(Daily Mi: 15.2) Set myself up for a very challenging 15 mile hike out of the Whites and into Gorham NH today.

Up a little before first light for a quick breakfast with Mainframe.

Steep climb out of the notch up onto Carter Dome (4832 ft), another steep descent and climb accross a deep saddleback to Carter Middle and then Carter South.

Stopped for water at the AMC campsite near the top of Imp Mountain, where I had planned to stop the night before. It had been a very hard hike to this point, and I was retroactively pleased that I had ended up madking the stop at Carter Notch.

Talked to the AMC caretaker who pointed out a well known shortcut up ahead to Gorham (actually the former AT route). This route would shave over a mile from my hike and put me a couple of miles closer to town.

Of course, I have no intention of taking a shortcut. It is not the AT. The caretaker is visibly amazed at this.

"That's crazy", he tells me.

I remind him that I walking to Maine.

Lots of granite ledges on the way to the top of Imp. A goodly hump over (but slightly below the summit of) Moriah (4049 ft) followed by a 6 mile x 3000 ft descent to the roadhead at Gorham.

Pass Old Hank on my way down. Spent the night guerilla camped in Carter Notch.

Call for a shuttle from a cordless phone left on a house porch near the trailhead for the purpose. The owner of Hiker's Paradise in Gorham appears about 20 minutes later. Take a motel room instead of a slot in the bunkroom.

My whole body hurts and I am fighting, among other things, a bug I picked up somewhere in the AMC hut system (my belief: Lake of the Crowds).