I get up and check out the sunrise, but it looks like the sun is too far north of the clearing in front of the shelter, although I do get some very pretty pictures of the mountains to the east in the hazy pink light of dawn.
Marsupial joins me for a few minutes but then thinks of running back to the south peak to see if he can get a better view. As soon as he departs I think that the south peak is completely covered in trees and he probably is doing all that effort for nothing.
I walk in front of the shelter a couple more times to check the view as I am packing up, but not much has changed. Marsupial returns at about the time I am finishing breaking camp, and says he had about the exact same view through the trees as we have here.
I am on the trail At 6:20, passing by a few tents, the occupants of which must have came in after I went to bed last night. I want to get an early start because the temperature is supposed to reach 95°F in the valley, and with the high humidity it's going to be not only oppressive, but dangerous to be hiking up the mountains before me.
Immediately I am web walking into hundreds of small sticky filaments and pulling them off my face and hair. The forest is waking up, and I see the biggest frog jumping out of my way on the trail. As the sun continues to rise ahead of me to the right, the bird song is slowly growing louder and the bugs are going full tilt. I sprayed myself with bug repellent right before I left camp, and I'm really glad I did right now.
After a mile I reach a sign that marks the North Moose Mountain Summit. It is just a sign stuck in the ground in the middle of the woods; no view and no fanfare. from here the trail starts to descend 1,300 feet to Bruce Pond Road.
Just south of the road I cross a dry stream bed where I see a moose print. Only a few steps later I cross another dry stream bed, but there is a nice clear and cold pool of water that's deep enough to easily fill my dirty bag. I filter and drink a half-liter of water quickly before moving on.
By 8 am, three miles are behind me. The temperature is actually slightly cooler now that I've come down off the mountain. There's a surprising crispness In the air as I cross Spruce Pond Road.
After crossing the road I encounter a lovely stretch of flat trail through a dark and quiet woods. I hear some crashing to my right and just make out the form of a large deer running away from the trail.
The flat and lovely trail is too short. I pass over some very unsteady bog bridges next to a stagnant pond, and the temperature rises dramatically for a few minutes until I reenter the woods. I gear up mentally for the 1,300 foot climb Over the next 1.3 miles, an average of 1,000 feet per mile, which is an incredibly steep climb over the next mountain.
I sweat like crazy on the way up in the absence of a breeze and the increasing heat of the day. I stop and take several breaks to keep from sweating like crazy, but I'm still soaked by the time I reach the top.
At the top of the mountain I descend a short way to Hoit's Ledges, a large and open, but very hazy view, of Smarts Mountain to the north, my next mountain to climb. The ledges are fenced off with chain link, probably to keep drunk people from falling off. I continue walking to the top of the Dartmouth Skiway, but there isn't much to see here, so I turn around and return to the trail.
I celebrate my first climb of the day by taking off my pack for a break and drinking my first cup of electrolytes for the day. I've now done six miles and 1,800 ft of elevation gain, but I still have a minimum of 7 miles and 2,700 ft to go today to get to the next likely campsite.
I finished the descent off this mountain and cross the Grafton Turnpike, where the name is much more impressive than the two-lane road.
There's a small creek nearby, but I don't see how I can get to it, so I'm looking through the FarOut comments. All the comments say that this next section of trail through the meadow is extremely overgrown and difficult to navigate. The comments also suggest taking a dirt road that runs parallel to the trail for the two miles to skip the meadow. I am so sweaty that the thought of staying out of the shoulder-high grass that will inevitably stick to me is super appealing. So I decide to go up the dirt road.
I'm very glad I did because I see bear number #10 (or maybe 11). A cub steps into the road about 25 yards in front of me. It stops to take a look at me for a moment and then scurries on to cross the road before I can get out my phone to take a picture. It must be following mom, because no other bears emerge and I proceed on my way.
A little while later I see some beautiful cascades and small waterfalls in the stream that runs beside the dirt road.
When the road rejoins the AT, I stop and take off my socks and shoes and soak my aching feet In the delightfully cold water. I eat a half of a bag of crushed up potato chips by just pouring the chips straight out of the bag into my mouth. I also filter a bunch of water and drink a large cup of electrolytes mixed with fruit and vegetable powder.
