Pinkham Notch, NH to Monson, ME

Day 1, Thursday, June 22

Mt. Washington Summit to Pinkham Notch Visitors Center, 13.4 miles

For some reason I’m awake at 5:30 AM. It’s already light outside, so I get up and shower and head to breakfast at 6:30 AM. I’m the first one in line as you might imagine. I eat a moderately-sized breakfast before heading back to my room.

I had planned to catch a ride to the top of Mt. Washington and begin hiking from there, but it looks like I won’t be able to get a ride before 9-9:30 AM. I don’t want to just sit around for two hours so I decide to hike up. It’s only 4 miles to the summit by the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. I can hike that in a couple of hours. I use my day pack to carry a couple of water bottles, my filter, camera, fleece, and a snack. I’m hiking by 7:30 AM. It’s a sunny morning in the Notch.

It takes an hour and a half to get to Hermit Lake and another two hours to reach the summit of Mt. Washington. By the time I reach the top, clouds have rolled in and the top is socked in again. The temperature is about 50 degrees and the wind is blowing 40 mph. Not as bad as the last time I was here, but tough anyway. I eat a candy bar and down a drink in the Visitors Center during a short break. With nothing to see I head back outside. It has started to rain and the wind is now gusting to 50 mph. I retreat back inside and put all of clothes on, zipping on the legs of my hiking pants and pulling on my fleece. I am going to get wet and I need to stay as warm as possible. Wish I had packed my gloves.

Back outside the rain stings as I circle around the building and search for the trail headed north. I have a tough time seeing the rock cairns in the fog and rain. In half an hour I cross the cog railroad tracks. It’s tradition for hikers to moon the cog train passengers. But there isn’t a train coming as I cross. In fact, I’m not even sure it’s running this morning with the weather as bad as it is. I poise my moon shot toward the tracks and pause for a minute anyway, but as cold as it is I don’t pull down my pants for the real thing. Some other time.

The next couple of hours are tough hiking and footing. The rain comes and goes a couple of times, but the wind is still blowing pretty hard. It gets better as I drop in elevation and circle around the mountain. I begin to pass quite a few hikers coming south from Madison Spring Shelter headed for Lakes of the Clouds Hut or the summit. It must have been a full house last night at Madison Spring. I don’t envy what they have to climb up into.

The rain stops for good about 2:30 PM. It’s still cloudy and fairly socked in, but it does appear to be getting brighter. As I near Mt. Adams the clouds lift high enough to see the tops of the closest peaks. In fact it’s almost clearing as I reach Madison Spring at 3 PM.

I walk inside the Madison Spring Hut, but I don’t stay long. It’s going to be tough to cover the miles I need to cover back to Pinkham Notch by dinner time. There are several steep ups and downs even on top of the world. In fact it starts with a very steep climb from Madison Spring with an awful downhill on the other side. The ridge that I finally summit has a spectacular knife’s edge descent toward the tree line. I reach the Osgood Tentsite Trail at 5 PM.

I’m fading fast, out of water, and I still have 5 miles to go. I reach the Mt Washington Auto Road at 6:40 PM. I’m already late for dinner. Another hour passes before I reach Pinkham Notch. I go straight to the cafeteria and beg for supper. The staff is kind enough to make me a plate. It’s wonderful, but I eat too much, too fast. I’m feeling rotten by the time I waddle out.

Back at the room I take a shower and get cleaned up by 8:30 PM. I make a quick phone call home, then wash out my clothes and hang them up to dry. I’m back in the room by 9:45 PM. A few gear adjustments and I’m in bed by 10:30 PM. It is a warm night in the room.