Thursday, August 16 “Moosilauke and a Starry Night” (Kreg)

Today started with a dreary morning hike through muddy trail into Kinsman Notch. I ran out of fuel the night before and had about a day of food left, so my pack was very light. Water is frequent, so I am carrying less than a liter at a time, making it even lighter – less than 20 lbs. I was going to try and get back to town to buy fuel so I wouldn’t have to soak cold oatmeal for dinner, but the skies were clear and Moosilauke was in front of me, begging me not to waste a beautiful afternoon. At the trailhead, I found trail magic waiting – Coke, Gatorade, chocolate, and assorted chips. I took this as a sign, and even though Moosilauke would mean a near 20-mile day, I practically ran to the mountain, knowing that it was one of the most exposed mountaintops on the southern end of the Whites. The ascent followed beautiful waterfalls most of the way up, and when I got to the top, I was astonished at the 360 views without a cloud in the sky.

As I took it all in, I met 3 Sobos hanging out on the Peak – Pony Keg, Obi Wan, and Old Bey (Bae? Bay?). We chatted about the view, and then they planted the idea: “Dude – we’re cowboy camping up here tonight. Stay with us!”

Cowboy camping is sleeping in just your sleeping bag – no tent or protection from the elements. You need a perfect night to do it in an exposed environment, or else you’ll get wet, freeze, or both. In addition, camping above treeline is prohibited in the White Mountains since then peaks are so highly trafficked and the AMC is trying to preserve the fragile alpine vegetation.

But it was my last White Mountain. I checked the weather on my phone – clear skies through the night and a low of 42 on the peaks (my sleeping bag is rated for 25). In other words, the perfect opportunity.

Why do this? As we all sat and made dinner, we waited in anticipation. When the time came, the four of us tucked into our sleeping bags and watched the most perfect sunset I have seen in my entire life. Every bit of the perfect orange circle was visible until it bit by bit disappeared beneath the horizon. Then, the shades of the sky slowly morphed from red on the horizon to the black above, giving way to a clear starlit sky and the Milky Way beyond.

67°F Clear

Mount Moosilauke, Benton, NH, United States