7/26 A Nice Spot to Camp

14.8 hiked today, 1857.7 miles N, 316.3 miles left
Wildcat Mountain Ski Lift

This morning was better as I hoped. Sitting in the shelter was a bit like a nature program on tv with a bold red squirrel dashing within inches of me all morning. I made loud noises and banged things to try to scare him off but he persisted. I even threw a pebble towards him as a
threatning gesture and though I aimed to miss but he reacted by accidentally running right into the path of the rock. I felt bad but he seemed unhurt and even persisted bugging me for some time yet. Finally he went away and I think I know why as I got a look at a beatiful Pine Marren. He looked a lot like a weasel with dark brown fur and a cute face. Pine marrens eat red squirrel and I am sure he decided to avoid this.
The climb out of the shelter and back to the trail was much easier than I recall the descent being, I'm sure due to the good nights rest. However the trail was just as tricky with it really was sucking a lot out of me. Just 3.3 miles into my day I was at Madison Srings Hut where I took a long break. The Hut us unquie in the there is literally a spring right under it with water bubbling up through it's foundation on the downhill side. I spent about an hour relaxing getting my energy up for a side hike up Mt. Adams. This time I left the pack at the hut. I took the Star Lake Trail which is rockier and steeper than the usually Airline Trail to the top but I am glad I did. Without the pack on I was light on my feet and the trail passed around the edge of Star Lake. It was surronded in soft grasses with occasional boulders. The climb up went well but at the summit I did not linger as there were swams of all sorts of bugs. Not any that seemed to be biteing but still rather unplease!
nt. The descent was uneventful and I had a snack before pushing on.
The trail upcomming was another abusive segment like last night going up and over Mt. Madison before starting a long rocky descent. Finally I made it to treeline and the trail softened greatly to my delight. The views may not be as good but I have developed a great apprecation for dirt in the trail. The descent was long to Pinkham Notch. On the way through I passed the Osgood Tentsite provided by the USFS, not AMC. That seemed the place to be because I proceded to pass about 10 sobo hikers all headed into there for the night.
At the Notch I checked in the with AMC lodge there to see if there was a place to spend the night. The clerk was exceptionally helpful but unfourtunatly there was not much he could do for me. On the up side he let me use one of the office computers to check my email. Thank you Charles.
After that I made my way north which ment climbing out of the notch. It looked like an easy climb on paper but when I did it turned out to be very bad. The trail spent the first mile putzing around by a pond making the last 1.7 very steep hand over hand type terran.
On the way up I heared a party of women ahead of me. After a while I caught up with them, a trio of maybe 18-19 year old women who worked in the AMC lodge. They were planning on hiking through to the next next notch to spend the night before they got back up to go to work at 7 AM. I passed them easily and made it to the top of Wildcat Mountain E. On the top was a ski lift for the Wildcat Ski Mountain. It was just as I hoped providing me with a grassy place to throw down and the lift itself provided good coverage if it should rain.
I fired up the stove and started dinner enjoying the dimming sky and outline of the mountains in brillant hues. The three I had run into before finally caught up and were rather rambuncious. First they climbed over a barricade to get to the closed roof top observation deck on the lodge up top of the mountain. Then two of three looked around for a sign to steal and finally one literally ripped on off a doorframe before noiseiy heading north and leaveing me in peace.
Tonight is quiet and the ski slopes give a great vantage to see the towns below and cars moving on unseen roads. The outlines of the mountains are visable in the glow of moonlight and then temp is very nice.

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