Date: 2006-08-05
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Almost US2, Gorham
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, as hoped for, the morning view is as spectacular as the evening view. And, with no one snoring, the white noise of the waterfall, and a great sleeping temperature, I got the best night's sleep I've had in days. I want to get on the trail early today to make it into Gorham. It's 12 miles but it's supposed to be easy (but poorly maintained rumor has it) trail. I eat the bland potatoes for breakfast to carb up, enjoy the view as long as possible while packing up and get on the trail before 8.The trail doesn't seem that bad. No really steep climbs. The bog logs around Dream Lake are under water so even though it's a beautiful day, my feet are gonna get wet. (This sucks because I put on clean dry socks today as the tops of my toes started to blister yesterday from all the downhill friction of wet socks on them.)I stop for a snack and a break at Peabody Brook. Then onto Wocket Ledge. Now the anxiety of the Whites begins as I get my first real clear view of them. But I just take a picture of them. Down the ledge. This blows. It's very steep bouldering. I thought I was done with that in the Mahoosuc Notch.Anyway, I decided to have lunch at the Trident Col Campsite, maybe dry out my shoes and socks. Well, the campsite is farther away than I like to hike for lunch and there's no platforms that I can see, but I find a nice place to sit down, tune in to the radio and have lunch. I also get some water from the adjacent brook, which is the best looking water I've seen in a long time. The sky is so blue and the weather is so perfect after so many days of rain. I am soaking it up. In fact, I can feel my legs getting pink. Yep, I have acquired quite a lovely hiker's tan. Okay. Gorham calls. Back on the trail. As I leave this campsite, I enter the overgrowth of New Hampshire christmas trees, raspberry bushes, and other shrubs and trees. I begin groaning and grunting and saying words that can't be published as I get frustrated with being slapped in the face with branches. My legs are scratchy and itchy as they fight to find the trail. My hiking poles get tangled in the vines and thus trip me up. No falling though.I meet two nobos who crack me up. They are Bill E. Goat from NY and Tinkerbell from Tupelo, MS. These two men couldn't me more mismatched for each other, but they truly seem to enjoy each other and joke about their culture exchange. After talking to them for a few minutes, I hiked along chuckling to myself about the encounter for a good 10 minutes. One thing that I did learn from these men was that I would be able to get radio signal now that I am out of the col. So happy to tune into country music tunes for awhile. Something I've missed for most of the last month. Hiking along, listening to music, I think that I hear people talking, not the radio. I look around and see two hikers coming toward me. We speak pleasantries to each other and then I realize that this guy looks familiar to me. I ask him his name and for some reason he tells me his real name. I ask him his trail name, which is Uber Dude. I met him at Trail Days playing Ultimate Frisbee. We have a great conversation, but I feel for him as he has to rush through ME in order to be finished with his hike before he begins grad school. His advice to me is that if I don't have an external deadline to finish the trail, don't put internal deadlines to make a set number of miles each day. If I'm tired and have the resources to stop, then find a place and stop. Don't stress my body.This turns out to be very appropriate advice. After climbing up Mt. Hayes and again getting a view of the Whites, I am more anxious about my future hiking conditions than ever. And I am getting tired. There are some rough stretches on the last three miles into Gorham. It is getting late. I am feeling light headed; I've been having an anxiety attack as I am hiking about whether or not I can do this. I decide that at the next water source I'll look for a place to hang my hammock. I need to rest and calm my nerves. It's more important to me to stop and collect myself than to press on the one mile (even if I am out of dinners and mountain money, i.e. TP). Besides, it may be a hard hitch into Gorham late in the evening. I eat some peanut m & m's and crawl into the hammock for the night. My feet and legs are aching so bad it takes me a while to get comfortable. I read for a little bit and then fall asleep.