flashback to 1972: Sep 2, 2014

Leave Madison hut after breakfast and immediately head the wrong way on the wrong trail. Loose a half hour sorting myself out. My goal is to have lunch on top of mt Washington . But I have to get across places like airline trail, thunderstorm junction and sphinx trail. It's going to be a 13 mile day with that big W. Bump rigt in the middle. As it turns out the trail is practically a super highway well worn into a mostly smooth track. Not at all like the Madison ascent. The AMC uses very few white blazes in this neck of the woods they have great cairns sometimes with white rocks at the top but sometimes standing 5 feet high. And there are sign posts at all the trail intersections- and there are a lot of intersections. Augusta rotaries got nothing on these intersections. As I come up to the cog I. Get to watch 3 different trains head down. Remind me of when we hiked up to lake of the clouds and took the cog down in the rain. I eventually have to cross the tracks. it's a great clear day some clouds blows thru but great views all around. I recharge my phone and sit for an hour at the summit. I had a piece of pizza and a cold chocholate milk, then I had another piece of pizza and a cold coke. The trail stays pretty level and I make good time. It feels good to stretch out. I keep meeting hikers headed north and they look scraggy enough to be thru hikers . I finally get to talk and there's a group of about 12. One of the fellows girlfriends has a car full of backpacks and is going to meet everyone on summit of mt Washington. That are all slack packing . But when I'm talking to them they are still 2 or 3 hours out and it's 4 pm. One of the guys confesses they are schemeing on stealth camping on top of W. Good luck with that. Mizpah but is about the same as the last. And surprise ! the after dinner program is one of the thru hikers giving a chat in the library. I get to bed at 8 pm . It rains like stink around midnight. I'm sure glad I'm not camping although there is a tent sites here at this hut. This morning it's cloudy and overcast it's going to be a wet slippery day and I have 14.3 miles to Zealand falls hut. I vaguely remember trying to hike to Zealand falls in the dead of winter in 1972. Finally I get to see what it looks like.
44.4742° N, 71.0265° W

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