Pinkham Notch, NH to Monson, ME

Day 2, Friday, June 23

Pinkham Notch to Imp Campsite, 13.1 miles

I sleep pretty soundly until 6:30 AM. I eat a quick breakfast and pack up to leave by 7:40 AM. Although I only have 13 miles to go today, it is going to be a rough 13 miles. Steep climbs and downhills. And it’s my first day carrying a pack. I’m anxious to get going. The rain overnight has everything very wet this morning, and even though the temperature isn’t too bad, the humidity is very high. No where for sweat to go.

It turns out to be a tough climb up Wildcat Mountain. Wildcat has a half-dozen peaks or so. The ski lift on Wildcat E is running as I hike by. I stop to rest and have a snack in the sun. It’s a nice view back toward Mt. Washington. The sky seems to be much clearer today. The bugs are also worse, so I lather up with repellant.

At 12:30 PM I stop and take a long break on a cliff looking down toward Carter Notch Hut. It is going to be a steep descent to the lake below.

I reach the trail junction to the hut beside the lake at 1 PM and meet a group out hiking for the day. I drop my pack and hike the short distance to the hut. There isn’t anyone around. I get some water from the faucet and head back out.

It is a long, tough 1.2 mile climb up Carter Dome. It really takes its toll on me. My legs are dragging by the time I reach the top. I stop for a break at 3 PM, and meet the group I met earlier coming back from the summit. After the break, I spend the next several hours negotiating the ridgelines crossing several peaks through the Carter range.

When I finally reach the last side trail back to Pinkham Notch, it is almost 6 PM. I now only have two miles to go to the shelter. What a two miles! Steep descents with lots of blowdowns. I slip and slide to the bottom, reaching the shelter side trail mercifully and finally the shelter area at 7:45 PM. What a long day! Has to be one of the hardest 13 miles I’ve ever hiked.

I meet Sara, the weekend caretaker and pay my $8 to stay overnight. I cook supper, but I’m not much for food this evening. I’m in my sleeping bag by 9 PM and dozing before “Coconut Monkey” hikes in at 9:30 PM. He’s hiked in from Lakes of the Clouds Hut! Hard to believe! I thought 13 miles was a long hike!

We talk for a while as he makes supper. We’re both asleep by 10:30. I have bad heartburn overnight. It starts raining sometime between 2 AM and 3 AM and rains the rest of the night.