Date: 2004-09-10
From: Franconia Notch 

To: Galehead Hut 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Barely Standing on Franconia Ridge (notice the wind impact on my jacket)Start: Franconia Notch @ 1001Finish: Galehead Hut @ 1822 Miles: 13 Weather: Cold (mid 40¢s), Rainy, Windy (60 mph)Breakfast: Chocolate CIB, Strawberry Poptarts, Egg & Sausage Biscuit.Lunch: Several handfuls of trailmix Dinner: Turkey Trail Dinner, Macaroni, Fudgeround, Starcrunch.Trail Conditions: Very slippery and wet, stream in places. Steep climb up to Franconia Ridge, then open exposed ridgeline, back into woods w/ climb up Mt. Garfield.Animals: None. They were smart enough not to come out!People: Ranger Jan, Blues Brothers, DOC Group, AMC Croo (Becca, Gabe).Ah, where to begin¢¦.where or where to begin?Today was straight up my hardest day and most hazardous of my whole trip. I must concede, the Whites live up to their malevolent reputation. Heck, they make the Smokies look like a preschool playground.We had been anxiously waiting in Glencliff for Hurricane Frances, its remnants rather, to pass over New England so we wouldn¢t have to hike in the rain in the Whites and possibly get some views. The morning check of the weather on the internet said the day would be partly cloudy with sun. If I ever see the weatherman who pulled that forecast out of his arse I¢m gonna slap him, because damn he was wrong.Fat Chap drove me, Ranger Jan, Blues Brothers, and Gorbachev up to the trailhead at Franconia Notch. Enroute we had breakfast at Peg's in North Woodstock. I checked the New York Times at the Citgo station and unfortunately my picture was not in the paper. Even in the valley it was not sunny, as forecasted, rather it drizzled a cold sleet from the bleak gray clouds that hung over the mountains. The day started with a big climb of nearly 3,000 feet to Franconia Ridge Trail, over a mere 2.7 miles. Honestly, the climb wasn¢t near as bad as I thought. It was very steep but not near the boulder scramble that Mt. Kinsman was. As I pushed further up the mountain temperatures dropped, the wind increased, and it began raining as I walked through dense clouds. At Liberty Springs tent site I crossed paths with a Ranger who advised caution along Franconia Ridge as it was ¢cold and blustery.¢ Yes, yes it was.As I pushed further up the mountain (around 4,000 ft.) the wind had really increased in intensity. However, its full force was masked by the trees in which I walked. Rather, I just kept getting wet from the damp quickly moving clouds I was in. I knew already I had never been in weather this intense, and did think it to be pretty awesome to be warm and dry as I moved, considering the maelstrom around me. That of course changed in the blink of an eye as I hit the tree line on Little Haystack Mountain. Franconia RidgeFranconia Ridge is said to be the most beautiful three and a half miles of the entire Appalachian Trail. I can certainly believe that, as the section of trail is completely above tree line and the mountain tapers off on both sides of the trail around you. I will have to return on another trip to get the majestic views I have heard about, because on this day I saw no more than fifty yards in front of me at any given time and it was all dense clouds, wisps of moisture, and cold rain and sleet.The wind roared up the side of the mountain and sounded like 100 locomotives. Within seconds, out of the trees, my pack cover was ripped off and carried away in a violent eddy of wind. The wind rushed up at a steady 60 mph as I stood atop Little Haystack Mountain. I found shelter behind large boulder, shot a video on my camera, and decided I would continue on along the ridgeline. Further Along the RidgeThe further I moved along the ridge the stronger and stronger the winds got. All the rocks on the trail were slick from the rain and you never knew what type of terrain lay ahead as you simply couldn¢t see that far. Sometimes the trail was flat, others you would scramble up rocks 50-60 feet and back down. I just never knew what lay ahead.I got my Osprey Pack back the other day as well as my cold weather clothing. I had extra food I had not eaten in Vermont and a new food drop to get me thru the Whites. All in all my pack weighed in at a staggering 46 pounds. The most it has weighed this whole trip. Although burdensome on today¢s climb, it served well to keep me anchored to terra firma as I stumbled across the wind ravaged ridge. Where did the Trail Go!?As I pressed on, I had no real idea of where along the ridge I was at any given time aside from the few trail signs I saw. I became a whipping boy to Mother Nature. I weigh 200 pounds, my pack 46, and the both of us were slammed over onto the ground with a rouge gust of wind ripping over the crest. The wind was so powerful I could not stand up so I kneeled, exposed to its fury, waiting for a brief lull. Finally the winds calmed some and I righted myself and began walking again.I moved hunched over to keep my center of gravity low, and leaning into the wind to keep from being blown away. Every strap on my pack was horizontal and my raincoat was inflated as the wind poured in my open pit zips.The ambient temperature was about 45 degrees but with the wind it felt as though it was just above freezing. I was wearing only my shorts, tee shirt, and Gore-Tex coat, but was warm as long as I kept moving. High Winds, Rain, Poor Visibility, Narrow Ridgeline, and Rock Scrambles...As I cut through the wind and clouds a large group of boulders appeared and hunched down out of the wind was Ranger Jan. Yelling we exchanged greetings and determined we were both okay. Ahead of us winds blew stronger than both of us had ever seen, I am confident they were close to 80 miles per hour. Ranger Jan had been waiting for quite some time for the winds to calm before pushing on. I decided to join him in rest and we both chose to carry on together along the ridge. Safety in numbers I suppose. We were both getting cold as we waited so we just made the move and pushed out. About 10 yards out Ranger Jan was knocked to the ground by the wind and I fell to my knees. We both got up and staggered about 25 yards to another grouping of rocks. We proceeded along the ridge in this manner. Surge and rest ¢ surge and rest.After nearly two hours we made it across the ridge and back into wooded turf. My fingers were so cold I could not feel them and my forehead ached from the cold wind. My knees were stiff from all the squatting and falls. We were both very relieved to be off the ridge and rested in the shelter of the dense spruce trees. Ranger Jan & Blues BrothersWe moved downhill and then began a sharp climb up Mt. Garfield. The backside of Garfield was a literal river and made for some precarious walking. At the Garfield Mountain tent site we ran into the Blues Brothers who had deliberately waited for our arrival. We all swapped our war stories and began the final push to Galehead Hut. We arrived at the hut and were glad to be allowed to do a work for stay. Inside I switched into dry clothes and began to decompress from the days wild events. The AMC workers are real nice and cooked us a dinner and we shot the breeze.Tonight I am more achy and tired than I have ever been on this hike. It was a grueling and challenging hike and I am thoroughly exhausted. Just about everything I have is wet to some degree, but fortunately I am in a nice hut where it can dry.Who knows what the weather will be tomorrow. They say it is supposed to clear up. The wind continues to howl away, but I just glanced out the window and saw stars and not a cloud in the sky. I hope that is a good omen.One Year Reflection