Hello from the summit of Mt. Moosilauke (12:15 pm) ... Hello from the summit of Mt. Moosilauke (5:15 pm). This is what happens when you follow a crowd of sweet-smelling day hikers instead of reading the trail sign yourself: you descend for 2 hours, losing over 1,000 feet of elevation only to have to turn around and climb back up to the summit a second time! I was lucky in that it was supposed to have been a short day, so I wasnt at the limit of my endurance when I made the disconcerting discovery that I had been descending the wrong side of the mountain all that time. I still had energy and daylight to make the return trip, though I wasnt able to get into the town of Woodstock, NH, tonight as I had planned. Its only another mile and a half from here, but its an exceedingly difficult mile and a half. I stopped only for 10 minutes on the summit the second time to get some nutrition in me and put the pack down for a couple of minutes (the picture is from the first trip up, where the trail sign is painfully clear now that I look at it). I had told myself that if I could reach the shelter on the way down by 6:30 pm, I would continue straight on into town. But I didnt get here until 7:08. That meant I was too slow coming off the summit, and I would only get slower as I tired, and the sun set behind the mountain, and the trail got more difficult. The section I still have to descend has slippery granite slopes, some rebar rungs banged into the smooth rock, some giant slippery steps between nailed log stairs, and other fascinations. I figured I shouldnt attempt it while fatigued. The counter-balance to that is that it is supposed to rain tomorrow. It was a toss-up to try it while its still dry this evening or risk having to do it when its slippery in the morning if it rains earlier than predicted. I hope I chose correctly! Moosilauke is the first of the White Mountains, and it was everything Ive been looking forward to--cooler air, breezy, fewer bugs, fun rock hopping, endless mountain views. Love it! So before todays navigation debacle, I spent a lovely 2 1/2 days hiking through Vermont with my friend, Laura. The predicted rains largely held off and we had some beautiful weather and a nice stop at The Inn at Long Trail. I finished up Vermont on my own and headed across the Connecticut River, which marks the boundary between Vermont and New Hampshire. I didnt get in to the town of Hanover, NH, quite as early in the day as I thought I would, so I missed coffee at The Dirt Cowboy Cafe, but made up for it in other ways. Hanover was so very hiker friendly. Three separate homes on the way into town had snacks waiting outside for hikers as we followed the trail/road into the center of town. One had a long list of names and cell phone numbers for people who were willing to take in hikers and/or shuttle us around. Unfortunately, there were no Bill Bryson sightings (he lives there). The Dartmouth food co-op: excellent grocery store. I could have gone a little crazy there if I wasnt careful. I decided to skip the list of trail angels and head into the woods to the first shelter, which was less than a mile from town. Even then, a man stopped me just before I hopped on the trail, said he noticed me in town because I was favoring my left hip (which happens when Im tired) and offered me a shower at his place (he was careful to say he and his wife lived only a block away.). I thanked him but declined because that would have meant night-hiking again. On my way in, I passed two guys who were on their way up to the shelter with guitars to entertain us! One of them did a dead-ringer of Eddie Vedders voice. I could have listened to him sing all night, but some of the other campers were anxious to sleep, so they quit pretty early. Hanover: Great Place! The next morning... Yes! Right call on waiting until the morning to make that last bit of the descent. It was a rough one, but it did not rain overnight so was as dry as it probably gets. I encountered a woman who had fallen and dislocated her shoulder. A group of high-school adventurers had already stopped with her and called for help, and I called again farther down when I didnt see anyone of their way up to her. I saw her again later, all smiles. An ER nurse happened along and popped it back in. I used to know how to do that but had forgotten--time to refresh on that wilderness first aid! So after encountering her, I went painfully slowly down the rest for fear of becoming the trails next victim. Next mountain is Kinsman, which I also have already climbed. I realize I wont be making very much progress on the 48 4,000-footers in New Hampshire. Most of the ones that fall along the trail, I have already climbed. Thats OK. Maybe a future goal for when/if I return to the East Coast.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 15:40:45 +0000
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