Date: 2005-08-17
From: Mt Liberty 6:49pm - Amazing

To: Galehead Hut 9:30pm - Taking Care of Business
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Galehead Hut 9:30pm - Taking Care of BusinessAfter a great beginning, last night's sunset ran out of steam. I left the mountaintop early; the show was clearly over. I settled into my hammock for the night turning over a few times as the black clouds dropped a small amount of rain. I slept in much later than expected, waking up around 8am. The peaks were clouded in, but I figured they'd clear quickly.Boy was I ever wrong. Franconia Ridge is an amazing location. Imagine walking an undulating ridgeline high above the trees with views in every direction. I imagined that today. I had to - the clouds wouldn't let me see it with my own eyes. After I crossed Lafayette the clouds threatened to break. Finally, the skies cleared a mere twenty minutes before I re-entered the trees. Oh, well - you can't win them all, and I have been lucky enough to cross Franconia Ridge before on a clear day. We'll always have Paris.I reached the top of Mt. Garfield two hours later, a bit after twelve thirty. I used a rock as a natural windbreak and had lunch. The skies had now cleared and the view was magnificent. I also admired the cement box on top, the remants of an old fire tower and a highly illegal yet popular stealth camping spot. Hikers come in boxes?It was a steep descent off Garfield, but not as bad as its ascent. On the way up there was a ten foot rock face with a steep slab on top of it. I slipped on the slab and thought I was a goner. I thrashed about, wildly grasping for a handhold or foothold as I slid towards the rock face. Something finally snagged and I arrested my fall. I felt ill.Anyways, the descent only involved a small freeclimb down a waterfall. It was then an easy hop-skip-and-jump to Galehead Hut, where I hoped to score a work for stay. Well, it was easy terrain for the Whites, at least.Let me explain the Huts. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) maintains a series of huts throughout the White Mountains. Think of these as backcountry hotels, staffed by ¢croos¢ of five or six typically college aged kids. Guests pay $77 for a night¢s lodging plus home cooked dinner and breakfast. Sometimes, they¢ll let thru hikers stay and eat in exchange for an hour or two of light chores. We get some excellent food and they have less waste to carry down the mountain. There are no roads to the hut ¢ everything is carried up and down on the backs of the croo - even food waste.Anyways, I managed to get to work for a stay. My chore was to give a talk on thru hiking after dinner. I was shocked ¢ this wasn¢t work, this was fun. I mingled with the guests as they trickled in and took a short side hike up nearby Gale Mountain. As the guests filed in for dinner, Sam-I-Am and Origami showed up. They wrangled work for stays too. She had to clean out the freezer; he has to stir the privy contents in the morning. Boy, did I luck out.They also came in with a tale to tell. Coming from Eliza Brook Shelter, they accidentally took a blue blaze for two miles. Dingle came upon them right after Origami took a bad tumble (he was ok, but it was spectacular he claimed). Dingle pointed them in the right direction and they made their way to Lonesome Lake Hut. While having some soup a man came in and offered all hikers present some magic. He ran them into town, fed them well, hosted them in his RV for the night, made them breakfast, and dropped them off again in the morning. Talk about trail magic. Anyways, we waited while the guests ate dinner and were then treated to the plentiful leftovers. After two helpings of everything (especially dessert) I was asked to give my talk. I gladly obliged. I fumbled my way through a quick five or ten minute synopsis and opened the floor up for questions. All in all, I probably spent a good forty five minutes talking. It was a lot of fun, and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. Not bad for an evenings work.