Date: 2014-07-20
From: Webster's Cliffs, NH

To: Osgood Campground, NH
Miles today: 18.2

I was up and hiking toward Mt Washington and all it's glory by 6 am. The morning was clear and crisp perfect for hiking. Your going to laugh but the one thing bothering me as I started up the trail was the potent aroma of my shirt. It was ripe! I know being a bit fragment on the trail is simply the way it is and I often do my part to try to keep the funk down with hiker baths in streams I come across. However, today I could smell my shirt as I walked and when you cannot stand your own smell you know you are rank.... Also today when I reach the peak of Mt Washington I was going to be around lots of people. Since I was on the ridge line water was scarce and I did not have enough water with me to wash it out. So off I walked looking for any place to wash the shirt out. I happened to come across a small puddle under one of the trail boardwalks and I proceeded to washout the shirt. Ahhh, this was much better and off I went with less fumes coming off of me. I arrived at Mizpah Spring Hut about 3 miles up the trail to tank up with drinking water. The hut was bustling with activity. The weekend hikers that stayed there last night had finished their breakfast and were packing up for their hikes. I drank a liter of water and filled up a liter bottle and pushed up the trail. About two miles from the hut the trail breaks out of the tree line as I continued to climb higher (see photos). The mountain tops have no trees and are covered with rocks. The southern trail up to Mt Washington from the hut is generally mild making for a rapid ascent. Also the with no trees to obstruct the views I often had spectacular 180 or 360 degree views of the miles and miles of mountains and valleys. The trail continues its climb skirting around Mt Eisenhower, over Mt Franklin and around the top of Mt Monroe. However the Mt Washington peak is ever present, looming behind these peaks. When I reached Mt Monroe I could see the Lake in the Clouds hut as well as the ridge that the cog railway approaches Mt Washington. I could see smoke rising along the ridge indicating the old steam cog engine was working its way up the slope. As I walked along the ridge there were a few day hikers that were heading passed me heading south. I noticed many were bundled up with some in rain gear. The wind had picked up and I peered back behind me seeing why they were in rain gear. Dark rain clouds had appeared heading this way. I was hot from the upward hike but I dawned my jacket and pushed on. The rain began as a light sprinkle but as I passed the hut about 1.5 miles from the Mt Washington summit the rain came down harder and it was cold. It seemed appropriate at that time that I came upon the warning sign about the severe weather (see photo). Not wanting to become a statistic I picked up the pace to the summit. The funny thing about summiting Mt Washington is I entered a small enclave of civilization. It is actually a bit of a zoo with lots of people milling about who journeyed up via the cog or car. I got my two seconds of glory with a quick photo beside the peak marker (see photo) and then I dashed into the restaurant to get out of the rain and wind. I was cold! I settled in at the restaurant building where they have a downstairs sitting area for hikers to put their gear and warm up. I visited with a few day hikers and three thru hikers as I ate hot food from the cafeteria. One of the thru hikers was southbound so we traded notes on camping sites and must see view points. I hung out there for over two hours. By then it was 1:00 and the weather had broke. The sun was shining providing me with incredible views of the northern ridge line I would trek over during the remainder of the day. The trail also crossed the cog railway (see photos). The descent took me around Mt Jefferson and then down to the Madison Hut (see photos) where I tanked up with water and took a short break. It was getting late in the afternoon but I only had another 4 miles to the campground I wanted to reach.   So I headed out with one more mountain peak to cross and then a steep 2500 ascent. I headed up Mt Madison which was a very rocky climb. Once on the peak I had a great view of Mt Washington and the peaks I crossed on my descent (see photos). I also noticed some clouds had rolled in over adjacent mountains but the peak where I stood was still clear.... Well it was for that moment and then the wind picked up suddenly and the clouds rolled over the peak. Within a matter of seconds the visibility was down to 50 feet (see videos). I navigated the rest of the way off the peak by the rock pile markers indicating the trail (see photos). These are a lifesaver when the visibility is poor. I finally reached the tree line by about 6:30 pm where I was out of the clouds and wind. Now I had another 2 miles to go before reaching the campsite. The last two miles seemed to take forever!   I was beat and it was getting late. I reached the campsite around 7:30 and looked for a site to settle. There were three other thru hikers there including Caribou, Outback and Big Mac. I set up camp, ate and crashed. Physically today was one of the hardest days I have had on the trail due to the rocky path and steep climbs and descents.   However I must admit it was also one of the highlights of my travels. The views were spectacular up and down Mt Washington. The days sense of accomplishment rolled over me as I dozed off.