Day 128, miles today - 13.0, total - 1,825..8

July 24, 2013

Franconia Notch to Galehead Hut.

Bruce, Patty, Sharon and Hank dropped B-Rocket and me off at the trailhead at 7:20 am. It was great seeing and hiking with my friends from Ohio.

We had a big up today. We were going over Mt. Lafayette, by way of Franconia Ridge. We had to go up almost 4,000 ft. There was a chance of rain in the morning, but by early afternoon it was to be mostly sunny. Unfortunately, the sun never made it out. When we were above treeline at the top of Franconia Ridge, there was a strong wind and light rain. The temperature was in the low 40's. While at the top we saw Sundance, G Funk and Frost. We hiked with them for a mile or so. 

When we got below treeline we stopped for a lunch break. After lunch we had a a steep down.

There was a lot of small streams running across the trail today. We didn't need to carry as much water as we sometimes do. The sky did clear for a little while in the late afternoon, giving us a view of the surrounding mountains.

As I was stepping onto a wooden walk board I slipped. As I fell, my left hand went into the soupy mud, up to my wrist. When I landed I was laying on the boards. So I stayed clean and dry, except for my hand. B-Rocket saw me go down. When she stopped laughing, she took my picture. It's the first time I've fell since Virginia. I've had plenty of near falls, when I've been able to save myself.

We hiked to the Galehead Hut. People pay over $100 to stay at the huts. They have bunks and serve meals. Thru-hikers are sometimes able to do "work for stay". When we arrived it was a little before 5:00 pm, we asked about doing a work for stay, The girl told us that there were other hikers coming behind us and that we'd have to keep going. We'd been on trail since 7:20 am and had no desire to continue hiking. We asked if we could hang around to see if anything changed. By 5:30 there was a total of six thru-hikers here. Only two of us could do the work for stay. The four others didn't care if they did the work for stay or not, so B-Rocket and I were able to do it.

After the guest finished had eating, we were able to eat any food left over. After we ate we did the dishes and set three mouse traps. We get to sleep inside, on the floor in the dinning area. In the morning we get to eat a free breakfast. After the guest finish eating we have to sweep the floor.

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow.