My body clock is set to 5:30am. There were no birds chirping in the hut, no one making any noise, just that circadian rhythm that tells me it’s time to get out of bed. It’s lovely. I was so refreshed and excited about this day.

At 6:30am, the Croo as they call themselves, sang a wake-up song. It was pleasant and slowly all the guests were up and heading to the Dining Hall. Breakfast is served promptly at 7:00am. Everyone is seated and the table is set. My Mom would be so delighted. She loved a proper table setting! We had juice, peaches, oatmeal with all the toppings, pancakes and bacon. And of course coffee and tea. Everyone was jovial, talking about their days hike, either home, onward to the next hut or as in Blue and my case, down the trail. The interesting fact is the only way to access these remote huts is by foot. No bikes, trains, horses or mules, just your own two feet. It’s quite proper, I must say.

After breakfast, Blue and I packed up and headed to parts north. It was an easy day, mostly downhill with less than ten miles. But easy ten miles. No crazy climbs, or boulders to negotiate, just a simple foot path. After the downpour we had last night, I expected a bit more muck, but nope, little muck and more dirt.

The trail out of Zealand Falls was perfection. It followed along a narrow path of gravel and looked over a giant rockslide on the side of Whitewall Mountain. There were wonderful views up Whitewall Brook Valley and up to Zeacliff. It reminded me of the Tahoe Rim Trail on the East Side of Lake Tahoe with the loose gravel and huge boulders. It was such a pristine area with cascading waterfalls and the Pemigewasset River below.

When we crossed over the river on the wooden bridge, I noticed a tree growing some type of red berries. Of course I had to try them and they were delicious. Blue said they had something similar in Russia. I have no idea the name of the tree but it sure was tasty! We found a few more berry producing trees as we walked near the river. They filled us up for sometime.

The morning was delightful, with easy walking and mindless miles. Before I knew it, we arrived at Ethan Pond. The water flows from the North Fork of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River. The water was brackish color like much of the ponds we see but the views up the lake were stunning. We found a rock and sat on it as we ate our second breakfast-lunch. Yes, we do eat a lot.

With only three miles to go and mostly downhill, Blue and I were cruising. We found a Blue Trail that would take us directly to Willey House Historical Site. That sounded like a good option and was going the same direction as the AT. So being the explorers we are, and Blue getting bored by the mundane trail, we took the Willey Route. It woke me up quick. It was steep with a lot of root negotiation and loose rock underfoot. You never know what you’re gonna get when you take a unmarked trail. It may have been .5 miles shorter, but it took some careful stepping and a few death defying leaps of faith. We crossed over the railroad tracks and before long, we arrived in civilization.

The Willey House is more of a Souvenir Shop with Ice Cream, Sodas and Coffee. Sounds good to me. I started talking with a gal Margaret from Tennessee. She was on a road trip and touring New England. She has a cool converted van that she drives from place to place, stops and parks whenever she finds something worthwhile. After talking about hiking and her sharing her travels, we asked Margaret for a ride. She was happy to give us a ride and took us to the AMC Highland Center just up the road. Margaret had Bible Scriptures in her van and I knew that this was exactly where we were suppose to be. She showed us the beautiful waterfalls along the way and drove us to the front door of the Highland Center. What a wonderful encounter with a fellow Christian. Thank you Margaret and may the good Lord continue to bless you along your road-trip, and thereafter. Hope to meet again. Maybe on the trail.

Yes, Blue and I are relaxing off trail before we finish up The Whites in the next couple of days. These last three days on trail have been difficult with the constant elevation and death defying climbs. I think both physically and mentally I have been drained. Today was an exception. We had great weather, an easy trail and honestly, I think we both needed that. Tonight we have a private bunk room with all our gear hanging up and drying. We took showers and washed our socks and underwear in the sink, as there is no laundry for 30 miles. But we made due with what we have and it was fine.

Our perfect and wonderful Lord has given us a great opportunity to rest and prepare for the upcoming climb. Thursday we will head back up the trail and take on the Presidential Peaks, Mt. Washington, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Monroe and many others. We have a good window of weather today and Friday, well come what may. No point of fretting over tomorrow as today has enough worries of it’s own. Right now, we are well fed, warm and dry. Norman and Bob the Bear are relaxing and ready to take on whatever we are willing to dish out to them. What good companions we have. Oh, and Blue is not so bad either 🤣 . What a great friend and perfect hiking buddy, Blue is indeed!