This was our favorite campsite so far. There was probably room for 4 tents total, but we used one of the “wings” of our secret camp as a privy. It rained a little last night, but I’m sure Mt Washington protected us from what was probably a big storm on the other side of the mountain. It started out a little overcast, but today promises to be a great weather day.
The hike today, is literally, all downhill from here. Bunny and I took off a few minutes before Bear and Sassy. I had my eye on Osgood Tentsite just a couple miles downhill from us (when I said we used one wing as a privy, I didn’t mean an all inclusive “we”—I still prefer to not dig holes if I can poop in a communal turd grave). Bunny and I got to the campsite trail intersection and dropped our packs. We took turns filtering water and leaving a slight brown trace.
While we were there, 5 other people passed us on their way down. They had all stayed on the other side of Mt Madison below treeline—an option we didn’t choose because of the extra climbing and mileage involved. Bear and Sassy quickly joined us and got some water. We had a small snack before continuing. We were all excited about the certainty of a shower and town food tonight with less than 5 miles to go.
We still hadn’t secured accommodations in town yet. In another 2.5 miles, we got to Low’s Bald Spot which allegedly has a phone signal. I was the only one willing to climb up to the view spot because, honestly, no overlooks could even come close in comparison to our last few days in the Presidentials. I did get a signal and found out there was no room left at Libby House B&B or The Barn. I went ahead and made reservations at the Royalty Inn in Gorham figuring this was our best bet. If someone wasn’t happy with this option, they can climb back up and change the reservations. I didn’t think this would happen since the wear and tear of the last few days was taking its toll on everyone.
Pinkham Notch visitor center was an easy 2 mile walk from here. We stopped for our AMC $6 special consisting of bread and soup. The soup was the best so far, even better than Zealand Hut. These were giant bowls. Bunny couldn’t finish hers, but No Prob Llama came in and helped her out.
We tried to get a ride to town but, once again, our only option was Kevin and “Homey don’t play that no more. “ Bear worked his magic and headed to the parking lot. He managed to yogi us a ride to Gorham from two guys that had come up for the day to hike up and down Mt Washington. They had already hiked over 12 miles to the top and back. They took one whiff of us and agreed that we could all ride in the back. A 5 mile open air ride sounded good to us—much better than a road walk.
The first order of business was not food, but a nap—at least it was for Bunny. I was charged with laundry duty since everything we had was dirty. It had been clear all day, but the rain came down in torrents while I was washing the laundry (by hand—how else can you do laundry, I have to load the machines and that requires hands). After the four of us showered—separately, we’re close to Bear and Sassy but not that close—we made our obligatory trip to Mr Pizza for supper. When Marcia and Peter arrive tomorrow, we’ll be able to spend the day with them smelling nice.
EFG