A family walks up to a car parked in front of my resting spot. They ask me if I saw the sign on the trail for the ice cream at their house. I say that I didn't because I walked up the road because I couldn't handle going through another overgrown meadow, but I tell them I did see a bear. When I describe the location, it ends up that I saw the cub right in front of their house. The man says I should bypass the AT and take a blue-blazed trail that is the old AT before a recent reroute. The blue-blazed trail runs along the creek for the next mile and I won't have to carry so much water up the next big climb.
The family says goodbye and I decide I need to get going. When I pull my feet out of the water I am pleasantly surprised to see that for the first time in days my toes don't resemble little sausages. The cold water did the trick of reducing the swelling that is a constant. I put on my socks and shoes, shoulder my pack, and decide to take the Ranger Trail up as recommended.
This trail is an officially recognized part of the AT, and I'm glad I took it. Two miles up the trail, next to a garage-looking shelter, I cross a stream where water is still flowing. I still have some in my bladder but I want to conserve it for the next five miles until the next water source, so I take the opportunity to take off my pack and filter and drink another half liter of water. There is some trash next to the shelter so I grab it and stuff it in my pack.
From the shelter, the trail gets very steep and rocky, obvious turning into a stream in wet weather. I pretty much hike up big rocks for the next mile, until the trail merges with the AT proper, after which it turns into even bigger rocks.
The rocks are so steep that in places that there are wood and stone steps, and even rebar steps pounded into the rock underfoot. I am so glad that it's hot and sunny today and not raining or this would be totally treacherous.
I gain another 600 feet over the next half mile, melting in the process. The pitch is so steep that my Achilles are crying because my feet are so hyperflexed for so long.
After what seems like forever I make it to the top of Smarts Mountain. The trees are stunted from the harsh mountain weather at this altitude. Firs, spruce and birch are thick on both sides of the trail, and the few bare spots are carpeted in moss.
I come to a sign that marks the tent sites. They aren't far off the trail and I was intending to stay here so I'm curious to see what they look like. I'm so glad that I did, because now I know that I definitely want to keep going down the mountain to camp near the next stream.
Shortly after passing the camping area, I come to the fire tower, which is open to the public. I take off my pack and climb the sturdy and steep stairs to the top, where I am rewarded with a stunning 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains.
I can see the mountains to this south in Vermont, including Stratton and Bromley, which I climbed more than 10 days ago. To the west I can see Whiteface and Mount Marcy In New York, and to the Northeast lay the Whites, where I am heading later this week.
Climbing down out of the fire tower presents a challenge, as the door in the floor doesn't want to stay open. I have to lift up the heavy door by leaning over the opening to the stairway below while pushing against it so it doesn't fall on top of me while I start my descent, which is quite dangerous. I then have to hold it open until I get low enough that I can shut it without banging it on my head. Two young men with Dartmouth t-shirts are coming up the ladder. We pass on the highest landing, And I giggle to myself when I hear them say that it's too much work and they are going to descend to the landing to check out the view.
I continue on the trail which just ascends briefly through some really overgrown fir trees, the branches waiting to scratch the heck out of any hiker not paying attention. The trail then starts to go down the mountain, where I lose 2,000 feet over the next three miles.
I see several large piles of moose droppings on the trail near the top. I can't believe that the big beasts would come up here; it doesn't look like there's any good food for them other than fir trees and moss. I keep my eyes peeled for the creature, because there is nowhere I could hide in this thick mess beside the trail.
Fortunately I have no close animal encounters, and I make it to the stream by 5:30. My feet are so tired, and all I want to do is get cleaned up and eat dinner.
I spend 15 minutes walking around trying to find a suitable spot to set up my hammock. The creek bed is in a small gorge, so it's a little challenging. I finally settle on a spot on the south side of the creek, down near the stream.
I heat water to hydrate my dinner (Chicken Pesto Pasta!), before I get to work setting up my camp. I step down to the water and wash up, even using a few drops of soap!
I eat my dinner on a rock next to the stream, which doesn't take long. Another one thousand calories to nourish me. I then filter some water for tomorrow to save time in the morning.
It is now 8 PM and I am tuckered out from all the climbing!
Today's Stats: 15.6 miles, 4,500 feet gain
Trail Stats: 1,782 miles, 351K feet gain
Miles to Katahdin: 412
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