Date: 2005-08-25
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Kinsman Pond Campsite, this is where I wanted to get to early in the morning. A friend from last years hike, Dingle, is the caretaker there and I wanted to get there early so we could spend some time talking. I told the group the night before that I would head out early and meet them there. I left at 7:00 and began the climb up the Kinsmans. All I have to say is I am very glad we did not push and do them yesterday! It would have been hell in the rain. A rock climb/scramble is the word for it! it was still foggy and cool but at least it wasn't raining. Unfortunately there were no views due to the weather. I turned into the campsite and there was Dingle. It was good to see him again. He had heard I was close and had been asking everyone who came by if they had seen me. We sat, made coffee, and talked about the previous year and where everyone was now. Surprisingly, there are a lot of last years group working in the Whites, either at the huts or in the campsites. Around 11:00 the group came in and we all sat and talked till noon or so. By then hunger was kicking in and we wanted to get to the hut so we could partake in the endless bowl of soup we had heard about. We said goodbye to Dingle, for now, because it looks like we may see him again in Gorham. Hope so. An hour later we arrived at the Lonesome Lake Hut where we proceeded to consume mass quantities of soup and lemonade. All for $2.00 apiece, not a bad deal overall. By now, the sun had broken through and it was starting to clear. We had a fantastic view of Franconia Ridge, which we would hit tomorrow. The goal for today was Franconia Notch where we would look for a place to stealth camp. We also had to do a resupply in North Woodstock, which we could get to from the Notch. We made our way to the Notch and got to the freeway around 4:00. At first, trying to get a ride seemed impossible, but eventually a car pulled over and we all crammed in. Once again, a person that knew about hikers. Seems they are the only ones who stop! We got dropped off at the store where we got our supplies. Prices are outrageous in the north! Makes me cringe every time I pick something up but what are you goingto do, starve? I don't think so! After resupplying we went to th road to try to get back to the trail. No matter what you do, getting a ride for five people is not an easy task, but we try anyway. It wasn't too long before a SUV pulls over. We piled in and on the way out learned he had seen us from his window and came out specifically to give us a ride, again, an ex-hiker. No matter how many times I see it and say it I am still amazed at the things hikers do for other hikers out here. We got back to the trailhead and began looking for a place to stealth. It was getting late and we wanted to ger settled down for the evening. It had turned into a fine day. A fun day, and we were excited about hitting Franconia Ridge tomorrow. Because of all the little side trails in the area Mouth and I got seperated from the girls. We eventually hooked back up and found they had spotted a good stealth site. We made our way to it where we decided to cowboy camp. Cowboy camping is great when the weather is good and the bugs are down. All you have to do is lay out your sleeping bag and your camp is set up. We ate and then hit the sack. We wanted to get out early tomorrow.