Pinkham Notch

Flora, Brookie, Chip and I are sitting on the deck of the Pinkham Notch visitor center with coffee, contemplating where to stay the night because we decided not to summit Mt Madison today in the thunderstorms- too difficult, too dangerous, not worth the 4000 foot climb to not have any views and to end up drenched and freezing while stealth camping. 
I am eating because I was overzealous at WalMart and bought about five days' worth of food for our three day stretch of the Presidentials (aka the Prezzies) and my pack is insanely huge and heavy (34 lbs). 

Walker decided to go about five miles and camp in the rain. Before he left he serenaded us on the porch with his recorder- some Bach.

Yesterday, after our night in the Carter hut shed, we hiked up Carter mountain and the Wildcats and at the top we were faced with making a decision more challenging than our usual decisions which are:
1) two oatmeal packets or three for breakfast
2) shirt or just sports bra
3) wear the dirty socks or break out a clean pair
4) hat or bandanna
5) whether or not to eat the whole sleeve of ritz/Graham crackers/triscuits/ etc in one sitting
6) whether to go over, under, or around the downed tree
7) step in the mud or rock-hop
8) which dinner to make if it's not the last day out
9) one Aleve or two

So not too many decisions. Yesterday however we had to decide whether to hike straight down Wildcat, which is known far and wide as the hugest pain in the a** on the trail because it is a two mile descent for southbounders (the northbounders have it easier going up) straight down slippery boulders and uneven rock steps and rock faces that takes all afternoon... Or... We could take a gondola down the mountain. The place is a ski slope in the winter, and in the summer they take the chairs off the ski lift and replace them with enclosed little gondolas that zip tourists right up and down Wildcat. We debated for DAYS whether to take the gondola. On one hand, we have been trail purists and have passed every single white blaze so far. On the other hand it's a GONDOLA for crying out loud. A once-in-a-thru-hike opportunity. 
Well we took the gondola. And I don't want to hear any hemming or hawing from anyone about it! We will be purists the rest of the way!!
I am pretty excited because at walmart I got a package of starbursts. I got them to give to northbounders I pass on the trail, who are becoming more and more frequent and who are usually so trail- hardened at this point that they don't want to stop and talk- they just want to get to Katahdin. So whenever I see a skinny guy with a beard I will ask "Nobo?" which means northbound thru hiker. If he replies in the affirmative I will say "I'm Fauna- have a starburst". Also I will offer to pack out the wrapper because though most thru hikers are good about not littering, I don't want to inadvertently leave a trail of starburst wrappers in my wake. I thought this would be a nice idea because although I don't want to have an in- depth conversation with every nobo I cross, I don't want to just ignore them either.