Make it count: Day #134

Friday, July 24th - Day #134 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 9.3
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1854/2,193 (84.54%)

Ethan Pond Shelter (1844.7) to Nauman Tentsite (1854) - tent at Nauman Tentsite

Total ascent - 3,271’
Total descent - 1,910’

Total States Completed - 12/14

**No Rain - Great weather day. Clear blue skies with puffy, white clouds

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I’m camping tonight by the Mizpah Spring Hut at the Nauman Tentsite. It’s Friday night in the middle of summer, in the Presidential Range section of the Whites — this place is packed. There’s got to be 30+ people here - all the tent platforms are taken. I’m sharing a tent platform with Slider/Granger and Sam. We have 3 tents crammed onto this platform. We had to do some engineering to make them fit. I have my rain fly on - but don’t have it extended like usual. It’s not supposed to rain - so I should be OK. Slider (former 4 star general) helped me anchor my rainfly to the platform the best we could - I’m using an old shoestring of his to get the job done.

Slider was telling stories about General Mattis tonight. I’ve met a lot of interesting people on this AT journey - he just may be the most interesting of them all. After a couple stories - he said: “Now I’m just hiker trash like everybody else”.

Today was another brutal hiking day. Only 9.3 miles - but really tough sledding. I only got started at 7:30am because Sam and I were meeting Pearl and Dexter at Crawford Notch at 10am. We had given them some food for the next 2 days so we didn’t have to carry so much these past 3 days. It worked out well. We hiked 3 miles into Crawford Notch and they came through big time for us.

After getting the food - all 4 of us headed out toward the Presidential Range. A huge 2,800’, steep, 3-hour climb awaited us. We first hit Mt Webster (just shy of the 4,000’ mark), and then Mt Jackson (4,052’). The day was capped by a couple mile descent off Mt Jackson to our tentsite.

Yesterday was rainy and gloomy - but today the weather was nearly perfect. I’m learning that this type of weather is pretty unusual here in the Whites. It’s supposed to be nice tomorrow for the ascent of Mt Washington as well. I hope our luck holds out. I was able to get some great shots of Mt Washington from the peak of Mt Jackson - it doesn’t get much better in the Whites.

Tomorrow is a big 4,200’ vertical day to get up and over Washington. Again - the reports are: “tons of boulders, a lot of techinal terrain”. I can do this!! I just have to remain patient - keep it slow and steady. Don’t push it. If the terrain yields 1 mile/hr pace - accept it and stay focused. Only 57 miles left in NH! Only 4 days left of the Whites!

Here’s to continued good health and safe hiking. Everyday when you leave camp or meet up with someone on trail - it’s very common for someone to say: “Be safe out there”.

Granger said she just started crying when she got to this big cliff that she had to free climb with no ropes today — This trail brings you to your knees.

As my MS150 team motto states: “If you’re gonna be a bear - be a grizzly”

Goodnight from the Presidential Range of the Whites!