Date: 2005-09-04
From: NH25

To: South Peak of Mt. Wolf
Miles today: 13.2

Tonight is our first night in the White Mtns. of NH. We are camped on a mtn. top & watched a magnificent sunset. It was a perfect end to a great day. We were up relatively early and on our way in no time. Shortly after crossing the road we met some section hikers. The "Khaki Crew" were nice and friendly. We had a big climb starting momentarily Mt. Moosilauke and all 4802' of its glory. We were really excited, we are getting to the REAL Mountains now. No more playing games-these mtns. are serious. The climb was 4.1 miles covering about 3700' of elevation gain. A quick road walk and we began a gradual ascent. It wasn't gradual for long. Boulder climbing and walking through rocky streams that went down the trail was how the middle of the climb went. We were so focused and fascinated by the scenery that we didn't notice the steep climb as much. As we climbed the trees became dwarfed and there was a definite chill to the air. About .8 from the summit there was a nice flat ridge walk before the final climb to the summit. As we crossed the ridge clouds rolled around us & a light mist covered us. We had to stop and put on more gear. Before we knew it we were above treeline & it was just spectacular. No views today but you get the feeling that you are walking in/on the sky. At the summit there were a lot of day hikers and dogs. Even with the poor conditions there were a lot of people up there. We hung out for a few minutes,took pitures,had a snack put more gear on & we were off to the snack bar. The climb down ended up being a lot tougher than our walk up. It was extremely steep & slippery (wet rocks and mud). It was very slow going with many close calls. Throughout the walk down there was a waterfall cascading down a sheer rock face. It was directly next to the trail for a lot of the descent. Really beautiful. We reached the road at 2:00 and decided to ditch our pack so we didn't have to carry them the next .5mile walk to the snack bar. As we stepped on the road Piker said,"We should try and hitch and stuck his thumb out. The first car pulled over. A nice couple, who had just finished a day hike,were happy to give us a ride. It was a quick ride but saved our legs after that monster Moosilauke. We saw the words CAFETERIA ---and we practically ran there. Burgers,chili,chicken sandwich,hotdog,coke,coffee and ice cream and we felt revitalized. The Lost River Reservation was a zoo. It was the worst I think I have ever seen kids behave. They wee all running wild. After stuffing our faces we got out of there and were lucky to hitch a ride with a guide who worked there. So we got out of any extra walking-sweet. We hesitantly put our packs on & started up our next climb. Shortly after starting we ran into 4 day hikers who were out from Boston. They were so friendly and reminded us of the boys from Good Will Hunting. They seemed like great buddies. They were interested in our trip and we talked for a while. They made our day by giving us some homemade trail magic goodies. It fueled us along as we pushed on. The trail is still so crazy-you never know who you will meet. That's one of the best things about it. I asked Piker to start loooking for spots b/c the terrain was tough & extremelymuddy & I really did not want to night hike through it. We ran into our old buddy Trampas today and also heard that a lot of people that we know are right ahead of us. There are a lot of thru-hikers around right now. Piker found a great spot on the mtn. and we watched an awesome sunset. A little low on h2o we had some snacks for dinner. We are bundled in the tent, it is chilly out there tonight. More big climbs to come tomorrow. What a wonderful day in the Whites. Ms.Mileage