Day 106 Into the Presidential Range

I slept very well last night. The rain let up around 11pm and I was able to sleep pretty much straight through until 6:30AM. 

We started hiking around 7:45 and had 5 flat and downhill miles before stopping and hitch hiking 5 miles to a visitor center where we had a supply drop waiting for us. On the way we passed a branch of the Pemigewasset River and a scenic pond called Ethan Pond. 




We then made it to the road into Crawford Notch and waited about 20 minutes before someone stopped and drove us up to the visitor center. Crawford Notch and the visitor center are some of the most trafficked locations in the Whites. Unlike the huts which are up in the mountains and only accessible by foot, the visitor center is right on the main road and can be accessed by car. We ate lunch and charged our devices for a couple hours. 




On our way to hitch hike back to the trail, the first car we thumbed for a hitch hiked stopped for us. It was really quick getting back to the trail. We were hiking again by 12:30. Our first climb was Mt Webster. Webster isn’t an official 4000 footer, but it has about a mile of cliff walks and the ascent up is very steep. 





After Webster was a short climb up Mt Jackson, the first mountain of the Presidential Range that we hit. On the way up Jackson was some very steep hand over foot climbing on granite slabs. For reference, in the picture below I am standing on the trail below part of the slab, and Spencer is about a quarter of the way up the slab. This sort of trail is what slows us down so much compared to our normal hiking speed across the rest of the trail. The Whites have a lot of these sections. 



The views from the top of Jackson weren’t perfectly clear but they were pretty good considering I was expecting it to pour rain all day. I was very grateful to have some views as I have never climbed Jackson before.





After Jackson we stopped briefly at the Mizpah Spring Hut. The workers in the hut, called the “croo” were very nice and gave us some free lemonade. It was nice to be inside and sit down briefly. We ate a quick lunch before heading out. It’s crazy that such large buildings exist up in the mountains. It’s quite the strange transition to go from mountain wilderness into a lodge. 




After the hut we climbed Mt Pierce. By this time the clouds had rolled in so we didn’t get any views. I have not climbed Pierce before, so it’s an accomplishment even if I didn’t really see too much. 




After Pierce we spent the rest of the day above tree line, on the exposed Presidential Ridge. Spencer and I had climbed Eisenhower and Monroe before, so we opted to follow the AT which goes below the summits, instead of following the blue blazes that hit the peaks before reconnecting with the AT. The decision was easy since we’d hiked the peaks before and there was very thick fog and 50-60 mph winds. The peaks would have added a lot of elevation gain and been much windier. The Presidential Ridge was really cool, even though we had no visibility. 






We made it to the Lake of the Clouds hut at the base of Mt Washington around 6:30.  It is one of the most popular huts in the Whites. We asked for a work for stay and they had two available for us. Usually it’s like 150$ per person for a bunk, and a hot dinner. Thru hikers can do 2 hours of work cleaning dishes and stay for free. There are only 2 work for stays per hut per day. Work for stays are usually very hard to get but since we are so early there are no other thru hikers around to take them. It’s a cool trail experience to add to the journey.



Tomorrow is supposed to be foggy and rain a little bit. We will hike Washington, the tallest mountain in the northeast, then finish the rest of the Presidential Range. Tyler’s mom is planning on picking us up and taking us to an AirBnB and making us dinner. The help will be phenomenal, especially considering the weather and since we were not planning on staying indoors again for at least the next week. A shower and a warm night indoors will be an excellent break from the rain. 


Goodnight,

Walker 





If you want to follow Spencer, here is his log:

https://www.instagram.com/baxter.bound?utm_source=qr&igsh=MWx4MzRqa3M4dGk3Mw==

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 0 Good Beginnings

Image
Four years ago Tyler and I woke up at Amicalola Falls: at the start of the Appalachian Trail. I nearly froze during the night. I had a fresh buzz cut that didn’t suit me at all. We were excited but in a lot of ways had no idea what was actually ahead of us. Over the following 40 days we had an incredible journey and covered over 600 miles. Ultimately we failed our goal.   I want to apologize for ending my last blog without updating everyone on what happened and why we got off trail. I spent multiple hours agonizing over an entry but couldn’t bring myself to post it. The post was too sad and angry and bitter. I didn’t have the mental energy to revisit our reasons for quitting. It took me months to come to terms with the fact that we had gotten off trail. To be honest the thought still tortures me. The goal of hiking the entire length of the AT stuck with me, strengthened by the fact that we had covered a third of the trail but hadn’t finished.  With that behind us, I am currently sittin
Read more

Day 8 Siler and Wayah

Image
Writing from another shelter, after hiking another 18.5 miles with excellent weather. Listening to barred owls in the distance.   I slept fine last night. Not good, not bad. But to be honest, for as cold as it was I’ll count that as a win.  The only other person in the shelter was a lady who was planning on getting off trail due to an Achilles tendon issue. We hung her food bag for her since she wasn’t planning on hanging it herself. I understand being injured but I still think bear safety is incredibly important. You know what’s worse than an Achilles strain? Being mauled by a bear. Now as I’ve previously said, bears are not a serious danger in the northeast but that doesn’t mean you should increase your chances of a negative bear encounter. Especially not at a shelter where you aren’t the only person staying.  We had a slower start to the day, only really getting on trail at like 8:30. The morning was very cold, and was below freezing until almost noon. However, we really appreciated
Read more

Day 1 The First of Many

Image
Writing from my tent at the end of a long but incredible day.   Didn’t sleep too well last night. Between the strong wind, getting used to sleeping outside again, and the animal that stomped past us at 2 AM it was tough to stay asleep. However, after getting in my tent around 8pm last night and only getting out around 6am, I still probably got 5 to 7 hours of sleep.  We woke up feeling pretty good, none of us slept great but we also weren’t sore from the day before. We were on trail before 8, all wanting water since our campsite hadn’t had any. It did have an incredible sunrise though. I always love watching how a sunrise or sunset evolves. We pretty quickly covered a mile and stopped for water at the first stream. After eating a little and drinking plenty of water we began the ascent of Springer Mountain, the start of the AT. The ascent went smoothly and we summited the first mountain of the trip. Many more to come.  We actually got to see the view this time and were able to really ta
Read more