Date: 2003-08-14
From: Carter Notch Hut

To: Rattle River Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Wonderful day! Last night, the wind was really ripping through Carter Notch. It felt great! There was a full moon, or nearly full, and I could see stars in the sky for the first time in a long time! Just beautiful.This morning, the wind was still blowing hard, and there weren't too many clouds. It looked like it might be a good day, weather-wise. We asked Heidi what we could do for her this morning, but she had nothing. So, around 8am, we were on the trail.Once we got into the woods and started climbing, I could hear the wind, but it was above me, in the trees. When we got to Carter Dome (4832'), I was stunned by the view. I could see the Presidentials, including Mt. Washington, but not the very peak of it. The clouds still had their grip up there. Everywhere else was just awesome! One fantastic view can make up for days and days of rain. Unbelievable. It was awesome to see the colors of the other mountains. The shades of green. A river rushing down. Rock outcroppings. Bareness above treeline. So cool to look around and just see what I see. I am very fortunate to be able to climb to the tops of these mountains and look around. The sights are indescribable.We left Carter Dome, and the next mountain we came to just blew me away. Literally! The wind was blowing very hard and steadily, with gusts that made me stagger a few steps one way or another. It was so much fun! Before taking a step, I made sure I was well-balanced, so when the wind gusted, I wouldn't get knocked down. The wind had a chilly bite to it, but it felt good. Refreshing. And the views from there.... better than Carter Dome! Once again, clear all around, except the peak of Mt. Washington. I can't say it enough.... awesome! It was a bit trick descending, as it was steep and rocky, and the wind still reached out and tried to push me around. Once we got off the rock top and into the trees, the wind was not a factor anymore, except to my ears. I could hear it sailing above me.Next we crossed Carter Mountains, South, Middle and North, some with terrific views and some with wooded summmits. The good weather was holding out though, making it a great day! The descent down North Carter was very steep. In some places, the trail dropped down sheer walls of rock. I did a lot of butt-scooting today, sliding down the rock face until I reached a good foothold. I don't like descents like that, but I have to do them. I was quite frustrated by the time we got to Imp Campsite, where we stopped for lunch. After relaxing for a bit, and refueling, I felt much better. I realized, no matter how much anxiety those descents cause me, I have succeeded in passing them without injury, and there is no reason, as long as I'm cautious, that I won't continue to do so. Secretly in my mind, I hoped there weren't any more of those today.After lunch, we had another good climb, but this time, a lot of the climb was on open ledges, providing great views while we hiked. It makes the hike go faster when there are constant views. And I can use the view as an excuse to stop and catch my breath. We were climbing Mt. Moriah, but not all the way to the summit. It seemed like we were all over that darned mountain, but I didn't really care, with the clear sky. After saying "wow! That's awesome!" a lot more, we headed down. A long way down.We descended almost 3000', with only a few level places, to get to this shelter. The descent was steep for a while, pounding my feet, ankles and especially knees. Finally, we had to stop and rest. The rock steps were wearing us down. We should've stopped sooner though, for when we started again, the trail was much more gradually downhill, providing good, quick hiking. I was very glad to see the shelter when we arrived around 6pm.We are about 2 miles from US2, and will be picked up in the morning, headed to Spike's house for cleanup and R&R. I considered going the 2mi tonight and staying in Gorham, but am very glad to be here. It was a tough day, but very rewarding. I'd hate to ruin it by pushing for a few more meaningless miles. Only Hotdog and I are here, which doesn't surprise me, since we didn't see any other thruhikers today. We saw about 6 or 8 dayhikers, and talked to them all.Since leaving Glencliff, near the beginning of the Whites, we have averaged 10mi/day, and that includes a 1.6, and a 7.2. I am extremely happy with that. I had thought, if we averaged 10/day, we were doing pretty darned good, and when we took a few short days into town, I thought our average would be lower, but somehow we kept it up there.I would love to be done by the 6th of Sept, but don't think that will happen. I am keeping an open mind, and an open time frame for summiting Katahdin. However, I need to have some things worked out... like.... how I'm going to get home. I had thought I would hang around the NE for a while, but I am a bit anxious to get home too. I want to visit my brothers and sister and their families, and see my newest nephew for the first time (he's 4-1/2 months old now!). I'll use my time off the next two days to work some of those things out. It's difficult to plan though, not knowing exactly how long it will take me to get to Katahdin. All I can do is make an educated guess, and go with it.Hotdog and I will be taking a short day tomorrow, then a day off, our first since Hanover, about 2 weeks ago. I don't know if we will be taking any more days off before Katahdin or not, excluding wedding days off. It doesn't really matter. If we need time off, we take it. But I know we both have the end in our minds. It's hard not to. In a couple of days, we'll be in the last state, Maine! Wow!Oh! At this shelter, we are under 300 miles to go! I had forgotten it, until Hotdog asked for a high five and explained why. That just makes today a better day. And with the day I had, I didn't think it could get any better!