Day 165
Start: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
End: Pinkham Notch Stealth Site
Miles Hiked: 15.2
Miles on AT: 1878.1
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I had to wake up early this morning so that I could pack up my things before the guests got up and ready for breakfast. That means my alarm went off at 5:45 – ooof! You know I’m not an early riser, but, surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult to wake up. Breakfast wasn’t included in the work-for-stay, so I scrounged around in my food bag for my standard meal of granola + 1 Breakfast Essentials packet. Soon, the dining hall was full of eager guests in their boots and thermals, ready to start the day. A few were curious and came up to me to ask questions about what I was doing, delighted when they learned that I was hiking the trail.
I wanted to leave early to beat the crowd, so I didn’t lollygag and headed straight for the door once I was done with breakfast. Outside, the air had a slight chill to it, cold enough for me to feel awake but not enough for me to feel miserable. I was the first person out on the trail to Mt. Washington that morning, and I hiked alone all the way to the top. No crowds, beautiful sunrise, gorgeous weather, who could ask for more? I had an ideal hike to the top of Mt. Washington and was able to take my time (and photos) without worrying about tourists coming up behind me.
At the top, one trail runner had just reached the summit, and a couple were sitting in Adirondack chairs, admiring the view. There were absolutely no crowds and no lines to take pictures with the sign; it was just me and the mountain. I was so incredibly lucky. I took my time on the summit, enjoying the view and sitting in an Adirondack chair to get warmed up by the sun. Eventually, the store opened, so I set up my electronics to charge and bought a few extra snacks to get me through the day. After a while, the train that takes people up the mountain showed up and the crowds appeared with it.
That was my cue to start heading out. As I descended, the air was already heating up around me. It was going to be another beautiful day. I had another long day ahead of me. Part of me wanted to do all of the extra peaks, but I knew that I probably only had time for one of them, if that. So, I stuck to the red line and hiked around Mt. Clay followed by Mt. Jefferson. There were a good number of people out enjoying the sunshine with me today. Before the next set of mountains, I stopped for a snack break, enjoying the view of the range in front of me.
I was so full of joy and gratitude. Yes, the terrain was a bit challenging and, yes, there were still a lot of large and small rocks that frustrated me, but, overall, I was happy to be out there experiencing such a beautiful slice of nature. The true blue sky seemed unbounded and the mountains stretched on forever; there was no end to this heaven.
Even when I encountered a couple of disbelievers, it didn’t kill my mood; instead, it amused me. The couple commented on my hiking stick and then asked about my hike. I told them I was on the AT and had about 11 more miles for the day. As usual, I was met with skepticism about my projected mileage and timing. If hearing discouraging comments paid my salary, I would be a highly compensated hiker! But, as I’ve said before, people made these comments because they were analyzing my hike from the point of view of their limited capabilities, with no knowledge of what I was capable of. Most people don’t think of a black woman in a skirt when they’re told to picture a strong hiker. So, I couldn’t let their negativity get to me, and instead had to laugh to myself about living a reality that most people can’t even imagine is possible.
More rocks and boulders greeted me as I continued hiking towards Mt. Adams and Madison Hut. I really wanted to bag just one more peak, so I decided to hike Adams. I was definitely in a time crunch, but I was probably going to night hike anyway, so why not have a little fun. Mt. Adams was a literal pile of rocks. I got up to the summit quickly enough, but the way down was a different story. I carefully picked my way across the wobbly, slanted, awkwardly spaced boulders, trying my hardest to keep my balance and not roll down the mountain. I was going frustratingly slow; Mt. Adams was a mistake and it took way longer than I had estimated. I stared longingly at the smooth, flat trail going around the mountain, thinking of what could’ve been if I hadn’t been an overachiever, sighed, and continued making painstaking progress back to the red line.
Once at Madison Hut, I took the quickest break I could, filling up on water and food before heading back out. Rumor had it that the descent off of this next mountain was gnarly, so I needed to get going. Going up Mt. Madison was much like going up Mt. Adams; I had to climb up and over large boulders, but the path to the top was straightforward. When I started descending, I wasn’t sure why people had commented so much on it. I mean, we had done much worse, there was even an easy to follow trail!
But, about a mile later, I saw what people were talking about. The “trail” was just a literal pile of boulders. There was no cut pathway, just down. It stretched out for at least 100 yards; I honestly have no idea how long it was, but it was not short. Now, I was grateful that I had done Mt. Adams because I knew how to tackle this beast. I put on some music and got to work. It was slow going, but eventually I made it to discernible trail.
As I sat on a rock, taking a break and enjoying my last view of the ridge, an older man wearing nothing but his boxer briefs came up behind me. I was a little taken aback by his attire, but as we exchanged pleasantries, he seemed nice enough. He lived in the area and was out for a day hike. He was very eager to chat, so we probably talked for about 20 minutes. I was a little anxious to keep moving since the sun would be setting soon, so he took the hint and went on ahead of me. Even though we weren’t hiking together, it was nice to know that someone else was also on the mountain. After an hour or so, we reached the junction where he and I were to go separate ways. I wished him well, then continued on, now hiking in the dusk.
One thing about me is that I hate night hiking. I try to avoid it as much as possible, but today was one of those days where I needed to get it done to maintain a sane schedule. As night fell and the forest turned to blackness, my heart pounded and I poured sweat even though the temperature had fallen. All I could think of were bears, lurking creatures, and the unknown. I had 4.5 miles to hike before I could stop, and I was grateful when each and everyone of them passed. At 8:45 pm, I arrived at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, which was still open and well-lit. There, I ate my dinner, took a shower, and even purchased 2 packed lunches for my last two days on trail before heading to Miami. Unfortunately, I couldn’t sleep there, so I found a stealth spot across the street and just off trail. It was a long day, but now I was clean, warm, and full inside my tent.
And that’s day 165.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.