Date: 2017-07-23
From: Imp Campsite, NH

To: White Mountain Lodge and Hostel, Gorham, NH
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: heavy intensity rain

7/23/17, White Mt Hostel, Gorham, NHMiles hiked: 1573.8, Miles to Katahdin: 298.1, Miles to go: 616.0I awoke to another pretty day. It was a little overcast when I first got up; but, it soon cleared, leaving full sunshine. I packed up and headed out a little after 7:00 AM. I had a Nearo day planned, with an 8 mile hike into the White Mountain Lodge and Hostel. First, I had to climb up and over Mt Moriah, our last Peak in the White Mountains National Forest. The climb up Mt Moriah actually wasn't too bad. About a mile into the hike, I came upon Sitting Bull and Hoops stealth camping, having passed the Imp Shelter late in the evening. I stopped to visit for a few minutes and found out that they were staying at the same hostel. I later saw Terminator on the trail and found that he was also heading for the White Mt Hostel.  The descent from Mt Moriah started out pretty steep, pounding my poor abused knees with each step. Eventually, the slope moderated and before long I was cruising on fairly smooth and gently sloping trail. It's as if the AT was rewarding me for being such a Brave & Fierce thru hiker through the White Mountains by allowing me to cruise the last few miles into town. We were incredibly lucky with the weather through the Whites. We had beautiful days and gorgeous views all the way through, which is almost unheard of. Now that we are out of the Whites, I can reveal the secret to our incredible weather - Slug Plants. I guess I should back up and explain a little better. While hiking over Kinsman Mountain with Sitting Bull and Hoops a few days ago, we came upon a pair of Frogg Togg rainpants lying in the middle of the trail. They were completely blown out in the crotch, with a ten inch rip in them. Many hikers carry Frogg Toggs because they are cheap and light. If they rip out, which happens often, you just discard them and buy more. They tend to be hot and do not breathe well, like just about all the rain gear out there, which is why I quit even trying to wear any. You get just as wet from sweat wearing rain gear as the you get from the rain when not wearing rain gear. Unfortunately, they had been discarded in the middle of the trail.  Being the Leave No Trace thru hikers that we are, Sitting Bull reached to pick them up to put in his pack to haul out to the trash. He quickly dropped the pants when he saw they were covered with slugs. Now, these weren't normal slugs. These were White Mountain slugs - a particularly nasty breed that leaves sticky orange slime on everything. Rather than leave the trash on the trail, I picked them up and started flicking off the slugs - all 11 of them. Sitting Bull then put the pants in the outer pocket of his pack and packed them out. The White Mountains are notorious for sudden shifts in weather, especially above treeline, that can leave you in a precarious position. Hypothermia is a huge concern, which is why everyone we met urged us to carry rain gear through the Whites. I had a rain jacket, which I wear in particularly cold rain to keep me warm rather than dry; but, since I hike in a kilt, I was not carrying rainpants. I decided to hang on to those pants, tape up the rip, and carry them as emergency rain pants through the Whites. I meant to rinse off the slug slime, but never got around to it. It is my belief that the Mountain Weather Gods, seeing that I respected and feared them enough to carry Slug Pants through the mountains, were pleased enough to grant me safe passage. Even though they don't know it, the hikers around me owe me a debt of gratitude for carrying Slug Pants, resulting in beautiful weather for them also. When I arrived at the White Mt Hostel this afternoon, I discarded the Slug Pants. Tomorrow's weather forecast is calling for a 90% chance of rain, with up to 3/4 inches of rain expected. Bummer. I guess the Mountain Weather Gods were still watching. I also received new trail runners that Marguerite had ordered for me from REI and had shipped to the hostel. The last pair lasted a grand total of three weeks. Three weeks! I told you the Whites were tough! They were blown out at the sides and ends of the toes and big chunks were missing from the soles. The rest of the day was spent taking care of town chores. At one point, Ramsey and Hummingbird passed on their way out of town. They had spent the weekend with friends and were getting back on-trail. Volunteer, a graybeard retired chemical engineer that I've been hiking around the past few days, arrived and was able to get a room for the night. We are watching the weather for tomorrow. If we awake to heavy rain, we plan to zero in town. The hostel is already booked up for tomorrow, so we may have to head to a motel in town. Sitting Bull and Hoops, beginning to feel the time weighing heavy as the upcoming Fall college semester looms ever larger, plan to press on tomorrow. We'll see if their resolve waivers if we are faced with heavy rain tomorrow...