Tensions were still a little high this morning when we started out to climb Mt. Cube. The trail was fairly steep, but we were moving okay. By mid morning we reached Atwell Hill Road, and we needed to put some distance between us, so Ronald took off to hike by himself, and Brandon and I stayed together.

Atwell Hill Road is the site of some regular trail magic. Most evenings, a local woman hiker named Dizzy B brings coolers of cold drinks to the Atwell tentsite (fondly known as the Atwell Hilton). Each day she leaves jugs of fresh water on the trail at the road crossing for thirsty hikers. We filled up from her water jugs, signed her trail register and went on. As we crossed the road, Pinnacle was just coming up the road from camp. It was 11:00, so he was getting a characteristically late start. Cowboy and Easy had been there last night, also, but they were long gone by then.

The trail continued on, crossing Rt. 25C. Brandon and I stopped for lunch just past the road at a picturesque stream. Our only climb for the afternoon was over Mt. Mist. We geared up for a long climb, but it never materialized, and we quickly found ourselves on top. From there, it was a quick downhill to Rt. 25, the turnoff for Glencliff, and just a mile from there to Jeffers Brook Shelter.

Glencliff isn't really a town, just a Post Office, a phone, and a drink machine. It's also home to Roger the Weatherman, who has been famous for years among thru-hikers. He regularly opens his home to hikers - just not on Thursdays, which, of course, this happened to be. He is also the same Roger who used to live in New York, and had Roger's Appalachian Oasis along the trail. At the Oasis, he had a table and chairs, and left drinks and the New York Times for hikers to enjoy. Now the tradition continues in New Hampshire.

We made it to the shelter just before 4:00, and Ronald was already there relaxing. Just before the shelter, Easy and Cowboy came up behind us. They had been hanging out at the Glencliff PO for a good part of the afternoon, but were going to try and zoom up and over Moosilauke to Beaver Brook Shelter. No way would I want to try that tonight. This is a very nice shelter area, with plenty of room for camping, and a good water source nearby. I'm glad to be here tonight, and more than content to tackle Moosilauke in the morning.

Had a mellow evening. We're all feeling much better now. I think we're getting back in the hiking groove again. Met New Stuff, another section hiker, who's a college student from North Carolina. She's a friend of Easy's, and has been hiking off and on with them since she started in Massachusetts. She's into doing short days and sleeping in beds a lot more than they are, so she probably won't catch up with them again. Turned in early tonight to make sure we were rested up for Moosilauke.

By this morning my legs had recovered to normal. However, tensions were still running high. We left early for the climb up over Cube. From the summit, we could see Moosilocie in the cool blue skies. It was perfect weather for a view. By the time we reached the bottom, I felt the need to put some space between Linda and me. Sometimes I like to push and see what I can do. When things get frustrating, it's good to push and let off some steam.

For the most part I just cruised today. The hills were easy and I hardly slowed down on the climbs. When I arrived at Jeffers Brook around 2:30 I was surprised. As I approached the shelter, another thru-hiker, Chief, was there giving a guided tour to his mother. He was taking a few days off in North Woodstock and visiting with his folks. They were out touring sections of the trial.

Jeffers Brook is a lovely shelter in a beautiful setting. The area around the shelter is carpeted with a layer of pine needles from the surrounding trees. It's amazingly nice considering how close it is to the road. The was one frustrating feature. The side trial from the AT to the shelter is a tenth of a mile long and up a hill. Yet the AT passes less than one hundred feet behind the shelter and is flat. Anyone coming in from the North will walk a tenth of a mile past the shelter and downhill only to have to turn around and come back. Seems dumb to me.

Started up at our usual time and were ready to climb Mount Cube. We were surprised when we reached the top so fast. Headed down Cube on what was a very easy trail. We were all moving fast. When we stopped at Dizzy B's water stand, dad went on ahead. From the water stand at Atwell Hill road the trail was a cakewalk. Just a few slight climbs, but very gradual.and on a few of the mountains the top came too early. On the down from Mist Mountain just past Wachipauka Pond, we saw this huge monstrous climb ahead of us. We were hoping we we didn't go over it, and luckily we didn't. After a while we just got bored of hiking but just kept going. We eventually got to Jeffers Brook Shelter and met dad there. We set out our stuff. A little later when I came up from getting water, there was another woman in the shelter. A northbounder named New Stuff. We also saw Virginia Creeper who we had met in Hanover, New Hampshire. We talked to New Stuff for a while then she went down to talk to Creeper and we had dinner and went to bed.