Date: 2007-08-24
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Campsite
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

Mt. MoosilaukeI was up at 830 and got a cup of coffee to get my day going. A bunch of people were watching that movie 300. I caught the end of it. Watching bloody movies is not a good way to start your day! When that was over Baltimore Jack announced that he would be giving the "stealth camping the whites" 101 lesson. I grabbed my maps and a pen and went and sat next to him. He went mile by mile and told us all the good stealth spots from here to gorham. If I play it right I shouldn't have to pay for too many nights stays at tha AMC pay sites. When "class" was over I packed up my stuff and got ready to leave. Stoneage and Triple deuce showed up just before I left so it was good to see them. I said goodbye to everyone and left the hostel at noon with old yeller.Back on the trail we faced the largest elevation gain yet, about 3700ft in 5 miles to the top of Mt. Moosilauke. I was nervous, but knew I could conquer this awesome mountain. Off I went, up and up and up some more. The forest changed slowly into spruce/fir. There were countless springs on the way up that I just dipped my water bottle into and drank down. The higher I got the smaller the trees got. At 4500ft the trail leveled off for an excellent ridgewalk. The spruce on either side of the trail were only 5 to 6ft tall. I continued on hoping the fog on the peak would blow off, but no such luck. The trail climbed another 300ft and for the first time went above treeline. The clouds were so thick that I could just barley make out the next pile of rocks marking the trail. The alpine vegetation was beautiful. There was a short brown grass covering the ridge and very small plants of different colors. I reached the summit at 4808ft and had to put on my wind jacket. There was rock w! alls built up there to duck behind to escape the wind. I sat there watching the clouds blow past me as I ate 3 peanut butter and honey sandwiches. I took a foggy pic next to the summit sign and sat up there just taking in the experience. After an hour I packed up and hiked on. The wind was so strong above the trees that it damn near blew me over a few times. Once back in the trees the wind was more calm.I hiked past the shelter and started the 2000ft descent straight down over slippery rocks. The trail paralleled Beaver Brook for most of the way. This brook was one of the most beautiful I've seen on the trail yet! It cascaded next to the trail for the entire descent with numerous small waterfalls and places to stop and take in the view. I eventually made it down and found an excellent stealth campspot .3 from the road. I set up camp and made a fire and cooked my dinner. As I was about to eat I saw a headlight bobbing in the distance. It was game on. He night hiked down (totally insane) since the shelter was full and spotted my fire from the trail. The two of us sat up talking and watching the fire before going to bed. I am so super amazingly excited to be in the whites! I have been hearing about these mountains since georgia. Now that I am armed with some of the best camping spots along the way, I know it is going to be an amazing experience. Today's StatsStarting Point:Glencliff, NH Ending Point:CampsiteMileage:9.3Elevation Gain:4180ftElevation Loss:3260ftHiking Time:6:58Weather:Warm, OvercastPain Factor:2