Date: 2009-09-11
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Highlight: Making our way to Crawford Notch without running out of food; listening to the footsteps of a moose come within two feet of our tent. We woke up in the morning, ate our breakfast at the hut, and then started helping out with the work-for-stay requirement by sweeping the floors in the bunkrooms and doing dishes. We headed out around 11 and found our way descending to the Zealand Falls that were just below the hut, itself. As we continued, we quickly managed to get lost, as the AT is not adequately marked throughout the White Mountains. This is because the trails are so old that they go by the old trail names that date back to the mid-1850's. It was a short and easy 7.7 miles to Crawford Notch, but we were held up by two problems. The first was that my shoes had been falling apart over the past week and I had to constantly (each morning and afternoon) put duct-tape around them to ensure that they would stick together. While I was passing by some tree roots, the front of my foot managed to get caught on a root and as I lunged forward (because I was caught), the entire rubber sole on the bottom of my shoe ripped off all the way to the four inches above the heal. It was a terrible rip, so I tried a variety of things to keep it in place (i.e. more duct tape and bear rope). It worked for a short period, but I ended up having to use my orange crocs for the last 4 miles. The second problem was that Jungli must have laid her pack down in some poison ivy, because her back developed a terrible rash and I had to patch it up for her. When we reached Crawford Notch, we had to resupply and we caught a hitch to the Crawford Notch General Store. We were both hungry for some spaghetti w/ sauce (moreso Jungli), so we cooked a great spaghetti meal on my stove. I also called my aunt Kathy to try to coordinate the next mail drops and to see if she could send up my new pair of shoes, which she graciously did. I also happened to score some duct tape from another pair of section-hikers who have been doing sections of the trail for the past 25 years. They are nearly finished with it all! After our resupply and taking care of some much-needed things, we tried to get a hitch back to the trailhead, but it was far too dark out to do so. Therefore, we walked in the direction of the trail and decided to camp on state property (close to the 'D0 NOT TRESPASS' sign) directly adjacent to the highway. We chowed a bit more and then climbed into the tent. At around 11 pm when everything was still as can be, I awoke to footsteps that were coming down the steep embankment to the side. I woke up Jungli, who normally sleeps with her earplugs. We both sat there completely stunned, our hearts pounding, wondering what the hell it was. The noise kept getting closer and closer, all the way to within two feet of our tent. I swear that it was a person's footsteps, but Jungli seems to think that it was a moose. What we do know is that neither would have been able to see our tent. At the last second, I screamed 'HELLLLLO!!!!' at the top of my lungs, adrenaline rushing through my blood. Whatever it was ran off into the distance and we were left alone for the rest of the night. I easily could have shined my light underneath the tent to see the legs of the 'thing', but I had been too nervous to even consider it as an option. Fortunately, we fell back to sleep.