Day 34. Mt. Moosilauke

Mile 1793 – Jeffers Brook Shelter To Mile 1809 – Eliza Brook Shelter

The world above treeline is amazing. This was our first extended walk above the elevation where trees can grow and the contrast was stunning. As we approached the peak we could see our destination just touching the bottom of the clouds. We paused for a while to watch them blow past in the strong wind, occasionally giving us a peek of the top.

Glimpses of the peak

Clouds moving by up ahead

Summit

We chose a spot for lunch by some rocks that blocked the wind and enjoyed the surreal, cloudy landscape. The clouds dissipated as we ate, revealing the mountains all around us.

View from our lunch spot

After lingering for a while at the top, we started the long descent. As we walked down we could see some of the peaks in the distance that we will be climbing in the coming weeks.

Walking back down to the tree line

The descent took all afternoon and was, by far, the most difficult part of the trail for us to date.

Descent next to a long waterfall

After the descent we progressed through difficult terrain for the rest of the day to reach a point that would allow us to meet Brenda at our planned time tomorrow for our second zero. We paused for just a minute to watch the sun set as we were still three miles from our destination, then rushed to arrive at our goal just as the last bit of daylight disappeared.