Date: 2003-07-28
From: Ore Hill Shelter (1800') 

To: NH25, Welcome Hiker Hostel (1140') 
Miles today: 7.4

Aloha! Ahh... Life is good. Sometimes it amazes me just how good it is. Right now I'm sitting in a tent that's like a mini-estate in comparison to mine and it's mine for the night. With an airline size bottle of Baileys next to me and a blueberry muffin and banana set ready for tomorrow's breakfast, I find life to be just about perfect.   Life really can be good if you let it. Oh but as always I should get us here first. That'll be easy; it was a short hiking day.   Almost immediately after saying goodnight to you last night and turning off my headlamp, one of the hardest rain showers I've seen yet hit. I was never so thankful to be in a shelter as I was then. This was horrendous! It was made even more so by the tin roof on the shelter.   Had anyone been with me we would have had to scream to carry on a conversation. It was hard. From what I've heard today, there were many across the mountain happy to be tucked safely out of the storm. It was a nasty one.   I, though, slept like a baby through it for the most part. Once asleep I only awoke when I turned over to check that I was on the pad. (Still can't break that habit.) Each time I could still hear the rain but it just helped to lull me back to sleep.   Upon waking this morning I found a gorgeous blue sky with crisp clean air. Had it not been for the mud everywhere I would almost have believed the rain to have been a dream. As I hiked north today it was quite obvious that it was not a dream.   Mud, mud, MUD!   There's actually little to tell you about today's hike. The terrain was quite gentle in comparison to what it's been the last day or two and I've come to believe that it was giving us an intentional rest. Mt Moosilauke and its 4525' peak is coming shortly.   My start into the White Mountains. I need all the breaks I can get so I was happy to meander along on "kinder and gentler" terrain.   My kind and gentle terrain did knock me to the ground though. What is this? My third or fourth fall? Once again it took place on one of those damn bog bridges. I'm guessing that I've either become overconfident about them since I haven't fallen or that I just didn't notice that this one didn't have the cross hash marks allowing for water runoff.   Without them the logs are slicker. I knew almost the moment I picked my foot up to take the second step that I was going down. Try as I might there was no stopping this fall. I went down landing mostly on the pack and partly on my left hip.   Hard enough that I'm pretty sure there's going to be a nasty looking bruise there tomorrow. I wasn't hurt though; just irritated. I was up so fast that I doubt anyone would have even known I had fallen. No harm done but... grrr...   Somewhere around two miles from my destination I was once again surprised to hear my name being called. This time by someone intending to call me particularly vice a group of little people greeting me. Elizabeth had come looking for me. What a pleasant surprise!   Just when I thought I had used up all my surprises yesterday, along comes Elizabeth.   When last seen, Elizabeth was contacting a friend in Hanover and had an appointment to have her hair cut. Both events were successful. Her hair looks great. I had expected hair shorter than mine but that wasn't the case. It's about shoulder length and looks super.   Lucky girl. I'd just like to have hair any length like hers.   Thanks to her friend, Elizabeth has been able to slack a lot of the miles between Hanover and here. She also is headed into the Whites tomorrow and we've chatted about doing them together. I'm a little anxious about them so it would be nice to have someone else around to share the anxiety.   We're not sure of course since we've never hiked together but it sounds like we have similar hiking styles and mileages - slow, steady and low. If nothing else it'll give both of us another person to take the other's picture. Then maybe we can prove we were actually here!   I guess we'll see. We'll chat more I'm sure.   Today we hiked along together until Elizabeth brought me here, the Welcome Hikers Hostel. This is so much better than the last two places! Sooo... much better! Thank you!   The hostel is located at the base of Mt Moosilauke in a village (didn't know America had villages) consisting of 24 houses and a post office (attached to one of the houses) and nothing else. The place is owned by Packrat (AT '94 and PCT '99) and he's doing a great job.   Not only are there hiker snacks and food but also the fridge is filled with a variety of sodas, candy and even beer. For your $6 fee you can either sleep upstairs in the loft with a mattress on the floor or on the couches or pick one of the many already set up tents or hammocks out back. If they're filled or you're not happy with that then you can always set up your own tent. For slightly more money there is also an outdoor hot water shower and laundry facilities. To top it all off there's also a flush toilet! Each night Packrat also rents a movie or two for group entertainment.   Everything is done on an honor system. He's an excellent host and the place is sweet. Maybe not in appearance but looks can be deceiving. Would! I recommend this place? You betcha.   What's also important about this hostel is that he provides shuttles for hiking a part of the Whites. And that's just what I'm going to do tomorrow. Elizabeth (oh yeah, now trail named Gutsy) had basically convinced me to slack nine miles from north to south tomorrow when we were hiking in.   It's my understanding that the north side of the mountain is extremely steep and often very slippery. I would much prefer to do it in the UP direction without a pack. So that's the plan for tomorrow. I'm happy.   After settling in, the rest of the day was spent sorting through my mail drop. This was the last convenient place for picking up a mail drop with cold weather gear needed for going above tree line in the Whites. Mine has arrived. Listening to the SOBOs and those that slacked today, they were freezing at the top and every one of them put on warmer clothing when they got there.   Burr.... Guess who may be looking like a snowwoman tomorrow. Anyway, the clothes are here and stuffed with little surprises at that. How'd you think I got the Baileys? Thanks Char. You know you're the best.   Other than what I've already told you, the only other big news is that it's beginning to look like a 2001 Class reunion. As I was sorting through my food this afternoon a head popped over and with a big Texas grin said howdy. Bodacious! Bo and I met way back in Pearisburg, VA.   Unlike me though he's out here not because he hurt himself in '01 but because he enjoyed it so much that he decided to do it again. It's good to see him. He's a Texas hoot.   Shortly thereafter Storm'n Norman stormed in to add to the 2001 reunion. He and Bo had also met in '01. It's hard to believe there are so many of us back out here. Everyone's fingers are crossed we'll all see Katahdin this year. I have no doubts.   Okay, time for bed. The movie is over and everyone has turned off the headlamps. I should do the same. It's going to be an exhilarating day tomorrow and I want to be ready for the metal rungs and steps up the side of a waterfall. Oh boy!   So I'll let you go for now and we'll chat tomorrow night. I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about. Hope you do too. For now though, sleep well and dream of long country barely descending paths for me.BSandTs: nahAandPs: same-sameMandGs: being the first to go down the trail in the morning - means I break all the cobwebs. Normally with my face, upper arms or chest... waah!