Make it count: Day #136

Sunday, July 26th - Day #136 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 7.8
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1873.6/2,193 (85.44%)

Valley Way Tentsite (1865.8) to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center (1873.6) - Rattle River Hostal

Total ascent - 1,272’
Total descent - 4,061’

Total States Completed - 12/14

**No Rain - Heavy winds of up to 70mph gusts atop Mt Madison. Overcast all day with huge winds

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Well - this morning’s first 3 miles were probably the most scared I’ve been on my entire AT journey. Last night - sitting low in the valley - winds were picking up speeds. My tent was rattling and almost blew away when I tore down this morning. If wind gusts are this high here - what will it be like at the peak of Mt Madison?

The answer - wind gusts up to 70mph. Absolutely the highest winds I’ve ever encountered in my life. The scariest part - I happened to be on a boulder field with sharp, pointy rocks everywhere. Man o man. I started really early - around 5:30am. I got out of camp before Sam and Slider/Granger. Right out of the gates was the ascent of Mt Madison. I passed a couple girls coming down. They said: “We were going to do the Presidential Traverse today - it’s just too windy. Make sure you stay low on top - you might need to crawl”. Excellent! I’m thinking - “What should I do?” I knew that once I got over Madison - the rest of my day was downhill into Pinkham Notch. I could get to tree line in 3 miles. The skies were fairly clear - no ominous storm clouds. “I can do this - just crawl up the rocks using your hands mostly”. That’s what I did - I tried to stay as low as possible - never fully standing. I also tried to make quick decisions and get to the peak swiftly. Indecision could lead to the wind blowing me off my course - which would be a very bad thing. I made it to the top!! A couple times I thought it was possible that I could just get swept off the mountain. Today was a good day to have a heavy pack for more stability.

Once I sumitted - the hard part started. A 4,000’ rocky descent. I approached it the same way - I kept low and used my hands. I had a few cuts that were bleeding by the end of the day - but I’m still standing!!

I got to Pinkham Visitor Center about 12:30pm. 7 hours for a 7.8 mile day (I did have a 0.5 mile hike out of the tenting area - so really a 8.3 mile day). Any way you look at it - I wasn’t burning up the course.

Once down, I grabbed a sandwich and called the Hostal for a pickup. While I waited - Slider/Granger and Sam all came in. We celebrated with high 5’s. Each one of us knew what it took to get through the day.

So - the goal was to semi-slackpack tomorrow and Tuesday. (Carry sleeping system - but leave the bulk of gear at Hostal). We have 21 miles left in the Whites - over probably the toughest range yet - the Wildcats and the Carters. 2 Wildcat peaks, 3 Carter peaks, and Moriah - that’s 6 more 4,000’ peaks to get me to 20. I was going to try to do the 21 miles in 1 day - but after careful consideration - it’s likely I’ll do a 13 miler, then an 8-miler. Sam is dead set on going the full distance in 1 day. I think it’s a really bad decision for her. The 21 miles has 6,600’ of vertical ascent. She’s looking at an 18+ hour day - which puts her out on the rocky, technical course in the dark.

Here’s the potential problem for tomorrow - the weather forecast for the high summits in the Whites is NASTY. Wind gusts tonight up to 85 mph. Severe thunderstorms likely on Monday. What should I do?

9:40pm - OK - we went to Walmart to resupply and then had dinner with a few others here at the Hostal. Always and Sunny are here. I haven’t seen them in 3 months! Some of these guys just did the Wildcats. Consensus is that we don’t want any part of the Wildcats in heavy winds and thunderstorms. The summit forecast for Tuesday is better than tomorrow - we just made a decision to Zero tomorrow and wait out the weather. This is the first time on my journey I ever did this. With the high peaks above tree line - it’s just too sketchy to mess with.

Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise to have a rest day tomorrow. My body is beaten - this rest may be what I need to get through NH and the first part of Maine. This gives me a chance to pick up my resupply box in Gorham tomorrow - and possibly a haircut/shave - with lots of sleep.

Here’s to improving weather conditions!