Date: 2003-08-06
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

Mark this down. August 6th 2003 has been my official hardest day on the trail. It all started a bad night sleep last night, and what seamed like hours upon hours of down pour over night. The first mile of trail today was a torrent of flooded spring water and run off that was cascading down the trail. I then came across a brook that is so insignificant that the date book does not mention it.Well let me tell you that brook was a raging rapid. It was flowing so hard that I decided that there was no possible way to ford it safely. I then sat on a rock next to the river to see if anyone came along to help me out for a few hours when I decided that I had better try to figure something else out. I had remembered seeing some trail crew tools just a few tenths of a mile back and I figured that just maby there would be a member of the crew there by now who might be able to assist me.I got lucky and the trail crew lead by the famous 2 Horses Marley from Florida were getting down and dirty building bog boards. He walked down to the brook with me and I showed him the one eight foot gap where I thought that it would be best to toss my pack across. I then walked up stream about 20 yards where I came to a location where the current was slow enough to ford nearly the entire distance across and swim about three diving strokes to make it to the other side. I then ran down to where 2 Horses was at and he tossed me both of my boots and then my back pack. It was literally pouring down rain at this time and my boots were very wet. I decided that I would tie them to my pack and try walking in my Waldies. About a mile farther down the trail I came to another brook that was also flooded. I was able to safely ford this one with my pack on though thanks to some very nicely placed boulders. Some time shortly there after I stopped near the road at RT3 to have some lunch. It was great to walk in my Waldies. They were light as hell and I did not mind splashing in the puddles with them on. The next few miles took me up the mountain to Liberty Springs Camp Site then over the ridge and up the climb to the summit of Lafayette Mountain. Lafayette is so cool. It is like a two or three mile open ridge walk that has so very cool rock vistas and outcroppings to climb up and over. I walked that whole distance in my Waldies.There was not much to see from the Summit of Lafayette but for a few short min the sky did clear and I was able to catch a glimps of Greenleaf Hut that was 1 mile west of the AT and I did catch a quick peek at Mt Garfield. At this point I was very tired and I thought in my mind that there was no way I was going to be able to make the summit of Garfield and down part way to the Camp Site. I really had no choice though because a thunder storm was rolling in and I had to make it to the shelter there as I did not really see many good places to camp.Finally around 7:30 pm I made it to the camp site. The climb up and over Garfield was horrible. It was not really that hard to technical but I was just flat out tired. I was met here tonight by the loveley Kate the rotating care taker. She is here tonight because the normal person here is off for a few days. I sat in her tent and talked for a while tonight before coming over here to get in my bag to goto bed. I am bushed right now. I hope that I can make it over to Zealand Falls Hut tomorrow. I say I hope because right now I am so very tired.