Date: 2005-09-14
From: Crawford Notch

To: Mizpah Spring Hut
Miles today: 6.4

Room 7.   Had dinner last night with Rex and his buddy [¢The Secret Agent¢] They are staying at the hostel and introduced me to Chef Boyardee, who had been hiking with Lojack, but is now on his own, doing complex slack packs using a rental car as support.   Slept great but awoke to a somewhat overcast morning. Breakfast was buffet style and had all of my favorites, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, orange juice and coffee with plenty of toast. I returned for a second helping of bacon, and had a large bacon sandwich on toasted bread with lots of butter. It must have had 1,000 fat calories!   Got back to the trail head, on a promptly departing shuttle, and bade adieu to both Rex and The Secret Agent and to Chef, all heading their separate ways.   On the banks of the Saco River, I met with Yukon Jack and Hermit! Hermit had flip-flopped to Pinkham Notch to meet his girl friend and had just hiked back south. We spent some time trying to get caught up on the whereabouts of all of the various hikers, and then I started on up the Weber Cliffs.   Soon I was above the mist and was bathed in bright sunlight that was to follow me the rest of the day. It was a very, very steep climb over rocks and boulders up to the Cliffs, and then an additional climb up to the top of Mount Weber. I was soon sweating profusely and regretting the salty load of the breakfast bacon sandwich that added to my thirst. On the ascent I was passed by Lumber and Trooper NOBO thru-hikers. When I was on the cliffs they were on the summit. We could both see each other and spent some time whooping and hollering and waving our poles at each other. It was that kind of day.   The trail profile is fairly flat between Mount Weber and Mount Jackson, but in fact it is a series of rocky up and downs to the summit of Jackson. I stopped there for lunch, taking in the view, with my boots and socks off! I could see the Crawford Path all the way over to Mount Washington, in a remarkably clear and sunny day. I could also see Mizpah Spring Hut nestled in the trees at the foot of Mount Clinton.      I learned last night at the Highland Center Exhibit that the woodlands in the valleys are called ¢Hardwood Forests¢. As you ascend you enter into the ¢Boreal [Northern] Forest¢ at 3,00 ¢ 4,000 feet. Above 4,500 feet is the ¢Alpine Zone¢, so now I know the names of the various zones.   The hike from Mount Jackson to the hut here was much easier, and I even found a small trickle of water along the way that helped slacken my thirst, and I was here by early afternoon. Justin is the hut master here. We had already met at Zealand Falls Hut. I am in room #7 with Nick, who is out hiking for a few days. He is from Nantucket, and decided to hike the White Mountains because he is planning on moving soon to Ashville NC, and wanted to do this before he left. This is his first night out, and his first in a hut. A long, hard and thirsty day, but with excellent weather.   Last evening at dinner we were talking about our experiences on the hike. I was struck by how outgoing and open everybody was about their feelings. I think that the shared experience of the journey establishes a common link between all of us, and we also know that our time together is almost certainly brief.Thought for today ¢   Trail friendships are as intense as they are frequently brief!