Date: 2006-09-09
From: Lost Pond Shelter

To: Manchester Center
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

A big day planned, the most miles I have done in a long time, but with a big payoff, a night in town. The southern boys and me head out by 8, Susan is just getting up. We chat a bit about noises heard in the middle of the night. I heard a loon for the first time since ME and the boys thought they heard rain and got up to check on their gear that was strung up outside the shelter.We climb up Baker Peak and take some pictures. Nice view. Then the fellas get ahead of me but leave word with a hiker at Griffith Lake that they will wait for me at the road. Griffith Lake has the longest stretch of boardwalks I have hiked on yet. It seemed to go on forever, but it is much easier to hike on boardwalks than rocks and roots. The lake is really pretty and I can see why this is a popular vacation site. I meet up with three of the fellas at Peru Peak Shelter and we have lunch. Railhead has fallen and is doctoring up his injuries. I keep up with the guys as we climb Peru Peak and Styles Peak. We stop and enjoy a snack and the view at Styles Peak and then head down to Mad Tom Notch. At this point, the fellas have decided that they are going to hide their packs in the woods and slack the last five miles over Bromley Mtn. There car is waiting at the trail head and so when they get to it, they will then drive back and pick up their packs. This sounds like a good idea to me, but I am skeptical about leaving my pack especially so close to a road crossing. I've heard too many stories of folks whose stuff was stolen and right now my pack is my life. But, I say a prayer and find a good location to hide my pack. We won't be gone that long and there aren't that many hikers out here anyways. Boy, hiking with out a pack is so much easier. I am cruising up Bromley Mountain. We get to the summit and the weather changes. It is starting to thunder and the air at the summit is full of mist. Not such great views, so we head down fast. This downhill just about kills me. My feet have become numb in the toes. These shoes have got to go! I am the last one down the mountain, but the fellas over me a cold beer, so all is good. We put in the movie, "Trek," a story about four fellas hiking the AT as we try and find our way back to Mad Tom Notch. Our packs are safe and dry, so we pick them up and head to the hotel. As soon as we get to the hotel, the bottom falls out of the sky. We work it out where I can stay on the pull out couch in one of their hotel rooms. $10 bucks - what a deal! I am so appreciative of their generosity! We get to the rooms, clean up and head to the Manchester Bar & Grill which is right next to the hotel and proceed to chow down. Well, at least I do. They all order steak and potatoes and salad. I order salad, potato, and pasta with chicken, shrimp and cajun sauce. It was very good. We toast their 20 years of hiking with a cold brew. Back at the hotel, we check the hiker porn station - the weather channel - and find out that it is going to get cold in the next few days and have some rain toward the end of the week. The fellas sort through their food and gear drops and we all turn in relatively early.