Mile 1,801.5
Elevation 1,877.0
Miles Hiked 9.7
I’m over 1,800 miles total today!
I’m still at the hostel. I decided to slackpack (smaller pack with just water and a few supplies) from Kinsman Notch back to the hostel. The north side of the mountain is a steep, rocky and at times, dangerous climb, and it was recommended by the hostel people to go north to south for this climb.
One other hiker and I were dropped off at 8:10 AM. The beginning of the climb lived up to the warning. It was very rocky and steep. At times there were rebar handholds to assist in the climb, and wooden blocks bolted to the boulders to enable a hiker to climb. Next to the path was a waterfall, which kept parts of the trail wet. One section of the trail was just missing and all you could do is step on a small rock jutting out from the side of the mountain to get you past the missing part of the trail. I would have liked to shoot a picture of it, but I was hanging on with both hands when I crossed this section.
So, the going was very slow until I finally reached the summit. It was above the tree line, which made it very windy and somewhat cool compared to the 90 plus temperatures of the day.
After the main peak, I continued on to the second peak. I didn’t realize that the second peak was on a side trail, and I need not go up it, but I did. The view was nice, so it was worth it.
I rejoined the AT after the second peak. The first part was rocky and steep, so it was slow going, but as the elevation got lower, the trail smoothed out, and I moved faster. I was back at the hostel by 4:00 PM. The hike took me eight hours, which is about the longest it should take.
I celebrated the hike by buying a pizza and beer. I sat back and enjoyed them knowing my first encounter with a White Mountain Range mountain was over.
Tomorrow will be a zero day – no hiking. I need to recover from the big hikes of the last week.
