I'm in the Hall of the Mountain King!

Day 115 - 8/13/10
Well, not quite. I am staying at Hall Mountain Lean-to though, and
since I am part Norwegian I had to mention that song title by composer
Pier Gynt. I love that song.

I slept well in a real bed at home, but woke up very early at 4:30 so
Dad could get me to the trail and take care of all the errands he had
to run that were scheduled for later on. We left at 5 and I was back
on the trail by 6:10. It was pretty cold when I started, but within 10
minutes of hiking my bodyheat was up and I felt fine. I actually felt
better than fine. The rest at home did me good. I went up Baldpate
feeling great, and made it to the east peak before 9. It was a crazy
climb, basically straight up this solid rockface. Baldpate is really
just a giant boulder, at least that's the impression I got from
climbing it, but what an awesome mountain and view. Really enjoyed
that one.

Going down the other side was tough because it was very steep and
again just solid rock, but I eventually made my way to Frye Notch Lean-
to at 10 where I saw Grapevine. I'd met him way back around Pearisburg/
Daleville area, but hadn't seen him since. I knew he was planning on a
flip-flop and so I'd been wondering when I'd bump into him again. It
was cool to catch up, and he showed me his Katahdin summit photos.
Also gave me some good tips on places further along the way. After
15-20 minutes I headed on out, going mostly downhill to Dunn Notch
where there are also some falls. After passing by those I was walking
along and suddenly hear, "Coon Cat." I look around confused, unsure
where the voice came from, eventually spotting Ichabod sitting down by
a brook nearby. Didn't expect to see him again after doing a short day
yesterday, but he had gone into Andover and resupplied there, which
had taken him most of the morning today. So I stopped and talked with
him for a minute. We both mentioned how even though this has been a
great experience we're ready for it to come to an end. It's been a
long, arduous journey.

I was soon at the road that he hitched into town from, and it was just
6 more miles to the shelter that I wanted to make. That's one of the
advantages of starting early, getting to your destination earlier. It
wasn't a very tough 6 either, just gradual ups, a few small downs. I
did make a few stops along the way for water, for some reason I was
extra thirsty today, but no extended breaks. That allowed me to make
it to Hall Mountain right around 4. Ichabod had passed me and was
already here, and another NOBO was here named Tup, a Scotsman. His
accent is awesome. There were also a few SOBOs that were hanging out,
but both left after a bit to make more miles. It's a bit strange
meeting them at this point because we are so close to the end of our
journey while they are only beginning.

I made some dinner, instant potatoes with bacon bits, and also pigged
out on a box of Mike & Ikes, a gift from Dad yesterday. I love them,
they make a great trail snack. After all that food I did some reading
and then wrote this up. I hope to get to bed at a decent time so I can
have an early start again tomorrow. It felt good hiking in the cool
morning air, I didn't get overheated or anything. That's it from me
tonight. Another good day on the trail.

Side note: I think Baldpate will now be included as one of my favorite
spots on the trail. For some reason it was just awesome, and it's not
even that far from where I live. Sweet!

Total miles: 1928.6