Date: 2009-07-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 25.0

Dear readers,Holy crap, the Whites are kicking my ass! Ha, it's only been two days and already I'm at a hotel. I feel as far from being a badass as possible. The Whites have put me in my place, to say the least. First, let me rewind and recap the past two days for you; maybe I can gain some sympathy from everone out there who is thinking "this girl has been on the trail for 1800 miles and can't handle two days in the Whites?" Two days ago we left the Hiker Welcome Hostel ready to take on Mt. Moosilauke-- our first climb above treeline. It was a pretty nice day and Gangsta and I felt strong and energized throughout the climb. Excitement and adrenaline flowed through our blood as we neared treeline for the first of many times. By the time we got to the summit, it was pretty hazy and views were limited, but it was still a pretty nice day overall. By now, we're content with anything that doesn't involve rain. After enjoying a windy and cool lunch at the summit we started our trek down. This is where the insanity of my last 36 hours begins...People talk about Moosilauke. It's the first big mountain in the Whites. It's the first time above treeline. It's the first good views you have of the White Mountains that are to come. What they don't talk about is the climb down. Why? I don't know. It was the hardest, steepest, most technical 1.5 miles I've yet to do on the AT. My knees were screaming and it took Gangsta and I almost 2 hours. We followed a waterfall most of the way, oftentimes climbing down the same sheet of rock water was flowing down feet to our left. We were thankful it was not raining. Near vertical rock surfaces had triangular logs attached (I don't know how) to be used in ladder fashion, in addition to some metal handholds inserted into the rock. Clouds were rolling in and we finally got to the bottom as rain started to fall. Luckily we found a great campsite at the bottom (where camping wasn't allowed) and ate a quick dinner and climbed into our tents right before it started to pour.Now, you'd think that a downpour wouldn't last very long, right? Wrong. This one lasted 8 hours. It rained, hard, from 8pm-5am. As always, water seeped through the bottom of my tent. I was continually waking up to make sure my tent wasn't flooding. When I sat up and turned on my headlamp, my ridgerest appeared to be floating on a pool of water that had accumulated under my tent. MSR apparently had gone into the waterbed business overnight. Luckily, the bathtub flooring did it's job and the inches of water that had accumulated around my tent didn't really come in. But by morning, a lot of water had soaked through the floor. My Ridgerest had become my island of dryness inside my tent. The hood of my down sleeping bag was soaked. It was one of those mornings where my only wish was for blue sky and sunshine. By 4am, when it was still raining, I changed my wish to simply have it stop raining by wakeup. Luckily, it did.When I crawled out of my tent around 7 after a restless sleep, the near-stagnant creek that was near our tent site had turned into a raging river that had grown dangerously close to my tent. We had to cross it first thing. What would have been an easy, dry, rock hop the day before was a thigh-deep ford. We didn't even bother taking off boots. Crocs would have gotten swept off our feet and we were uncertain of the rocky bottom. 2 minutes into our hike and my feet were soaked. But it was okay, because we'd be hiking up a creek for the rest of the day. The Appalachian Trail had turned into Appalachian River overnight. I'd even go so far as to call it a waterfall in some parts. Even though the rain held off all day, creeks were roaring, everything required fording because all stepping stones normally used were submerged. Most wooden planks often used to bridge muddy or marshy areas were also submerged. I haven't even gotten to the mud. Gangsta and I didn't even bother attemping to keep our feet dry. It was obviously a waste of energy, which meant we often found ourselves sinking into ankle deep mud. I got G on video sinking into mud above her socks. It's pretty great. My feet were wet from the moment I left camp until the moment I arrived. I haven't even gotten to the difficulty of the trail. We were climbing Kinsman Ridge. It was steep for miles. And when I say steep, I mean unhikeable. I would consider it bouldering rather than hiking. It's not hiking when you need to pass your poles up and have 3 or 4 contact points on the rock at all times. Tree roots and trunks were used to help repel up and down rock slopes too steep to walk. I often found myself thinking a move was impossible and wanting to say "I can't" but realized that was not an option. The phrase of the day was "What the %@#^&" and "How the ##%^& are we supposed to go up/down this!?!?" It was steep and scary at times. Every so often I found myself having flashbacks to rock climbing at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon. Except in those memories I was safely attached to a harness and didn't have a 30 lb. pack on my back and poles in my hand. I was thankful for what little climbing skillz I possess that day. At one point, I slipped as I was pulling myself up vertically. Luckily, I didn't fall more than a foot or so and only came away with a bloody shin, but once re-attempted and safely atop the boulder, emotions and anxiety of our 10 miles of this sort of climbing got the best of me and I started shaking and crying. I felt emotionally and physically spent. It was a long, draining, nervewracking 11 mile day that took us way too long. Hiking isn't fun when you're worried about busting your ass every ten feet.Finally reaching the shelter, I cooked a quick dinner and collapsed into my sleeping bag (that was still wet). Exhausted and with a roof over my head, I slept much better. This brings me to this morning. We wake up to cloudy skies. Planning to go 15, Gangsta and I hit the trail by 7. Ten minutes in, it starts raining. What's new? The weather report called for a 24 hr severe weather advisory for all summits (rain, lightening, hail) and rain and potential t-storms in the valleys. Fun stuff. Our options were to not traverse any summits and go 8 miles and stay at a tent site (I was not thrilled at the prospect of another wet night in my tent), or go 15 and chance bad weather over two summits and an entire day of hiking in the rain to make it to a shelter, OR (drum roll, please) hitch into town and stay at a Comfort Inn with Loon, Plunger, and Mr. Right (who after saying goodbye to, we ran into again yesterday).Obviously, it was a no brainer and the 5 of us have been living in the lap of luxury all day in a suite at the Comfort Inn. Thanks to Loon's AAA member discount, it was more than affordable- I'd even say priceless. It's been raining all day. Our first stop was McDonald's where I stuffed my face with (brace yourself): Big Mac, medium fry, medium Coke (Value Meal #1), cheeseburger, chicken mcnuggets, crispy ranch snack wrap, and an apple pie. This evening we went to a delicious restaurant (I can't remember the name) where I had fajitas and a Prickly Pear margarita. Mmmmm. Tomorrow we hit the trail early. It's supposed to be nice(r) the next few days and we hope to put in some good miles. I don't even bother trying to come up with an itinerary for the next day because it will most certainly change. I'm so glad we met back up with Plunger, Mr. Right, and Loon. It's pointless to say goodbye to people because you always seem them again, even when you think you won't....And there you have it. Why I'm in a hotel after two days and loving every second of it. With sun will come a new sense of renewal and energy. I had a rough introduction to the Whites. I questioned whether I can deal with another 100 miles of this stuff. I know I can, it will just be challenging and slow going. From the glimpses I caught yesterday, I know the views are worth the freakishly steep climbs. And, I think it's good for me. It's the first time I've felt REALLY challenged out here, both physically and mentally. True growth happens by pushing yourself past your comfort zone and I haven't really felt like I've done that much thus far. And like most things in life, the harder you work for something, the greater the rewards. I am excited, nervous, and anxious for the next week and a half. A big part of me will feel relief when the Whites are behind me. Especially Mt. Washington. But, alas, I'm reminded of a favorite quote of mine, "The sign of a true adventure is that it is never any fun while it is happening." Besides, if things went the way I wanted them to all the time, I would never have any great stories to tell. It's the moments when it feels like sh*t is hitting the fan that are the ones I'll always remember and stories I'll love to tell... with a smile on my face.Happy Trails,Wags