Date: 2008-07-08
From: Grafton Notch to Upton Rd 10.3 MI.

To: Upton Rd to So. Arm Rd, 10.2 mi
Miles today: 10.2

Tuesday, July 8 Upton Rd to So. Arm Rd., 10.2 mi.Today dawned cloudy and close, looking as if it would be raining imminently. But the clouds passed, and we were left with another hot one, warmer than yesterday and equally full of biting insects. I has slept anxiously, feeling vulnerable after the breathing problems going up Baldpate, and unsure of my ability to manage Moody Mountain, todeay¢s piece du resistance. Dread sure makes for a lousy undertone while hiking and camping with new found friends.I remembered my growing edge while hiking with V8, which was to ,¢Suck it up!¢ on occasion. I rallied for the day and joined the others for breakfast and the lunch prep routine. Yvonne, Signage and I loaded into the car and Mary Anne drove us to our start back at Upton Rd.I carried a regular backpack today, which rode much better than the oversized lumbar pack I took yesterday. This one was a Northface Skareb, a very light internal frame pack that allowed air flow between the frame and my constantly sweaty back. We were on the trail by 8, which was a good thing as the trail was again, strenuous, with a good deal of rock climbing and descending. Most memorable was the ascent up Moody Mtn., which came after 7 miles of hiking. We had just forded a calf-deep Sawyer Brook in our Crocs and Waldies. I was sitting on the rather steep shore at te base of the mountain, getting my boots back on, when I decided to get started ahead of the others. I wanted so much not to be lagging behind, and I knew I needed a head start in order to avoid that. So, I scrambled up the rest of the embankment, telling the others that I would be up ahead until they caught up. The first few switchbacks were graded fairly easily, and I strode rapidly uphill to the first of what turned out to be many, many rock faces. I pulled myself up the first one and immediately faced another. This one was a rock fall, huge boulders piled indiscriminently together, with white arrows indicating the direction of travel. Black mud clung to the crevices, and new green plant life sprung forth. The skies were darkening, and the overall effect was quite ominous. In about 15 minutes I heard the others coming up behind me. They, too, were climbing and breathing, climbing and resting, the only way a person could hope to progress up that incline. I saw a wooden ladder made out of logs, and climbed it to the next landing. Then there were metal bars driven into the rock face, making another kind of ladder for us. Without them, it would have been impossible to climb without technical gear. We all commiserated at that point, muttering about being hikers, not mountaineers. Overall, it was about a mile of extemely steep uphill climbing. I was able to do it, fueled partly by anger and frustration. I was concerned that the descent would be similar, but the other side was quite graciously graded, and far more user-friendly than the ascent. Signage, being of shorter legs than I am, had a tougher time climbing and I was in good company when we got to the car for the ride back to camp. Three beat puppies. We had an amazing dinner that night: grilled, marinated vegetables and beef tenderloin. I again, went off to wash up and get to bed as soon as I could, as I knew the next morning was going to be Old Blue and environs, a notoriously steep climb, with severe thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon. The night was a bit warmer than the last, but at ground level, the tent cooled off just enough for me to feel comfortable sleeping.