Date: 2004-08-20
From: Hiker Welcome Hostel, Glencliff, NH

To: Gordon Pond
Miles today: 13.8

Day #159 "What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it." Antoine de Saint-Exupery Had a rough, sleepless night due to the anxiety of knowing I was beginning my first day in the Whites climbing Mt. Moosilauke. Quest, Catdog, Hawk and I are up at 5:00 and ready to begin our assault on the Whites. One slight problem, just before we leave it starts raining. The weather in the mountains is so fickle. It could be raining down in the valley and sunny on the mountain summit or, vice versa.Hawk was so antsy he could not sit around any longer and finally said, "Lets get wet and go for it." We all loaded up. One part of me didn't want to go unless optimum conditions existed based on what past hikers were saying about how rugged and dangerous the north climb down from Mt. Moosiluake can be. The other part of me was yelling, "Let's go, you¢re here for the adventure, right? Damn Skippy, I WAS THERE for the adventure so I said my good-bye to Bag of Tricks and followed Quest out the door and into the rain.Thirty minutes into the hike the rains stopped. A good sign. The hike up Mt. Moosiluake was gradual and steady. The higher I got the cooler the air. At one point I knew I was gaining elevation rapidly and turned around to see the world below me. The plant world was getting smaller as I went up, a survival mechanism to protect them from the harsh cold. .8 miles from the summit, signs are posted to inform the hiker they are now entering a delicate alpine ecosystem. My heart was racing as I looked up and for the first time saw the treeless summit. I was floating over the rocky pathway as I left the tree line and walked up to the sign reading: Mt. Moosiluake - 4580 ft. Clouds would swiftly blow across the rocks or fly by overhead. The sky was a blanket of assorted grey hues hugging the mountains around Mt. Moosiluake. White clouds shrouded valleys near and far. The wind, I'd estimated, was blowing a cold 25 mph over the summit. I found an enclave of several layers of rocks piled on top of one another and sat on the leeward side to block the wind. I was in such awe of the sights before me I didn¢t feel the cold. Instead of a sunny bright day, I was glad to witness the mountain in a grey beauty. It gave me a different perspective of what a perfect day with Mother Nature could be. Quest, Catdog, Hawk and I high fived each other for the successful climb. But, that was the easy part; we still had the backside to descend.We moved off the summit and walked to Beaver Brook Shelter for lunch and discussed our options. Originally, we¢d planned to spend the night here, but it was only 11:00 and we had a clear afternoon to make the trek we were all dreading. Pumped up from just coming from the summit we decided to continue. Leaving the shelter the trail got steeper with many boulders to step down. To our left a stream follows the steepness in a series of cascades and waterfalls. We took our time on the slippery rocks and boulders and, before we knew it, we made it to Kinsman Notch. We congratulated each other for completing our first White Mountain peak, injury free.We walked for several more hours to Gordon Pond. Here, we decided to tent camp by the pond for the night and continue our communion with Mother Nature.