The Finish Line

Sunday morning we slept in until wake up call and went to breakfast in our hut clothes, which is equivalent to real-life pajamas.  After breakfast we had our graduation ceremony.  Our group leader John knighted everyone with a soup ladle for completing the Presidential Range Traverse.  We even got official hiking patches.  It was confirmed we are the only two Kansans to be bestowed with such an honor.  Arthur also received what could be considered an Oscar for his portrayal of Dr. Waterknee  from skit night.  After graduation a group of us got together to summit our last peak, Mt Madison, before returning to the low lands.  Arthur played it smart and stayed back at the hut since his feet and blisters only had a limited number of steps left in them and he had to hike down.  It had cleared up so from the summit we were able to look back across the ridge that we cross the day before.  It was impressive to actually "see" we were had been and how far we hike.

Celebrating our last summit

Looking from Mt Madison down on the Hut

Within minutes of returning to the hut a rain shower blew in over the ridge so we hung out a little more since we weren't in a rush to be in the rain.  It was about 3.5 miles down the the trail head where the bus would pick us up.  For me with good feet, the hike down was relatively enjoyable.  We were back in the forest and even my knees weren't bulking at the idea of descending.  We met a family that was headed up to Madison Hut for a family reunion.  About a half of a mile from the trail head there was a waterfall and pool where some of us took a quick dip in.  Even though the water felt frigid it was very refreshing and nice to get some of the dirt of in a pre-wash before the shower I was so looking forward to later in the afternoon.
Arthur survived and climbed on the bus.  We had a 30 minute bus ride back to Pinkham Notch.  It was an odd sensation to be sitting down with the world whirring by at 50 mph.  Back at Pinkham Notch we unloaded our packs and started saying good bye to everyone.  As good Midwesterners we tried to shake hands but apparently that doesn't fly in the northeast.  The minimal accepted gesture was a hug (who wants to hug anyone as dirty and smell as we all were?).  It seemed that kisses on the cheek were preferred.  For anyone who knows how I feel about personal touch this wasn't awkward whatsoever.  It was about 30 minutes before we could check in to the lodge for the night so the two teachers from Brooklyn who were also staying the night to catch the bus the next day and us had a picnic eating all the leftover snacks we had including several bags of potato sticks.  After we checked in we showered and cleaned up (this included Arthur shaving) we worked on hanging all of our wet gear up to dry.  Let's just say that our wet boots and clothes stunk up the room pretty quickly.  We then settled in for a long nap in a luxurious queen bed.  Several thunderstorms rolled in that afternoon and evening and we were glad we were cozy in the lodge and not on the mountain ridge.  Dinner was delicious but we were slowly coming to the realization that we couldn't inhale everything edible that we saw as we had to when hiking.  We all decided to begin monitoring portion control the next day.  That evening we spent some time reading in the living room in two chairs near the fire place and went to be early again to enjoy sleeping in a room without others snoring.

Cairns leading the way to the summit

Going into the hike we weren't quite sure what to expect.  We had no experience with backpacking and didn't get to do any elevation training outside of running up and down bleachers at the football field.  I think we might have gotten bit by the backpacking bug.  True, this wasn't all-out backpacking with camping and cooking our own food but it was a good way to test the waters.  I'm pretty sure we will take the full plunge sometime in the future but we are slightly limited by geography.  There was something very unique about experiencing the outdoors in such a personal way as well as the beauty and solitude.  We found this trip relaxing and invigorating--exactly what a vacation should be.  Overall we were amazed by how rocky and rough the trail was.  However with most of our hiking experience being in Colorado it was wonderful to hike and breathe at the same time; we never had to stop to catch our breath.  We really enjoyed being around a group of people who are passionate about being outdoors.  One thing we noticed was that everyone had a great attitude throughout the entire hike.  No one ever complained and most were smiling even during the rough parts.  It was interesting to also see how a group of 25 strangers became so close so quickly-- of course sharing the same bunk rooms and stench of smelly shoes was probably a bonding experience.  We talked about how only 2 out of 100 people polled on the street would think this vacation was any fun-- or even call it a vacation.  A backpacking trip isn't for everyone.  We also notice that we were the only couple on the trip.  Most of the participants are happily married but their spouses stayed at home (which means they will still probably be happily married when they get home.)  Many said that hiking was something their spouse will occasionally do with them but not for a week.  Arthur and I are blessed that for the most part (unless it involves running) we enjoy taking adventures together.  In fact, Arthur comments that when we first met and started dating he thought, "This is a girl I could take to climb mountains." And so that's what we do.  Omnia Vincit Amor.