Month: August 2022

It is another day.
When I packed up and headed out of the campground I saw both Fat Chill and Anna (now with the trail name Moose Boots). Let’s here it again for all the solo ladies!
The hike from Mizpah Hut to Crawford Notch and the next highway was at times as steep as they come, but also frustrating. There was more overgrown trail pulling at my hair, and I lost the trail twice, walking out small side trails till I realized my error and backtracked. Come on AMC! Use some of our money to brush and adequately mark this trail please! I ran into a nobo hiker that was confused and wondering if he was on trail too, so it’s not just me.
There were views though. Weather would be moving in this afternoon, but for now the views were intact and the mountains most impressive.

I was down at the highway by mid morning and still determined to take a shower. The day was hot and humid, so I knew any refreshment I would get from my bathing would be short lived, but I didn’t care. I needed to knock some of the funk off.
It took a while, but finally a car pulled over and I met Maggie, or Risky Momma. This amazing woman had just walked from her home in Portland Maine to Chicago! She kept to roads and carried her stuff in a baby stroller, thus the “risky momma” moniker. A fellow adventurer! The ride was short to the state campground that had showers and laundry, but we exchanged Instagram handles (@margaretacrossamerica if you want to follow her too).
I walked into the campground didn’t see a person; made my over to the shower building and saw I needed quarters and soap. I didn’t have either and since I didn’t see any staff, walked around looking for campers. I met a girl and her dad from DC that took interest in my plight and they gave me some body wash. Then I met a man and his wife from Cape Cod who were also curious and he gave me a small bar of soap and changed a few dollars into quarters for me. Since I didn’t have any laundry soap I decided to take a hobo bath, or a shower with all my clothes on. Before I went in, the campground attendant Matt came around and we had a good chat. He even offered to give me a ride after I was done.
I got 10 minutes for my quarters and washed myself and my clothes multiple times. I had enough quarters left over to then stick everything in the dryer. While I waited I finished the Neil Gaiman book I had been reading and charged up my devices.
Ok, cleaned up! Next on my list was lunch. The AMC Highland Center a few miles the other direction from the trail offers thru-hikers a $6 soup, bread, and beer combo, so I had Matt drop me off there where I cashed in on the deal and hopped on wifi for a bit.

I bought a few more things in their store including some new socks. Somehow one of my pairs had gone missing this week and I found a nice colorful pair to take their place.
Then I tried hitching to get back to the trail. My thumb was out for a while, then my tyvek sign I had made, but no luck. Finally I saw a woman walking up to her truck and offered her money to take me the three miles I needed to go. I was practically in her car before she said yes . Sometimes you have to help these things along. She lived in the area and was very pleasent….and would not take my money when I put it in her center consol.
I guess it was time to hike. I kept my sandals on…I knew I had a climb, but was pleasantly surprised to find it gentle and well graded. Nice! And then I had a great flat section of boardwalks that brought me to my day’s destination at Ethan Pond. It was early, I had plenty of daylight to go further, but I really didn’t need to. This would do.

I’m glad I made it in when I did. The campsite was busy with lots of thru-hikers, summer campers, and an REI backpacking group. I was able to set up on dirt on an overflow camping spot, my choice, so I could ride out the storm without the splash backs into my tent I experienced last time it rained when I was set up on a tent platform, and the other time when I had to bail on the shelter when it got too full.
And rain it did tonight! The lightning was bright and thunder echoed in the mountains around us. What a show! But I stayed dry and fell asleep somehow while it continued into the night.

I’ve been on a trail a month today, having climbing Katadhin on July 3 and now here I am ready to climb Mt Washington on August 3. I can’t plan these things, they just are, and are beautiful.
It was a cozy night in my bunk, and at one point I woke in the night to go to the bathroom and looked out the window to see the clouds had cleared, and the big dipper perfectly framed in the window. It would be a good day.

Breakfast was oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and cornbread, and soon after eating I was huffing my way along the presidential traverse. The views were incredible…the storm had cleared all haze from the sky and I could see we were surrounded by mountains in all directions. It was a stunning day.
I felt strong and fast. It was a proper She-ra day. I reveled moving my body through space and time. This place is spectacular. Words just cant…

I pass hiker after hiker, practically floating up to 6,288′ and the summit of Mt Washington. Three trains passed me as I approached the mountain top, passengers close enough to wave at me (yes there is a train and a road people can take up to the top….I know!)

