Total trail mileage: 1793.4
Starting location: NH 25
Ending location: Gordon Pond Trail
Weather: 61-82 degrees during the day. Party cloudy in the morning.
Cloudy with on and off drizzle in the afternoon.
I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=44.069671,+-71.760315
After a late start I began the long climb up to Mt. Moosilauke. It
was long (I think the single longest ascent so far on the trip), but
it wasn't as bad as I had feared. The climb was mostly gradual most
of the way. And, the view from the top was absolutely fantastic. It
was easily the best view I have seen since Tinker Cliffs or the
Greyson Highlands or the Roan Highlands. It had a 360 degree view of
all the mountains in the area. We could even see Mt. Washington in
the distance.
Part of why the view was so great is that this was the first point on
the trip where the trail goes above treeline. The trail reached
higher altitudes (Mt. Moosilauke was only 4800 feet), but at lower
latitudes the tree line is much higher. For example, I think treeline
in the Smokeys was at 8000 feet.
The descent was much steeper than going up, but it wasn't as bad as
people made it sound. There was a sign at the top saying "This trail
is extremely slippery when icy or wet. Please use caution and
consider an alternate trail". At the bottom, I looked back and saw a
sign that said "This trail is extremely tough. If you lack experience
please use another trail. Take special care at the Cascades to avoid
tragic results.". Yes, there were a few spots that a wrong step would
result in going over the waterfall (the flowing water was maybe 6
inches from the trail), but it really wasn't that bad. It was just
slow going.
Today had a lot of elevation gain and loss. I'd take a day like this
almost anytime over a flat trail. It is much more interesting and
reaching the summit or reaching the bottom of a steep downhill feels
like much more of an accomplishment than finishing X number of miles.
Well, I am not sure if I was already in the Whites before, but I am
definitely in the White Mountain National Park now. Today was the
first time I noticed one of the national park signs.
My jacket worked much better as a wind shirt than I had hoped. It was
really windy on Moosilauke and was getting quite cold (the temperature
dropped considerably as I gained altitude). The jacket cut down on
the wind considerably and was all I needed to put on as I spent a bit
of time sitting at the summit. One nice thing about the cooler
temperatures was that there were very few bugs today :)
I saw a red-headed woodpecker today. I heard some tapping noises
while hiking and I thought that it was treking poles of another
hiker. Then I came around a bend and saw some stuff fall from a
tree. I looked up and there was the woodpecker. When it noticed me
it took off.
Tomorrow is the first time I will hit one of the AMC huts. In this
section there are very few shelters, most of the campsites cost money,
and stealth camping is limited because the forest is dense or the
trail is above treeline. The huts are large bunkhouses (50 - 100
people) and the crew prepares food. But, they are around $100 a
night. Fortunately there are often a couple work-for-stay positions
if I can manage to grab one. Also, Southbounders have been telling us
the tricks to get a spot or to get free food. So, I'll see how this
goes, but I can never plan on food or a spot to sleep.
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