Date: 2014-09-10
From: Imp Campsite, Mile 1879.0

To: White Mountain Hostel, RT 2, Mile 1887.1
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Mailman, No Rush and I were up early while Fisher King slept in. We ate breakfast and I hit the trail ahead of them, expecting them to catch me after a bit.The climb up and down Mt Moriah was another rock hopping tough challenge, but I could tell it was getting easier than the past five days. Once down the back side after 4.5 miles I came to the Rattle River, which is really a large creek. The trail followed the river the next three and a half miles to Rt 2 - what a difference! The trail was mostly smooth dirt with a slight descent. I could finally get back to cruising speed for several miles. I made excellent time and arrived at the White Mountain Lodge and Hostel at 11:00.Marni bought the hostel last August. She and her husband live in Minnesota, and she only keeps the hostel open from June to September. She keeps a crew of helpers, including her mom Molly, Eric, and Rabbit. Rabbit finished the AT a couple of weeks ago and came back to help out before going home. Wonderful folks who do a great job - I highly recommend this hostel!Since I was here so early, I've had the opportunity to meet and chat with lots of other hikers, mostly Nobos. I thought I had heard of Rabbit before, and discovered she had hiked with Nora V a few days before I did. Baltimore Jack was also here helping out - I met him back in Hot Springs, NC. Mama Bear was also here - we had dinner together back at the hostel (Bear Srpings?) just north of the Smokies. Molly drove Ski, Golden Goddess and I into Gorham for lunch at the allyoucaneat Chinese Buffet. I stuffed myself! Ski is from Colorado and is thru hiking. Golden Goddess joined him at some point on the trail and will continue on to Katahdin with him. I also chatted with Sobo thru hikers Corn Bread and Fire Ball. I picked their brains a lot about what I'm going to encounter ahead of me, and passed on info on what's ahead of them. I also met Hustle and Flow, a young couple thru hiking Nobo, along with Wing It, a young woman who got her name because she doesn't/can't plan anything. Squatch is here, too. He's filming a documentary on AT hikers and hikes a section southbound, then drives back further north so he can hike southbound again and meet the same group of hikers headed north. He'll be going up to Stratton tomorrow and hiking south, so I may see him on the trail in the next few days.At 6:00 Eric drove a group of us to Walmart to resupply. When I got back Miss Janet was here and introduced me to Hog Driver, who she had just helped slackpack the section north of us. She had mentioned him to me when I met her back in Vermont because he's a former Air Force pilot, too. He's currently a Delta pilot and is doing his thru hike on his time off between flights.I also got the replacement section for my hiking pole today that Linda mailed me. Yee-Haw! Thanks you, Sweetheart!! Hiking the Whites with only one pole has really been tough on me. My knees depend on my poles, especially on the rocky downhill trails.The weather is supposed to be rainy all day tomorrow, and it's another tough section ahead of me, so I was strongly considering taking a zero tomorrow. Hog Driver, few others and I stayed up until nearly 11:00 talking, so that sealed it - zero tomorrow! That will also give my legs time to recover a little more. The following four days are supposed to be good weather, so I'm really looking forward to getting rested and then hiking with both my poles!