"The wind will not stop, gusts of sand
swirl before me, stinging my face. But there is still too much to see and
marvel at, the world very much alive in the bright light..."
-Edward Abbey
Start: Stealth site near Zealand Hut
Stop: Nauman tent site
Today: 14.3 mi
Total: 566.4 mi
We made quick work of the first 5 miles
(and the only flat section of the White Mountains) before descending about 1700
feet to Crawford Notch. Standing there at the road, Webster mountain
loomed before us. It's spire of rocks, so far above us, convinced me to take a
break.
We sat there in the coolness of a NH
morning talking about how excited we were to finally be entering the
presidential range. I wondered what emotions I would feel standing at the
Washington's summit. It is a mountain I had climbed 12 times already but
this one would be different. Would I feel immeasurable joy at that
moment? Or the sadness of the double whammy of ending the trip and starting
work in a few days wash over me? And the worst transition: shaving the
man-beard I've been cultivating for 2 months!
It was more of a rugged climb up Mt Webster
and Mt Jackson than I anticipated. There was a lot of negotiating around
narrow ledges and hand over hand climbing, all while contorting your body so
you and your 35 pound pack didn't go over the edge. We had an amazing
time doing this but with high winds and some cliffs with 1000 foot drops, a bit
scary too.
With each step upwards the winds amplified
in speed and sound. They howled above us while we walked below tree line
and when we entered the exposed ridges, they blasted us with chilly, Canadian
air. On Webster cliffs I sat between boulders so I could escape the
screaming winds and enjoy the views. The cold rock of the cliffs were
weathered smooth by many years of glaciation. A deep, sharp valley,
Crawford Notch, stood before me with a parallel ridge of dense, green trees
across the way.
The winds convinced me to move on. After
Mt Jackson, we came upon a shelf with wet, marshy ground. The bog bridges
helped us move over them quickly. Before long we arrived at the spot
where Crawford Path joins the AT and they travel together.
Crawford Path is the oldest hiking trail
still used in America. It was carved out of the forest and ridges by a
man and his son in 1819. As amazing as it is to share a path with tens of
thousands of people who came before me, I was halted because this was my very
first white blaze. 10 years ago, almost to the day, I followed Crawford
Path to this spot and passed this white AT blaze with little thought. I
now stand beside this 2 inch by 6 inch white blaze knowing I walked from West
Virginia to get here! What a moment...indescribable!
After a minute with the faded white blaze,
we carried on another 200 yards to Mizpah Hut and our tent platform at Nauman
for the night.
~DADDY LONG LEGS
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