Day 299

Day 299                                                                                               July 29, 2018

We were both up before our alarms sounded at 04:15 am thanks to a restless night of sleep (Jason thinks this place is haunted or has bad spirits).  I dressed and made us a good, powerful breakfast of oatmeal, chia seeds, peanut butter, dried cranberries, banana and almonds to supply the fuel needed for our hike.  We then drove in a dark fog as the sun slowly came up over the mountains towards Mount Washington.

We were to hike the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to Mount Washington which was supposed to be a 7.9 mile loop; however, due to all the rain two of the bridges were out so we had to a take a detour making the trip a 9.2 mile loop.  At an elevation of 6, 288 feet Mount Washington is the highest point in New England and the highest peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  It has the reputation of being called the most dangerous small mountain in the world.  It now has the second highest surface wind speed ever officially recorded at 231 mph!!!

As we set out (06:00 am) the detour was a rocky and muddy road that went straight up for about two miles.  At sections I could have reached out and touched the ground in front of me it was so steep.  The going was slow, and we averaged 32-minute miles.  We had a quick two-minute reprieve and then up, up and away the trail went.  The waterfall section was even steeper, but one was stepping up stone stairs/rocks instead and at parts the trail became the waterfall and thus one wrong step could have you slipping and tumbling down.  The views though were remarkable and took one’s mind off the struggle of climbing.  All around me were stately mountains with jagged and rocky peaks and above a thick fog rolled on by.  It was all pretty “easy” until we hit the last 0.8 miles then it was 100% an uphill rock scramble.  The wind blew something fierce, almost knocking us over, the temperature plummeted to where we put on our jackets and an even thicker fog surrounded us, so we could only see a few feet in front.  It took us almost an hour and 20 minutes to ascend that last mile to the summit!  We were in an alpine zone at this point where the rocks were coated in a vibrant green lichen and very little vegetation grew.  Near the end, my legs could barely lift my feet to take another step.  The sight of a car fueled us on and we reached the summit with wet hair from the dense fog and a surreal feeling of being on another planet.

In the gift store at the top we bought a sticker and found out that if a hiker wanted a ride back down the mountain the shuttle cost $30.00! First, I never carry money when I hike, and I think it is completely fucked up to make someone pay that much if they are hurt, tired or just can’t make the journey back down.  Then if it is past 16:00 the base rate is $200.00 plus $50.00 per adult IF they can even come get you.  I think that is wrong on so many levels.  One also had to pay extra for the museum so we didn’t go do that and there no views due to the fog so we went to the cafeteria to warm up and eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Once we had our picture taken at the summit we began our treacherous hike downhill that we both were not looking forward to for we knew it would be difficult and one slip could cost us a lot.  Going down we passed a lot more people some of whom I was surprised were attempting the climb, so I have to give them credit for trying.   Once the fog cleared due to our lower elevation (by the way it made me feel better knowing that there is not a view at the summit 300 days out of the year!) we took off our jackets due to the warmer temperature.  My legs were shacking from the strain of going downhill and my knees were on fire.  Jason and I both wished for some uphill action to relieve the pain.  By the end, my feet were done but all day I would picture the beauty of the hike and it takes my breath away on imaging how wonderful it was.

In the parking lot, I called my mom to let her know we made it safely off the mountain.  I then called my older brother for it was his birthday today!  We were beat, and our bodies were wanting nourishment and rest, so we drove to a nearby Walmart to buy a pizza and beer before we went back to our free campsite in Bethel, Maine.  The campsite was so peaceful and quiet!  We cleaned the camper out really well and did the dishes before taking turns showering and getting a fire going.  It was so relaxing to sit around the fire, drinking and eating that delicious pizza.  As the sky darkened above us and the fire warmed our skin I fell asleep for a little bit in my camp chair.  Then we both called it a night and passed out.