Date: 2014-07-21
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel - Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

Today we entered the White Mountains of New Hampshire - so excited to be here! The walk today was outstanding and even though we slacked south it was awesome being in the Whites and above treeline!We caught the early shuttle to Kinsman Notch to get a jump on the day up to Moosilauke - Pippin and Neckbone were doing a crazy slack from Franconia Notch back to the hostel. That is over 25 miles...IN THE WHITES! Good luck to them and hope they don't get back too late!We were the only ones in the car going south over the mountain so we hiked away from the notch by ourselves and walked up the steep backside of the mountain - man it was steep in some places! A cool walk up the mountain since we followed a set of cascades along the way up but tough in spots with wood steps and Rebar handles stuck into the rocks! A beautiful day to climb the mountain - not too hot but not too cold.Ran into Sharp Knife and Hiccup at the Beaver Brook Shelter and also met four SOBOs - Mud Bug, Knives, Poop (one of his many names), and another fellow. All four guys were interesting to talk to and we had a nice rest at the shelter halfway up the climb.Big Dawg's foot was feeling fine for the most part - a few tense moments when his foot slipped a little but otherwise A-OK hiking. Going up the steep side of the mountain and slackpacking helped him out a lot and are a good transition from off the trail to back on it. Today we finally went above the treeline again! We knew we were getting close when the trees grew shorter and smaller - and then instantly we broke free above the trees and could see for miles. Great views above the treeline and a lot of views will be like that in the Whites - so excited!We reached the top the summit and shared the views with NOBOs, SOBOs, section and day hikers - lots of people at the top! Amazing views from Mt. Moosilauke looking at the Whites and Mount Washington in the distance and of the valley below where Glencliff rests. In alpine territory now so it was very exposed and rocky but great in the nice weather! Lots of humorous and chatting at the summit while we all took in the views - NOBOs and SOBOs and sectioners and dayers can all get along!No problems navigating the trails so far in the Whites - the signs pretty well told us where the AT went and we never got lost on the way up or down. Took the side trail up to the south peak of Moosilauke - no good view looking towards the Whites but a nice view in the opposite direction. Way high up there so the views are great!Long climb down from the summit to NH 25. We ran into Captain going NOBO on the trail to the summit and talked about the trail ahead in both directions. Later on we ran into Phys Ed going NOBO as well - he planned to meet Pilot, Navigator, A-Train, and Calamity at the summit.After re-entering the treeline there was a pretty steep down on the south side of the mountain but the descent gradually tapered off the further down we went. The mountain is steep on both side so pick your poison and hike it! Lunch stop along the trail and then a nice walk back to the road - leapfrogged with the SOBO group for a while and got temporarily stymied at the Oliverian Brook right before the road - no good place to cross it! After searching for ten minutes I made it across without getting the boots wet and Big Dawg went barefoot across. All was well until I realized I left the Spot on the other side - couldn't get back with my shoes on so I walked across barefoot as well and returned.A quick walk back to the hostel and time for more relaxing! The Internet was fixed and since so many people were slacking it was not bogged down and I could actually get some work done! As the day progressed and more people returned it got busy again - slackers returning and many people stopped by for a while but moved on to different locations for the night. Pyro came into the hostel for a bit - haven't seen him since Virginia! - but he moved on with another group to the next shelter. Calamity hurt her knee on the way down the hill and we hope she is ok and doesn't have to get off the trail - we know what it is like when that has to happen!Neckbone and Pippin returned in under 12 hours - an amazing feat for them over tough terrain! Chatting about the trail ahead and trail behind with NOBOs and SOBOs and a lot of stuff going on - hard to follow and keep up with everything!Last slack day until Pinkham Notch - still easing Big Dawg back into the trail gently but so far so good! Let's keep it up!