And then, people. I topped out and was overwhelmed with hundreds of tourists milling about. I made a beeline for the bathrooms and cafe. The food selection wasn’t bad and I quickly ate a piece of cheese pizza and hot dog before deciding to do a small but expensive resupply here. I just needed a few days of food to make it to my rendezvous with NEMO soon.
I saw lots of other hikers in the crowd, you can spot their ragged, tan, and dirty legs in the mix of fresh faces and white t-shirts. We also walk around with a shell-shocked look to us.
I was approached by some folks who saw me hiking up from the train, and chatted with them for a few minutes, but in general didn’t engage the crowd. I dumped my trash (you have to take advantage of every trash can you can!) and made my way outside again. The line to get your photo taken with the Mt Washington summit sign was ridiculous, so I snapped a few selfies with other parts of the summit and carried on.

The trail down to Lake of the Clouds Hut was glorious, and filled with people too. No matter, this day was probably the most view-worthy day of them all, and I was entranced.
I might even go so far as to say it was a fairy tale hiking day. If you are thru-hiking, please do yourself a favor and time your traverse right. Camp high, stay high, don’t rush it, and wait for good weather. As Model said later in the day (she passed me at the end of the afternoon), “Is this what the PCT is like all the time? Easy hiking with all these views?”
“Yes,” I replied. I had been thinking the same thing. “Yes, all the time.”

No offense AT, the presidential traverse is a small taste of what the west has, but this is a special treat because you don’t have it all the time.
But the other big difference is the people. So many people. That is the compromise.
Industrial tourism…working?
And I walked.
This was an afternoon that called for Radiohead, that heady floaty music would see me through rest of the day.

When I saw Model, I realized that I’ve met a lot of sobo solo ladies out here: Gormet, Model, Fat Chill, Anna, Teri Beri… I love it! And my girl Carrie (Anonymous) is still hiking north, now solo as Mr Pencil is motoring up to finish the trail, and she is soaking in some solo hiking time too.
It gets hot. I feel parched by the sun. Roasted even. I take out my pagna and tent it over me for shade while I break, and drape it across my shoulders when I hike again to save my already sun-scorched skin.

A few miles from camp I meet Mary and Mitch from Wisconsin. They had driven out to hike for a few days and were next headed to Acadia National Park on the Maine coast. There they would gaze at the sea and drink wine. That image was so overwhelming that I found myself yearning for the same thing: to sit and watch the waves for a while, wine glass in hand. But I was here, having the most fabulous day. That possibility will be here soon enough. Kirk and I are pretty good at doing that very thing on the Oregon coast.

Someone mentions cheese, and we go into the talk of cheese curds in Wisconsin. Mitch was from Stevens Point (my birthplace!) and we all proceeded to talk about school trips to the cheese factory…cheese really is a major part of the culture).
Ok, the day is getting long and I’m getting tired. I twisted my ankles several times today, each time quickly walking it off, but the trail is getting rockier and steeper and I need to pay attention so I don’t seriously hurt myself.
And then I get to camp on the side of Mizpah Hut with many, many other hikers.
By the time I lay down for bed I felt disgusting. It had been a week since my last shower and laundry and I felt positively sticky. I would be getting to a road tomorrow, and even though I didn’t need food anymore, I started to fantasize about washing my hair. Maybe….just maybe…

The morning came quickly and I was a good little hiker and made coffee and ate breakfast in the cook area.
If the weather was supposed to move in about 11, I wanted to give myself enough time to get up and to the hut by then. As I mentioned before, most of the next few days I’ll stay above treeline and there are few to no places to hide from a storm.
The climb was steep and sweaty through the trees, but when I popped out I could see everything: where I had to go, the notch where Madison Springs Hut was where I would be staying tonight, and even Mt Washington, where I would be tomorrow. The clouds were amassing, but I had time.

What fun! The boulders that so many nobos complained about descending were a lot of fun to climb, and they were all tucked into patches of blueberries. Occasionally I would lean over to pop a ripe one in my mouth. I love this type of hiking!!! (Let’s add a few more for good measure!!!!)

I am so excited to be up here in good weather. Some would say this is the pinnacle of the AT, some would say this is a frustratingly hard part of the AT; because I’m not trying to push miles I say it’s an awe-inspiring privilege to hike through the Whites. I love to hike uphill, I have my hiking legs now, and I keep thinking about Smog slumbering somewhere below in the mountains. This place could just be magical.

I take my time on the hike to Mt Madison, enjoying the day and the hike. After a few long breaks I can see the clouds building over Mt Washington and decide its time to head in. Each of the huts welcomes any hikers who pass by to stop, hang out, buy a cup of coffee, baked good, or cup of soup. I do all three today.
I cannot explain the exquisite luxury of laying in my bunk in the middle of the day, snug, dry, comfortable, and watching the storm move in… popping peanut m&ms while reading my new book, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Pure bliss. Knowing there is a hot meal (make that two hot meals!) coming my way and that I can just frolic outside and be in the middle of the presidential traverse makes me feel like the richest lady on earth. Now this is platinum blazing, and it’s worth every penny.

