Got on the trail early this morning, just after 6:30. It was a beautiful, clear morning. The trail toward Moosilauke started out up the road then took off through a grassy meadow. Before long we started the steady climb up, and up, and up… It's a 3,500-foot climb in about 4 miles. Most of the trail from the south was relatively gradual, steep, but not rocky. The last section was a major boulder climb to the top, but we were still on the summit by 9:00. We were rewarded for our efforts by spectacular views. The sun was shining brightly, but the wind was fierce, so we took a few pictures, then ducked for cover behind one of several make-shift rock windbreaks. We ate our snacks out of the wind with the grandeur of the mountains as a backdrop. Years ago there was a huge lodge up here, but all that remains now are a plaque and the faint outline of the stone foundation.

Also, so no sign of Doc Benton, the caped 19^th century evil spirit that is supposed to roam the top of the mountain. I'm certainly glad for that. The last time we crossed this mountain, it was early morning, cold, windy, and foggy. Making a perfect environment for ghostly apparitions. Fortunately, we didn't hear about the legend until afterwards.

The climb down Moosilauke was like no descent we've experienced before. Steep doesn't even begin to describe the route. Vertical drop-off is more accurate. The trail follows the gorgeous Beaver Brook, with dozens of cascades and waterfalls. The sheer beauty of it must be what makes hikers crazy enough to tackle it. The construction of the trail was a major feat of engineering. Huge boulders were blasted out of the side of the mountain and slabs of granite fitted together to make huge steps. Also, where the rocks were too vertical to even think of climbing down, wooden steps were bolted into the rocks with an occasional iron hand railing thrown in for good measure. What an exciting trip down that was! The entire way down I was thinking two things: 1) I'm thankful it's not raining, or I'd probably slip to my death; and 2) I'm thankful we didn't bring Twilight along, because I don't see how she could have navigated this trail, wet or dry.

Toward Kinsman Notch, the trail leveled out to a beautiful, wide, sandy path. There was a sign at the bottom, warning potential hikers of the steep terrain ahead, but I'm betting that many an unsuspecting day hiker has fallen prey to the siren song of the lovely mountain stream, never guessing the torture that lay ahead.

After the last stretch, we began to have doubts about being able to cover the 8.7 miles we needed to go tomorrow (Saturday), before the Post Office in North Woodstock closed at noon. Normally, it would be no sweat, but figured we'd better come up with Plan B. At Kinsman Notch, Rt.112 goes into North Woodstock, so Ronald and Brandon hung out at the picnic area while I hitched into town. I picked up our box at the PO, then dropped it off at Cascade B&B where we had reservations for tomorrow night. There wasn't much traffic on the road, so it took a while to get into town, and coming back, I got a ride on a motorcycle. Yup, that's right! Me and my red Kelty on the back of a motorcycle -- wind in my hair, bugs in my teeth -- Motorcycle Mama -- yee haw! Wish I had a picture to document it, and a picture of the look on Ronald's and Brandon's faces when I roared in. Everyone will just have to take my word for it.

The two hour side trip into town took the pressure off tomorrow, but meant we really had to hustle the last 8 miles to Eliza Brook tonight. Climbing out of Kinsman Notch was tough, so we weren't making very good time. When it started looking like it might be dark before we got in, we really started to haul buns. Unlike many other thru-hikers, we weren't equipped with headlamps for hiking after dark, so that wasn't an attractive prospect. We finally rolled into Eliza Brook Shelter around 7:30, and were greeted by one of Easy's big bonfires. That was a welcome sight! Still had time to fix dinner and get everything cleaned up before it actually got dark, so we did pretty well. Went to bed early again, this time from utter exhaustion.

We knew from the outset that today would be hard. In order to get a good start, we started hiking shortly after 6:30. The long climb up Mt. Moosilauke was hard but not overly difficult. The cool weather this morning made hiking enjoyable. At times it was like climbing in a refrigerator. I still sweated but at least I wasn't soaking wet. The views from the open summit were great. Since Moosilauke is the first northern mountain on the AT that above timberline, we had unrestricted views in all directions.

