Day 133, miles today - 6.2, total - 1,872.7

July 29, 2013

Pinkham Notch to Carter Notch Hut.

Jamey drove B-Rocket and me to Pinkham Notch. We got there a little after 9:00 am. We went inside the Visitors Center to look around. I signed the log book that they have for thru-hikers. There are log books at most hostels, outfitters, visitors centers and shelters. It's how hikers keep track of where others are in front of them. I was looking back in the log and saw a greeting from Bill Smith (not my uncle Bill). Bill is from Ohio, he had commented earlier. He was at Mt. Washington and the surrounding area with his family about one week ago. I'm glad I saw it. It was nice.

It was 10:00 by the time we got on trail. A late start. Within the first two miles we passed Lost pond.

Lost Pond

We then had a 2,000 ft. climb up Wildcat Mountain. It was a very difficult section. We were often using both hands to climb up the steep boulders. This was one of the most difficult sections to date. There were several  overlooks as we made our way up. There was heavy cloud cover most of the time, but we did have a couple clear views. We stopped on trail for a snack break.

We got to the Carter Notch Hut at about 3:00. We ate a late lunch. Before we finished eating in started raining. As we sat there the rain became heavier. We had a 1,000 ft. up right after the hut. We wanted to do more miles, but felt a big up in the rain should be avoided. The hut worker told us we could do work-for-stay. So we stayed. Another thru-hiker doing work for stay is Jeremiah. We've seen him a few times in the last several days. Not-A-Bear came in also. The staff let all four of us do work for stay. Being able to stay at the hut, meant that we could sleep on the dinning room floor, and avoid the rain.

We had a great dinner. It was delicious! B-Rocket ate two plates of food, which is a lot for her. 

Rainbow Braid and Gonzo got here at 8:00 pm. They were told they had to go to a near by site to tent. Most of the huts will only allow 2 to 4 thru-hikers to stay each night.

The work that B-Rocket and I were asked to do, was to talk to the guests about our thru-hike. We talked for almost one hour. There were seven people that listened to us. Three were children. They asked many questions. It was our second time giving a talk at a hut. We both enjoyed it a lot.