Mailing Address

One view was the missing Man in the Mountain, NH's state symbol. All that is left is a white spot on the cliff where he was watched over the freeway.

All that climbing really wore us out. Coming down from Garfield the trail was actually a water course, steep and rough with big rock drops. A sign said "Public Water Source. No Washing"! We didn't wash but did try to hike and climb in the water...not easy!

As we were looking for a suitable location to camp we found other hikers looking, too. Ken found a good site off the trail so we could not be seen. Something in the woods makes a continuous sound like a clock ticking, but we haven't figured out what it is. For the second time on this hike we saw the moon. The phase, clouds and trees were all in synch for this to happen. Outstanding hiking!

Hiking was more like class 2 or 3 bouldering. We had to pull ourselves up very almost vertical rock walls using hand holds. That was so exhausting that when we reached Zealand Hut a little after 2 pm we were exhausted enough to consider stopping for the day. We asked for work-for-stay at the hut but were told to keep on moving.

The miles from there were very easy because the trail followed an old railroad bed. That was just what we needed! We contoured the hillside with a river below us which is unusual on the AT so we enjoyed the rest of the day.

As we climbed the cloud ceiling lowered to meet us in a saddle right before Mt Monroe. The fog was blowing horizontally and when we walked into it we were pelted with heavy raindrops. The south side of plants, rocks and us stayed dry.
Lake of the Clouds was the next shelter. This is the largest of the AMC huts. It loomed directly in front of us in the fog before we expected it. We dashed inside, poured a hot drink and asked for work for stay. If we swept, set the table, and cleared dishes we would get dinner leftovers and could sleep on the table. The hard part was waiting to go to bed.

Weather is cold, wet and extremely windy. We listened to the wind howl and bang, gusts up to 50 mph with a wind chill factor of 28* for hiking.

The day was absolutely beautiful, clear, and bug-free with world-class views of a line of peaks - Mtns Clay, Jefferson, Adams, & Madison.

When we left the Lake of the Clouds to climb 1.5 miles to the summit the wind was at our backs and we flew up the tough rocky trail, topped out and immediately headed for the visitor center. Just as we arrived at the top the clouds covered the peak. We waited about 15 minutes for the cloud to pass. Looking through windows was the best way to enjoy Mt Washington. We were part of the crowd that drove up or took the cog train up. Two weddings were scheduled and the place was a zoo. We needed to stand on the deck for 15 min to make certain that our picture was taken and we only lasted about 2 minutes! It was just to cold and windy. You can visit the webcam atop Mt Washington by going here: http://www.mountwashington.org/cam/deck/index.php# 

6288' Mt Washington is the point at which 3 weather systems converge or collide with stormy results. The all time high temperature is 68* and it holds the record for fastest wind speed ever recorded at 231 mph. July and August are its least windy months. The average wind speed is only 25 mph.

We eventually had to hike on, so we geared up and bravely set forth moving as fast as we could. We reached Madison Springs Hut at 4 pm and ducked in for shelter, wimped out and asked work-for-stay. The hut was full and other hikers got the jobs so we went out into the gorgeous but cold and windy day again. We rock scrambled up 500' to the to of Mt Madison, over and down as the wind increased in intensity. We were glad to drop below tree line to get a break from the wind but sad that the spectacular views were over.

We kept moving and found a free campsite at Osgood Tent Site on a tent platform. Our timing was perfect as we got set up, filtered water, cooked and ate just as darkness fell.

We hiked down to Pinkham Notch where the AMC trail crew training facility and visitor center is located. We had heard about all-you-can-eat meals there. We arrived just before they opened for lunch. That gave us time to check the weather on Mt Washington. Wow, it was even worse than when we were up there. Overnight the temperature dropped to 24* (a record low for Aug 23) with freezing fog. This morning the temp was 34, wind was 71 mph with 84 mph gusts. The wind chill was 2*. Glad we made it through yesterday. We would have been frozen kites along that ridge today.

After eating lots of lunch we climbed up Wildcat Ridge. Several times we were on exposed granite faces with strong wind gusts. We just hung on tight until the gusts subsided. We found water and free camping in Carter Notch. We also found howling wind blowing through the notch. After the tent was up we climbed in and zipped the door shut. We were cozy and slept well until we heard sprinkles early in the morning.

We climbed steeply out of Carter Notch to the top of Carter Dome here we could see Mt Washington with fog obscuring the top. From Carter Dome we climbed to Mt Hight passing trail junction that contoured around the peak. The AT, of course climbed steeply up the peak, then steeply down. Steeply means using hand and feet to climb up or down.

Lunch was at Imp Campsite with several section hikers - all southbound. At that point all that stood between us and Gorham was Mt Moriah and 8.8 miles. From the top of Mt Moriah there was a trail of 4.6 miles directly into Gorham. The AT took a longer steeper route off the mountain. We finally reached good trail the last 3 miles to US 2. We got a ride into town with an employee of a local outfitter. After stopping at McD's we called a motel and the owner picked us up so we didn't have to walk. After showers, laundry, and a comfy bed we are feeling better.

The motel "sold" us bikes for $1. You can imagine what condition they are in. The first bike I took was so bad I wanted to walk it home from the post office. Another thing I learned is that skinny hikers don't have the required padding on their seats to ride bikes. Ooh, that hurts.

When we picked up packages at the post office we had had 3 boxes and a letter we weren't expecting. Plus the 5 we expected. What a haul! We will enjoy the cookies and trail mix.

We want to get an early start tomorrow. Only 16 miles left in NH!

...Gottabike