Date: 2003-08-06
From: Galehead Hut 3,820

To: Crawford Notch Campsite 1,280
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

We saw a moose! Two of them! I was so excited I almost peed my pants! We got to camp around 5:00, set up our tents, sat down to cook dinner, and here comes a momma moose with her calf walking through the creek! They were about 30 yards away. It was awesome! Way better than seeing a bear out here. That alone has made this hellish hike through the Whites worth it. Now I'll backtrack to this morning. We wanted to get up early at the hut and the croo had said we would hear them banging around in the kitchen making breakfast, but the official wake up for everyone was 6:30. I thought when I got up it was about 6:00. It wasn't even 5:30 yet. I was so tired and outside the skies were cloudy, there was lots of fog and wind, and I just wanted to put on something cotton and go back to bed. I wanted to be home.We got up and packed up our stuff, ate two bowls of Cheerios with sugar and real milk, and were out the door by 7:00. That is a record for my second leg of the trip. Once we got outside, the weather was not as bad as it looked and the temperature was probably about 65 degrees. I still wanted to be home.The first thing we did was climb. Imagine that. We started at 3,820 feet at the hut and climbed to 4,900 in .8 miles. Not the worst climb we've done so far, but challenging. What I didn't realize is this was our only climb of the day. The trail to the next hut was pretty flat with a decent before the hut. Seven miles later it was 11:30 and I was at the hut wringing out my socks because of all the puddles and streams we walk through. The guys were already there, taking a break of course, and we at lunch. Bank Robber showed up and so did Fish, Footslogger who has hives, Gadget, and 2Paw. A lot of day hikers were there as well. The guy working in the kitchen was great. He let us have hot chocolate that was awesome, lemonade, and tea. It had rained a little bit before I got there, but the morning was pretty nice and I thought we might have a sunny day. We got back on the trail at 1:00 to do another 7+ miles to our campsite. The first three miles were flat and so easy I did them in one hour. Then next two were flat, but wet and mucky, and then we had an easy descent to the road. I met the guys there at 4:00. I was so glad to have an easy hike for a few miles! The last three hours of my hike today were a perfect example of how the weather can change in the Whites. I had sun and some clouds when I left the hut, got more sun, then clouds and rain for about 30 minutes, then sunshine when I met the guys, but dark clouds were forming. I am in my tent right now after being forced in by a thunderstorm while eating dinner. I had to eat in my tent again.I think it has stopped raining for now. I hope it doesn't rain all night because I don't think my tent is up for that again and neither am I. We are camping next to the Saco River where we saw the moose. This is a designated stealth campsite along the AT in the White Mountains. You can't just camp anywhere and there are no shelters, just the huts.These past four days have challenged me in ways I never dreamed. The physical challenge is the most difficult I have ever experienced. Mentally, I am exhausted from spending the entire day figuring out where to put my feet so I don't end up needing major dental work or a body cast. The unpredictability of the weather is stressful as is trying to do enough miles every day so we can still reach 100 this week, and still get to camp before dark. I am not enjoying this leg of the trip. I think about home a lot and can't wait to finish. We are so close. I could be wrong, but I think Booble and Sweet Ass feel the same way I do. The rain has stopped. Time to brush my teeth. Bank Robber showed up, but disappeared. There were no good tent sites left here.Goodnight Oscar. Only 345 miles left little buddy!