Ethan Pond Campsite, NH, AT NOBO mile 1,837.0, Friday June 20, 2014 — The diabolical trail gods have a cruel sense of humor.

What goes up must go down. From the summit of Lafayette the descent to Crawford Notch (1,277 ft.) is sure and steady.

Why? Who would want the climb to the 6,288 ft. summit of Mt. Washington to be less interesting? But that’s yet to come. No sense dwelling on it.

Today the look back over the past three days was spectacular. Lincoln, Lafayette and Garfield all in a single panorama.

The journey included a talus field reminiscent of several places in the Rockies. My bootsteps crunching on scree chomped up nostalgic memories of hikes long gone by, my brother Jack and other friends and me out for the kind of adventures 20-somethings enjoy. Those were good days.

We still have four miles of descent before the trail profile starts looking like a hockey stick with the long end up.

We plan to stay at Mispah Hut. If we can’t get work for stay, we’ll pay. There’s a fundraiser at Mt. Washington’s Lake of the Clouds Hut tomorrow, so my preferred destination is out of the question. Maybe we can score some left over caviar and drain the dregs of the Champaign bottles when we pass through?

Apologies to those having difficulty viewing the page. Since the app update, WordPress has had issues, so I can’t say for sure it’s browser compatibility. Unfortunately I am at WordPress’s mercy until I can get out of the woods and lay my hands on a real computer. 🙁

Willey’s store at the bottom of Webster Cliffs.

Reverse angle two hours later.

First view of Mt. Washington.