Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
	Home	| Updates	| Map	| Journal	| Photos	| Resources	| FAQ

September 3, Madison Springs Hut - mile 1841.3

Whew! Am I exhausted tonight! A record mileage day for me in the Whites at 12 miles, and I can certainly tell it. I crossed most of the Presidentials today, starting with Pierce, Eisenhower and Franklin this morning, then climbing the big grand daddy of them all, Mt Washington, for lunch. This afternoon I hit Clay, Monroe and Adams before stopping here at the base of Madison. Someone on the trail decision committee here deserves a standing ovation, too! For the first time in over 1800 miles, the trail did not have to cross the summit of every single peak, except for Washington, of course. It was clear to me that the view from the side of the mountain was just as breath-taking as the one 200 feet higher, and I was extremely grateful for whoever chose to locate it that way.

And then there was Washington, the peak I've heard more about than any other on the trail, save perhaps Katahdin. The very mention of it generally strikes fear into the hearts of any one who hasn't yet climbed it, but why exactly, I'm not sure. It was a much easier climb than what I did yesterday, no rock scaling or vertical drop-offs, just a nice stone staircase all the way up. We had glorious weather today, too, which makes a huge difference in how much one enjoys the mountain. There's a big sign just after you pass the closest hut going up Washington, informing all that the mountain has the worst weather in the world, and if the weather is bad, you should turn back now.

So after all these months of hype, I huffed and puffed my way up there today with expectations of a "top-of-the-world" experience. Instead I was nearly blasted off my feet by all the noise, people, buildings and general hub-bub. I had heard that it was that way, with the Auto Road and the Cog Railway bringing up hundreds of tourists on a nice day, but still I was overwhelmed. I stayed up there about an hour, long enough to write a postcard and mail it, call Tony for a few minutes, eat a sloppy joe and wait in line to take my picture by the summit sign. And by then, I couldn't wait to get out of there!

Tonight I arrived at the hut around 6:30, together with Tom and Karen, who caught up to me today, We were merely hoping to get a space on the floor, but they actually took us on as work-for-stay, which we will do in the morning, since we were too late for supper chores. But we still got to eat some leftovers, which was great even though they were very scant. Cream of mushroom soup, a half cob of corn and a piece of chocolate cake - it all tasted incredible.