At 6:30 a.m. I get up and head over to the Highland Center for coffee and breakfast. I have a huge plate of scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, sausage, and fruit, and talk to the ladies who I had a glass of wine with last night.
After they depart, Morse Code walks up and asks if he can sit with me. I tell him I would love the company, and we chat about our upcoming hikes. After I finish, I check out the small camp store looking for an extra pair of wool socks. They have some Darn Tough socks with raccoons on them! I buy them and head back to the bunk house to pack.
I pack up quickly so I can wait for the shuttle. I'm still wearing my sleeping clothes of men's boxers and a t-shirt because I can't stomach the thought of putting those nasty clothes back on. I am wearing my fleece hoodie for modesty; it's pretty long and I don't think anyone can tell that I'm wearing underwear, LOL.
I'm sitting in front of the lodge waiting for the shuttle when I get a message from Ladybug saying she is in Gorham, not too far ahead of me. I guess that's what happens when I haven't taken any days off for almost a month; I get a little caught up, even though I'm doing lower mileage.
The shuttle driver arrives, and I am the only one on the southbound shuttle. I have the most delightful conversation with the driver. He is funny and tells me stories of animal encounters in the area. He asks me a lot of questions about hiking gear and nutrition, and the next hour rolls by very quickly.
When I get to my truck, I change my clothes and drive back to Crawford Notch, replace the essentials that I've used the last few days, and I am on the trail at 11:40. The weather is nice and sunny, albeit a little on the warm side. At least the haze is starting to lift a little and I can better see the outlines of the mountains I will be hiking.
From Crawford Notch I hop on the Jackson Webster Trail, where I will join back up with the AT a lot earlier than if I take the Crawford Path. The Crawford Path is much easier, but I just want to be back on the AT proper as soon as possible, so I can get all the great views I can.
The trail starts out like so many other trails out of a notch; it just goes straight up. The good news is that it's easier than a lot of the other trails I've done thus far, and I am able to easily exceed my extremely low bar of one mile per hour on the ascent. If I have really low expectations I'll feel really good if I exceed them! I hike the first mile in 35 minutes and after one-and-a-half miles come to the Jackson Webster split.
I can go straight up to Mizpah Hut, which is only 2.9 miles from here, but will cut out a portion of the AT and the summit of Mount Webster. I'm feeling great and I still have plenty of time to get to the hut, so I decide to go towards Mount Webster and then head up Mount Jackson. It will add an extra mile to my hike but I will be on the AT sooner.
I guess the trail wanted to teach me a lesson about being cocky, because I immediately go sharply downhill on some big rocks and it slows me down. At the bottom I am thrilled to see a beautiful little waterfall falling into a deep clear pool. The water is a little brown from the tannins, but still clear and beautiful.
I see something hopping on the edge of the rocks and realize it's a tiny frog. It's so small and brown that I have to look for it until it hops again. I see several more, all the same size. I wonder if they are babies, or if this is the mature size of this species. It's the size ofnthe tip of my hiking pole. I can barely make it out in the picture.
The hike up to Webster is more boulder climbing, but at least I get to hike through a spruce forest. The trees are so close to the trail that every time you brush by them they release some of their wonderful fragrance. BTW, all of my candles at home are Christmas scents because I love the smell of spruce.
I arrive at Mount Webster after an hour and 45 minutes of climbing over the 2.75 miles with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain from Crawford Notch. I am super happy with that number! I have exceeded my very low expectations! The view from Mount Webster is spectacular even with the smoky haze that still permeates the air.
To the west I can see the mountains I hiked the last few days. South Twin Mountain, that I climbed yesterday, is across the chasm of Crawford Notch. In the other direction I can see the Appalachian Trail as it extends up towards Mount Washington, which is currently shrouded in fog. I can see Mizpah Hut three miles away but it looks so much closer. I still have to go over Mount Jackson to get to Mizpah, but I already made most of my gain for the day, so it should be easy.
On the ridge, Mother Nature finally turned on some air conditioning. The temperature usually drops around three degrees Fahrenheit for ever 1,000 feet of altitude. I am about three thousand feet above Crawford Notch, and the air is chilly. I may have to pull out my fleece here in a minute.
Now that I have gained the ridge the hike is going to be considerably easier over the next three miles. I still need to gain about 700 feet, and I still have a few silly rock scrambles, but they are few and far between and blessedly short compared to what I've already done through the Whites.
I make good time even in the copious mud on the ridge, and arrive at Mizpah at 4 p.m.. I am checking in when I hear someone call "Trash Panda!" It's Beagle and Tiki Bar! We chat for a few minutes, then I beg off to grab a bunk.
I am in bunk room #4, and arrive to find all the bunks but one are occupied. A woman in the room rejoices at having another woman in the room, as she is the only female here. I joke abouthow I don'thave as much estrogen as I used to. I am talking with her and her busband, when Beagle, Tiki Bar, and Four-Three walk in. We all laugh when we see we are in the same bunk room.
We are cutting up and telling stories when someone calls out "Trash Panda!" from down the hall. Fallout is here! I give her a big hug. She says a man gave her his daughter's bunk; his daughter is sick and couldn't make the trip, so she gets to stay for free! We thank him and tell him he is a trail angel for his act of kindness.
The six of us sit together at the same dining room table for dinner, eager for some homemade food. The soup course is black bean soup, one of my all-time favorites. Bread and olive oil is served and we all greedily plow through our bowls in time for salad. We don't talk much because we are too busy eating.
The entrée is BBQ pork with rice, and I have seconds, as do the men. Fallout is more petite than me, and eats a little less than the rest of us, but she still does a number on her plate! Dessert is apple spice bars with cream cheese frosting. There will be no leftovers from this table; with each course, we pass empty plates and serving platters back down to the head of the table.
After dinner we hang out for a little while, but I am eager for an early start tomorrow and I'm the first one out at 8:30 p.m.
Today's Stats: 5.7 miles, 2,700 feet gain
Trail Stats: 1,859 miles, 373K feet gain
Miles to Katahdin: 335
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