Mount Washington to Gorham, NH

Dragonlady and J5 picked us up this morning and we drove back up to the top of Mount Washington. This is a photo of one of the rare times the summit wasn't covered in clouds!

By the time we drove back up, a cloud was hanging over it again, so it was chilly! After about 15 minutes of hiking, we were out of the clouds and it was clear, crisp and sunny. Photo of the cog train tracks that bring lazy (aka - smart) people to the top.

Most of this mornings hike was above tree line. I actually like that. The climbs don't seem as steep.

We hiked about 5 miles before coming to the Mount Madison hut.

Stopped in and had a quick snack and hit the trail. The pointy mountain behind the hut is Mount Madison. We climbed over the top, and then started the long, steep descent down. We'd heard from lots  of folks who are ahead of us, that the climb down was brutally steep. We were SO lucky that it was a dry, sunny day! To me, it was one of those situations where I had heard so many terrible stories about this descent, that it just didn't seen THAT terrible. Just tough. Once we got below tree line, it was a little more challenging because it was steep, and the rocks were still wet, so very slippery. This was not a day for contemplating the meaning of life or how to end world hunger. This was a day to focus on where my feet were going each and every step. Lots of bruised and battered shins today. And mine were not the worst by far! Guess I won't be doing any leg modeling for awhile :)

This is looking back over at Mount Washington and then to the right, all the ridges we came across before Madison.

Did decent mileage today. As we got closer to the bottom, there were still lots of roots and rocks and muck. I am from Kansas. I am used to wide open spaces and expansive blue skies. I love the woods, but I was ready for some open air, so when we finally got some nice trail, I took off and literally ran off and on for the last mile or so. (that's right- Melody, Polly and Stacey- get ready because I'll be home soon and I hope you are ready to run!) It felt GREAT! A little bit of a boost at the end of a long day. 

Saw the first bear that I've seen since Virginia. He was just hanging out by the roadside as we drove to the hostel. 

Tonight we are staying at the White Mountain Hostel. Resupplied on food and a great package from home. Tomorrow, we start in to 'the wildcats', another section we've heard big stories about. Gotta get our game faces on.