Back in the saddle again… well, partway. Let’s call it sidesaddle. Today we headed out around 7a. We left the condo complex and walked down into town to the road that would be a straight shot to the trail – drastically increasing our chances for a successful hitch. I wasn’t sure it would work this morning. The road was fairly well traveled, but how many people will stop for hikers at 7a? Someone going out on a day hike themselves! That’s exactly who stopped. Our early morning trail angel has aspirations of doing a thru-hike himself. He is retired, but first plans to settle in Arizona with his wife before leaving for the AT. We talked about our hikes, he was familiar with the trail lingo, so that helped carry the conversation. Lucky for all of us, he planned to start his hike from the same place we had left off. It wasn’t even inconvenient for him to stop.
We hadn’t left the parking lot before we saw another hiker we knew. After catching up with Felix and his friend, Stitches (a former thru-hiker), we started our ascent. Our challenge today is Kinsman. Headed northbound, it’s a slow build up to the top. The last two and a half miles, however, were steep and rocky. It was 2p when we summited and ate lunch. I had fallen twice and had almost rolled ankles about six times. Before the day is out, one of those close calls would bring a popping sensation followed by warmth in my left ankle. It was a rough day. For some reason I felt a bit dizzy and sick – together, it made me clumsy.
We watched gliders while we ate on top of Kinsman. The planes were often overhead of us, the only noise you hear is the wind running over the wings. Warthog explained to Wonder Woman and Snow Monkey how these planes fly using thermals in the air. We sat, mesmerized by their smooth movements. They made circles in the thermal in order to bring themselves higher in the sky. When they do this they look like vultures soaring above. Sometimes man thinks he is creative. It’s amazing to me how many designs we copy from nature.
It was getting late and we still had seven or so miles to hike. Meaning, it was time to get down this mountain. Going down is harder than coming up. The descents in the Whites are often rocky and steep. You aren’t fully sure of your step, nor should you be. At any moment your foot can slide out. When possible, you use the trees on the edge of the trail to help lower yourself down. On occasion the trail maintainers installed wooden blocks on the boulder face to help. Other times there might be notches carved in the stone. Often, there is nothing. Just stone. We picked our way down the steepest portions. Eventually it leveled off some and the trail took us by our first White Mountain hut – Lonesome Lake Hut.
Huts in the Whites are large bunkhouse/lodges. Hikers will spend something like $90-/person to stay in one. They offer bathrooms, a bunk (not private), dinner and breakfast. Thru-hikers can’t usually afford to stay in these, nor do they want to afford it. Instead, we can ask to do a “work-for-stay”. If there are slots left, you do small jobs around the hut. It might be dishes or sweeping, etc. Then you get to eat the leftover food from the meals and sleep in the dining hall. It doesn’t sound like a bad gig. Especially not when you can smell the delicious food from a quarter mile away.
We approached the hut today in wonder. None of us really knew what to expect. It was much larger than I imagined. Warthog said this particular building sleeps approximately forty five. Another we will see sleeps in eighty or so. He hopes to get a work-for-stay spot at this later one because of difficult it will be to camp nearby. The hut was beautiful and tempting. We have an even nicer condo we are heading back to tonight, but I can totally see the appeal. This hut was situated on a gorgeous lake with a spectacular mountain view. We stopped by the lake to take it all in. I couldn’t stay too long. There were so many people, it was overwhelming to me. Plus, I really wanted to get back to the condo.
Just after the hut is when I popped my ankle. I was so frustrated. I had too many clumsy incidences today. Slackpack days are usually my favorite days on the trail. My body isn’t so tired, I can move faster and freer. Today, I was still slow and I couldn’t lift my eyes off of the trail without worrying about tripping – which I did twice anyway! I spent the last few miles kind of mad, mostly tired, and ready to be in a comfy place. Don’t get me wrong, the forests and views were fantastic, I was just in a bad way.
The last mile of the day doesn’t count at all towards trail miles. We had to take a side trail to a visitors center in hopes of hitching a ride. It worked, we got picked up by a local boy who was on his way to get his girlfriend from work. He still got her with four stinky hikers in the back. She kind of laughed a bit when he rolled up and we all yelled hi through the windows. “They were doing a thumb dance”, he explained to her. Kind of the same way someone explains why they came home with a stray dog. He’s referring to our hitching technique. The person in the very back pops out with their thumb, then the person in front of them pops out, and so one until the front person also has their thumb out. It’s sort of like the wave at ball games. Once we are all extended, we bob up and down and waggle our thumbs. It almost always gets people to smile. The more important thing… it gets people to stop, like Norman did on his way to pick up Taylor.
Norman dropped us off in town near the convenience store we planned to stop at for dinner items. We are recycling our leftover hamburgers from the other day to make tacos. Wonder Woman also grabbed brownies. I almost did, but self-control won out. “Excited” doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt when I saw she got a box.
It was a little after 7p when we arrived back at the condo. Being four very hungry hikers, we started right away making dinner. We chopped lettuce and tomato, warmed up refried beans, made rice, taco meat, etc. We also baked pizza rolls because of course those go with taco night. By 7:30p we were ready to eat. A half hour later, we sat slightly regretting the amount of food we shoved into our bodies, but also glowing with happiness that it was all in there. We are full, but not for long. It’s one of the plights of a hiker.
After dinner I ran and called my mom, finishing my rounds for catching up with family. I talked to my grandpa first and then her. I didn’t bother with FaceTime with grandpa since most of the time he holds to screen to his ear anyways. However, talking with my mom, I did. I’m so thankful for that technology. It was good to actually see her. To have a conversation where facial expressions are being shared, even though we are thousands of miles apart. FaceTime has been an incredible resource for connecting on this trip – easing the sadness in a way that a normal phone call cannot.
I could have stayed talking with mom for hours, but we leave tomorrow and there was still a lot to do; showers, laundry, packing, cleaning, etc. Warthog was already on top of most of the organization, but there was still a number of things only I could take care of. So I said my goodbyes with kisses blown over the phone and headed downstairs, where I was happily met with the smell of brownies baking.
We have an early start tomorrow. I’m not ready to carry a full and heavy pack up a Whites push. As I write this, my foot is laying on ice trying to help soothe my tendon. I know it’ll be bad for the next two days while my pack is heavy. As the load lightens, by feet feel better. First I have to hike, so we can eat, so my pack can lose weight. Before I do that, I have to go to bed. Something I’m off to do now. In an actual mattress bed, not one filled with air. I feel spoiled.
-ansel