Date: 2004-09-08
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We've all had enough slack packing. It is great to hike awhile without a heavy pack but you loose your independence. You must hike to a specific destination by a specific time. You do not have the ability to camp anywhere. This proved to be a problem for our long hike today.        We left Fancy Free's house in two cars. John drove his car with Mr. T, Flint, and me to Franconia Notch where we would start southbound toward Kinsman Notch. Scorch drove Fancy's old car with London, Pokey, Burnie, and Flavo Flave aka Katie to Kinsman Notch to head north. Scorch will not be able to hike for at least another week while her lacerated shin heals.         John and I left the trailhead parking lot around 9:30 AM, a very late starting time. Mr. T was using the toilet and Flint agreed it was a good idea for the old guys to get a head start. The AT is accessed by a blue blazed trail then the white blazes lead under interstate highway 93. We made good time to Kinsman South Peak struggling up rocks and slabs most of the way after the first 3 miles. The forecast called for clouds then showers then heavy rain by mid evening as the remnants of Hurricane Francis passed through New England. Fog and mist greeted us at the summit so we hiked on. We were concerned that Mr. T and Flint had not caught up yet. But they are skilled hikers.         The struggle down from Mt. Kinsman is magnified by long slabs of granite with few cracks or toe holds. It was very slow going. We met Pokey and London on their way up moving fast. They were very concerned to not see Mr. T or Flint and they had walked away from Burnie and Flavo at the beginning of their hike this morning. They also wanted to know if the trail was as difficult on their northbound trek as they had already encountered. We assured them it was very tough except the last 3 miles.                The weather was following the predictions. We hiked on with plans not to stop until we reached the respective destinations. About 45 minutes later we found Burnie and Flave in Eliza Brook Shelter having lunch. It took them 7.5 hours to hike 7 miles. They looked tired and were a bit dispirited. We tried to encourage them as they packed to leave around 4 PM.        The rain was now falling lightly as we found more rocks and roots to make the going rough. True to the AT were numerous ups and downs. It was getting foggy. The rain was getting heavier. We passed a few hikers who complained about how difficult the trail was ahead. We plodded on reaching the sign for Gordon Pond around 6 PM. That meant we had 3.3 more miles in very tough conditions. It was already getting dark. Mud and roots were added to the equation as we plodded on. By 7 PM we had hiked maybe another mile. It was very foggy and now we had a cold wind blowing. We hiked on. By 7:30 we needed our headlamps. The fog was so thick it reflected the light back into our eyes. We plodded on. Still no Mr. T or Flint. We eventually reached the top of our final up. Now for a very steep down on slabs and roots and mud in pouring rain. We were very tired as we struggled down in the dark. Finally we heard the sound of a car passing close to the trail. A little further and we saw reflections of our headlamps on an Appalachian Trail sign. A car was pulling into the parking lot across the street that we could not see because of the dark and fog. We made our way to the car to find Scorch who had just returned from calling Fancy to see if she had heard anything from us. She had been waiting in the parking lot since 5 PM. It was now 9:30 PM. John and I began to shiver once we stopped walking. We needed to determine if Mr. T and Flint were on the trail and to check on Pokey to let him know about Burnie and Flavo. So we drove to the trailhead in Franconia Notch to find an empty car. A quick trip to the bridge that spans the Pemi where I hopped out and climbed down to find a note to Burnie and Flave saying London and Pokey went to the car to get warm. They were too cold to stay under the bridge. We went back to the parking lot and found them in the car with the engine running trying to warm up. John decided he would stay in his car where he had plenty of his own clothing and food to wait for the girls as long as it takes.        Pokey and London joined Scorch and me for a quick trip back to Kinsman Notch parking lot. Nobody was there. I even checked the outhouse. I called Fancy Free on my cell phone and found out Flint and Mr. T were returning to the parking lot from the police station. They reached the trailhead 1/2 hour after us and were concerned about no car and being very cold and tired so hitched. We drove back to Fancy's house where she had cooked up a pot of lentil soup. Then we headed to bed. I awoke around 2:22 AM to find John getting his sleeping bag ready for some shuteye. The girls made it off the AT at 12:45 AM.         It turned out that Flint and Mr. T had a difficult time finding the trail. It took them over one hour to get under way.        Burnie and Flavo Flav were left behind upon their request. They felt they hiked too slowly for anyone else to wait for them.         We learned a lot of lessons. The Whites are tough. Slacking the Whites is not a good idea especially in bad weather. We started too late in the morning to complete the miles we had planned by the designated time.   Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman