Journey Day 308 | AT Day 131

Pausing near Pinkham Notch.

8/6/86
Up early for breakfast, pig out big time. Some confusion over whether I'm to work in the lodge kitchen. Bad blood with the manager, so I pack and join Bill Denton for a climb up Wildcat. Great views back at the Presidentials. Nice leisurely hike up to the peaks for more views. Great talk with Denton, a 60-year-old Tennessee man with 35 years in nuclear power at Oak Ridge. We stop at Gondola, but there's no water, so we push on to water, then nice views of Pinkham Notch.
Descend to the hut, pay for a change to stay. Snow seal boots, go swimming with Denton and Dean Bailey who caught us near the notch overlook. Eat, talk with a big group including hikers Golden Oldie, Razorback and Helen. Catch a Ramparts chat, then back to the cabin to crash.

I hiked with Bill Denton of Oak Ridge, Tenn., around Pinkham Notch.