Unpresidential Traverse -- or my new name for it, the
Presidential Bypass.
6-minute transition bike -> hike at trailhead. Started at 8:15 or so.
Finished a little after 8pm, without a headlamp - yay!
Stops, approximate times:
Madison Hut for bean soup, pumpkin bread, tea - 20 min.
Lake of the Clouds Hut for barley-vegetable soup, peach cobbler, tea - 20 min.
estimate 40 minutes of other stops.
So... 12:00 - 1:20 = 10:40.
On the way up to Madison, saw a cute chipmunk with a big mushroom. Chipmunks are so cute.
Passed a boy and his dad hiking down; the dad said, "Hi, Barb!" I drew a complete blank and he reminded me he was a co-worker from Millennium.
Weather was good: partly sunny and then cloudy.
Face did that freak-out thing again; red and blotchy today. I pasted some makeup over it for work.
I love love love the section starting on the bypass around Mount Monroe, and heading down along the ridge. The trail eases up from the scree and large stones so that you can take your eyes up and enjoy the view some as you walk. There are gorgeous alpine flowers and plants. I also love the section bypassing Mt Washington where a nice flat-rock trail has been laid out along the scree.
Picked up the bike and drove to Lafayette to sleep. Up early and drove back to Cambridge.
For no apparent reason the song that kept going through my head (chorus only of course) was Hold Your Head Up (High) - which the intertubes tell me was from Argent in 1972.
Forgot to pack gloves and a hat, but made do with extra socks and a shirt. The bike ride was the coldest part.