After a few pictures we took shelter in one of the many rock rings on the summit. Built from the remnants of the lodge that once stood on top, the rock rings provide some protection from the fierce winds that whip across the top. We nestled down out of the wind and still sat in the sun to soak up some rays. We sat around for a half-hour eating snacks before heading down off the mountain in search of warmth.

Coming down off Moosilauke is quite interesting. The upper part is your normal steep decent typical of trails in the White Mountains. The trail bed is composed of large rocks of different shapes and sizes. Stepping down between the rocks varies from a few inches to two or more feet. Certainly not the kind of trail you can cruise on. After the AT passes Beaver Brook Shelter, it goes vertical. Traveling straight down the mountain next to a series of falls on Beaver Brook, it is not a trail for the faint of heart. It was steep, exposed, hard and beautiful. Throughout most of the long decent, steps were blasted into the cliff face. On the steepest sections, pieces of re-bar were cemented into the rock to form handholds. On some steep slabs of rock, quarter wedges of logs had been bolted to the rock to form steps. The tops of the steps were often slanted down into the rock and not level. If your foot slipped, it would most likely slide into the rock face and not into air. If you're not careful when you step down, the slanted step can force your knee back painfully. My knee's took quite a punishment on that decent.

When we arrived in the bottom at Kinsman Notch, I was glad to have survived the experience. I have no great desire to repeat it any time soon. At the notch we decided to send Linda into North Woodstock. Since tomorrow is Saturday, Post Offices close early. We wanted to make sure we got or mail drop so we wouldn't be stuck in town until Monday. While Linda hitched into town, Brandon and I headed down the road to a local tourist attraction. They had a snack bar an we got pizza, drinks, and ice cream for lunch.

Back at the trailhead, there was little for us to due but lie in the warm summer grass and await Linda's arrival. Around 3:00 Linda rides up on the back of a motorcycle. With hair flapping in the breeze and pack mounted on the backrest, she was quite a site. Apparently North Woodstock is not an easy hitch.

With all the excitement over, there was little left to do but get back on the trail. It was still eight more miles to the next shelter. Looking at the map, the trail between the Notch and Elisa Brook did not appear to be easy. Once on the trail we discovered all the climbs the profiles didn't illustrate. After the first steep climb out of the notch, we were constantly going up and down numerous bumps. As we crawled along the ridge it was starting to get late. I was concerned we wouldn't make it before dark. From the terrain we were in, there were very few spots to setup camp.

Finally around 7:30 we spotted a fire at the shelter. It was not nighttime, but deep in the mountains it was getting pretty dark. I sat my beat blistered feet and sweat soaked body down on the floor of the shelter to regain some energy. I was surprised to see Cowboy, Easy and Creeper there. Since they were ahead of us, I didn't expect to see them again. Needless to say I was grateful for Easy's fire. After along hard day on the trail, it is a welcome site. If today is representative of the rest of the Whites, we are in for a hard week.

Today we got and early start and headed out to climb Mt. Moosilauke. We got a fresh start and were moving fast until we started the steep climb. The way up was rocky and we weren't moving fast, but we reached the top before 9:30. There we had some snacks before heading back down the other side. The way down the North side of Moosilauke was steep, very steep almost straight down. There were wooden steps bolted into the slabs of rock and metal handrails. It was great. I loved it all the way down. What was even better, was that it followed Beaver Brook all the way down. There were plenty of scenic spots with waterfalls. When we got to Kinsman Notch, we had a break. Dad and I headed down the road for lunch at a place a half-miles off the trail. Mom hitched hiked into North Woodstock. After lunch we walked back to the trailhead and took a nap in the shade while we waited for mom. When mom came back we put on our packs and headed up and over Wolf Mountain. Before Wolf there are what seems like hundreds of Mindless Up and Downs (MUDs) until you get to the top. From the top it was three endless miles to Eliza Brook Shelter. We finally got there and met up with Easy, Creeper, Pinnacle, and Cowboy. They had gone ahead of us and we were surprised to see them. Easy had a nice fire for us to warm up by. We had dinner in the dark then everyone went to bed.