8/10/01
This morning I awoke at 6:30 a.m. and actually pulled a sheet over my body as the room in the Cascade Lodge finally cooled. Then I rolled over and went back to sleep until 9:30. Phantom was gone from the room when I awoke so I went downstairs and outside to the front porch. Since no one was around, I walked a block to Peg's restaurant and sat at the counter for a big breakfast while I did some journaling. After breakfast I returned to the room and packed up my gear to take it downstairs to the front porch. I found Phantom across the street at the barbershop waiting to get a haircut, so I returned to the old hotel to pack his gear since the proprietor was more than anxious for us to vacate the room. I spent the next three hours on the porch journaling in a desperate attempt to catch up and capture the highlights of the journey for the past several days. The combination of high heat, rugged terrain and various distractions have made journaling extremely difficult, but I am committed to capturing as much as I can for the balance of the adventure. Finn joined me in the journaling while Redneck and Phantom ran errands and walked to the outfitter in nearby Lincoln. Finn, Redneck and I enjoyed a late lunch at Woodstock Station, then I rushed to the PO to mail some completed journals and film home. Around 4 p.m. the four of us paid the folks at the Cascade Lodge to shuttle us back to the trail. Because of the highway setup they dropped us off a half mile short of the trail, so we hiked on the highway to the trailhead and then began the steep 2700' climb to the summit of Liberty Mtn. I took my time and paced myself with little steps and a diagonal crisscross up the trail. Cliff (now called Pogo as his trail name) caught up to us just before the initial ascent. He and I both took a 15 minute break in the middle of the climb while our younger counterparts tackled the entire 2.5 mile ascent without a break. We had an opportunity to camp at Liberty Spring tentsite near the summit for $6.00 each, but all were determined not to have to pay for setting up a tent on the mountainside. We pushed on another .3 mile up the mountain where Phantom, Redneck, Finn and I found a great little campsite on a side trail that leads to the summit. There, we set up our sleeping arrangement and started dinner in hopes of getting to the exposed summit in time for sunset.
With dinner made but not eaten, Phantom and I took ours with us as the four of us hiked the .3 mile to the top of the mountain. Up top the wind was blowing steadily 30 mph and the air was finally cool after the front passed through while we were in town today. The view from the top was amazingly gorgeous in every direction, with the White Mountains in every direction, as well as views back into Vermont. Up top, I ate my dinner and snapped photos until the sun was down and the food was gone. Phantom and Finn had the bright idea to stay up top until dark to view the stars and meteor shower currently in progress in the northern hemisphere. With a cold wind chill factor, Redneck and I opted to return to the campsite to hang the bear bag, clean our dinner pots and utensils, and get our winter clothing to return to the top. As we returned to the top, a cold Finn and Phantom passed us on their way down, then returned with their winter gear as well. The four of us watched spellbound as we saw zillions of stars, the constellations, meteors, and numerous satellites passing by. Three thousand feet below we could clearly see the tiny lights of North Woodstock and Lincoln where we had spent the day and the highway passing through Franconia Notch. It was an inspiring, spiritual experience on top of the peak and we stayed there until 10 p.m. before the cold, stiff wind drove us down to the protected campsite. The day and evening will certainly be one of the most memorable times of the entire AT adventure. We all jumped into our bags on a perfect sleeping night, thankful that the heat wave was over and we could actually use the winter gear we had laboriously carried since entering the Whites. Wow, what a day! Today's stats: low 75, high 82 (then into the 50s at top of Liberty Peak). Cloudy and sprinkles early, clearing p.m. Today's mileage: 2.9; cumulative mileage: 1798.3.
