Date: 2004-08-18
From: Franconia Notch, I-93/US3

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: few clouds

What a great day. I think I had more fun seeing the faces of fellow hikers that have never been through the Whites. I personally found the ridge trails, that used to wipe me out, not a big deal. The view continues to astound me.Goose, K-dog, and I woke up around seven and knocked on the truck to wake our host. Dan went straight to work making us french toast and offering us orange juice and bananas. The guys took their time getting ready but I was all set around 8 am. I had heard there would be thunderstorms this afternoon and wanted to get the ridgeline completed before they rolled in. So Dan offered me a ride to the trailhead while the guys ate their breakfast.Off I went up Liberty Springs Trail. I had gone down this trail but never up it until now. It was a workout but nothing too extreme. On the way to the Liberty Springs Campsite where I would restock my water, I saw Pilot and Polar working their way up. They had spent the night in Woodstock.The caretaker at the campsite seemed very helpful which made me wonder if he was bored now that the morning crowd had left.Although you hit the Franconia Ridge Trail 3/10ths of a mile uphill from the camp, you do not emerge from the trees until Haystack 2 miles later. At that summit I bumped into Yoga Monkey who did a Work For Stay (WFS) that morning at Lonesome Lake Hut. She had already pulled some hefty miles. Both Goose and K-dog thought she was ahead of them yesterday and it triggered their competitive edge. I figured it was a matter of time before they showed up behind me.Yoga Monkey and I walked the ridgeline together. She started her thru-hike in early May after her husband and she visited Tahiti for a couple of weeks. A powerful, little woman in her early forties, she carries a 46 lb pack and can do perfect headstands on the summits.We chatted lightly as we traversed this familiar ridge over Little Haystack, Lincoln, and finally Lafayette. The sky kept getting dark. The mountains across the highway were just milky silhouettes. But there was enough of a view to get an idea of the magnitude of the Pemigewassett Valley.At one point, Lafayette looked like it would be forever hidden in a black cloud. Fortunately it blew away just as we reached the top.As we sat at the peak eating lunch, Pilot and Polar appeared over the ledge. Polar was ecstatic and said she had tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe the view. Shortly, Goose and K-dog showed up. They remarked that this was "awesome" prefixing it with their favorite profanity. And this was a cloudy day no less.After taking many pictures, we all headed north to Mt Garfield, visible through the clouds. This was probably the toughest stretch of the ridge trail so far because of the steepness and cumbersome rock steps. I realized that my knees were beginning to hurt from the pounding--same ole' Whites.I saw Goose and K-dog at the top of Garfield. They were going for Guyot and I figured I would too. But when I got to Garfield Ridge Campsite, I noticed the dark clouds returning and decided to stay here. Erin, a hiker out for the week, also strongly suggested it. She had lots of thru-hiker questions when she heard I was doing the AT. Thankfully Polar and Pilot were around to answer a few of them, too. It stayed nice for most of the evening but I'm glad I stopped early instead of killing myself trying to reach another shelter. We are very crowded here and I hear that Guyot is also packed.Tomorrow I tackle a section of the trail that I did in 2000. I did not have trekking poles and practically destroyed my knees. I believed at the time my hiking days were over. And, amazingly, I was convinced that I would never have the stamina to hike the entire Appalachian Trail.