It felt good to be back in the woods without a cumbersome heavy pack. I am hiking again today with Dorothy and Toto. The clouds are hanging low in the sky and at times I am hiking in a fog. The air is heavy with moisture and the smell of damp decaying wood permeates the air. I get to Lonesome Lake Hut by mid morning,hoping for a left over pancake or muffin, but some hungry hikers had cleaned the plates out. I took advantage of the running water and drank three glasses to wash down my candy bar. A quick trip to the restroom and I was back on the trail. There was some fresh moose droppings around the lake, so I tried to watch my surroundings for a sign of that elusive moose,and also watch where I was walking. By late morning the sun had burned away all of the fog and the sky was brilliant blue. I was making good time and even Toto said we would be at Eliza Brook Shelter in time for lunch. That turned out to be the laugh of the day. Only minutes later I rounded a bend in the trail,and was greeted by the most awesome view of the valley below me. My explanation of"Wow ,what a view" turned to" Holy Cow,what a descent" The trail seemed to disappear just below my feet. Straight down. Not a slight decline,or a even moderate decline,but an out right vertical drop into an abyss of trees, puntuated by boulders,tree roots and lots of water that seeped out from the crevices between the rocks. It literally took my breath away just looking at it.I took a short breath,said a long prayer and started down. This is a part of the trail that I absolutely adore. As scary as it is,and as difficult as it can be,I love rockbouldering. For me the challenge is looking around trying to figure out where in the world I am going to put my feet,or where I can possibly find a hand hold. This terrain comes as a complete suprise to most hikers who are used to hiking 15 to 20 mile days and all of a sudden a 5 mile day is all they can do. I knew from hiking here previously that the terrain was hard and slow going. All one needs to do is slow down and enjoy the views. It was 1:00 before I reached the shelter where we agreed to meet for lunch. There was a large orange metal box with heavy chains where hikers were to put their food bags at night to keep it safe from the bears at night. I took off my boots and socks and stretched out on the shelter floor to eat lunch. Eliza Brook runs down the mountain,just to the side of the shelter. I listened to the running water,watched the chipmunks come looking out for a handout,and thought how great it was to be right where I was,right now. It was not too long before Dorothy and Toto joined me. We celebrated our victory of hiking over Mt.Kinsman and it's several peaks in making fairly good time. We still had 7.5 miles to go,and there was still plenty of boulders to cross,so we headed out. The rest of the day was spent first going up,then down,then back up again. One hiker told me that he had seen three bears earlier,so now I was watching out for not only moose,but bears,along with twigs and rocks in the trail,not to mention ankle deep mudholes. Still the day was going well. I followed the brook down the trail for several miles. I stopped several times to just watch the water rush by. It struck me that my life is a lot like that stream. I rush from day to day,trying to do things that I think are important. Sometimes it is nothing more than aimless wanderings that accomplishing very little. I may have a set agenda,but then something unexpected happens, a boulder may get in my way and I get side tracked. Something serious may come into my life and really upset things to the point of capsizing my boat. I have to be reminded that my life is in,or rather needs to be placed continually in the hands of my heavenly Father. He has a course for me laid out,and even if I veer from that course,he still has that divine plan for me. If I can but trust him to help me navigate through this life,I can have a joy even in the midst of the storm. So when the rains come and they will come and push me out of my comfort zone,I can turn to him for reassurance. I need not try to change the things that are out of my hands,things I cannot change. I just need to continue to be in the stream,where the Holy Spirit can flow through me. I am of no benefit to anyone if I am anxiously trying to figure out the whats,whys and wheres of life. I have had and will continue to have obstacles to overcome. There will be things that will come into my life that could stop the flow of peace and comfort that is mine in Christ. I need to be aware of the little things that could change the flow ever so slightly away from his divine plan. Things that I might see as important,may not be that important when I look into the future. I need to live in this day. I am not promised tomorrow,and all the material things I think I need or want will not matter when I take my last breath. The stream reminds me of the brevity of life,the necessity of living water and the promise that there is a path for my life,all ready determined. I may not like where that path leads sometimes,and I may not like rocks and boulders I have to climb over,but I am convinced that in the end I will love the destination. When my river runs into the bank of the Jordan,I will be home. Until then I am only on a journey, coursing over rocks and around boulders , winding through forests,cascading down hillsides, hopefully touching some lives and making a difference as I go.      After 11 hours of hard hiking I come out on the road where Fatt Chapp is waiting with his van. Papermaker is with him. I am delighted to be done for the day. It has been long and exhausting,but at the same time exhilerating. I take some time to do some stretches while I wait for Dorothy and Toto. We decided to reward ourselves with a nice big juicy steak. We are very underdressed to be in the Crossroads Restaurant, but we are too hungry and tired to care. We sit in the waiting area on comfortable sofas for 30 minutes until a table is available. Prime rib is the special.and the four of us order that,along with a salad. Toto sticks his head under the table for a long period of time and I realize he has taken his boots off. It seems like a marvelous idea to me,and I do the same. After we have stuffed our selves,I am too tired to even put my boots back on and besides my feet are too swollen to get them back into the boots. I reach down under the table and pick them up and calmly limp out of the restaurent. I barely have enough strength to get a shower,and had I been sleeping alone,I wouldn't have taken one. I join some hikers by the camp fire some one has built,take my first and last swig of Southern Comfort from a flask that Just Mike hands me,when I feel a warmth all the way to my toes,I decide it is time to get into bed. I am through with the White Mountains!!! It is cause for celebration,except I am too tired to do much celebrating. I get a congradulatory hug form Blister Sister. Tomorrow is a zero day for us as we will be skipping ahead to Gorham for me to start another section of the trail that I need to hike.Bumpkin                           5 Million Steps for Polio Appalachian Trail GA-MA Bumpkin More in 2004