Date: 2008-08-28
From: Galehead Hut

To: Crawford Notch, AMC Highland Center
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

Breakfast again at 7:00 starting with oatmeal and all the toppings. This morning it was an egg fatada with bacon and powder donuts.  There was another skit using the Luke Skywalker theme, but just a bit different. The crew is usually three or four working in a very efficient manner. They do all cooking, dish washing, and entertaining. Two to four thru-hikers are able to work to stay. They do minimal sweeping and in return are able to eat after the paying guests and can sleep on the dining room floor. Actually, it's a pretty good deal, because there is plenty to eat, and inside beats outside especially in rainy weather. Left the hut at 7:30 knowing I needed to make over fourteen miles today. My son, known from now on as "Sandbagger" was going to meet me at Crawford Notch this afternoon. The climb today was right at the beginning. Eight tenths of a mile up a boulder field to South Twin Mountain. You can tell you are nearing the top of a peak by the height of the trees. This ecological zone is the boreal forest with mostly pine trees. When they become very short, you have entered the krummholz zone where the trees are stunted with flag-like tops due to the stress from wind and cold.  I also noticed that some looked like very squat Christmas trees. At the top of Twin there was a wide open alpine plant area.  On my way to Zealand Falls Hut, my Black Diamond pole broke right at the shaft. What I thought was metal was fiberglass. I tried to put it back together with a stick in the center and duct tape. Well several steps told me this was not going to work so I stowed it in my pack. Shortly Serene and Brushstrokes caught up with me and we decided to stop at Zealand Hut for lunch. They will sell left over soup from the night before. What happened next is something I am not completely sure about. One moment I am climbing down a large rock field and the next I am falling and smashing my face against a boulder.  Blood everywhere and a full five minutes to determine what might be broken. I was in a world of pain, but knew I had not lost conciousness. There was a hiker coming up the trail so I called out, ¢Don't freak out, I'll be okay.¢  He bent over and by the look on his face, I wasn¢t a pretty picture. He said, "You are going to need stitches." I was able to get down to the hut and tried to put on some steri strips, but it wasn't the best job. Decided to finish the hike which was 7.6 miles over a fairly good treadway. Serene and Brushstrokes were going to stay at Zealand Hut, but they were going with me: one in front and one behind me. It is true that thru-hikers stick together, and this was an act of friendship.  I would not have made it without their support. As we were coming to the trailhead, Sandbagger was coming up. I told him not to be concerned. Since he had just gone through a similar experience when he took a puck to the face in roller hockey and had to have twelve stitches, he knew what I was going through.  We were able to give Serene and Brushstrokes a ride to the AMC Highland Center. We were going to miss dinner as I was headed to a hospital, we gave them our dinner cards. We drove twenty miles to the Littleton Regional Hospital emergency room. To make a long story short, I was glued back together literally, had my knee looked at - no broken bones, and was released with two extra strength Tylenol and an ace bandage for my knee. Unfortunately Sandbagger had bought two live Maine Lobsters as a surprise!! We were missing a stove, utensils, and a place to cook them.  Those lobsters are probably the most unusual tip the emergency room nurse ever received! We opted for a dinner out and had a chance to put a good ending to a most trying day. I am so fortunate to have good friends and a great son to help. Fly Right,Ravon