Trail Journal 08.31.02

Last day of August.  In a month this hike will be over.  But for the moment I still have 328 miles to go.  Today's miles were fun, tedious and exhausting.  Left camp in the fog which thickened as we climbed to the alpine zone.  The fog cut out any views but created a reas intimacy on the trail.  Grasses, wet with dew, shimmered in the low light.  The trail was reduced to the small area visible in the fog.  Red and Gary were ethereal figures at times ahead or behind me.  The sun began peeking out around 10:00 and by the time we reached Lake of the Clouds Hut 30 minutes later, blue sky was visible and sunlight shone through.  Hiked up to Mount Washington summit with many others, veritable ziggurat .  Washington's slopes are very rocky--a jumble of talus.  The summit is a real circus, with visitors coming by foot, auto and cog railway.  Felt kind of odd to be in such a crowd but that didn't stop us from chowing down a the visitor center snack bar.  The climb down from Washington and across Mounts Clay and Jefferson was more talus and rock. Hard going.  Got into The Perch Shelter, a mile down from the ridge on rocky trail, only to find it full on this Saturday of Labor Day weekend.  People made room for me in the shelter.  Red, Gary, Kutsa and Montreal are stealth camping nearby.  Somehow it all works out.