The hike down from the campsite to the highway was wonderful. It was what I remembered AT trails to be like before I got to New Hampshire. Gentle slopes and flat sections, leaf litter on the trail. No masses of boulders to battle, no 45 degree slopes to climb or clamber down.
The hitch into town took a long time. Over 100 cars passed before one stopped. I hit the road at 9 and got the 10 miles into town at 10. I stopped first at a cafe bookstore for a breakfast wrap and coffee and to plug in my power bank, then walked to the Dollar General to see if they had what I needed for resupply. (There was a Walmart outside of town as a backup option.) They had everything I needed although the cheese selection was a bit limited. Two blocks of medium cheddar. I was hoping to find an outfitters because my repaired poles are not working out that well, one if them keeps shortening as I hike, but the local outfitters seems to have folded.
I returned to the cafe bookstore and ordered a panini, ate that, and came outside. A woman at an outdoor table saw me and asked if I was thru hiking. I said yes and if she was heading south I would gladly accept a ride. But she said there were three others with her so her car was full. After returning to her table, she came back and offered me a ten dollar bill in lieu of trail magic. I thanked her but declined. Thinking about this now I wonder if I should have accepted just because a kind gesture accepted benefits both giver and receiver. Not that I needed ten bucks.
On the way out of town I needed to walk half a mile to where my highway turned off, but just on a lark I held my thumb out as I walked there. Within five minutes a man driving his mother home stopped and picked me up. So I was back on trail quickly.
The climb from there was a but tougher terrain than the descent had been, but not boulder hopping (because we’re not above the treeline). I made it to Carter Notch Hut around 3:15 and asked for a work stay. They said they can’t consider work stays until after 4. I hung out and talked to a man sitting inside. It turns out he is part of a men’s church group that does several multiday hikes each year. There are 40 bunks at this hut and the men’s group is usung 38 of them.
At 3:55 two young men who looked scruffy enough to be thru hikers came inside and I worried that the three of us would be fighting for the two available work stay slots. I approached the kitchen at 3:59:30 and so did they. But that turned out to be a coincidence. They just happened to want some soup, they were planning to head to the shelter 7 miles further along.
Once I secured my work stay I went to the nearby pond, where a half dozen of the men were sunning themselves on rocks after a swim. I swam in my shirt and shorts, to clean them. The sun was about to go down over the mountain but I got enough sun to at least partially dry. But a chill was setting in so I walked back to the hut and put on several layers over my shirt, and also put on my wool hat.
I went for a hike while the guests were eating, to warm me up and to try to get cell service. Around 7:15 the guests were asked to go outside so the staff could clear the tables. One crew member came out with us, the resident naturalist (every hut has one). He gave a talk on weather and how air pressure, the sun, mountains, the ocean, and storm tracks all contribute to the weather. Then he described the different cloud types and layers of the troposphere, and what each cloud implies about the weather. Finally signs from animals that suggest what’s coming.
At 8 I went inside to find out what my chore was. I was asked to take all the food out of their freezer (in a shed), scrape the ice, wipe the walls down, and put the food back in with as much order as possible. The main challenge I found was trying to get the frost off while the freezer was running, as the cold caused more humidity to condense and freeze on the walls. Then trying to organize categories of food in a tall freezer with no shelves is a bit of a jenga problem.
For dinner I had couscous on chickpea soup, leftover lasagna and peas, and a chocolate layer cake. I stuffed myself. After dinner I joined three of the men in a game of cribbage, which I hadn’t played in decades. A group of adolescent boys with two older men arrived around 8, asking for boiling water so they could make their freeze dried meals. They were planning to hike ahead and find a place to tent. It was pretty much dark when they left, and these hills are steep with almost nothing even approaching a flat spot, so I’m not sure how they managed to find tenting space for fifteen.
At 9:30 a crew member announced it was lights out. People dispersed. I set up my stuff and was in bed around 9:45.
Notice the wood framed pack in the background. Three crew members arrived with food in late afternoon.
This photo was on the staff photos bulletin board. I thought she looked a lot like a younger Mildri. There was also a former crew member visiting who bore a remarkable resemblance to Mildri.
Our weather lecturer
My supper, minus dessert
Most of the men played cards after dinner. A couple had guitars and a few sang along.
I thought why’s he got such an old picture of Mildri with him.