Date: 2017-10-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Oct 2,2017. Today was a zero day due to my sore back. I stayed in the Hostel in Gorham, NH. Have taken one Aleve tablet about every 8 hours and can move around pretty well considering all and all. Usually I'm flat on my back for a good 3 days before I can start to get around without too much pain. Also today I was able to send home my hiking shoes as I have purchased another new pair, these being my fourth for the hike. The old ones may not have much tread left on them but will be good enough to mow lawn in. Also was able to enjoy a little nap in the afternoon. Tuesday October 3rd.I left the hostel with Paul at 7 am. He drove me back to Pinkham Notch so I could continue hiking south towards Massachusetts. I hiked from the Notch up Mt. Madison to a hut called Madison Spring Hut. The Hut is closed for the season, which I knew, but I can camp next to the Hut and get water from the stream in front of the building. Hiked 7.8 miles today. Most of it was up hill. The last 2 miles was above tree line and nothing but rocks to walk on which was hard on my back. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little easier and after a good nights rest my back will be able to withstand the constant jarring. Living on Aleve.Oct. 4th. Wednesday Winds blew all night long on top of Mount Madison. Got on the trail at 8 am. Hiked up and over Mt. Jefferson. The hiking requires that you step from rock to rock very carefully. At one time I missed putting my foot squarely on top of the rock and instead went down between two rocks and banged my ankle bone against a rock. It hurt like h.... Oh well, as a friend of mine says, "just walk it off". As the day progressed so did the pain on that bone. I climbed Mt. Washington and was amazed at the scenery when at the top. Mt. Washington is known for the most sever weather in the United States. Winds have been clocked at over 230 mph. The weather conditions up there can change in a matter of minutes. It was an awesome place. It's height is 6,288 feet and you can see forever. But at the same time it was a culture shock with all the hustle bustle of civilization. You can drive up there, hike up there or take the Cog Railroad up there. Needless to say I walked. I did my picture at the summit and then went into the concession area and sat down next to two couples that were visiting the mountain. One couple is from NH and the other couple is from Hawaii and visiting the first couple. They were so kind to buy me lunch as they could see how hungry and thirsty I was. Thanks again to them for their generosity. Soon after that I hit the trial down from the mountain as I heard the winds were to reach 100 miles per hour that evening. Made my way down about a mile and a half to an AMC Hut called Lake Of The Clouds. The Hut is closed but there is a basement room for hikers if needed. It's called "The Dungeon". It's like a prison cell. The room was 12 feet by 12 feet, one little window and a big iron door that creaks when being opened. Smells musty and feels damp. But with the approaching weather it will be good to be inside. As I went to bed at 7 pm, it was starting to rain and winds were picking up.Oct 5 Thursday Woke up at 7am from a restless nights sleep in the Dungeon. The wind whipped all night. Some rain as well. Heard the next day that winds were approaching 100 miles per hour at the top of mount Washington. We might have had 60 mph. This Hut is also closed except for a couple of workers closing the place up for the winter. They let us use the restrooms and get water before they shut the water off the next day. The morning was very windy, foggy and spitting rain. I started out walking in full rain gear and fighting to stay upright against the strong winds. Today my plan was to hike to Mizpah Hut which is open. Once I got to the Hut, I learned that they were expecting a school group of 50 kids to spend the night there. I decided to continue hiking to a road crossing about another 5 miles away. Part of the trail came up to cliffs that overlooked a valley 1000 feet below. Beautiful views but a little scary at the same time. Suffice to say I stayed as far back as I could from the edge. I stealth camped between a river and highway 302. Oct 6 Friday Did some doctoring this morning on my sore ankle and on my little toe on my left foot. The toenail is getting ready to fall off and yesterday when changing socks, ( I always change socks at lunch time to prevent blisters from damp socks), I accidentally snagged the nail and ripped it half off. So I put some Neosporin on it and a band aid and also wrapped my ankle bone with some athletic KT tape. Left camp at 9 am just as it started to rain. I stopped walking and put on my rain pants and jacket. After an hour of walking in the rain it stopped so I took off the rain gear. Hiked for about another hour when it started to rain again. So again I put on my rain gear only to take it off after about half an hour. At 2 pm I reached Zealand Hut, which is an AMC run Hut. These are nice buildings that you can stay in, for pay, and then you get a full dinner, breakfast and a bunk to sleep in and a bathroom. I can regroup and plan out my strategy for the next couple of days. Looks like I'll hike 8 miles tomorrow and end up at Galehead Hut. I will try to use as many of the "Huts" as possible till I'm out of the White Mountains.Bad news!!!! Just heard of some wildfires near Kinsman Ridge, ( a couple of days away), that I may have to deal with. We'll see when I get closer to that area. By the way, for the people worried about my diet, I am eating better with more protein in my diet. I feel great. My wounds are healing and back feels a lot better.Sat. October 7. I still have no service so what I do is record my journal in notes, on my phone, and when I have good service I'll send these all out together. Today I hiked 7 miles to Galehead Hut. It's another AMC run Hut. I started at 7:30 and arrived here at 12:30. Nice to arrive when I did as it has started to rain and the fog is settling in. The rocks were wet which makes the hiking slower, but better safe than sorry. The Hut is full, ( capacity of 36 ), with weekend hikers and so is quite noisy. Had a wonderful supper and am now ready for bed. Tomorrow weather is suppose to be rain, fog and windy. Not good to enjoy scenery. Also will be going quite slowly. Will need to resupply soon.By the way, Black Sheep, you'd enjoy climbing these mountains in the Whites. All rock and many of the peaks I go over are well above 4000 feet.Need to go now. Raining again.