Date: 2006-07-22
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Stream near Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a full day, with a lot of highs and lows (no pun intended). It started good- I slept in. The shelter was pretty high up, so it was cool and not very buggy. It started raining later in the day, and I almost regretted skipping the Glencliff hiker hostel, which is $10 a night and a half mile off the trail. The climb up Mt. Moosilauke is the biggest climb northbound thru-hikers will have had in a long time, and boy, was it a rude awakening and welcome to the Whites. It started bad, even before I had begun climbing, because the trail was poorly marked. It spilled out into this farmer's field, and I had no idea which way to go. I spent a frustrating twenty minutes or so wandering around on tractor and deer paths, and retracing my steps. Even when I got back on the trail I wasn't sure it was the right path, because the blazes were few and far between, and looked to be about ten years old. As I climbed it got cooler, and by the time I approached treeline (yes, this is the first time the trail goes above treeline for NOBO's!), I decided it was time to dig out my rain jacket to avoid getting too cold. I hadn't worn (or even carried) my rain jacket since the South, but I was glad to have it now! On top of the mountain the wind was raging, and the rain felt like sleet. I struggled to keep my balance, and my fingers became numb. It was hard to believe I had been battling heat and mosquitoes a few hours earlier! Now from this description you might guess that this was one of the more trying times of the day, but being on top of that mountain in those conditions was really exciting for me, and the danger element had me pumped.After I got back down below treeline and out of the gale-force wind I realized that my pack cover was gone. It had been ripped off my pack without me even noticing! All I could do was hope that I made it to camp before all my gear became completely soaked.I was planning on staying at a shelter about a third of the way down the backside of the mountain, but when I got there, it was packed wall-to-wall. I hadn't seen a shelter that crowded since, well, ever. Even the couple of tent-sites that had been carved into the side of the mountain were occupied. Everybody there had switched into "survival mode." I've seen it before in similar conditions, where all you care about is getting yourself warm and dry, and you become completely oblivious to what's going on around you. Nobody even seemed to notice that I was there. I'm sure part of it was due in part to maybe a sense of embarrassment that "we're all cozy in here, and you're out there.." Anyway, I pushed on, proceeding down what was probably the steepest descent I've encountered yet. The trail basically parallels a waterfall on its way down. In spots rebar spikes are used to fasten wooden footholds into rock slabs. pretty intense! It was only a mile or so (straight) down, but when I reached the bottom my legs were shaking. I ended up finding a very nice campsite under some pines next to a stream, and although it was the first time I'd had to set up camp in the rain (normally if it's already started raining I'll try to get to a shelter), I had a comfortable night. My sleeping bag was mostly dry, and my body heat was sufficient to dry it out the rest of the way overnight.