7/12/06 Wednesday: Firewardens cabin to the Hikers Welcome Hostel, Glencliff, NH (20mi)

PICTURES:
1,2.3. 0650: Views from Fire Tower on Smarts Mtn.
4. 1026: View from Mt. Cube.
5. 1050: Another view with Dan and I from Mt. Cube.

What a beautiful day to start off... Temps continued into the 60's and 70's with clear skies :)... I got my pics from the tower, and we took off down the Mtn for another long day but one that would be considerably easier, with fewer and easier ups and down. We took a few breaks in the morning, having the opportunities to take some nice pics along the way and still trying to dry our socks and boots in the midday sun... By 1300 we arrived for lunch at the One Hill Shelter meeting Dudley and Sweettea there, Donkey having already pushed on.. We had all decided to make it to a hostel in Glencliff for the night and still had about 9 miles to go... The afternoons hike proved relatively easy and besides the recurrence of the rain, we made it into the hostel by 1715... We had to walk about .2mi east on the road but were greeted warmly by the host. We soon were settling in with our showers, bunk selection, and getting ready for our trip into town to pick up a few items for the hike ahead.. Tomorrow we enter the White Mtns and start with a challenging climb... I do hope the rains stop because much of the hike tomorrow goes over open rock faces which I hear are quite treacherous when wet... We will see wath tomorrow brings... The shelter here is full for the night, many hikers like me trying to get out of the rain and maybe dry off a bit...

7/11/06 Tuesday: Velvet Rocks Shelter to Smarts Mtn. Firewardens Cabin (21.9mi)

PICTURES:
1. 1353: Dan and I taken on Moose Mtn.
2. 1621: A trail marker indicating the number of miles to Mt. Katahdin...
3. 1659: Holts Ledge... Break time
4. 1745: A picture of Smarts Mtn. as we approach from the south. Zoom in to see the fire tower...

Dan and I had a big day ahead of us so we got up by 0545 and found "Swamp Donkey" got up REAL early and cooked us all breakfast; bacon and egg bagel sandwitches... What a treat!!! We all hada good breakfast for a change before heading out around 0630. Swamp Donkey left first with Dudley. Dan, ESP, and I left about 10min later... The terraine would prove challenging throughout the day with a number of climbs with corresponding decents all day long... I figure I am down to about 5% body fat which means I am more affected by these recurring changes in elevation which play havoc on the body. I am now frequently exhausted by the end of a 20mi day, that was not always the case... The balls of my feet are chronically swollen and tender, making each step somewhat painful. I am driven to finish this expedition ASAP so I can get off my feet for a while and put on some weight... On this day, it rained all morning, just after we left the shelter... :(... Heavy down pours occurred throughout the morning but it partly cleared around 1300 with the rain stopping and the sun coming out for a bit... We still pushed on despite the rain and by 1300 we all met up again at the Moose Mtn. Shelter for lunch... We tried to dry ourselves out a bit which means removing clothing, wringing it out, and putting it back on...;)... I had a hot meal to take the chill out and by the end of lunch Dan and I continued on our way... SD, Dudley, and Sweet Tea left just before us. Dan and I followed with ESP deciding she had had enough for the day and was staying put. We had done pretty well considering the weather, completing 9.5mi in the rain and having another 11 or so to go... But more climbs lay ahead and with the weather clearing, I was able to take a few pictures... We arrived at the Firewardens Cabin around 2000 to find it full with a group of kids from the Boston Salvation Army... They graciously conceeded a small section of the cabin and some of their staff moved into a tent so the 5 of us could squeeze in with about 15kids... We had a good nights sleep despite the chatter from the adolescents... They were pretty good considering all being transplanted into the woods from the inner city.. There were intermittant showers through the night but by morning the skies had cleared and we all went up to the old fire tower for a look and some pictures...