[at-l] Ready's Journal : SEPT 2 TD 81

[kahley7@ptd.net (kahley)]

You can write to Ready    readyhiker@pocketmail.com



The wake up call came at 5:30 AM, but Spur and I had awakened
a few minutes before then. We were really efficient in getting
ourselves showered, dressed, packed up and fed by the time
Bruce came to take us to the trailhead, 1 hour later.
It turns out that it was Mary Ann who would serve as our chauffeur
this morning, since Bruce had to take a few other hikers to Pinkham
Notch. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I blew a kiss to Mala
who was peering over the hostel's porch rail.
We reached the trailhead in a matter of minutes and did the short
roadwalk to where the trail meanders back into the woods. It was
good to be hiking again; it seemed a long time since we'd been hiking.
We started the day with a mild climb up the East summit of Mt Hayes,
where we had excellent views of the Androscoggin overflow basin and
could hear the steady hum of the power plant below.
It was a brisk morning; we hiked in our fleece for awhile. A series of
climbs, combined with the warming sun, had us shed the outerwear
by mid-morning.
We hiked over Cascade Mountain to Page Pond - beautiful in the
morning! As we climbed up the next ridge, we could see Mt. Washington
in the distance. By the time we got to Wocket Ledges, the entire set of
mountain ranges around Mt Washington were visible.
It was an awesomely clear day with bluest skies I'd ever seen. We
decided to eat lunch there at the overlook. This was been our all-time
best lunch spot so far. A hawk flew overhead and we just drank in all
the beauty of this wonderful spot.
As we sat there, 2 section hikers happened by. In our chatting, we
learned from them that the water source at the Carlos Col tentsite -
our destination for the day - was dried up. We'd have to alter our plans.
We passed many picturesque ponds today: Dream Lake, Moss Lake
and Gentian Pond. We stopped just shy of the latter to fill up our water
supply, determined to carry it the 5 or so miles further to the NH/ME
state line where we'd camp.
Sticks and Patches had caught up with us, as had Joe, by the time
we'd reached Gentian Pond Shelter. We pushed on, while they made
supper at the shelter.
The views with each ascent were amazing. We marveled at the number
of crystal clear days there'd been this past week for a summit of Mt.
Washington, and how we had climbed it on the only cloudy, blustery
day recently!
We climbed the "big one" for the day, Mount Success. It was an
exceedingly long climb up, but taking it as slowly and steadily as
we did, it ironically did not feel so difficult. Perhaps it's because we
knew what was awaiting us at the other side! Again, the summit
permitted glorious views.
We began the descent; this one was especially challenging due to
the many rocks and many sudden drops with little to hang onto as
we climbed down.
It took us a long time to get over this peak. But like all things good,
this climb was worth the work. For after climbing over Mt. Success
we were given...Maine, the last stop on this "crazy expedition," as
Spur puts it!
We pitched our tent near where he'd pitched it last year, right on
the state line. We imagined that each of us was in a different state,
having to cross state lines to visit with one another.
It was dark as we finished up supper and crept into our tent for journaling.
It had been a great day. We'd had the good fortune of fantastic weather
and fabulous views all day. We'd covered 16.8 miles and we were both
feeling strong and pleased with ourselves.
With a return to below-treeline, we'd seen a great deal more wildlife: hawks,
crows, ravens, a snowshoe hare, several grouse, and a small snake.
We'd seen no moose, only their droppings. We'll have to wait until
Maine to see our next moose. The insects had been nonexistent.
A perfect day, indeed.


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