Date: 2016-06-09
From: Bretton Lodge NH

To: mt washington
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Wow! The Whites are something else. Other sections of the trail south of here have named features, such as the Stairway to Heaven in New Jersey, that pale to the climbs and descents that just appear in front of you routinely in New Hampshire. I have now completed week 4 and am relieved to be in a hotel on Crawford Notch, recovering enough to tackle Mt Washington as soon as the weather improves. Week 4 consisted of 5 hiking days, 4 in the Whites, and two zero days. Sounds sort of cushy doesn't it. Don't believe it for a moment. It was hard work both physically and mentally. Especially mentally. I either improved my hiking abilities and experience base or just proved I was indeed nuts. The first hiking day I already documented, up and over Mt Moosilauk to Kinsman Notch. A 16.5 mile day with a huge climb and straight drop down decline that I thought would define the most I could ever expect to do. The drop beat me up mentally and seemed close to breaking my concentration enough to make a critical descending judgement error. One is all it takes top it me in the hospital or at least end my hike. I took a zero to recover and then set out to climb Mt Kinsman. This meant a 17 mile hike between Kinsman and Franconia Notches, a hike my motel owner didn't think was likely to happen. The weather Monday was reasonable with the possibility of afternoon showers. They didn't happen. The climb up Kinsman was more than Moosilauk but spread out over more distance. It was also harder, with numerous steep rock scrambles. The rain on Sunday had left the trail with running water everywhere. It actually turned the trail into running streams in many places. Going up Kinsman you hike along a brook for about a mile. That day the brook was a rushing torrent, cascading down the mountain. I had to ford it and was lucky to find a safe place. There were views of the Whites at the south summit. Coming down saw plenty of rock scrambles also but they were less severe than Moisilauk and spread out enough to help me recover mentally. I passed Lonesome hut, the first of 8 AMC huts in the Whites but was on a mission to make the notch and spend the night back in my motel. To accomplish that I had to ford two rushing streams, including Cascade Brook where the bridge was out. I found a spot where I was up to my shorts but at least the water was relatively slow. I got back home that night and the hotel owner was surprised to get the call for pickup. It did cost me another zero though in Tuesday and I was glad to see it rain several times. It seemed to validate taking the day off. I wasn't so happy to have it still drizzling the next morning when we took off at 5am to tackle a planned two day hike up LaFayette, a 5000+ ft mountain with over two hiking miles above the treeline. I had been above the treeline on both Moisilauk and Kinsman by that had been in sunshine on dry and mostly calm days. Not today. The drizzle stopped as I climbed the steady incline. My body has learned to zone out when making these long climbs and I was happy there were less rock scrambles than on Kinsman. Just steadily up. Today though the wind howled above me and the drizzle began again as I reentered the cloud that encircled Mt Lincoln an Mt Lafayette that day. As the trees shortened I felt the weather closing in and stopped to get into my rain shell and gloves prior to being totally exposed. Good choice. Suddenly I found myself on a ridge marked by the trail with rock lines on either side and rock piles every so often. The wind was gusting strong enough to blow me off the trail at times. I probably would have been even more afraid if I could have seen the drops on either side of the ridge but the visibility was almost zero. Each new climb up there would appear as a shady blob in the gloom and I had to force myself to take steps forward. What choice did I have? Go back? I considered it. I was waiting and hoping to get to the summit of Mt Lincoln, a peak before Lafayette that should have been detectable. It probably would have been in better conditions. What I did finally come across was a peak with numerous trail crossing signs. Had to be Lafayette. About 5 minutes past there I met two guys going south. We all agreed it was brutal. 5 more minutes and I hit the treeline on the north side and lost the wind. What a relief. The two other guys had a long way to go to escape that mess. I descended and climbed the next mountain which was Garfield. I took a picture of Lafayette, still with a cover of fig around the summit. Scary but done. I had been warned the hike from Lafayette ti Galehead hut was long and hard. It was but I did hit the hut in time for dinner. I'll discuss the hut in a different entry. My king day was done after 13 hard miles. I left the hut the next morning at 5am, missing breakfast but on a mission to get down the mountain to Crawford notch. I didn't have many options there but at least it would be closer to civilization. The day started with a steep climb up South Twin, another 5000 ft peak. The wind had howled all night and it had rained at the hut. The early morning consisted of light drizzle. At first the climb was wet as expected. Then frost followed by ice and snow showed up. As I went higher the rocks became ice coated and the options to scramble were limited to getting on my hands and knees. As the trees shortened i feared another above treeline hike, this time in subfreezing temperatures, high wind chills, and ice coated rocks. All of a sudden that was reality. Luckily the summit was only a few dozen yards from the treeline. I could see it. It took a long time to pull myself over the ice to the sign at the summit only to find it unreadable because it was encased in ice. I looked for the AT trail down and was elated to see a blaze in the rocks just as it reentered the treeline. I slid down to it and sat down just inside the first trees, resting. Amazingly the wind had disappeared. I was now on the Kee side of the mountain. There was still ice and snow but life was much better. For awhile. The downward side consisted of several ridge walks with continuous threats to return above treeline. It finally did on Mt Guyot but luckily the wind was at my back and in some ways actually helped push me ahead until I was back in the trees. About lunchtime I hut Zealand hut and stopped in to get a bowl of soup. It was hard to leave but the rest of the way to the notch was an easy 8 mile hike over mostly flat or descending topology devoid of rock scrambles. As I approached Crawfird notch I had to decide what to do. I had no motel or ride waiting and for some reason the weather seemed to be getting worse, gusting winds filled with rain. That made me decide not to tent if possible. Upon reaching the road I headed into the wind for a mile to the Willet House, a place in my guide that was not really open but managed by a women, Raco, who let me in and then shuttled me up the road to a lodge that was not in my guide. A true trail angel. That was Thursday. As I write this from the Lodge on Friday I feel blessed to have those adventures behind me. I plan to stay here until the weather permits a hike up Mt Washington. That may not be until midweek. Right now, with half the hike done, 390 miles, I am happy to take a break.