Day 33 - Hut Life (3/8/2016)

A bunch of new and interesting experiences today. Now that I'm in the Whites for real, we have access to huts run by the Appalachian Mountain Club.  Guests at these huts pay $100 or more and get dinner and breakfast and a bunk. Hikers without money to burn can benefit from the huts in a couple of ways: 1) Most huts will allow a few hikers to do work-for-stay. You do some dishes and sweep, etc, and then you can have leftovers and sleep in the dining area. 2) Most of the time huts will have a lot of breakfast leftovers (and sometimes some dinner) which they leave out for hikers. They have to pack out whatever garbage there is, so eating leftovers is a bit of a symbiotic relationship. Today, I had leftover oatmeal and lasagna for second breakfast.

Yes, second breakfast is now really a thing that I do most days.

The other new thing today was summiting the Wildcat mountain range. Like the Mahoosuc area, I'd been hearing horror stories about the Wildcats for weeks. Like the Mahoosuc range, it wasn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be - or at least it wouldn't have been if I'd followed the trail. Instead, I did a short section of descent that could fairly be described as climbing down a rock climbing wall with boots instead of climbing shoes, and a 30lb pack on my back. It is the only time so far that I have been truly afraid. When I made it safely, I high-fived Pouch for not dragging me to my death and then noticed a suspiciously safe looking path just off to my left.

Where I descended

Where I was meant to descend

The rest of the descent was uneventful.

I also met a a nice guy named John who sort of collects Thru-Hikers. If you're reading this, John: Hi!

When I got to Pinkham Notch, I hung out at the Visitor Centre for a few minutes where I met Tim, from Allentown PA. We chatted about trail life and buddhism, and he sent me on my way with his contact info if I need help in PA, and bit of whiskey to hold me over for the next few days. I also tried his homemade chili-infused vodka and we talked about theatre, buddhism, and another trail in the south of Japan. The vodka was amazing, and I keep trying to imagine what Dave or Pete would do with it for a cocktail. It made me miss people off-trail a bit.

All in all a good day. The Whites have lost some of their power, though I have yet to hit the Presidential range, which is where things are supposed to really get tough.

Start: Middle/South Carter
End: 1 mile past Pinkham Notch
Distance: 10.5 Miles