Trail Magic and Dinner Guests

Yesterday turned out to be a very busy day.  We didn’t plan it that way, but sometimes these things just happen.

Tuesday was the day our hiking buddies were to come down the mountain from Imp Shelter to US 2.  Our task was to pick them up at the trail and take them to their motel room in Gorham.

Hot dog cooking station

Since we were going to be at the trail waiting for them and we knew there would probably be other hikers coming down, we decided it would be a great opportunity to deliver a little trail magic to the hikers.  We iced down some colas and gathered what would be needed for a hotdog lunch.  At the trailhead, Gene set up his cooking station and we waited for the hungry to appear.  As it turned out, there were only 2 other hikers besides our friends who came off the trail during the 4 hours we were there.  But no matter; they were happy with the hot lunch and a cold soda.  This young couple were celebrating (if you can call it celebrating) their 5th month on the trail, having started in Georgia on March 17.

When Herb and Dwight appeared, we did our best to stave off their hungry attack.  They were more inclined to wash the hotdogs down with ice cold beer rather than cola.  Wonder why that is.  Maybe the beer helps sooth the pain in the legs and feet better than cola.

A shower is just through that door

After a brief lunch, we loaded them into the truck and headed to the motel.  They seemed to be eager for a shower, so we left them to do their thing and we went on our way to do ours.

Glad to be in a motel room

Gene returned to the motel later in the afternoon to bring them home for dinner.  Again, like the last dinner we had at Pinkham Notch, the conversation centered around the difficulty of the trail.  Although their climb up Wildcat Ridge was brutal and the descent from Carter Notch was extremely difficult, they both agree the hardest part so far was the descent from Mt Madison.  They said, more than once, they never want to hike in the White Mountains again.  They have some scratches, scrapes, and bruises from the rocks, but otherwise were in good spirits.

Our plan is pretty loose for today.  We’ll probably pick them up sometime late morning or early afternoon for a run to Wal-Mart to pick up a few supplies.  They’ll be coming here for dinner again this evening.

So, I’ll just run along and get myself organized for whatever the day brings.