August 11th, 2018, New Hampshire
I started my hike one month ago—July 11th. The time has flown and it’s hard to believe a month has passed. Poet (from Shaw’s in Monson) advised us to take our time in Maine and New Hampshire and make up time later in the hike. I thought it was good advice at the time and, based on my pace, seem to be following it.
Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of the meteors last night: too many trees and too tired!
I started from the Osgood Tent Site at the base of Mt Madison and I got on the trail before 7am. It wasn’t long before I was above tree line. Almost the whole day was above tree line which is unusual. It also made for spectacular views.
We were fortunate today with the weather. It was clear with light winds until some high clouds moved overhead mid afternoon.
The climb up Mt. Madison reminded me a little of my first day—climbing Mt. Katahdin. It was basically a steady climb up a giant rock slide.
Just on the far side of the mountain was Madison Spring Hut. I arrived at 9:20 and they had scrambled eggs and oatmeal left over. The eggs were great but the oatmeal didn’t have any salt or sweetener. Despite this it still tasted good—just as raw calories I think.
While I ate I watched one of the workers packing up boxes and trash to be carried out. She strapped everything to a crude wooden frame with leather shoulder straps—which is how things are brought up and down. There were two more of these packs already lined up and ready to be carried down.
I continued on from the hut toward Mt Washington, the second highest peak east of the Mississippi. The highest peak is Clingman’s Dome in North Carolina and is also on the Appalachian Trail. However, given the climate and geography, Mt. Washington is apparently famous for having, reportedly, the “world’s worst weather.” I was happy to have a good weather day.
It was a Saturday and Mt. Washington is a popular destination for visitors and day hikers. There is an auto road all the way to the top as well as a cog railway to bring visitors up and down. As I approached Mt. Washington for what seemed like hours, I watched cars heading up the road and heard the cog railroad going up and down.
I reached the summit around 1:30pm and worked my way through the crowds to the cafeteria. You had a choice between pizza, chili, and hot dogs. I went with pizza and chili. It wasn’t anything to write home about but was filling and welcome.
Outside, there was a long line of people waiting to take a picture next to the summit sign. I didn’t wait and decided to just take a picture of the people.
On the way down from the summit I passed Lake of the Clouds Hut but didn’t stop in. It was only 2pm and I wanted to get a bit further before stopping.
I continued for almost five more miles to Mizpah Hut and Nauman Tentsite. I would have stopped sooner but didn’t come across anywhere suitable to camp. On the way in I passed Thor, who was already set up in his tent. I was surprised that I had caught up with him because he hikes faster than me. I guess he just hiked for a shorter period and has longer to rest in camp. I came in with a hiker called Chaco who was heading northbound. We stopped at the caretaker’s tent to register. Many of the official camp sites in the Whites require a small fee per person. The caretaker assigned us an area to set up our hammocks near two other NOBOs already there. We exchanged some details about upcoming sections while getting set up. There was a raucous group staying at the hut nearby. They were having a great time but thankfully they settled down shortly after dark.
And here are some other interesting things I passed by on my hike today.
