Date: 2019-09-05
From: Mizpah Spring Hut (NH)

To: Zealand Falls Hut (NH)
Miles today: 14.2

I slept pretty well in the library. We all got up and got moving relatively early. We got a group picture before heading our separate ways. The air was so cold this morning. I¢m so glad we were able to stay inside last night. The morning was also pretty cloudy and windy.Our first destination for the day was Mt. Jackson. SC said she could see Mt. Washington when she first got up there, but the only thing I could see by the time I arrived was clouds. Fortunately the clouds began to burn away and by the time we got to Mt. Webster, the sky was clear. Jackson involved a lot of climbing both up and down. Webster was confusing. I couldn¢t figure out which way to go until I saw a couple coming nobo. It turns out I had met them before and they recognized Spike and me. They are actually doing this thing where they have 2 cars and hike between them. They end up going south while hiking north. I may run into them again. After Mt. Webster is the Webster Cliffs. For at least a half mile there are vertigo inducing views of Crawford Notch. At one point we took a break and was admiring the view and we started to see a bunch of rabbits. They were bigger than the cottontails we have back in the Midwest. We would only see one at a time but they would come from different directions and then would get close to us without stopping. SC also saw another mammal. It sounds like a pine marten. I want to see a pine marten!Webster Cliffs of course involved some climbing down. We saw several people we had met back in Virginia during this stretch. Eventually we got down to the road. The next 7.6 miles were the fastest trail we¢ve had since we flipped up to Katahdin. First we had a .3 mile road walk. Then we took a break at a parking lot where we met a couple who were looking for their niece. They gave us a description and we were pretty sure we had seen her not long before we crossed the road. Then they showed us a picture and we were sure that we had seen her. But basically that means she walked right by them. Next we started a 2.5mile uphill. Even though we were going up, it was gradual and didn¢t involve rock climbing. Most of the way there were even log steps!Our original goal for the day was Ethan Pond Shelter. We got to the turn off just after 3pm, and we had heard from the other hikers we worked with last night that the trail between Ethan Pond and Zealand Falls Hut was fast, so we decided to press on and see if we could get a third night of work for stay in a row. It would also mean a shorter day tomorrow. The trail was in fact super easy for the next 5.5 miles. It was real trail involving dirt rather than rocks and tree roots. It was also flat. It only took me a little over 2 hours to go those 5.5 miles which is much faster than the 1mph I¢ve been averaging lately.We got to the hut around 5:30pm and were given a work for stay. We sat out front waiting for permission to go inside and eat leftovers although it was quickly getting cold and dark. An older woman who had hiked the trail in 1991 and was now doing the northern half this year after completing the southern half last year had arrived not long after us and also got a work for stay. We were sitting outside talking and one of the croo came out and invited us to come inside and have soup while the guests ate. This ended up being the most difficult meal in regards to avoiding my allergies. The soup was lentil and barley. I¢ve been told I¢m allergic to wheat, but the proteins in barley are very similar to those in wheat, so I usually avoid barley as well. I figured a little barley in some soup wouldn¢t hurt me. But then the croo brought over the dinner leftovers. There was veggie lasagna, green beans, salad, and a bowl full of different kinds of breads. I ate some green beans (they were too crunchy) and polished off the salad. For dessert there was earl grey tea cake with lemon glaze. It looked amazing so I took the smallest piece. It was so moist and the flavor was amazing. It was definitely worth the price I¢ll pay for eating it later.After dinner, SC went to work on dishes while I was given a dish drainer thing to scrub with a toothbrush. I definitely needed a smaller brush to get in the holes, but it looked a lot better than when I started. As we were working another woman came in to ask about a work for stay. They said she could do the morning shift.While I was scrubbing, one of the croo members ended up splashing some water on my foot. She felt bad and said I didn¢t need to scrub anymore. I had been working for less than 45 minutes! I went to get ready for bed and they let SC and the older woman be done shortly afterwards. All the guests were out of the dining room by 9:15, so we were all set up for bed by the time the lights were turned off at 9:30. SC looks cozy having set up under on of the tables. It seems like better weather tonight, but I¢m happy to have completed over 14 miles today. The next official place to camp is the Guyot Shelter which is another 4 miles plus an additional mile off trail.