Date: 2016-08-18
From: Ethan Pond

To: Nauman Tent Site
Miles today: 11.3

Today started differently... With a walk DOWNhill! We descended about 1500' into Crawford Notch where the trail crossed US 302 and the Saco River. I was getting a little low on food and needed to resupply so we relied on our thumbs instead of our feet to get us to town some 16 miles away. This area is extremely hiker-friendly and we secured a ride fairly quickly. A couple of sisters from New York picked us up and we were on our way- the wrong direction. They were very kind and tried to figure out a way to get us to Town without going too far off-route, but alas it was not possible. They dropped us off at the Willey House instead. The Willey House had a snack bar and was serving egg sandwiches and orange juice so we consoled ourselves with some comfort food while awaiting another ride. We didn't wait long. A server at the Mount Washington Hotel picked us up and took us all the way to town. We resupplied, promptly caught a ride back to the trail, and began our ascent of the notorious Webster Cliffs, a 2300' climb back to the top of the ridge. This section of trail is said to have the most exposure since Lehigh Gap PA and that was no idle boast. I stowed my trekking poles and scrambled hand over foot through many tough sections while a straight 1000' drop off to the Saco River competed for my attention. My first thought upon topping out and seeing the views into the notch was of Yosimite Valley. It was that beautiful. The trail continued along the top of Webster Cliffs for almost a mile, continuing its upward trajectory until reaching the summit of Mount Jackson, the first President north of the Notch. Then it was up and down through the boreal zone all the way to the tent site. Along the way, the huge cloud-topped massif of Mount Washington was visible through breaks in the spruce canopy. Eventually we made it to Nauman and got a spot on a tent platform for the night. The really cool thing about this tent site is its immediate proximity to the Mizpah Hut. As I may have mentioned previously, these huts are run by the Appalachian Mountain Club and have been a fixture in the White Mountains for the better part of 100 years. Each hut provides overnight accommodations for anywhere from 30 to over 100 guests. Dinner and breakfast are included in the cost of a night's stay, and the hut staff, or "cru" will pack a lunch for guests if requested. The huts are typically 6-8 miles apart, which makes it possible to hike the entire Franconia and Presidential Ranges while sleeping at the huts along the way. This eliminates the need to carry heavy gear like tents, stoves, sleeping bags and food, if you're able and willing to pay for your stay. A limited number of Thru-hikers are allowed to stay at the huts for free in exchange for helping the cru with their chores. This arrangement is called "work for stay" and usually involves the hiker pulling "KP" (washing dishes, clearing and cleaning tables, serving guests, etc.). Thru hikers also are also responsible for disposing of all left-over food, a task cheerfully accepted 100% of the time. O-Town and I weren't lucky enough to get a work for stay, but we gladly helped with left-over food disposal!It was a nice way to end a tough day of hiking.