Date: 2014-08-14
From: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Carter Notch Hut mile 3

To: Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch, NH 16 mile 319.4
Miles today: 5.9

Day was overcast and possible rain predicted; so I wore my rain pants, but it stayed dry all day. The side trail to the Carter Notch Hut goes by a couple of beautiful mountain lakes. Early on today's hike I made a dangerous mistake. I came to a place where the rock steps up a very steep incline appeared to have been covered by small rocks and bits of shale from a landslide washed down by yesterday's rain. There were no handholds or steps up the steep ascent, but having no option I started kicking steps in the slide and making my way up. At the top of the slide I noticed that the moss on the rocks above showed no signs of foot traffic and realized that I was off the trail. I slowly started making my way back down but some where in the process one of my hiking poles slipped off my wrist. I did not notice it is was missing until I was almost to the bottom. I had to climb back up again to retrieve it. When I finally got back to the bottom I discovered that the trail actually continued around a blind turn. In addition to wasting time and energy that I needed for the day's hike, the struggle up the faux trail risked a dangerous fall. Half way through today's hike on top of Wildcat Mountain I came upon an unusual sight: children running around and families having lunch on picnic tables. I was at the top of a ski lift. Folks were riding the gondola up to the top of the mountain then taking it back down. The descent down Wildcat Mountain was extremely long, steep, and dangerous with lots of near vertical rock scrambles. My greatest fear on the trail has been falling on steep sections like this and today it happened. I was on a section that was too steep to descend facing forward. I had turned around facing the mountain so I could use both hands and feet to let myself down. Unfortunately in that position you cannot see below yourself to pick your next foothold. You have to do it by feel. A toe hold I was using to support myself gave way and I slid and tumbled some 20 to 30 feet down the mountain until the slope changed and I was able to catch myself. The fall really shook me up. I suffered a batch of scrapes and bruises, but I did not lose any gear and I did not injure myself seriously. There probably was a more secure route to climb down than the one I fell from that I could not see from the position I was climbing in. The New Hampshire trail is proving to be the most poorly marked section I have been on. In addition to not marking safest routes over rock scrambles they do not post many white blazes making it easy for Appalachian Trail hikers to end up on other trails. Apparently there is a concern that marking the Appalachian Trail too well will dishonor the original names of the trails it follows. I have lost the trail several times as a result of poor trail marking and have talked with several other AT hikers who have had the same experience. Like the drowning that led to creation of the canoe ferry it will probably take a tragedy before the practice changesI arrive at the Joe Dodge Lodge dirty, battered looking, and after their normal supper hour, but they warmed up a huge plate of food for meWhile I was eating a staff member from the weather observatory on Mt. Washington gave a talk and slideshow on the weather there and the reasons for it. A croo member at Carter Notch Hut had give a less polished but similar presentation the night before. Although it is a relatively short mountain, Mt. Washington has the worst weather in the country. One of the reasons is that all of the storm systems that flow across the country tend to cross over this area.