Date: 2018-07-07
From: Mt. Washington Summit

To: Osgood Campsite
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We were up and out of the Hostel early this morning, eager to get back on trail and pick up where we left off yesterday. We decided on re-climbing Mt. Washington via the Tuckerman's Ravine Trail, the most "family friendly" way to climb the mountain with the most gentle ascent possible for climbing over 4000' in 4 miles (we want to minimize our exertion while hiking off-trail miles). We have no problem getting a ride to Pinkham Notch, where the Ravine Trail begins and we start our climb around 9 am...along with just about every tourist in the state. We can't help but enjoy ourselves as this hike is up there with some of the most beautiful we have done this far. The 4.1 miles to the summit takes us only about 2.5 hours and we're back at the visitors center ready to move on! But first...we decided to stop in for a snack, since it's there and we figure we've earned a slice of pizza for our trouble. Before we can get on the (super long) cafe line, we're approached by a woman asking us if we're "on the trail" and, when we tell her we are, offers us some mountain top trail magic! We learn her name is 'Bookie', she thru-hiked in 2015, and is now working for a local Hostel where she tries to get out and do some magic as often as possible. She offers us cold sodas, Oreos, our pick of some candy and snack bars and fresh corn on the cob (this last one may sound weird but fresh fruit and vegetables of any kind are few and far between on the trail so this very exciting)! Once we've stuffed ourselves and gotten sufficiently warm in the visitors center we're ready to start the day! It's about 40 degrees on the peak today but skies are clear as a bell so we bundle up and head out, moving fast to keep warm. The views are phenomenal and, even though it cost us a day and some extra hiking, we're so glad to have waited to descend from the peak until today. We can see all the exciting sights and, more importantly, the trail, which is still extremely rocky and treacherous so we're glad for the visibility. We reach Madison Spring Hut around 3:30 and are hoping to score some hot soup (our elevation here is about 1500' lower than on Washington, so it's not as cold, but something warm in our bellies still sounds great). We run into our friend Caveman who offers us an extra chocolate bar he got from some trail magic earlier in the day...sweet! We enjoy our soup and chocolate and feel fortified to push the last 3 miles to our camp for the night. We're glad we stopped because it's a tough section and takes us until almost 7PM to get through. What a day. *An aside: Being the tallest Peak in the north east, with the worst weather in the world, Mt. Washington (along with the presidential range, of which it is the centerpiece) draws thousands of visitors each day in the summer. Most of these visitors choose to reach the summit via modern means (i.e. by car, bus or train), but some brave the rocky climb, and it is these daring souls we share our struggle up Tuckerman's Ravine with, sometimes stuck behind the crowds but mostly allowed to pass unhindered by the slow pace (we want to think this is because we look like experienced hikers, but more likely because we smell like thru-hikers).**Though we actually hiked 12.9 miles today, only 8.8 of them were on the AT so that is what goes down in the books. Those extra 4 miles were just for fun...but isn't this all?