Day 83: The Toughest Climb of the Trail (so far)

Summary
Aug 8th

Trapper John Shelter to Smarts Mountain Cabin

Tolmann’s daily mileage 6.7

Tolmann’s total mileage 747.3 

The shelter was a good call; it did rain pretty seriously. Also, if I’d set up my hammock, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to sit with other thrus and enjoy the music and the fire. There was lots of talk last night of the “Ice Cream Man” down off Grafton Turnpike. That’s just .8 miles north of the shelter. So I didn’t pack up quickly this morning in case I could get a morning ice cream. 

I slept OK using a new closed cell foam pad, but woke with a headache around 4:30. So that added to my slowness. Got on the trail around 8:45. 

The .8 to the road was actually a full mile, if you count the .2 back up the side trail to the AT. But after reaching the main trail, it was a pretty easy downhill. 

I was hesitant to go looking for someone’s home at 9:15, so after a little scouting around to see if there was anything obvious, I got back on trail and started the grind up Smarts Mountain. 

I had some concern that my 15+ mile hike yesterday might have set me back for today’s 11 mile goal of Hexacuba Shelter on Mt Cube. And while I tried to stay positive and just take things as they came, Smarts Mountain was probably the toughest climb since Mt Everett in Massachusetts, with the same steepness and rocky ledges, only three times as long a climb. With some gorgeous overlooks along Lambert’s Ridge, and patches of ripe blueberries, it was very beautiful. But it was very, very slow. 

I would normally do 6+ miles in 3 hours, but I’m sure I was doing only 1 mph, or less, at times. And although I reached the cabin around 2:30, which would give me a good chunk of the afternoon to get the remaining 5+, the way my legs felt today made me doubt my ability to climb up to the shelter, and the camping options around there were limited. 

So I decided to stay in the old fire wardens cabin. There are tent sites and a fire tower here, as well. I really can’t bring myself to climb up the fire tower, even though it is billed as the best view in the southern NH mountains. So I climbed to the second platform and got some photos. 

I half expect a bunch of folks to show up late, as they did yesterday. But there are only two SOBOers, one a section hiker going from Andover, ME, to Hanover, NH. She’s outside in her tent. The other SOBOer is Grounded, and she only has 2 months to get to Pawling, NY. She’s here in the cabin. A NOBOer did stop to make dinner before heading on the the next shelter. Still, as the sun goes down, there’s a chance others will show up. I’m glad I’m not alone tonight. 

So tomorrow needs to be a 10+ mile day. I hope the short day today will set me up for success. 

A footnote about the “Ice Cream Man”: Here in the cabin is a sign saying that he passed away this past May, which I think I had heard, but forgotten. His name was Bill Ackerly. Another trail legend, gone. I’m glad I didn’t knock on anyone’s door!