Date: 2005-08-08
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Lost Pond Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Another magnificent day on the Trail in the Whites. I spent a good part of the day today above tree line, probably 7-8 hours worth.Going through the Presidential Range, all the mountains are named for presidents. Stunning views! Going up to the summit of Mount Washington was anti-climactic after all the anticipation and excitement that had built up in me. It only took me 40 minutes to get up there from the Hut and I hung around there long enough to eat, make a phone call back to the office in Florida to tell them that I lost my cell phone and to have it turned off. I did stay this morning and wait for breakfast at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. I was going to get up and leave at 5:00, but, I got up at 5:00 and stuck my head out of the steel doors of The Dungeon. It was still blasting wind and cold out there. I said, "screw it" and crawled back into bed until 6:30. What I should have done last night was, leave the window and door opened in there because it stayed at a constant 57 degrees, which is nice except for the fact that I have a 20 degree bag and I put it on and woke up drenched in sweat. So, I took the bag off because I was wet, then I would be cold. If I would have just let it get really cold inside, I would have slept comfortably in the bag. The Presidentials are amazing, but also very rugged and diffucult. Alot of rock walks, just like in Pennsylvania but with elevation changes. In fact, the peaks I did today from Washington summit down and over Madison and back down to the tree line was particularly worse than anything Pennsylvania has to throw at you. There were climbs today. I did 500 feet at a time, but that wasn't what made it hard, it was just that the footing was relentless. A part of what surprised me was that the section I thought was going to be the hardest, turned out to be the easiest - the descent from Madison to Pinkham Notch. Some of the south bounders I had been talking to had been whining about how steep it was and making a big deal about it. When I looked at the profile map, it showed a very steep, ominous drop, almost like a wall. I was surprised, it was steep and rocky, with roots, but, it wasn't technical, it was just another long downhill. I was thinking it was going to be one of those where you have to look for handholds and footholds and walk across ledges, but there was none of that. I will say that, I will never again complain about the terrain on the A.T. in the south because The Whites blow the south away in terms of difficulty. After The Whites, the south is like walking on pavement. It's just rugged and downright deadly here.It was a longer day than I wanted. I wanted to get off the incline and I bypassed the Osgood Tentsite. There was nothing to tent on after that, so, by the time I hit Pinkham Notch Camp it was dark. Everything was closed, so I couldn't get any food, that got me a little pissed off. I figured I would just keep going, it was dark already. I crossed the road and kept walking for another mile or so. I finally found a piece of Trail by the Lost Pond Trail flat enough to pitch my tent on. I pitched my tent dead in the middle of the Trail at almost 9:00 pm. That's it.