Going up.

Day 103 - 8/1/10
I went to bed fairly early last night so I was able to get up and
moving by 7:30. It also helped to have the others camping nearby
because they're all early risers (5:30-6am) so I could hear them
moving around and stuff.

The hike up from Mink Brook to Moose Mountain was quick and painless,
so when I got to the shelter of the same name I stopped there and
caught up on some guidebook notes while snacking on homemade chocolate
chip cookies Mom had given me. It felt good to finally catch up to my
present location, and from now on I will try to put the notes in at
the end of each day. The trail sloped gently uphill from there, then
nosedived almost 1400 ft. in two miles, and then went right back up
1200 ft. in another two. Holts Ledge was just over the other side of
the summit, and when I got there I had caught up to Tillerman, Tequila
John, and Kutsa. The ledge was a decent view, although tiny, but since
everyone was there taking a break I decided to as well.

After maybe 15 minutes we all left, going right back down 1200 ft. to
a road crossing. A little past that was a sign directing hikers to a
house where they could fill up on water, and there was also some sort
of ice cream logo. I had gotten a litle ahead of the others, so I was
the first to check it out. The house, actually the yard, was full of
people because they were having a family reunion there. They were
still assisting hikers though, so I filled up on water, got a free
fudgesicle, and then 2 cokes for a dollar. Not bad. It was funny
because all the young kids were so eager to assist us with our water
and sodas. Plus they had lots of questions even though we weren't the
first hikers they'd seen. I met another hiker there, Just Jim was his
name. He's sectioning all the way from Harpers Ferry, which is well
over half of the trail. The other 3 came soon after I did, so we all
stayed for a bit, but not too long because we felt a little intrusive
on their festivities. I said goodbye, thanked them for the
hospitality, then got on my merry way.

The trail went back into the woods, stayed pretty level, then crossed
the same road it had earlier only further along. From there it was
another steep climb, at least 1400 ft. in a mile, which is very steep!
My calf muscles were burning again for the first time since I can't
remember when. It's been a while. It did flatten out eventually, but
it was more like a tease because it went up again, almost just as
steep as before. These aren't even the hard climbs yet either.
Honestly though I really enjoy the big ups, and today was no
exception. You get a real satisfaction when you reach the top.

I did make it to the top, sometime close to 3:30. I went up the fire
tower to check the view (gorgeous), met a couple day hikers with a
dog, then went on to make some more miles. I wanted to do at least 4,
which would bring me to a brook where I could maybe camp. Usually
water sources have some decent tent spots, much like yesterday.
Unfortunately there was nothing, so I just topped off my bottles then
hiked on, going up once again. About halfway between the north and
south side of Jacobs Brook I was passing along a cliff edge the looked
like a great place to catch a sunset. I decided if I could find a spot
close enough I would stick around there. Only a hundred or so feet up
the trail I found one right on this smooth rock surface. Flat too. I'd
never camped on rock yet, so I said, "Why not?" and started setting
up. After that was set I cooked up dinner, soup packet with some tuna
thrown in. When I had eaten and cleaned up I walked back down the
trail, sat myself on the rocks to watch the sunset, and that's exactly
where I am right now. It's fading behind the mountains as we speak. I
even brought along a box of Mike & Ikes my Dad had given me for my
bday, munching on those as I watched. It's almost like going to the
movies. Poor man's entertainment. It's also wierd for me to think that
this giant glowing thing is slowly (or is it quickly?) making its way
toward Jen in L.A. Pretty soon she will see it set too. It still
amazes me to think about how all the things in this universe function
together. Anyway, enough of that nerdy tangent.

After the sun sets I'll be going back to my tent, maybe read for a
bit, then call it an early night. There's a town I want to hit
tomorrow that has a hostel in it, more so I can just charge my phone.
I won't be staying, most likely. Plus I've heard they have a list of
the stealth campsites in the Whites that you can take, so I want one
of those. That's all from me until tomorrow.

Total miles: 1765.1