Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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September 11, Frye Notch Lean-to - mile 1907.1

Look at that! I passed the 1900-mile mark today! Only 267 left to go.....

Boy, did I get wet last night. I don't know why I didn't sleep in the shelter if I knew it was likely to rain, but for some reason, I had it stuck in my head that it was only a 30% chance and therefore, not going to happen. Well, it did, long and hard and it was downright soggy in there. I wish I understood exactly what is happening when I'm getting wet in my tent. Is it my tent actually leaking? It doesn't seem like the seams are giving way. Is it the condensation dripping in on me that I'm generating and it's just not dissipating since it's so humid outside? If so, I have very, very wet breath.

Today I climbed Baldpate Mountain - twice, actually since it has a west peak and an east peak. The East peak is the "official" one since it's a bit higher and the views from up there are better. The last quarter-mile climb up to the summit and first quarter-mile down again are open rock-face, and completely exposed. Luckily nothing was still wet from the rain, though there's no way it could have been because the wind blew like a banshee all day long. Up there, it was like a hurricane gale and I hung on for dear life to the rocks a few times when I was nearly blown off my feet. It was another good reason to have trekking poles, too. I found I was clenching the grips and pressing so hard into the rock to stay upright, that after a while my hands hurt from the effort.

Gosh, but what a VIEW from the top! It was mind-blowing, breathtakingly beautiful. Misty peaks jutting into the cleanest, brightest blue sky for hundreds of miles in every direction, with the purest, whitest, puffiest little clouds floating above them. I could see various lakes and ponds below, and forest land as far as the eye could see, with just the first hint of reds and yellows of the turning trees. Mostly right now it's the sugar maples, but others are also starting to turn as well. I was utterly alone up there, just me and the roaring wind, and I felt like I was on top of the world. I remember thinking, "This is what Mt Washington should be like."

So now I'm exhausted to the bone, as usual, and it's time to hit the sack. What a day!