Oct 04: Buchanan Shelter
 
Miles Today : 18.6
Total Miles : 88.3

Wow, what an interesting day. Pappy left the lodge this morning before first light, heading out into the darkness with his headlamp. Bear and I waited around a bit and left as soon as it was light enough to walk by. Meanwhile, Chris, the caretaker, was asleep and did not stir the entire time.

As I started to climb Camel's Hump, I came across a granite ledge on the south shoulder of the mountain, about half way up. The sunrise was about to unfold and I had showed up just in time for the show. I was not disappointed, the sunrise was spectacular as it rose up from the east, and illuminated the White Mountains, which I know so well.

But the best part of the day was still ahead of me, as the summit of Camel's Hump was just incredible. The peak is a perfect rock dome, and the climb to get to the top is a rock scramble at its best. Pappy and I had the summit this morning to ourselves, not that we could stay there long, however. It was a cold morning and the winds were blowing around 30 miles per hour. The view to the east was still clear, but to the west, we could tell that a storm was moving in, and it was ugly.

So off the summit I headed, Bear in tow and Pappy behind us. There were many scrambles up and down a bunch of granite knobs as the trail followed the ridgeline down the mountain. I noticed that the color just keeps getting better out here, all the way down, I could see that the colors have brighter, even since yesterday.

All told, the trail drops from a high point of 4043 feet, on Camel's Hump, to 326 feet in the town of Jonesville - the third highest point on the LT, to the lowest in just over five miles. I got into Jonesville and immediately picked up my mail drop on the post office. While I was quite happy to get a fresh supply of food, it now means that I have to carry more weight, and hike up and out of town with that weight. For the next eight miles, the LT climbs up from the valley and back to the mountain ridge. The whole time, it is raining, and it is none too warm out here right now. Bear and I were both dragging, but there is nothing that you can do except to keep walking.

And so we finally did arrive here, at Buchanan. As soon as I got here, I got changed into some warm clothing and I managed to get a warming fire going, thanks to a stack of wood that someone else had left. Soon, a LT thru-hiker showed up, Jay, who did not hide his excitement at the fire that I had started. Together, we cooked dinner, and ate out by the warmth of the fire, sharing stories of places that we have hiked.

Just as I was cleaning my pot from dinner, down the trail walks Pappy, with not too much time to spare before dark. The three of us hung out and are right now chatting the night away. Its late for the trail, after 9:15! Well, too much writing, I have more chatting to do.

-Chomp

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