Date: 2004-09-01
From: Glencliff, NH

To: Into The White Mountains
Miles today: 17.0

Technically, I entered The White Mountains when I began hiking in New Hampshire. But most northbound hikers on the Appalachian Trail consider the ascent of Mount Moosilauke as the beginning of the Whites. The summit of this mountain, at 4,802 feet, is the first one located above tree line on the trail.This mountain is exceedingly steep. Only when I reached its south buttress did the incline become easier. As I got closer to the summit, a cold wind greeted me. A fog permeated the air, which meant I was walking in a cloud. I became chilled and put on a fleece jacket, a hat, a rain jacket, and gloves.The summit was a rocky area with wooden signs indicating the directions of various trails that intersected at that spot. Slimer was resting up there. Wipeout and Chef showed up. As they approached in the fog, they looked almost like silhouettes.After taking photos, I began my descent with Wipeout and Slimer. Wipeout was anxious to obtain some relief from the cold and wind. The tree line was just that, an almost precise line of small evergreen trees. As soon as we stepped into these trees, the wind decreased dramatically and the conditions became tolerable.The descent was steep, rocky, and full of muck. Descending in these conditions is tough on the knees. But the scenery was great. A large stream flanked the trail. For a long stretch, the stream became a series of waterfalls.Slimer was enchanted by the beauty of these waterfalls. He dropped back to hang out and enjoy them.Late in the afternoon, Slimer, Wipeout, and I crossed the road at Kinsman Notch. To our dismay, we realized that 712 miles of hiking remained before we would reach the next shelter. We were facing the possibility of hiking at night, something that we did not want to do.We increased our hiking speed over some brutal terrain¢boulders, roots, concentrations of muck, and one steep incline after another. These seven miles were a physical ordeal.At one muck concentration, I leapt onto a rock situated in the middle of the quagmire. The rock was shaped like a pyramid. I stood on the pyramid for a while, unable to decide where to next step. I cannot recall the details with certainty, but I had the choice of leaping to either of two dry places. One of them was a boulder with a somewhat steep side. I was concerned that if I jumped on the side of the boulder, I would slide down into the deep muck. The other choice was a dense thicket of small evergreen trees. I was not sure if these trees would hold me above the muck if I jumped toward them and grabbed one. I worried that my weight would cause the tree to bend toward the muck and send me into the quagmire. After standing on this pyramid, I launched myself over the muck and into the small trees. I grabbed some of the narrow trunks; fortunately, they did not bend. With the trees for support, I was able to get my feet on to a dry area beyond the muck.We reached the shelter at twilight. It was crowded with hikers. Among the nearby trees were some large tents formed from tarps. They were sheltering freshman students from Dartmouth University on a camping trip which is part of their orientation.I strung out my hammock and replenished my water supply. When I began cooking supper near the shelter, almost everyone was asleep.Today was one of the most physically demanding days of this journey. Is this kind of terrain indicative of the rest of the White Mountains? If so, then my knees are going to take a pounding. If so, I will have to reduce the amount of miles hiked each day.