I left Hanover this morning just after eight. It was a fairly hard sixteen miles today, the elevation changes were steep and the rocks were still slick from yesterday's rains. I slipped three times badly enough to dump me on the ground. Fortunately nothing damaged.
I met only one northbound hiker today and am the only person here tonight. It's kinda lonely. Hopefully I will catch up or maybe a following bubble will catch me. Otherwise it will be like this the rest of the trip I fear.
Note: NOBO hiker Captain showed up just before seven tonight. Lone Ranger andCat got in at seven thirty; and as they did Captain had a bear walk near his hammock! We yelled and he threw a rock and the bear ran off but not too fast. So it will be back later tonight. My food is now properly hung from a nearby tree limb.
I have cell service here, I note that Dr. "Red" Duke has passed away and that a hurricane named Erica is going to hit FL on Monday.
8/27/15 - Hexacuba shelter
The bear didn't come back last night and I slept pretty well. Rolled out of bed about five thirty and was on trail before seven. It was chilly this morning, humid as all get out as usual. And overcast most of the day. So I never really got warm, despite sweating until I was soaked through. Miserable.
About twelve thirty, Waves passed me. Right afterwards I slipped and went full body sideways into a bog. My glasses went flying as my hiking pole whacked me in the face. Fortunately Waves was still in earshot and came back to pick me up. I stopped and cleaned up in the creek just ahead. Waves headed on with my thanks. Captain caught up while I was eating and headed on.
I started climbing Mt Cube after lunch, still feeling chilled. And it started to rain. Not hard, not for long, but it sure put the icing on a bad cake. A few tenths of a mile and a couple hundred feet up, I came to the Hexacuba cutoff. Captain was getting water. I decided to stop per my schedule, even though it was only about two.
Hexacuba is uphill a hundred feet or so, not normally a place I'd stop. But it's clean. I had to hike back down to the cutoff to get water, which took a while since the stream is almost dry. Then I got into my dry clothing and crawled into my sleeping bag. Took a while to warm up.
About six, Mushu and Janezilla, whom I'd last seen slackpacking in a large group back in MA, came in from Bill Ackerly's. Janezilla has a shin splint, so they're not pushing hard. They plan to do conservative miles from here to Baxter and finish right about the end of September. So I may have travel companions.
8/28/15 - Hikers Welcome hostel, Glencliff NH
I slept well last night, and Hexacuba has an overhang that kept the moonlight from shining in my eyes. I did wake up a couple of times when I rolled over and hit the sore spot on my hip from landing on a rock in the bog.
I was on trail a bit after six thirty this morning and powering up the south peak of Mt Cube. Despite the dry weather change late yesterday, the peak was in the cloud so there wasn't much of a view.
At NH 25A road crossing, I ran into a couple of southbound section hikers. As we chatted, I mentioned my plan to eat lunch and water up at Ore Hill Brook. One of the sectioners had the ALDHA guide, which unlike AWOL's guide or Guthook's, stayed the Brook water was contaminated by metals from the abandoned mine on Ore Hill. Fortunately I left camp with nearly two liters of water and had "cameled" a liter just a big earlier at a brook a mile back.
I pulled over at the parking lot at NH 25C for lunch. It was nice to sit in the sun and dry out. Fuego and Pan caught up with me, as did Freedom Fry. Lone Ranger and Cat showed up as I was finishing.
I made the hostel before three, a decent time. Freedom Fry, Cooter, Clown Car, Crow Daddy, Giggly Goose, Spacetime, Leviticus and Teachamon, Lone Ranger, Cat, Mushu and Janezilla , Dane, Raven, Bull, TMI, and several others are all here. Miss Janet is shuttling out of here. The place is a bit rough, sort of like Standing Bear (but better run), and Legion is a good host.
Tomorrow I'll slack pack north over Mt Moosilauke and Legion will take my gear to the Notch hostel. I'll need to get into town early enough to resupply for the trip through the Whites.
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