Got a late start since we knew we had a shorter day. Overnight temperatures dropped to 1°C (34°F) which was a surprise after ending the day on such a sunny and clear note. My tent didn't really dry out much at all, but luckily it wasn't too damp to start.
We hiked back up above the treeline to the ridge and continued in the Great Gulf Wilderness. At Thunderstorm Junction we encountered a giant cairn with what felt like a trail traffic circle.
Headed down to Madison Spring Hut which was under repair and cleaning for the summer season. Had a snack outside and HOP waltzed up before we left. The three hikers had made it over Mt. Washington and were speeding down to meet Candyman's arranged resupply at the road. They caught up with is fast!
Next up was climbing the steep Mt. Madison which was now a warm affair with the lack of trees and clear skies. At the top more incredible views. We could also see Pinkham Notch and Gorham, NH down in between the mountains.
From there the ridge went down steeply to shed the roughly 4100 feet of elevation. As we got below the treeline the trail turned to a piney forest (with rocks of course).
At Osgood Tentsite we took the official AT detour to route around a bridge that had failed.
This brought us to a major road. The detour continued on the other side but completely skipped the Wildcat Ridge which I wanted to do. It was also time for a small resupply to get us the final two days through the section.
Having planned ahead we waited for our shuttle into town at the trailhead. While waiting, Candyman and his mom pulled up and trail magic'ed us with snacks, cookies, sweet tea, and all sorts of treats. We also got to meet their dog Echo.
The shuttle arrived and zipped us in to grocery, pick up takeout Thai food, and then whisked us back down to Dolly Copp Campground. They had a sweet van.
During the ride our driver, Robin, gave us tons of info about the area and the southern portion of the hike in Maine. Really friendly and amazing shuttle service.
At the campground we enjoyed our takeout and setup camp. As we walked around we realized that the ridge on the skyline was the very ridge we hiked across today. So cool.
Tomorrow we go to Pinkham Notch for a hard day on the Wildcats.