MOUNT MOOSILAUKE

AT Day 126: Friday,  August 11, 2023

SOBO Mile 1808.8 -1794.5

Kinsman Notch – Ore Hill Brook

Distance Hiked – 14.3 miles/23 km

Total Distance Hiked: 2048.9miles/3297 km 

A: 4646 ft/1417 m D:5013 ft/1529 mt

We have one more big obstacle to get over before we are on our way out of the New Hampshire White Mountains  and back into the green tunnel.

Mt Moosilauke at nearly 5000 feet and a much commented on difficult descent for north bound hikers. It rises 3,000 feet over 3.5 miles. We hope that for us it’s just a grind uphill without sliding off rocky slopes or breaking something. The Notch shuttle dropped us off at the trailhead at 7am.

As expected it wasn’t long before the ascent started. It was a steep and steady climb  on really well-formed trail with rock stairs and timber footholds in the shear rock faces.  Walking alongside the numerous waterfalls of the Beaver Brook added to the scenery of ascending from the northside.

From the Beaver Brook shelter the trail flattened out a little bit which was a surprise as we assumed it would be straight up all the way. We were chuffed to meet two NOBO hikers we’ve met before in Virginia, a mother and daughter – Katniss and Peeta.  So nice to see they were still hiking with a sense of humor and enthusiasm. 

From the start this morning it looked like it was going to be a nice clear day up on the summit but as we rose further along the mountain  it got colder. It was misted in and quite a strong wind was blowing on top so we were keen to get over the top and start the descent. Amazing how these mountains have their own weather patterns. The wind on the summit was stronger then we experienced on Mt Washington. I was being blown sideways. We were so grateful that it wasn’t raining. 

We couldn’t linger and got off the summit and descended out of the alpine zone as quickly as possible. It was a relief to be back in the protection of the trees. 

The descent was quite gradual. I think we skipped our way down. So happy to have this mountain behind us. The descent took almost as long as the ascent. It didn’t matter. It got warmer as we descended and sunshine was breaking through.

We were happy hikers. And our happiness increased when we descended to NH Route 25 to find a trail magic sign pointing to a trail head carpark. It was Linda and her husband along with a few members of their local church providing some amazing food. Home made pickles, red cabbage salad, a burger, cold drinks and home made choc chip cookies were mist welcomed. Just as we were finishing a group of three hikers arrived. We bid goodbye and with grateful hearts we set off. 

The trail was an amazing transition from the last few weeks. Although muddy in parts it was mostly well groomed and  soft leaf litter underfoot. We were delighted to be back in the green tunnel. We had arranged to meet up with a friend we met on the CDT in 2019. He was providing trail magic at the next road crossing where we would stop for the day. On our way we met another two hikers we’ve not seen since Virginia, Sing Song and soon after Jaeger. We met Sing Song in Damascus and hiked with him for a bit. His mums famous cinnamon scrolls are still on my mind, although I didn’t get to taste them. We met Jaeger back in Erwin and hiked with him for some time.  So good to see they are both still going with a great sense of humor and purpose. 

We made it to Route 25C just after 5 and found our second trail magic for the day. Ricky Bobby, our friend from the CDT, and his girlfriend Tori had a great setup. Another burger and a cold drink and catch up for a couple of hours before we set up our camp by a stream nearby. It was incredible that Ricky Bobby drove 13 hours from Michigan to spend the weekend providing trail magic to hikers.