Date: 2018-09-24
From: Mizpah Spring Hut 1851.9

To: US 302 Crawford Notch 1845.5
Miles today: 6.4

Last nite¢s dinner was tossed salad, pasta with sauce, stew, corn, bread/butter and a baked dessert. Better than the freeze dried dinner I would have otherwise fixed for myself. The hut Croo as they are called were very nice to us - not demeaning in any way. As a work for stay, we get to eat around 19:30 after the regular guests have eaten - not a bad deal. After I ate, my assignment was to take steel wool to a baking pan and bring it down to bare metal. Took me maybe 20 minutes, then I was done. Easy. Lights out in the dining room was at 21:30, which is when we can roll out our bedrolls and hunker down for the nite. At 5:30 there¢s typically some clatter in the kitchen, which is a signal to get packed up. I could have stayed for breakfast and eaten leftovers after the guests were finished, but I like to get going in the AM so breakfast is not an option. I was hiking at 6:20. It was another cool morning, but warmer than yesterday; no ice in the puddles. I had a pretty easy hike planned for today, namely to get down to Crawford Notch and then get shuttled back to Gorham. The AT skirted Mt. Jackson and then went over Webster, then ran along Webster Cliffs for a steep descent down to the road. Up top especially, that section of descent was really steep - very slow going. I find that in my old age the knees are not as flexible as they once were and my sense of balance has gotten much worse than what it was - so I am very slow on the steep descents. Better slow and safe I say to myself. Knowing that I needed a shuttle ride from Crawford Notch back to Gorham, I started making some calls from Webster Cliffs where I had cell service; I¢d been told by someone that there was no service in Crawford Notch. I finally hooked up with a shuttle driver and made the necessary arrangements, stating that I¢d be in the Notch at 13:30 - leaving myself plenty of time to negotiate the steep descent. As it turned out I made much better time than I thought, and arrived at the Notch at 11:30 with 2 hours to kill. I kept myself busy: cooked up some Ramen for lunch, worked on this journal, and started planning for my next mail drop. My shuttle service (Trail Angels) was about 15 minutes late, but not a big deal. I was soon back at the Libby House hostel, my old bunk was waiting for me. Shower, laundry, resupply, and dinner at Subway - the usual drill. One nice thing about the Libby House is that it is located right at the edge of town, so many services are just a short walk away. The gameplan for tomorrow is to get shuttled back to Pinkham Notch, then hike 2 days back to Gorham. This hike will take me over the Wildcats, Carter and Moriah; I¢ll camp along the way. The forecast is for rain the next couple of days, but I better get on with it if I¢m going to finish this thing. One thing I did while here in Gorham was to paint myself a sign that reads ¢HIKER NEEDS RIDE¢. I went to the local hardware store, picked up some enamel and a small brush, and painted this right on my tent groundcloth. Mason gave me this idea, he has a sign and has had much better luck hitching a ride using a sign vs. just sticking his thumb out. Figure I¢ll give it a try. I am safe, warm and dry in the hostel tonite. Goodnite.