Date: 2014-08-13
From: Stealth campsite - Mi 1917 at stream

To: East B Hill Road
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We rose early to go meet Marcel and Bryant who were being dropped off by shuttle at Grafton Notch parking area. After hiking a couple of miles in the rain, I heard familiar voices and rounded the corner to see my brother and his son. After a quick reunion, we got to business, apportioning out the food resupply that they had brought in under an information board overhang. We quickly and efficiently divided up 3 portions for David, Mike and myself, and set out in the rain.Immediately, Marcel and Bryant were faced with a long, steep uphill climbing from 1495' to 3810' over a few miles. Challenging to us, for those just getting their trail legs, they proved hard core and drove up along the slippery rocks in the rain to the top of Baldpate west peak. There, things started to get interesting.David ("Steam Engine") had pushed on ahead, and we all were a bit spread out. At west peak, I crossed over an extended rocky summit. Above the alpine, I noticed that the winds were much stronger, with rain and fog enveloping us. I snapped a few pictures and moved on into a saddle and then up to Baldpate east peak. By now, David was out of sight somewhere up ahead, and Mike, Marcel and Bryant somewhere behind, not sure how far. I came out on to east peak summit and was slammed by gale force cross winds and rain hammering from the side as it whipped through the fog over the ridge line. The trail was now all granite rock and I pushed up into the open area on top, conscious that these long stretches of slate, smooth rock would have to be a challenge. Soon, I was very exposed with only very short alpine bushes to break the long gray line of rock. Now up around 3800', I felt the full force of the storm with the wind attacking the pack and trying to push me to the left or back down the rock. Within minutes, I found myself on my stomach, drenched, crawling up the remaining feet of the summit, now looking for cairns that had been placed there instead of white blazes to keep us on the trail. Realizing that to turn back down the way I had come would be worse as it would be down the rock face, I was committed to get up and over. I took a deep breath, told myself to work the problem, and pressed onward and upward into the fog. Two southbound hikers, their eyes wide open as they contemplated the downhill on the rock I had just come up passed me, one of them asking, "How long does this go on?" I mentioned about a quarter of mile further and wished them luck as I pushed on. I hoped that David was already through safely and that Mike, Marcel and Bryant were together making their way up and over safely. Make it we did. As I finally got over and down into the treeline, the wind and rain less of a challenge, I stopped to change into a dry shirt and to eat a Snickers bar to try and get the fuel I needed for heat and the walk to the shelter. While changing, I heard voices coming up behind and to my relief, Mike, Marcel and Bryant worked their way down to me. We shared some quick stories (Marcel's pack cover was gone, launched into the fog by the wind) and we headed down to Frye Notch shelter where we found David drying his clothes and having a bite to eat. After hot coffee, lots of calories (to include sardines Marcel had brought), and the sharing of our personal experiences over the top, we trekked on in the rain to our campsite for the nite. There we ate our mashed potatoes and tuna fish under an overhang David had built or in our tent. What a day - certainly the hardest of the AT for us and quite the introduction for the others. We were safe, relatively dry, had hot food in our stomachs, and were all together. A good ending to a challenging day.