Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 26 – Total eclipse of the heart

21st August 2023
Lake of the Clouds Hut (334.5) - Ethan Pond Shelter (348.5)
Daily miles: 14
Total miles: 355.4

The dungeon wasn’t that bad and it wasn’t as damp as we all feared. The earplugs have paid for themselves many times over now as they protected me from THREE snorers and I got a pretty good nights sleep.

Pedro (not his real name, everyone was calling him that because he looks like Pedro Pascal, I didn’t know who that is but I’m assuming someone famous?) was up and out at 5am into the wind and mist. Visibility was minimal this morning, the whole area was covered in cloud. Pedro is doing big days, 23-25 miles, but he’s also doing long days, 5 in the morning until 8 at night.

a view through the mist — The view from the hut was a bit different to yesterday

I packed up and went into the hut to eat some breakfast and use the loo, it was pretty chaotic in there with people milling about all over the place. I looked at the weather report from yesterday – the top wind speed recorded on Mt Washington was 88mph!

I sat with my new friends and they were going to wait to see if there were any leftovers for breakfast but that wasn’t until 9am and I wanted to be on my way, so I said goodbye and set off into the cloud at 07:15.

I started with my fleece and jacket on, which I knew was going to be a mistake, but I actually lasted longer with them on that I thought as it was pretty chilly. The cloud was wet so I put my rain skirt on and took my jumper off because I didn’t want it to get wet and I tucked it into the inner sanctum of my bag.

a rocky path through the mist — Setting off into the cloud

a selfie of a hiker wrapped up in layers — A chilly morning

a hiker walking along a trail surrounded by mist — Visibility is low

bog boards through the forest — Bog boards

It took me longer than I thought to reach Mizpah hut, it was so slippy because all the rocks were wet and some bits were a bit of a rock scramble. The cloud stayed all morning.

I arrived at the hut and it had a bit of a weird vibe. The “croo” were all busy doing stuff and didn’t acknowledge me. I went to look at the baked goods but didn’t fancy any of them. I went to the loo, I had needed a wee all morning but held on to the hut because I didn’t want to stop.

I noticed there were some breakfast leftovers so I grabbed a handful of bacon - I got about 8 rashers - and left after only about 5 minutes.

the inside of mizpah hut — Inside Mizpah hut

a hand holding 3 rashers of crispy bacon — Leftovers for breakfast

I stumbled my way across to Mt Webster still in the cloud. Lots of bog boards and more rock scrambles. It was slow going, 2 hours to do 3 miles. It really is a miracle that I haven’t done myself a serious injury yet; every step has the potential.

Then came the long descent to Crawford Notch where I thought I could make up some time but how wrong I was! It took me another 2 hours to do 3 miles. My knees are suffering and I just feel generally fatigued. The lower I got the warmer it got. The sun came out and the cloud disappeared, the humidity increased with each foot of descent and the mosquitoes got worse and worse.

a view of mist over the trees — Admiring the views

rocks with mist behind — There is a beauty in the mist

puff puff standing on top of a rock with mist behind — It’s tough but still enjoyable

a wide view of the mountains with a cloudy sky and the sun trying to shine through — Nice to see the sun

I have been passing a steady stream of NOBOs. Not sure if I mentioned this before but the demographic has definitely changed. The people we were seeing in Maine were the older retired crowd and now they are a lot younger and in bigger groups. Also, lots of non AT hikers just hiking around the Whites for a few days. One guy offered me Snickers but I had to turn it down because nuts mixed with chocolate is wrong.

fungus growing out of a tree trunk — I could smell this tree before I saw it, the smell of fungus was so strong

Finally got to the road and I was secretly hoping for trail magic but there wasn’t anything there, just a bunch of NOBOs who looked like they had come back from town.

Every time you do a big descent to a notch it is of course followed by a big climb up the other side. The first bit was a really steep road walk which really pulled on the back of my ankles… please don’t fail me now! Then a really steep climb up past the railway line. It was a struggle. There weren’t any rocks and boulders, in fact it was very well maintained with logs creating big steps, but in a way it was almost harder than the rocks and boulders!

railways tracks lined with trees — Crossing the railway tracks

Another 2 hours to do 3 miles! It seems I only have one pace today, I did stop for a break to filter water and eat a couple of snacks in this 3 miles though. The mileage is playing on my mind a bit. I feel like I should be doing bigger miles than this by now but I feel like I’m getting slower!

I arrived at the Ethan Pond shelter at 16:40 which was early to stop, and it pleased me to know I could have squeezed a few more miles out of today, but the only next guaranteed overnight stop was the next hut 5 miles away, and that’s a pay $190 deal so I didn’t want to stay there. It definitely wouldn’t hurt to stop early and give my knees a rest.

I was the first person there. The shelter was completely empty and there was a family who I passed on their way here too. I took the first tent platform as I prefer to be in my tent over the shelter. The family arrived after I had set up my tent and they took the next platform.

I was listening to music which I haven’t done in ages and as I pitched my tent – on the same platform I camped on last time – Total Eclipse of the Heart played which was a song we sang a lot in 2018 and I felt comforted by the presence of my old trail family.

the insides on altra lone peaks with holes in — These shoes are destroyed

the outsides of altra lone peaks with holes in them — Holes on both sides

The caretaker came round and collected the money. Muggles have to pay $15 each and thru hikers get a deal for $5. There was always going to be the chance that I would share the tent platform with someone else and a family of 2 adults and 3 kids came and pitched up next to me.