There are mountains on this trail?!

We were cocky. Now humbled. After three days in the Whites we can now confidently say that there are some real mountains in the Appalachians.

Our first day we cruised into Mount Moosilauke at a rate now unheard of, confident we could scale the 9000 feet of elevation change in eight miles with no problem. The ascent was a beautiful climb, occasionally steep but with better and better views at every turn. Excitement mounted as we could see we were already above all the Green Mountains we had climbed the day before. Finally we left the treeline for the first time on the trip. It was gorgeous! Slowly, we came to the realization that all the monster mountains we could see to the North of Moosilauke were our future goals for the next week and a half.

After enjoying the view for a while, we casually strolled down the North side of the mountain, brushing past a sign warning that the trail was treacherous ahead. After all, we hadn't come all the way from West Virginia to be deterred by threatening signs intended for dayhikers. Only ten minutes later did the full realization of what the sign meant become apparent. This was no descent. It was a butt slide at best of times and a full fledged rock climb at others. Many parts had dynamited steps into sheer rock faces or placed wooden steps on slippery areas. Strips of rebar for gripping on impossible drops seemed particularly luxurious.

We eventually made it down that night and got a ride into town to lick our wounds, feeling slightly bewildered at the experience of a motel bed after such harsh conditions. We left town the next morning loaded with new food after spending a good hour convincing ourselves naively that perhaps we had scaled the worst of the Whites.

Each day here is a mountain and Wednesday was no exception. Mount Kinsman was next on the menu. Appearing a innocuous bump on our elevation map, it seems that flat regions and vertical rock climbs had averaged out to be quite deceiving. Nevertheless we were having a fun day. The tricky boulders and climbs kept it interesting as we move up to the South peak. The ridge line between the two peaks began to get cagey weatherwise. Distant thunder could be heard to the west so we hurried down and set up camp at Kinsman Pond Shelter site halfway down the mountain at six o'clock. We congratulated ourselves on our good sense when the sky opened up and we were snuggled in our bags.

Per usual, we were naive about this too. Thirty minutes after the rain came the storm and thirty after that came a pelting rain that seemed endless. In another thirty minutes, we realized that pressing on the bottom of the tent revealed our beautiful tent spot was becoming an extension of Kinsman Pond. We evacuated to the shelter when the water rose above the walls of the tent.

The next day we faced Mount Lafayette and Franconia Ridge, according to southbounders, the most beautiful hike of the trail. First we had to get there however. The rain from the night before had rerouted many streams on to the trail, forcing us to ford several in crocs before getting down to a road. A bright spot was arriving at Lonesome Lake Hut, a lodge for guests, where they gave us leftover pancakes. From there we moved on to the road and then navigated back up 4000 feet to the ridge. This area is exposed above treeline for three miles with no shelter an incredible views. Unfortunately, we hit this area at an I opportune time. The swirling mists that seemed interesting in the beginning turned threatening about a third of the way across. Soon driving rain began. We felt like we were going crazy, walking silently up massive boulders unable to see 50 ft in front and unsure if the drops on the sides of the trail were 20 feet or 5000. The most reassuring point came seeing a man coming toward us with a mile to go wearing only a tshirt and shorts. At least, we reasoned, he would kick the bucket before us. Soon after we ran into the summit and the option to hike down 1 mile to Greenleaf Hut or continue on. It was a no brainer.

We wrote this in luxury after a full dinner and a free stay. The cost was giving an info session on the Appalachian trail to the paying guests. We were quite the sensation in our matching full spandex suits. This morning we tackle Mount Garfield and Zealand falls but with a hut at the end and so far, only sun.