Date: 2003-09-11
From: Franconia Notch, NH - Mount Washington, NH

To: Franconia Notch, NH - Mount Washington, NH
Miles today: 40.3
Weather: broken clouds

Franconia Notch - Mount Washington40.3 miles (1840.2 miles)We did all our chores early on day 160. We did laundry, got groceries, and ate as much as we could. I tried a Moxie for the first time in 15 years. It looked like it could rain. There was some discussion about staying another night to avoid the rain, but I needed to leave.We hitched out, and had to walk a mile along the bike path to get back to the trail. It was a long, grinding 3 miles to get to our destination, a tentsite with platforms on the side of the steep slope. It was sprinkling when we arrived. I had to figure out how to tie my tent down to the platform. There was also an $8 fee to stay there. It was a chilly night on the side of the mountain.I woke up cold on day 161. We left and climbed a steep .3 to Franconia Ridge, the followed the ridge up and down for a while. It eventually climbed up to treeline to reveal a amazing view. The mountains were all around, and the sky was cloudless. Everything was perfect. The trail dipped down a little, then over Mt. Lincoln, and finally over Mt. Lafayette. It was about 3 miles above treeline with beautiful panoramic views of the mountains. We could even see where the Old Man of the Mountain used to sit.We finally climbed steeply down from treeline into a valley for lunch. The trail bounced up and down, and finally back up to Mt. Garfield for another fantastic view. I couldn't have asked for a nicer day! But it was slow and tough hiking. We came down from Garfield exhausted. The descent was crazy. It was early, we weren't near our goal, but we were done. We did a couple slow miles, and found a small site just big enough for a few tents. It was getting cold again. I was tired and fell asleep quickly.We left our tentsite on day 162, and ascended a half mile to the Galehead Hut. I got some hot chocolate to warm me up. From there we ascended another mile to South Twin Mountain. Willow, Last Minute, and I had fallen in line with a fun group who we met on the peak: Pipes, Phlegm, Blip, Superman?, Torch, Sleepy Floyd, and Iron Chef. It was another amazing morning of great views. From the peak, the trail did a surprisingly level 2 miles to Mt. Guyot. The trail passed over a boulder field right at treeline. Then it bounced around and dropped to the Zealand Falls Hut, where we stopped for a late lunch.The profile and a sobo told us the upcoming trail was very easy. If we could do 8 miles, we'd be back on schedule. We left the hut just before 3:00, wondering how easy it really was. The trail followed an old railroad bed, almost flat for 5 miles. We did that in under 2 hours.   It felt so good not to be climbing. We stopped at the shelter briefly, then did a fairly easy descent down into Crawford Notch. I had attained a list of free stealth campsites in the Whites, and we found a great one. We had done a 15.5 mile day through the Whites! Incredible!We were out by 7:30 on day 163. The morning climb was long and tough. My leg muscles were burning. I felt like I was back in Georgia, getting my legs in shape. We climbed Mt. Webster, then followed some steep ups and downs. We climbed Mt. Jackson, then down the granite rock face. Finally we hit Mizpah hut where we stopped for lunch. We were moving so slow over this terrain.The trail then climbed Mt. Pierce right at treeline, then followed the ridge for miles. It was cold and windy. We watched as Mt. Washington got closer and closer. The ground was barren of all except rocks. It was like walking on the moon. Way off to the east, the Atlantic Ocean was visible.   It was fun to be above treeline at 5:00 in the afternoon, knowing that I had shelter nearby. I didn't want the evening hike to ever end. We got to Lakes of the Clouds Hut, and asked to sleep in "the dungeon". The gave us a bunk in the tiny basement for $8. It was tough watching all the paying guests eat the delicious meals, but I had a view of Mt. Washington from my bunk. Mars was shining bright just above the horizon.I had one of my best night's sleep in the dungeon before waking up on day 164. The full moon was just over the purple mountains above. It was only 1.6 miles to the peak of Mt. Washington. It wasn't a hard ascent, as most of the work had been done the day before. We climbed most over boulder fields, which were a little slick with the clouds rolling by. We hit the summit at 8:30am.The Whites are incredible! All the rain in the south, foot pain in Pennsylvania, and sore legs are completely worth it for the amazing things we are seeing here every day. The weather could not be more perfect. This is our reward. 332.4 miles to Katahdin!