Date: 2005-07-19
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: Ethan Pond Campsite
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: mist

Miles hiked today : 14.714.5 AT miles + 0.2 mile of side trailI woke up this morning at 5:35 a.m. and took my time packing. My boots were still wet from the rainstorm yesterday and I hiked out with Opa at 6:35 a.m. with thoughts of free breakfast at Galehead Hut. The initial portion of the 2.7 miles to the hut had some steep downhills and at 6:50 a.m, I slipped on a wet rock and my feet shot out from under me, causing me to land on my backside. Cha-ching, fall #30.During the hike, Opa had fallen behind and Michael had caught up to me. We arrived at the hut at 8:25 a.m. and went inside to inquire about leftovers. One of the hut Croo pointed at a plate on the counter with 5 small pieces of coffee cake and a small bowl of scrambled eggs, saying that it was AYCE for $1. Michael and I were somewhat surprised that they were charging for something they'd probably throw on the compost heap before long, though we divided up the food and ate. I saved a piece of coffee cake for Opa, who arrived before long. While we were eating, Tomcat came out of the bunkroom. He'd stayed the night and was performing his work for stay chores this morning.I left the hut at 9:00 a.m. and began a steep climb to the summit of South Twin Mountain. It took 45 minutes to climb 1,082 feet over 0.8 mile and I was treated to some partial views, unlike the past 2 cloudy days. As I passed over the summit, there were better views of the mountains in the distance, though they were still partially obscured by clouds.At 10:45 a.m., I reached the side trail to Guyot Campsite and entered Mount Guyot's alpine zone. I was absolutely floored by how beautiful the landscape was. The sky was fairly clear and I couldn't help but laugh out of sheer amazement at how gigantic the mountains were. They appeared very pristine with the blanket of trees covering them. Continuing on, I gradually descended toward Zealand Falls Hut, hearing a small amount of thunder at 11:55 a.m., and arriving at the hut at 12:55 p.m. I'd covered 7.0 miles in just under 4 hours.I went inside to ask about work for stay, though the worker on duty said that they already had 2 workers lined up and that she wasn't sure whether they needed anybody else. Michael was one of the 2 workers, though he was considering moving on 4.8 miles to Ethan Pond Campsite. I bought 2 bowls of mashed potato soup for $2 and wasn't extremely impressed. I waited for Opa to arrive to see whether he wanted to push on and played a game of hearts with Michael, Tomcat, and a section hiker, Perry.At 3:15 p.m., it was time to head out. I'd looked at the elevation profile and the upcoming trail appeared to be fairly level. Opa hd agreed to move on, though I set out with Michael who gave up his work for stay position. After a short descent, the trail was basically a gravel walkway for nearly 2 miles. Before long, thunder began sounding and I was a bit nervous as I walked a beautiful, but exposed, ridge for approximately 0.1 mile. After I returned to cover beneath the tree canopy, I began to see lightning flashes and heavy rain began to fall. Judging by the short delay between lightning flashes and thunder claps, the storm was very close, though there was little to do but push on. Leaving the gravel trail, I rock hopped and crossed decaying bog bridges to avoid walking through the poos of water forming on the trail. Despite my best efforts, my boots and socks were soaked again, which was annoying as I'd just dried them in the sun at Galehead Hut.The rain let up after a bit and I reached the campsite at 4:55 p.m., having covered 4.9 miles in 1 hour, 40 minutes. I set up my sleeping gear in the shelter, went to the cooking area to make dinner, and then played another game of hearts with Michael, Tomcat, and the site caretaker, Molly. After the game, I crawled into my sleeping bag to journal.Sometime this morning, before Galehead Hut, I strained my left calf muscle. I can walk on it, though it is a bit tender. I've also been experiencing some knee tenderness the past couple mornings, though this has been going away after hiking for a short period of time. Tomorrow I'm headed into the Presidential Mountain Range and am planning a 9.3 mile day to Mizpah Hut, which is said to accomodate 6-7 work for stay positions. Hopefully I'll arrive early enough to secure 1 of the positions.Bedtime at 9:55 p.m.