Date: 2007-08-11
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite, NH

To: Whitewall Mountain, NH
Miles today: 10.7

It¢s beautiful here in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. From the campsite we travel a few miles to the Galehead River, then head up 1400 feet to South Twin Mountain. The trail is located mainly on the ridges that connect the mountain tops. The views to the south are expansive. Along the way we pass the Galehead Hut, a newly constructed lodge that Trainman and I stayed at in 2004.From South Twin Mountain the trail runs a solid 6 miles downhill. This long distance is really hard on the knees. Seven miles past the last hut we come to the Zealand Falls Hut. We continue out on to the old roadbed of the Zealand Valley Railroad for a little bit of fast travel. We find an unnamed campsite not quite in the shadow of Whitewall Mountain. It¢s obvious that many rockslides have occurred in this vicinity. Undoubtedly some wiped out the tracks when they were here. Mindful of the hazard, we pitch the tents far away from the danger zone.What is this? See explanation at August 10, 2007.Monday, September 6, 2004, in the White Mountains, Mt. Garfield, New HampshireOff we go to the top of Mt. Garfield, a relatively easy four miles through the woods. April¢s ankle is doing OK, producing just a little bit of pain. She¢s still taking six to nine Ibuprofen a day ¢ and it helps a lot. At the summit, elevation 4488 feet, we have a magnificent view of Mt. Lafayette to the southeast. We¢re in bright sunlight but the valley below us is filled with clouds. We meet Chef Vegan who recalls seeing April back in Georgia. Quite a good memory for such a long time ago!The trail down off Garfield is steep and rocky, probably similar to the conditions that caused April¢s accident on Lafayette. We carefully drop down about 1000 feet in one-half mile of walking then we go right back up to the Galehead Hut at elevation 4000 feet. We will stay there for the night, out first experience with the Appalachian Mountain Club¢s fabled hut system.The huts are generally full during the summer months ¢ reservations are recommended. April and I show up without reservations, of course, because otherwise we just wouldn¢t embody the free spirit of hiking. But rather than paying the $100 AMC couples member rate for our lodging we try an option which is available only to thru hikers, namely, ¢Work for Stay.¢ This means that normally destitute thru hikers can work in exchange for their food and lodging. Each hut is limited to 2 to 4 WFS¢s so it¢s first come, first served. Tonight, we are the first to ask. The hut crew (officially spelled ¢croo¢ in trail lingo) agrees to employ us, and we eagerly accept. They are scheduled to have only three paying guests tonight. Should be a light work load. Our first task is washing dishes. We dispatch the dirty ones in about twenty-five minutes. That¢s all the work we have to do today. I think to myself, this is one sweet money-saving deal!Protocol decrees that the guests always eat before the workers. Protocol also states ¢ in the fine print ¢ that because we are paying zero for our accommodations, we are to eat only the leftovers, and that there is no guarantee there will be any leftovers! The croo sets the table for the guests: salad plate, soup dish, dinner plate, desert dish, water glass, coffee cup, utensils. The eating arrangements surprise me. I expected some type of cafeteria help-yourself arrangement, but instead the guests are actually served a four-course meal. Mimicking real chefs the croo parades out a tasty offering of salad, soup, main course (lasagna), Italian bread, cake, cookies and coffee.While the guests are eating April and I wait patiently nearby, resembling supper dogs who hope to be tossed some crumbs from under the table. We¢ve also been warned that it¢s better for the workers and guests not to mingle to avoid any hard feelings over who is paying and who is not.An hour after starting their dinner (it¢s now 8 p.m.) they guests have finished eating and the tables have been cleared for cards and books. The croo has finished all of the cleanup work that needs to be done tonight. The croo then waves April and I into the kitchen, where to our delight, we find that there are plenty of leftovers. We eat with the croo, diving directly into the meat-and-potato filled pans. The food is basic but excellent. And it sure is a welcome change from our normal freeze-dried suppers.Workers are generally not allowed to sleep in the same area as the guests (could it be because of their odor?), so we expect to be put up in the attic, basement or kitchen. To our surprise the croo offers us a regular bunk in a regular room, which we readily accept. Our room sleeps nine, and except for Doc who shows up just before dinner, we have the room all to ourselves.