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Aug
22 , 1983 Monday (370.9 mtg) From
Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal
Up
early to beat any rain, if I could, this morning. Within a mile
I made a sharp left and began traversing the long Franconia Ridge.
Most of the hiking would be above treeline and exposed to the elements.
I did not get up early enough to catch the sunrise, but the morning
was beautiful none-the-less. The sky was just clear enough to get
a view, but it looked as though bad weather was on the way.
From the point of attaining the ridge, the trail dipped for about
a mile in a slight descent before continuing on a climb culminating
at the summit of Mt Lafayette, the mountain I had photographed in
all its' splendor over Lonesome Lake. But first, the trail took
me over Little Haystack, and then up to the summit of Mt. Lincoln.
Although the clouds remained at a low ceiling, the views were more
spectacular than any so far on the trail. The clean, crisp mountain
air invigorated my spirits as I made my way across the open mountaintops.
I prayed for the rain to hold off. Near the summit of Lafayette,
I met a couple of hikers who had spent the night at Greenleaf Hut
a mile down the mountainside on a different trail.
Descending off of Lafayette across the Garfield Ridge, I became
concerned that I had gone the wrong way since I had not seen any
blazes lately. I backtracked a bit and met the previously mentioned
hikers again, and discussed the situation with them. There had been
clear trail, but no blazes. Figuring that we were still on the trail
I continued and eventually found a very old, faint blaze at a junction
farther down the trail. I was on track. Views back toward Franconia
Ridge from the Garfield Ridge and Mt Garfield itself were equally
stunning despite the low clouds. At least I could see something,
unlike when I went over Mt Moosilauke.
The descent off of Mt. Garfield involved yet another steep grade,
but the distance was only about one mile. From there the next couple
of miles were much more tame. As I approached Galehead Hut, one
of the huts located directly beside the trail, tiny raindrops began
to fall. I met a couple of southbounders on their way out after
a hearty breakfast of pancakes - the leftovers from this morning
that I would not get since they beat me to them. I just entered
the premises at Galehead when a cold downpour developed in the mountain
skies. The wind picked up and the trail was quickly transformed
into a climate not fit for man nor beast. I really did not want
to go on in this kind of weather, yet I had only come just over
ten miles. But hey, what is the rush? I mulled around a bit waiting
to see what the weather would do, and then finally decided to stay
when I found out that they had room for the night. I stayed for
"free" as a result of helping out in the kitchen, and
helping them "snap a crapper" as they called it. Snapping
the crapper involved using a couple of sturdy poles to lift a 55
gallon drum of human waste from the toilet area and hauling it over
to an area where, at some point down the road, a helicopter would
come and transport it down to the valley - never to be seen again.
All in all I ate well, kept dry, met many nice people, including
Bruce Emerson and his gorgeous daughter and her girl friends. I
also met someone who claimed to have hiked the Continental Divide
Trail.
Gonzo!
Appalachian Trail Journals ©1983
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