Date: 2007-09-18
From: Lonesome Lake Hut, NH

To: Galehead Hut, NH
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up around 6:30 am with a "hut boy" singing a song from the movie BROTHER WHERE ART THOU. The one with the 3 sirens down by the river. I dont know why a guy would sing that; but, that is what I woke up with. I went and ate breakfeast and then "Blackfoot" and I did our chore of scrubbing the bunkhouse walls. We then got our stuff together and were getting ready to hike and out comes "hut girl" Erin! Im tryin'......There is just something about a woman with a backboard affixed to her back and carrying down the days trash to Pinkham Notch! Man, was she in shape! Ok, we got going and decided to make it to the next hut on the AT: Galehead Hut. I want to say that this was a big mistake; but, it was absolutely the best day of hiking in my short life! After the 3 mile descent down to I-93, which I remember nothing about, we made the 4 mile climb up to Haystack Mtn to where The Legendary Franconia Ridge starts. It is about 4 miles of ridge walking above treeline that is so beautiful that I missed a woman topless sun bathing. The young buck had to point it out to me. It was a clear day with about 70 degrees. The caretaker at The Liberty Campsite said that the weather today was the best that it had been all year. All I could do was stumble around taking picture, after picture. Man~O~Man, the only day near this is when I was on Big Hump Mtn in The Roan Highlands in Tn. I could have died right here and been happy. When we were about six miles from The Galehead Hut: I ran into two day hikers who had come from there, it was 4:30 pm. They asked where we were going? I told them. They said you are nuts, I would not want to be you. Now above treeline, I could see the hut. It did not look that bad. We would descend 3 miles; then climb 1 and then descend 2. I told him that we were thru hikers and it did not matter. Boy, was I glad that I was a thru hiker. I think that I would have died had I not been. It was up and down, sheer rock walls with only root and tree holds that were wet. I thought of my buddy "O.G." and how I cussed the trail maintainers in Va. This was pure hell and I was cussing up a storm. The buck went off and left me to do the last 3 miles in the dark alone. I did notice a tent platform on top of Mt Garfield that was right out on the cliffs edge. I will camp there someday. Anyway, back to hell...I completely sold out. I just said fornicate it and just slid down on my butt to avoid having to figure out how slippery a rock was. I would just slid down and use my arms and legs to guide me through the pinball trek. And then I would climb again.....S>O>B>...I saw a sign that said .6 to the hut. I was happy, I was almost there.....B>S> it was another 3 ups and downs. I walked into the hut with the master hut girl looking at me like the mad man I was and gave me about a large pizza worth of Chibata(?) bread and a giant pot of thick bean soup that I ate four bowls of. I had not drank anything for six miles and drank about 3 quarts of lemonade and still did not have to piss all night which is unusual for me. Before I could go to sleep: I got out 2 Lidocaine patches that "Tambourine" sent me and first but them on the balls of my feet, then one on my left knee and left hip, then one one my right knee and right ankle and then finally back on the balls of my feet and 2 hours later I went to sleep with thoughts of how glorious this day had been......Nothing like the AT, the best and wrst in one day,,,,,quit???what for, I got Mt Washington coming up!