I start chatting with the woman in the bunk across from me, and you will never believe the connections, or maybe you will.
Leslie and her family are from from Ashland, Oregon. She worked a long time for Outward Bound and I know some of her good friends in Bend. She also teaches at Southern Oregon University and knows the young lady from the Fort McDermitt Shoshone Tribe that I was working with for an ONDA trip in June. (That was a very impactful volunteer trip I led to the site of a potential lithium mine that would impact the Tribe, sagegrouse, lathontan cutthroat trout, the rancher who grazes in that area, and many other plants, animals and people who live there. It’s also near the Oregon Desert Trail. Read this for more on that issue).
So yes, my circles of life overlap out here. Maybe not so surprising after all, but it reminds me that I’m where I should be, doing what I should be doing, and making connections all the while.
I spent the rest of the afternoon making a big dent in my book, working on a puzzle, and talking with other hut guests (there are about 50 of us!)
Dinner was a ruckus affair, the menu was enchiladas, complete with bread, salad, green beans, rice, and chocolate cake for desert.
Worth every penny.

I woke from my nest in the trees and made quick order of my morning chores. I had a breakfast to get to! I knew better than to hike on an empty stomach, and quickly poured a smashed pop tart down the gullet. And I’m glad I did. The first 0.7 miles took a loooong time. I was still descending Wildcat and it was slow going.

The sound of traffic egged me on, but the hiking was not quick. When I got to level ground I still had a mile to go, and the mile was choked with roots and rocks, so it slowed my roll.
I got to the visitors center just after 8am, and found a bathroom to clean up in…and put on a dry sports bra and shirt….that feels so much better! Up to the cafe where I find there is no breakfast, maybe because it is a Monday morning. They only made enough for the overnight guests, but offered that I could still pay the $13 and eat what was left. When I looked over the very slim pickings, I didn’t even see $5 worth of food. Fortunately their deli opened at 9:30 so I’d only have to wait an hour for real food.

I purchased some expensive snacks from the gift shop and went outside to hang out on a picnic table, eating a chocolate bar to curb the beast.
Lots and lots of shiny and clean day hikers milled about. I could smell their soaps and deodorant on the breeze….ahh tourists.
At 9:30 I head back in to find they haven’t finished unloading their bread delivery so it will be another hour till I can eat. Sigh. I only have 5 more miles to hike today and planned on hanging out here for a long time, so resign myself to being hungry for a while longer.
I head into the dining room and post up next to some other hikers and charge my electronics. Crazy Eyes and Aces were nobos, both from the Midwest. We had a good chat and when I mentioned my name, Crazy Eyes knew me! He had listened to several podcasts that I had been on over the years. Very cool, and I may have another Oregon Desert Trail hiker on my hands after I explained what I do in real life. He was finishing up his triple crown and it sounded like a route would be a good next step for him. Nice!
After lunch I had had enough of the front country, so put my pack on and waddled away from the people, electricity, and good smelling soaps. I had a very full belly after the deli finally opened and I ate and ate and ate.
I was looking for an easy-breezy afternoon, so to put me into the mood, hit play on a yacht rock playlist I had just downloaded.
The walking was most excellent and mild. There was a bit of climbing and just after I crossed the road to the summit of Mt. Washington heard some movement off to my left. I saw a hairy something! I gave a shout and looked again, not a bear, but a moose! My first moose! Then I hid and backtracked because you don’t want to anger a moose, they can be mean and definitely can be more dangerous to encounter than a bear. I tried to keep some trees between its line of sight and me, and finally it moved on and I skidaddled down the trail.
At the next stream I stopped for a break. I had tons of time to make my destination, so started reading another new book I had downloaded from the library at home.

Soon I was joined by a nobo, Warehouse, for a bit. He was a sweet kid from Texas and in a short time we got pretty deep into it….trail philosophy if you will.
Then onward. I arrived at Osgood Campground about 3pm, and had the rest of the afternoon to set up and do some more reading. I would only have 3 miles to hike tomorrow to the next hut where I would wait out the storm and pretend I was a good-smelling tourist, but those 3 miles were straight up, and it sounded like a brutally steep climb. Definitely a mile-an-hour type of trail.
I was all alone until just before dark when a bunch of people arrived, just having come down from the presidential traverse. A group of girls squeezed themselves onto my tent platform, as I tried to sleep.
Finally I did.