PARADISE LOST TO ON GOLDEN POND

It was tough leaving the dry, warm confines of the hut to brave the blustering winds of Mt Madison. We climbed over huge bolders as the cross winds at times measuring 40 + mph blew me off the trail. I secured my tablet/camera in my pack and did not take a picture all day but will remember it forever.  My knees screamed for relief but until I got below tree line, there was no relief to be had. Once among the pines, the world returned to normal. It was like a scene from paradise lost. The day was going smoothly until we passed by a trail sign without reading it carefully, which may have added 8 miles to the journey to the AMC center at Pinkums notch. AAAAAHHH! “I thought I wasn’t going to make that mistake again,” I wondered out loud. Tiger Bobs sister waited patiently for us to arrive and greeted us with a picnic lunch. We originally planned to hike further that day but because of the navigational phopah, we used the time to resupply, clean up and rest up for another day at her cabin and converted barn beside a beautiful pond. a
Today came quickly as the 3 of us hiked up Wildcat mountain. The climb was steep and rocky, like all the climbs in the Whites but TBs sister held her own and reminded us how special are the plants and colors of the mountains. After saying goodbye to her in the middle of the hike, I delivered a letter from the hut at lake of the clouds to the hut at ..?.. They call it trail mail, it took me 2 days to deliver it but I was so happy to do so. It felt like the pony express without the pony or the express. We really thought hiking 13 miles would get us into a shelter by 430 so when we finally arrived closer to 6, again I realized how tough the miles are in these mountains. Its not about the miles, its about the time and so a full day is a full day. I am now tucked warmly in my sleeping bag on a chilly august new England night. Cold I like but I am always uneasy when I get to camp and start to shiver. Tomorrow  I will be out of the White Mountains Park and away from the hut system that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will still have alot of climbing as the mountains çontinue into southern Maine and some more shivering.