Date: 2014-07-19
From: Madison Springs Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Day 129-July 19, Madison Hut to Pinkham Notch, 7.8 miles. Woo-Hoo! I made it down the mountain! After a hardy breakfast at the Madison Springs Hut, we were hiking at 7:20 AM. Maybe I should say climbing instead of hiking because the trail went straight up the slope of Mt. Madison as we stepped off the deck of the hut. Mt. Madison is basically one enormous rock pile! But the boulders were grippy under foot and we made our way slowly to the top. It was once again a clear morning so we had fantastic views all around, including Mt. Washington and the trail ahead of us down the mountain. This was my moment of truth, the descent I had been thinking about since we entered the Whites, 3000 feet down in 3 miles. I was rested and had taken an Advil with my breakfast so I was ready to go. Once again I maintained a slow but steady pace as I picked my way through the boulder fields. My sticks were a huge help but if the rocks were big enough I used my hands to support me as I descended. After awhile we were below the tree line and the hiking got a bit tougher because above tree line we could hike pretty much wherever we wanted but once back in the woods we were limited to negotiating the rocks that were in a very narrow path. When we were above tree line Jim led because I think I can move faster if I don't have to stop and figure out where the best route is but rather just follow Jim. We got down to the stream at the bottom of the mountain in under 3 hours so I was pleased. Then the trail flattened out a bit and even some of the rocks gave way to smoother dirt trails. During the last 4 miles we rock-hopped across many little streams, some with lovely little waterfalls. With it being a delightful Saturday there were lots of people on the trail. That's how we know it's a weekend! And there was a fund-raising event for the Mt. Washington Observatory called Seek the Peak, which we heard brought 500 additional people to the mountain. We also encountered our first Bride-to-Be on the trail! A young woman was hiking, wearing a white veil and glittery glasses that said Bride-to-Be, with her bachelorette friends! What fun they were having! We hiked to the Pinkham Notch Visitor's Center where we got some ice cream treats and called the hostel where we had reservations to come pick us up. Then we noticed that the parking lot was overflowing and cars were parked up and down the road as far as we could see. Apparently many of these cars were the cars of Seek the Peak participants and of triathlon athletes that was happening in the area. Our shuttle arrived as promised and we got a ride to Gorham, NH to the White Mountain Lodge and Hostel. It was about 10 miles from Pinkham Notch and in the morning we will get a ride back to the notch. We will then hike 21 miles over two days (13 and 8 miles) and arrive right back at this hostel on Monday. The trail comes right by this place so we won't need a shuttle ride on Monday. Our 21 miles will take us up, over and through the Wild Cats of the White Mountains. Today is 3 days with no tears in the Whites! It may have been different if it had been raining. And I reserve my right to cry in the future if things get really tough! All is well.